Cadaver lab smell

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blahwhatever

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I went for my first interview, and they took us into the cadaver lab. I felt like I was gagging at certain points. Leaving there I felt like the formaldehyde smell was stuck to my nose, and I almost tasted it in my mouth. It was just so strong, and in the car I got a massive headache from it. I'm wondering whether anyone knows of people who had a hard time with this at first, but then found a way to deal with it? It really makes me nervous that it might interfere with my learning, especially considering the smell was strong enough to cause a headache. That's never actually happened to me before.

I guess this could be considered a bit of a minor issue, but for anyone who has any advice/suggestions, it would be nice to hear.
 
it can be difficult to get used to, but I'm sure you will just like everyone else does. I'd suggest wearing a mask and getting some of that stuff to put under your nose.
 
pamolive said:
it can be difficult to get used to, but I'm sure you will just like everyone else does. I'd suggest wearing a mask and getting some of that stuff to put under your nose.
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Yup, it smells bad...and yup, you'll get used to it. A tankmate of mine actually put eucalyptus oil (or something pungent like that) underneath her nose. It seemed to help.
 
Honestly it will get to the point where you don't even smell it anymore. I was doing prosections before classes started and there were times that I had to leave because my eyes were burning and watering and my nose was running. But it really does get better. And don't get freaked out if while you're starting at the bodies and you get hungry. Apparently the formaldehyde does that to you.
 
Marthea007 said:
Honestly it will get to the point where you don't even smell it anymore. I was doing prosections before classes started and there were times that I had to leave because my eyes were burning and watering and my nose was running. But it really does get better. And don't get freaked out if while you're starting at the bodies and you get hungry. Apparently the formaldehyde does that to you.
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OMG I get so hungry in lab! I felt like such a sicko.
 
Well my husband says that he never got used to the smell but he's trying to remember back 11 years so take it with a grain of salt. 😛
 
pamolive said:
OMG I get so hungry in lab! I felt like such a sicko.
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hahaha, yea. Some of my classmates were so freaked out about it they looked it up online and sure enough, it's totally normal. Although I had some beef jerky today that looked EXACTLY like the tibialis anterior we were dissecting out. It was a little strange...
 
There are disposable masks you can use if you never get over being lightheaded. Honestly, I found the first day the worst for fumes(you'll see why) and then it got better.

Also, formalin does increase your appetite.
 
Haha, thats the exact same thing I thought when I saw that muscle during anatomy class this semester! I told my lab prof that the muscles look like bacon and she just laughed and said, yeah, I'm hungry too. Good to know why now....
 
spicedmanna said:
A tankmate of mine actually put eucalyptus oil (or something pungent like that) underneath her nose. It seemed to help.
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I've seen Vick's rub placed under the nose for such things. That's what was used by some members of my ambulance company when dealing with more offensive odors.
 
Yeah, thats the potion of choice for the female techs and a handful of the newer nurses in the ER. A couple of the doctors even use it when we get an extra potent specimen come rolling through the doors. Its usually the overdose patients that havent cared enough to bath themselves in a few days or the homeless ones that cant help it. I feel sorry for the latter, but its worst when we have to cath the ODs that come in. Blech.... Much worse than anatomy lab....
 
VCOMs cadaver lab smelled like nothing...just like all of the other rooms. They have a good air-ventiliation system.
 
I knew a guy who was actually allergic to the smell. He had to wear a gas mask during anatomy lab. If its that bad, you might consider it. I think we have an advantage at DCOM having prossected bodies.. the smell isn't nearly as bad as in the juicier ones that Marthea and I worked on in the summer. Once most of the fluids have drained you're golden.
 
is it gonna stick to your clothes? man i got brand new suit just for the interviews and i don't want it to smell like formaldehyde during my second and third one...
 
zhousilai said:
is it gonna stick to your clothes? man i got brand new suit just for the interviews and i don't want it to smell like formaldehyde during my second and third one...
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Probably not for the very short period of time you'll be visiting... However, if you spend any extended time there at all, yes, it does stick to your clothes. It's quite annoying, actually... for everyone else. :meanie: I wash all my clothes after anatomy lab, as not to offend folks by the offensive odor.
 
