My doctor says I wouldn't have so many nosebleeds if I kept my finger outta there!

[shopgirl15]

First aid bit; Never tilt your head back when you have a nosebleed; tilt it forwards and pinch at the bridge of the nose, so as to prevent any blood trickling down your throat (Coughing/choking hazard).

I've never been bothered by that for some reason.

[dalesys]

My doctor says I wouldn't have so many nosebleeds if I kept my finger outta there!

My mother says that the only things that are supposed to go in my nose (or my ears) are my own elbows...


If I can do that, a nosebleed is the least of my worries.

[Seshat]

Dammit - you beat me too it (although I generally soak a bit longer

You're a nurse & they give you white - what genius made that decision?

It's a post-Semmelweis decision.

Dr Semmelweis was one of two (Dr Gordon also figured it out independantly, just a bit after Semmelweis) who figured out that patient-to-patient transfer of body fluids was one of the major causes of death-by-infection in the pregnancy wards of hospitals.

In Dr Gordon's case, he was handling in-home births, and noticed a suspicious pattern in his records: if he saw patients A, B and C in the same day, in that order, and patient A got 'childbed fever', patients B and C usually did as well.
The guilt he reportedly felt when he figured out that HE was the cause of death for innumerable 'patient B and C' cases was enormous; but he used it to drive him to find a solution and try to get other doctors to use it.

Semmelweis was practicing in a hospital which got an autopsy room during his practice there. Students would spend mornings in the autopsy room, then afternoons examining patients in the doctors' charity wing.
Midwives didn't have the 'benefit' of the autopsy room, and also had an ages-old habit of washing their hands frequently. They also had a charity wing.

Before the autopsy room was installed, there was a noticable difference in the childbed fever rates in the doctor's charity wing and the midwives' charity wing. After the installation of the autopsy room, the childbed fever rate in the doctor's charity wing rose dramatically - and the midwives' remained the same.
(Yes, the doctors were eating lunch after doing autopsies, without washing their hands. Then they'd go on to see patients.)

Semmelweis compared practices in the two wings, to try to figure out what caused the huge difference. He got a clue when a peer - another doctor - died of 'childbed fever' with the initial fever site being a cut in his hand.


.... anyway; medical people now wear colours that show blood and body fluids, and are reasonably easy to keep spares on hand, to minimise patient-to-patient body fluid transfer.

[crazylegs]

It's a post-Semmelweis decision.

I'm aware of the inputs into IPC that Semmelwies had - I'm just astounded that they chose white as it not only shows blood (which is a good thing) but every single little mark that builds up over the day that even the most diligent healthcare worker - over time white ends up looking dingy & generally unkempt. It's just not a great colour for someone who has a very physical job.

[Food Lady]

I have a peroxide pray bottle. Last night I got some blood out by spraying it to death, then immediately rinsing in cold water. The garments will go in the wash today.

[Seshat]

I'm aware of the inputs into IPC that Semmelwies had - I'm just astounded that they chose white as it not only shows blood (which is a good thing) but every single little mark that builds up over the day that even the most diligent healthcare worker - over time white ends up looking dingy & generally unkempt. It's just not a great colour for someone who has a very physical job.

I think that's why a lot of scrubs now are pastels or pastel-coloured prints.

[Cat Herder]

One of my best friends made me set my red wine down at a completely different table before I gave her a hug in her wedding dress this wknd because my rep for spillage klutziness is epic!

It's all right, dear, accidents will happen! *siiiigh* And always to my best china!

[Lace Neil Singer]

That's where I saw the leprechaun... he told me to burn things.

I've had a nosebleed at work before; luckily, the customer I was serving wasn't a bonehead and was fine with me clutching a handful of loo roll to my nose before running out the back the moment I was able to. XD