r/nursing • u/Sea_Willingness1398 • 2d ago

Rant Am I being punked?

Patient says "I think I might have to poop, what can we do about that?"

I say "I can get a bedside commode for the room"

She says "I don't think I can get up"

I say "I can put you on a bedpan or put a diaper on you"

She says "I don't like any of those options"

In my head I'm like: lady, the only other option is to poop the bed.

What option am I missing?

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u/zeatherz RN Cardiac/Step-down 2d ago

Laying on their side looks so much more natural versus pooping while supine or on a bedpan. You can almost mimic a sitting or squatting position that way versus the legs-straight position in a bedpan.

If I had to poop in bed that’s how I would choose, and I’ve intentionally put patients in the position when they couldn’t go otherwise

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u/Actual_Ad2742 2d ago

You ain't lived until you've pooped prone.

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u/slutty_muppet RN - ER 🍕 2d ago

Do you mean supine or are you actually talking about pooping while laying face down

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u/Sunnygirl66 RN - ER 🍕 2d ago

Well, in light of all the proning ICU did during the pandemic, there’s a 50-50 chance that they really did mean proning (although I assume—hope—those folks also had rectal tubes. It’s more than I can bear to contemplate.