Is it foul smelling?

The first few times a nurse asked me that question I was a little surprised.

I mean, isn't the answer obvious?

For those of you who may be new here -  I'm talking about poo...not the honey-loving bear, either.

But, I quickly learned that not all of it is foul smelling...at least not to a health care employee.  So, as you might imagine, if one of us thinks it's foul smelling, it means there's likely some kind of problem.

I'm going to stop talking about stinky stuff, at least for now.  Hope I haven't lost everyone or the rest of this post is going to be rather lonely.

The point of all this was to say that I've learned a host of icky interesting things since becomming a CNA.  I decided to look for some buttons or stickers or other little doo-dads with CNA humor to get to my co-workers for Christmas.

In my search I came across all kinds of jokes about bedpans, incontinent pads & "sweatin' with the oldies."  Trust me, we love us some toilet humor.

But then there was something a little more grown-up, which really resonated with me.

(And this is the part where I get all emotional & stuff.)

The quote I found was intended for recent Nursing Assistant graduates & read:

"Of all the skills you will ever learn, the greatest one you will ever hold is the caring touch of a loving heart."

When I think about this simple statement I'm reminded of all the smiles, laughter, & joy that go hand in hand with all the yucky stuff.

I am happy to pay attention to whether the BM is foul smelling, put ointment on someone's prolapsed uterus & all the other strange things I do in a "normal" work day, because my job is to love people.

How many of us are lucky enough to say that?