smelly patients

[the_negro_puppy]

Some people use disposable face masks/shields with vicks vapor rub on the inside. When responding to obvious deaths with putrification/rotting etc

 

[CAOX3]

grow some balls... thanks that is so helpful.

this forum is so negative I don't even know why I come here for HELP, and to ASK QUESTIONS.

so if my dog gets sprayed by a skunk should I "man up" or should I wash my dog? if a patient complained of the smell in your ambulance would tell them "it doesn't bother me so get used to it"

I have been puked on, I don't like it, I change my clothes and wash myself as soon as possible. I don't sit around for an hour.

I guess I will just man up and next time I feel the urge to vomit on a patient I will, then I'll tell them to man up and don't complain cause I've smelled gangreen before and it wasn't that bad. or maybe I will quietly rub some vapo cream ( as someone suggested) or spritz some of that medical grade odor cleanser ( why don't those nurses and doctors just man up?) that someone else suggested and go on my merry way helping my patient.

Like everything else you have to wade through the "crap" to find the answer your looking for. There is plenty of good information here, dont be turned off by a few.

 

[akflightmedic]

Grow some b*lls.

I grew some, came with my body. I know I have them cause my wife took them and put them in a jar, occasionally I get to try them on.

 

[Aidey]

^^^ *snort*


De-odorizing the amb for the next patient is an extremely valid point. That is one of the reasons I will ask anyone on scene that is smoking to put it out (Well, there is the oxygen too). My patients don't need to be smelling cigarette smoke on me all shift.

Gum is what I use. Having a strong taste in my mouth helps me because it seems to drown out the smell a bit. Plus that way I don't have some gunk smeared under my nose for everyone to see.

Eventually you will get used to some of the more "common" smells. Some things will always set people off, burned flesh is one that gets a lot of people. For me, burned flesh, a true lower GI bleed and that nasty 3 day old alcohol seeping out of the pores smell are my problem smells. The last one has more to do with growing up with an alcoholic than it does the smell being unbearable itself.

 

[Seaglass]

I also use gum or breath mints pretty often, even on calls that don't reek. Also helps keep my breath from stinking when I'm in the patient's face, and helps keep me awake.

I'm pretty good with bad smells, though. I'm not a fan of any, but I get used to them really quickly. Where ones get to me, it's personal psychological associations. Cleaning up can be an issue for me because I stop noticing bad smells, so I make a point of getting a breath of fresh air before I start.

 

[Melclin]

grow some balls... thanks that is so helpful.

this forum is so negative I don't even know why I come here for HELP, and to ASK QUESTIONS.

so if my dog gets sprayed by a skunk should I "man up" or should I wash my dog? if a patient complained of the smell in your ambulance would tell them "it doesn't bother me so get used to it"

I have been puked on, I don't like it, I change my clothes and wash myself as soon as possible. I don't sit around for an hour.

I guess I will just man up and next time I feel the urge to vomit on a patient I will, then I'll tell them to man up and don't complain cause I've smelled gangreen before and it wasn't that bad. or maybe I will quietly rub some vapo cream ( as someone suggested) or spritz some of that medical grade odor cleanser ( why don't those nurses and doctors just man up?) that someone else suggested and go on my merry way helping my patient.

To be fair, you didn't ask about any of that, you just said smelly pts. To which the answer of man up, is fair. Some people smell, get over it. Many of the posts came with modifiers of "but if its [horrible decaying flesh] then" which provided you with some answers. Of course its fair to want to remove the smell of decaying bodies from your truck for the next pt or for your own benefit, but that's not really what you asked. If you ask an unclear question and people give you answers that you weren't looking for, don't whine about it, just clear the question up, instead of talking about how horrible everyone on the forum is. I read your question simply to be about the average everyday (perhaps overweight) pt who could use a bit more deodorant, maybe that old fella who is a little too demented to remember to take a daily shower.

 

[MonkeySquasher]

Strong overpowering creams work well. Vicks, or some sort of mint, lime, or lemon.

I know a guy overseas who always tried to pick these little limes. Whenever the city's smell got to him, he'd squeeze a little out of the lime onto his fingers and wipe it just under his nose.

Icy Hot is a good smell, but would probably be uncomfortable. haha