1. I once slightly threw up in my mouth when my patient missed the emesis bin and ended up spitting sputum from his trach on my arm. Did I mention that proper etiquette would be to swallow the throw up since making sure he was breathing well, not running to the bathroom, was my priority? Gross I know.
2. I was trying to pull the cap off a needle once and ended up putting the needle through my index finger and into my thumb. Embarrassed I got a new needle drew up the medication, wrapped my profusely bleeding fingers in a napkin, and administered the IV med without the patient or nurse knowing what I had done. It was a tiny hole through and through but that thing killed for weeks! Needless to say I developed a needle cap phobia until this past semester when one of my instructors taught me how to properly take a cap off. You're probably thinking how hard can it be? I'm here to tell you its a little harder than you think (at least that's what I tell myself).
3. I cried once on the floor. Watching my ICU patient's family gather around his bed as he was leaving this world and hearing them recite Psalms 23 as they cried out to our God was so heart wrenching. I did not have time to excuse myself to the bathroom before the tears started coming.
4. Sometimes I would pretend to go to the bathroom so I could sit just for a few minutes to gather my thoughts during my long shifts. (Don't judge - they say you do your best thinking in the bathroom!).
5. I had a patient who was restrained to the bed by wrist restraints and mittens (it was for his own protection, he was missing part of his skull and was very confused. Oh and he liked to touch the nurses and grab at them when his hands were free so I suppose it was a benefit to all). He was having multiple loose bowel movements. Lets just say I have never seen that amount come out of a human being. Anyways, I went to check on him for the third time in an hour when I realized it had happened again. I really felt for the guy. It went everywhere and required us to change him and the sheets each time. Well I went to untie his arm so we could start to clean him up and as I was leaning over he touched my face with his mitten. Then I saw it. (brace yourself) Feces on his mitten!!! Which meant feces was on my cheek!! I froze. Yes I cared that my patient was sitting in his own excrement but now it was on my face and that was ALL I could think of. The nurse helping me looked at me with the most straight face and said "I'll hold him dear. I think you need to wash your face." I THINK she was right. Also my sister was right when she called me "poopy face" but she was a decade to early!
Well. there you have it! A few of my not-so-finest moments! Hopefully they didn't totally gross you out. I should get back to studying (only ten more days to go!). I promise my next post will be of more substance. For now I will leave you with a picture of one of my favorite clinical groups. We survived the ICU together.
