My patient is big. I?m talking 600 pounds big. She has these tiny little legs and a gargantuan abdomen. She?s in the hospital because she has a peritoneal infection. In her case, she developed a hole in her lower abdomen/pannus which resulted in a huge infection and sepsis. She has had surgery a few times to try an debride this wound, and she?s on IV antibiotics. She has a large dressing over this wound. The wound also unsurprisingly is positive for MRSA. She?s in a ?big boy? bed, and she literally is almost as wide as the bed even though it is 4.5 feet wide.
Anyway, she?s only 40, but she?s incontinent. We have the Pure Wick system which basically looks like a hotdog made out of a sponge. It is placed down between the labia and hooked to suction, so when she pees, it goes right in the suction container. A great invention for her for sure. When she poops thought, it?s another story :facepalm:
The cna tells me she has pooped, so of course he?s going to need help. We gown and glove up (no masks of course BC there is a shortage (don?t get me started on that bullshit). We started cleaning her, and the poop is soft and all up in her multiple crevices, and folds. I roll her over to my side while the cna starts cleaning. She is on her side against the rail, and she can hold on and help. It takes a long time to clean her, and I can feel something wet on my leg. I look down, and it?s wet, and I also feel moisture on my stomach?? I say out loud something is getting me wet? I step back a bit, and my isolation gown is caught between the bed and the side rail. The patient?s would is draining, and it?s copious and straight up pus!! Idc that she has MRSA even. This, I have decided on retrospect is the grossest thing that has happened to me in my career. The pus has drenched thru my gown to soak my scrubs on the abdomen and thighs area areas. There is a puddle of pus on the floor!!
To make it worse this patient said, ?didn?t the other nurse tell u that my wound drains when I?m turned over? :wtf: :facepalm: no she didn?t I say, and why didn?t u tell me? I was livid and disgusted. We finally finish up after putting skin protectant cream all over and on her ?coochie? as she requested.
I walk out soaked with pus and head to the bathroom. It?s 6:45 pm, so thank goodness it happened late in the shift. My co-workers are mortified like me and send for some hospital scrubs. I tell them they won?t be big enough, and I go rinse and wash my scrubs the best I can. I then dry with paper towels and put back on. They bring me scrubs, and I try on the shirt, but it doesn?t go below my navel :facepalm: so I?m not wearing them. They can?t believe an x-l won?t fit me, and I remind them that I?m not a small person.
I finish my shift, give report, go home, and strip and shower.
Let?s relate this to covid. This patient has mrsa which is very contagious, harmful, and hard to kill. I was wearing all the right PPE correctly, but the gowns are made of paper and are not reliable. Covid is much more contagious. We can?t even get plain old surgical masks. There are no n95s. It?s a joke. How am I possibly not going to catch this crap? Pray for me and my wife. This time sucks to be a nurse. Here we are all scared of covid and I get a gigantic exposure to Mrsa ffs :facepalm: