What does your poo look like?

In the nutrition and elimination lecture this week the lecturer asked ‘who here looks at their poo?’ Of course no one put up there hand. That’s why it’s often necessary to get a sample and nurses have to educate patients on how to describe their poo. The Bristol Stool Scale is used pretty much everywhere as a guide.



For children there is another chart that has the following imagery for each type:
1. Pebbles
2. Bunch of grapes
3. Corn on the cob
4. Sausage
5. Chicken nuggets
6. Porridge
7. Gravy

I think this is cute!

Today's Lectures:
• Cardiac Drugs Intro
• Cardiac Drugs – Antiarrhythmics (this was so complicated!)

Skills videos:
• Assisting with a Shower
• Assisting with a Bath
• Male catherisation
• Female perineal wash
• Caring for a male external urine collecting system (aka condom catheter)
• Wound care (changing a gauze dressing)
• Gloving
• Using a transfer belt (to help a patient out of bed)
• Recording urine output and retraining the bladder
• Using a peak flow meter to monitor lung function

I'm off to the gym now. Feeling pretty tired today and consequently didn't get as much learning done as I'd planned because I was having trouble concentrating. The heat probably has something to do with it. So tonight I will probably just do brisk walking/light running on the treadmill for 45 minutes or so. Wednesday night is a good night for TV - RSPCA Animal Rescue, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol . . . so I'll be able to get a lot of ironing done tonight, and maybe a pedicure too.