Wow, you are gonna have to learn to deal worse smells than that. Try GI bleed, burned flesh, stinky urine soaked drunk homeless person. Your puke reflex will lessen :barf:, your sense of smell will adjust and you just learn to deal with massive headaches 😴

Unfortunately, the life of a doctor isn't always glamorous.:scared:
 
Yeah, GI bleed poo is the worst, especially when its an upper GI bleed. Urine and puke really dont bother me except the first whiff. If I can hold it through that first whiff I'm usually ok. Only had to step away from one or two patients in the past year in the ER.
 
I heard that the smell that'll make you pass out is a perirectal abscess during surgery.. eeeeewwwww...
 
rose351 said:
Yeah, GI bleed poo is the worst, especially when its an upper GI bleed. Urine and puke really dont bother me except the first whiff. If I can hold it through that first whiff I'm usually ok. Only had to step away from one or two patients in the past year in the ER.
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Smelled it first thing this AM...icky. But I'm not like the wimpy "female techs" that you spoke of earlier. I can handle the nasty with the best of them.
Psuedomonas infections reek too.
 
SmallTownEMT said:
I've seen Vick's rub placed under the nose for such things. That's what was used by some members of my ambulance company when dealing with more offensive odors.
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Smells I have encountered as a paramedic:
-Poo
-Urine
-Poo+Urine
-Emesis
-Body Odor(all inclusive)
-Gangrene
-Other infected wounds
-Poor oral hygeine(intensified while trying to intubate)
I am sure there are others as well.

If I could deal with it you guys will be fine in the anatomy lab. I have the most sensitive sense of smell of everyone I know.🙁
 
ThePiratesse said:
I knew a guy who was actually allergic to the smell. He had to wear a gas mask during anatomy lab. If its that bad, you might consider it. I think we have an advantage at DCOM having prossected bodies.. the smell isn't nearly as bad as in the juicier ones that Marthea and I worked on in the summer. Once most of the fluids have drained you're golden.
Click to expand...

You guys have it great at DCOM. Especially with the formaldehyde detectors and ventilation system.
 
ThePiratesse said:
I heard that the smell that'll make you pass out is a perirectal abscess during surgery.. eeeeewwwww...
Click to expand...
Bleh!!!!! That just sounds gross... Im sure it will be pretty sweet though... 😉
 
blahwhatever said:
I went for my first interview, and they took us into the cadaver lab. I felt like I was gagging at certain points. Leaving there I felt like the formaldehyde smell was stuck to my nose, and I almost tasted it in my mouth. It was just so strong, and in the car I got a massive headache from it. I'm wondering whether anyone knows of people who had a hard time with this at first, but then found a way to deal with it? It really makes me nervous that it might interfere with my learning, especially considering the smell was strong enough to cause a headache. That's never actually happened to me before.

I guess this could be considered a bit of a minor issue, but for anyone who has any advice/suggestions, it would be nice to hear.
Click to expand...
I know someone who sports a genuine gas mask during lab.

And be sure to tie off your colon tightly before you cut during abdomen and peritoneum.
 
Infected stage IV wounds are some of my favorites :barf:(nothing like the smell of rotting flesh being eaten by bacteria!). And how could we forget good old C.dif. BM's? Unique only partly describes it...
 
JWE27 said:
Infected stage IV wounds are some of my favorites :barf:(nothing like the smell of rotting flesh being eaten by bacteria!). And how could we forget good old C.dif. BM's? Unique only partly describes it...
Click to expand...
MMMmmmm, almonds!...


I've been in on some pretty gross I&Ds too. *shudder* How could a person let it get that bad before going to a doctor?
 
JWE27 said:
Infected stage IV wounds are some of my favorites :barf:(nothing like the smell of rotting flesh being eaten by bacteria!). And how could we forget good old C.dif. BM's? Unique only partly describes it...
Click to expand...

