Personal HygieneThere comes a point at which your hygiene becomes less your problem and more everyone else's:
My old school nurse never seemed to wash - instead she wrapped herself in crepe bandages from the first aid kits. The smell was beyond pungent. If you got ill at school, it was better to suffer than try and explain symptoms whilst only breathing out.
When she was eventually 'let go',they had to strip the wallpaper in her office to get rid of the lingering odour.
How scuzzy have you got? Or, failing that, how bad have people you know got?
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chthonic, Thu 22 Mar 2007, 12:40)
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PuntersAs a student nurse in the early 90s, I had to do an 8 week placement as a "proper" nurse, on a general medical ward. It was wank, they hated us Psychiatric nurses, we hated them. (Nothing changes). Anyhow, a few incidents spring to mind.
1) Asian guy admitted, was in a 6 bedded side ward. Now, I like spicy, foreign food (probably too much), but whatever this guy's relatives bought him to eat was just stinky. Every day they would visit him with loads of tupperware containers brimming with curries etc which reeked, and upset the other 5 guys who's stomachs were a bit dodgy. Not sure what the solution was - side room maybe ?
2) guy admitted with ulcers on both legs. Now these things reek of rotting meat (cos thats what they are). But these werent just holes (and Ive seen some on bums you could put a child's fist into). These looked like someone had taked a potato peeler around his legs from just above his ankles to about 4" higher. He was a lovely bloke but he was in a side room and the smell made th ewhole ward smell.
3) 24hour Faecal fat collection - sounds as good as it smells. Basically, ever bit of crap passed by a patient over 24 hours is stored in a bucket, in the dirty sluice. Now, because its being collected there is obvioulsy something wrong and this one lady was passing grey putty like shit. And because it kept getting contaminted (with wee I think) we had to keep re starting it - again the whole ward stank.
4) Psycho-Geriatrics (ie Dementia/Alzheimers). Wicked disease, cruel for not just the sufferer but the whole family and friends. Also leads to incontinence. Worst shift was December 25th Night shift - patients have had full Xmas lunch, relatives have pumped 'em full of chocolates, sweets, alcohol...and its all going to come out. Christ I fuckin MINGED that morning. And we had a guy die (a blessing for all concerened) too on that shift. I had to make the 'phone call to his wife - happy fuckin Xmas :-(
Now I work with psychosis, which tends to lead to poor hygiene (apathy etc) - Id rather have BO and faggy breath than fingers covered in shit - trust me gloves aint that good.
There are more !
(, Sun 25 Mar 2007, 22:35, Reply)
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