Feeling scared...I just need to vent a little :(

Hello, I just wanted to vent and was hoping anyone might have a few words of encouragement. I am a new nurse who is still on orientation with a preceptor. For the past few days I had a patient who was + for hep A, B, C, and HIV 1 and 2 as well as c-diff and mrsa. The patient was on continuous bladder irrigation, and I watched my nurse empy the foley bag the first few times, which was filled with blood. It got emptied into a large container so that we could measure it, and I had to carry it to the toilet each time to empty it. We wore gowns and gloves to do this. By the end of the day I was doing it on my own and replaicing the bags of fluid. The patient also needed a B&O suppository which I gave them twice. I am just making myself crazy because I'm worried that I was only wearing one pair of gloves and am worried that maybe they had microscopic holes in them...and that maybe blood splashed in my eyes and I was unaware. I'm sure that I would have known if it had...I know this must sound crazy and irrational, but there's always the part of me that feels like it's not. My family thinks I'm being crazy but I'm already stressed out with being a new nurse and keep panicking when I think about what ifs and crying. Please help , I feel like you guys would understand.
even if you gloves had a hole in them you still have your skin as protection. I think the thing you have to keep in perspective is that except for mrsa and c-diff standard precautions will protect you. We interact all the time with people who have hiv , hep c,......and alot of we don't even know it (and maybe they don't either) the key is to use your standard precautions and you should be fine.

You probably should wear goggles or a mask with splash shield in a case like that since splashes are going to be happening. Double gloving will make you feel better so why not do it? I will tell you though that the chances of any transmission thru microscopic holes in gloves when you have intact skin and the patient body fluids are greatly diluted, are very small.We are probably exposed to a host of bad bugs everyday and our intact skin, good hand washing and a healthy immune system take care of it.Just take prudent precautions and you will be fine.

Your preceptor is not teaching you correctly. Anytime you are going to flush.... you need eye protection.Show her the policy.

Quote from Been there,done thatYour preceptor is not teaching you correctly. Anytime you are going to flush.... you need eye protection.Show her the policy.

Remember when you first learned to drive a car? How scared you that you'd have a horrific fatal accident each time another car got close? You grew out of that fear....and you will overcome this one too.Its very NORMAL to feel this way at first.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I will take them all to heart and be sure to double-glove and wear eye-shields or goggles as necessary. Most of the time it was actually not a flush, just emptying the foley bag. We did have to do a manual irrigation a few times on the first day though. I know it was foolish of me to assume that since my preceptor wasn't taking any other precautions, that I shouldn't either...I am beating myself up about it though and hoping that everything is okay

This is just one thing that I've always been afraid of, even before I became a nurse...this, and making mistakes are my greatest fears. I try to not think about it because the patients need somebody to take care of them...I just get sick and paralyzed with fear when i think about it!

Use standard precautions along with whatever other precautions (i.e. contact) are in effect for each and every patient and you should be fine. Also, remember w/c diff you must use soap and water, as the gel hand sanitizer is not effective in getting rid of c diff and one must use soap and water whenever dealing w/c diff patients.It does get better with time

Quote from OreoCookie3This is just one thing that I've always been afraid of, even before I became a nurse...this, and making mistakes are my greatest fears. I try to not think about it because the patients need somebody to take care of them...I just get sick and paralyzed with fear when i think about it!

You'll be fine- I have not once in my life double-gloved, it's not necessary. Also, since when is there "HIV 2?" I have not heard of this...

Quote from Been there,done thatYour preceptor is not teaching you correctly. Anytime you are going to flush.... you need eye protection.Show her the policy.

Quote from sapphire18You'll be fine- I have not once in my life double-gloved, it's not necessary. [...]