Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Air Freshener

It's so nice when a patient comes in smelling of soap or fabric softener or something that indicates a sense of hygiene is present. (No, bathing in cheap body spray doesn't count.) Everybody wants to take care of the good-smelling patient. He had more nurses in and out of his room than anyone else in the ER.

Though, to be honest, a lot of it was to escape the nasty smells that permeated the rest of the department. BO and colostomy oozin's don't really make for a pleasant environment.

11 comments:

EE said...

Haha, nice.

kmsw said...

personally, I'm a big fan of eau d' abscess and essence of sweaty foot.

Barbara said...

I had to quit my job in an ICU stepdown back in '89 due to being constantly "green" from pregnancy - and the pseudomonas growing out of the fresh trachs,the abdominal fistulae, the fresh stomas, the necrotic half-body wounds just Did.Not.Help.At.All...I couldn't function at ALL.

GuitarGirlRN said...

When I worked on the floor, many nights it was me and three other nurses, all of whom were pregnant. We made a deal: They'd give all my 6 AM meds, and I'd do all the zillions of stinky, suppurating dressing changes.

I really didn't mind.

Mother Jones RN said...

Eeewww!

... said...

My ER/med-surge nurse husband just said, "but real ER nurses don't have to deal with colostomy bags for days on end [the way med-surge nurses do]. Like [name withheld]'s bag dripped all over me today... AGAIN!!!!

Ladybug Crossing said...

LOL!!
That applies to any workplace!
I work in a school and one of our colleagues wears the most wonderful cologne. We try not to follow him around and sniff the air behind him - it's just not cool - but he sure smells nice.

Unknown said...

I would just like to say that I am appalled. You want to call yourselves nurses!!! Where is the compassion that goes hand in hand with this profession? I , too, am a nurse, but I ALSO have a BAG!!!! Now, am I too stinky to work side by side with? Why do you , as medical professionals allow this stigma to continue. Aren't you there for all the patients? Noone likes the stink of body smells. But, let me tell you, your shit stinks too. I have never wiped a butt that smelled good.
A disgrace.............. shame on you.

Anonymous said...

Leeann, you need to lighten up. I'm sure these nurses are compassionate when dealing with patients. They are just venting now, away from the patients. Besides, she said colostomy oozin's not colostomies. Intact colostomies are not a problem.

EE said...

leeann, you're a flake.

Anonymous said...

Can you please tell Smells Like Cat but Uses Febreeze Lady at my work that it no workey?

Last I checked it didn't read "Why shower when you can Febreeze?" on the label...