You'd think I'd be aware of this by now.
Our ED has only seven rooms with walls; the rest are separated by curtains. This isn't the best for privacy. Especially when you're changing a colostomy bag.
This poor young man came in with a possible infection to his new stoma. There was some gross drainage, in addition to the very stinky poop that was coming out of it. His mother had gotten the wrong colostomy bags by mistake, so it was ill-fitting and leaking on his skin and clothing. He was miserable, feverish, and very upset about the odor emanating from him.
I went in with a basin, cleaning supplies, gown, and a new stoma dressing/kit and tried to fix him up, a process taking considerable time and which released a lot of stink. But we kept at it, and eventually he was clean and feeling better, no thanks to the people next door.
The entire time we were getting cleaned up, all this poor kid could hear were comments like "Dang, something smells like ass in here...why don't they spray some spray around here, this shit is NASTY! This shit gonna make me puke! You got any perfume, cause some shit up and DIED!"
I left the area to dump all the soiled material in the dirty utility room, and they all yelled after me, "Miss! What stinks? Can't you clean up this stink?!? Get some spray! This shit stinks!" I hushed them, and said, "It will be better in a minute, please, keep your voices down."
The poor kid with the stoma was just about in tears. He kept apologizing. I told him he wasn't the one who needed to apologize, that ER's are full of bad smells, and that's just the way it goes. I also told him that he'd learn how to deal with his stoma, and soon it wouldn't be so bad. My heart was just about breaking for him.
I know the people next door didn't know what was going on, but seriously. It's a hospital. Sickness smells bad. Deal with it.
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17 comments:
that poor kid! That's all he needs to deal with...feeling like a leper while trying to learn to deal with the fact that you're defecating into a bag.
Let me guess: the loud people next door didn't have anything terribly wrong with THEM.
If I were the patient with the stoma I would have gotten up and shoved the damn bag in their faces.
People are more than just inconsiderate. People as a whole are ASSHOLES, plain and simple.
little d: Yeah. The patient in the next bed had a fever and cough for two days. His mother (cause you know, 28-year-old men need their mommies when they're kind of sick) learned my name early and would not stop using it: "GuitarGirl, would you get me a pitcher of water? I'm very thirsty." (note that pitcher was for HER, not for the patient). "GuitarGirl, Junior is VERY afraid of needles; please use the baby needles on him." "GuitarGirl, can you please call the x-ray people and tell them to come as soon as possible?"
Oy VEH
I might have gone to talk to them, with all the soiled material, and spent some time explaining to them that they need to shut up. If they think that somebody died, then they should be just a little bit respectful of the dead.
If they are that healthy that the smell bothers them, they should not be in the ED. I really dislike ignorant rude people.
In a real emergency people don't complain about the smell, what you're wearing or if the doctor/nurse is white/black/green/from Mars whatever.
In a "fake emergency" my goal is to focus all attention on me and any distractions from this (foul smells, someone else vomiting, an actual sick person) is an impediment to my goal.
Just remind the poor kid that the morons picking on him will be working for him in 10 yrs
Good thing I'm not in medicine. I would have been sorely tempted to "accidentally" spill some of the colostomy bag contents on the assholes while delivering their water. People like that are why the gene pool needs a good dose of chlorine.
Is is very embarrassing having a stoma. I use diluted bleach after I use the loo from the fear of the smell. Mine is a Urostomy so its urine with bowel mucus. So it still smells feculent at times, especially highly aromatic after certain foods.
When I moved my bowels for the first time after two lots of major surgery in two weeks(the second for bowel obstruction).
I was in a ward with 5 other people. Enclosed in my cubicle I cried with humiliation and agony. I begged the nurse for air freshener as I didn't want all the patients throwing up.
I wasn't able to use the loo as the cramps were really awesome, to the point the foetal position was needed in between.
I gagged and heaved at the delicate aroma of three week old bowel obstruction moving on down. I experienced flash backs of what I had been vomiting only a week before. Hey if I'm gagging the rest of the ward must have been green...poor buggars.
If the 28 yo male was having his "momma" hover over him...I doubt if they could understand common curtesy. Seems as if her generation decided to never let their spawn grow up to be productive members of society.
Steve
I hate people like that. I'd have offered an AMA form at the very least.
poor kid. the worst part is when the other patients know it's him, too.
I cannot even imagine what torture it must have been for the guy with colostomy. What a horrible day for him.
"If the 28 yo male was having his "momma" hover over him...I doubt if they could understand common courtesy. Seems as if her generation decided to never let their spawn grow up to be productive members of society."
Steve nailed it. You get an "Attaboy" mug, Steve!
Hy there, i just wanted to let you know that i have a blog on stoma and stoma care, if you could take a look and tell me what you think about it, what it's missing and what i should add, also a link to it would be great if you think it's worth it, thanks
Stoma care
obnoxious family!!! I would have told the complaining family to find another place to go if the smell was bothering them that bad!! Seriously you handled it very well. Poor boy though...people are just plain cruel!
obnoxious family!!! I would have told the complaining family to find another place to go if the smell was bothering them that bad!! Seriously you handled it very well. Poor boy though...people are just plain cruel!
Wow, I don't think I could have listened to that without asking them to show be quiet and show some respect.
but then again...I remember when other parents would barge right into the curtained off area where I was doing a procedure on another child to ask me when their child was going to be seen..or wander around the department peering into other patient's cubicles...I used to love telling them to please stay in their own cubicles because of all the infections they or their child could catch from other patients...or I'd say "there is so little privacy in our department so we ask that you stay in your own cubicle please" That sometimes helped them stay put for a few minutes anyway...
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