Ick

Ok, I gagged for only the 2nd time in my nursing student career. Yesterday I had a COPD patient in the ICU. He was mostly there but I had a little bit of difficulty understanding him because he did not have his teeth in and where I live people have accents which make them difficult to understand even when they have their teeth. We did his meds to include one that had to be mixed in orange juice because it tastes nasty. I was helping him get cleaned up and he mumbles something and points at his mouth. I thought he was going to through up so I get the basin and he hocks up some nasty sputum. Now, vomit - no problem, diarrhea - no problem, blood - no problem, amputated limbs - no problem, oozing wounds - no problem, inside parts on the outside - no problem, sputum - BIG PROBLEM. I just can't do it. It grosses me out to the point of gagging. I could never be a respiratory therapist or work in a respiratory unit.

Other icky thing for this week - we had a liver failure patient who was a train wreck and probably circling the drain. His blood chemistries were way, way out of whack. So, of course he gets prescribed Kayexalate and Lactulose via his NG tube since he is on a vent. My preceptor decides that I need to taste both of these (they are liquids) so I know when my patients ask me what they taste like. I taste them - not too bad. I wouldn't want a cupful of either, but you could get them down. But when you mix the two together in a plastic cup so you can draw it up in a big ol' syringe to push it down the NG tube - they are the color of watery mud. Also, fortunately for me but big time unfortunate for the night shift - this all occurred at about 1830 or so - just in time for shift change at 1900. Sorry guys!!!! If you don't know what these two meds do - say thank you because it means you have never had to take them and you have also never had to clean up the result!