[Nieup]

Can anyone offer any "tricks" to break the gag reflex? I've heard of only one.....to smile. I just don't think my patient is in the mood for me to be smiling at them when they're puking their internal organs up!

Seems like nothing affects me when coming from any orifice BELOW the neck. But when things start spewing from the nose and/or mouth, I become a sympathetic puker! This has got to be so embarrassing for my patient, not to mention how totally unprofessional I feel!

Any tricks, methods, ideas...anything to keep me from performing in such a moronic method?

Thanks,

[1mg.epi]

I once took care of a little old lady in the ER who had a SBO. I was a big time "sympathetic puker" . Boy some one starts to vomit, I start to do the goose neck thing. Well this little old lady was vomiting stool. I started to gag praying I did not spew. The little lady was crying saying to I'm so sorry.

I felt so bad I stopped gagging and put my arm around her and thought, "No, I am the sorry one." That night I got over it. no trick, just got over it.

[Nieup]

Thanks for sharing. I keep hoping that I, too, will "just stop doing it". But, it just seems that each time I think I've licked it, I'm forced to realize I haven't. I hate to sound like such a whiner, but as a new nurse (to be) this REALLY concerns me. I'm there to make the patient feel BETTER!...not worse!

Again, thanks for letting me know there's hope.

[Powerade]

Theda, if you find anything that works let me know okay! Actually I looked after a mate on the way to school one day who happened to be vomiting. No probs that day, I guess I was too busy worrying about her than anything else.

I still worry I'm going to have a problem with the whole gagging thing too.

[Nieup]

Will do Powerade........maybe a nursing vet. will come to our aid?...LOL

[chillynurse]

Hi--

I'm not an R.N. yet. In fact, I haven't started school yet. But I do have 3 years of private duty experience so I've encountered this a few times. Now I can't say that I NEVER get sick but having cleaned up a lot of nastiness and watched it happen here are a few of my tricks:
1) sometimes you can find a spray that will kill the odor if you need to clean up a mess. it's instantaneous and usually subdues it enough that you can clean up quickly and move on. having everything ready- gloves, trash, etc- helps immensely before starting the job.
2) you can look away and focus on something like holding the patient's hair back and rubbing the forehead or back to comfort them without standing right in front of them and getting a whiff.
3) and I can't promise this will work for you but it usually works for me... keep your mouth wet at all times. If I generate some spit on the tip of my tongue and between my lips, it helps calm me down. You don't want to try and hack up anything just get a little spit between your lips and try not to breathe or watch.

I hope that helps a little... Good luck!

[JuliaS]

Sometimes smells really bother me. One trick that one of my instructors shared with me is to apply a small dot of mentholatum at the base of each nare. That way you don't smell the vomit, bm, wounds, etc. Another trick I have learned is to apply a small drop of oil (I like cinammon) to my mask. As stated before in this thread, looking away, standing to one side, concentrating on the patient will also help some.

[Nieup]

Thank you so much, y'all! I'll give it all a try.

[Morgan1982]

it must be american nurses! lol I'm a nursing student in australia. I hate to think what you will do the first time you smell an open abdominal wound!!

[litljenarey]

Carry a little jar of vapor-rub (they sell it in jars about the size of lip gloss) and whenever you smell anything that may bother you, put a little under your nose.
It COMPLETELY blocks every other smell on earth, and something about it is very calming.