BM's reek period. Can't say I have smelled a C.dif BM. But then again we usually leave that stuff for you guys in the ER. sorry rose😳 We just don't have the time.
 
rose351 said:
MMMmmmm, almonds!...


I've been in on some pretty gross I&Ds too. *shudder* How could a person let it get that bad before going to a doctor?
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A good friend of mine is a surgeon who trained in Guatemala. Some of the things he explained he saw (e.g., think multi-colored cottage cheese and OB/GYN roation...😱) make me so happy to not be practicing/training in a third-world country!
 
JWE27 said:
A good friend of mine is a surgeon who trained in Guatemala. Some of the things he explained he saw (e.g., think multi-colored cottage cheese and OB/GYN roation...😱) make me so happy to not be practicing/training in a third-world country!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you'll see that in the US too! :laugh:
 
Marthea007 said:
Honestly it will get to the point where you don't even smell it anymore. I was doing prosections before classes started and there were times that I had to leave because my eyes were burning and watering and my nose was running. But it really does get better. And don't get freaked out if while you're starting at the bodies and you get hungry. Apparently the formaldehyde does that to you.
Click to expand...

I had no idea!! I always thought I was weird for leaving lab and heading straight for the fridge!
 
shasta9599 said:
I had no idea!! I always thought I was weird for leaving lab and heading straight for the fridge!
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You aren't weird...you sound like you may have a future in EM.👍

I ate my lunch once while my ED friends were cracking a dudes chest and resuscitating him. :laugh:
 
paramediclizard said:
You aren't weird...you sound like you may have a future in EM.👍

I ate my lunch once while my ED friends were cracking a dudes chest and resuscitating him. :laugh:
Click to expand...

That's funny because EM is an area I am interested in.

I once had lunch while watching a heart transplant via live feed! 😀 But...
I will say that while we studied the abdomen I had to give up spagetti!
 
shasta9599 said:
That's funny because EM is an area I am interested in.

I once had lunch while watching a heart transplant via live feed! 😀 But...
I will say that while we studied the abdomen I had to give up spagetti!
Click to expand...

Thats good stuff! :laugh: Sounds like you have the stomach for it.
 
VCOM actually has an awesome cadaver lab. it's on the third floor with floor to ceiling windows and the air in the room is completely recirculated 15 times an hour! i just went there for an interview and was pretty impressed with it. i mean, i'm not gonna lie...it still smells, but just not nearly as bad as some of the other places i've been too.
 
I was reading this thread last night before I went to bed and then I had a dream about being in a cadaver lab and I was messing with just plain cadaver arms detached from the body and the stench was horrible! 😱 Dreams are so strange.
 
JellyJelly said:
VCOM actually has an awesome cadaver lab. it's on the third floor with floor to ceiling windows and the air in the room is completely recirculated 15 times an hour! i just went there for an interview and was pretty impressed with it. i mean, i'm not gonna lie...it still smells, but just not nearly as bad as some of the other places i've been too.
Click to expand...

Touro-CA's anatomy lab was pretty smell free too.
--But, I love the smell of formaldehyde in the morning!😀
 
I got used to it after doing many many many cat dissections throughout college and high school.

Also, if you want bad smell, try dissecting out a pig gut. We did it in anatomy and it was DISGUSTING but worth it.

Burned skin is also an acquired smell, I remember the first time smelling that in an OR about 4 years ago and damn.... but now I'm used to it.

Just takes a while, but you'll learn to love the smell of anything medical.
 
The worst is the burnt skin/face combo patient that comes into the ER after popping one of the one way valves out of their non-rebreather because they just had to have a smoke, but cant take off their oxygen because then "it gets hard to breathe". And they have this cute little triangle of blistered/puss-y skin on their face from where the mask flashed over, and probably all down their trachea as well... Or the ones that come in from home which is an oxygen enriched environment because they have enphysema and cant breathe anyways, and smoke. Im tellin you, you just cant fix stupid.
 
rose351 said:
The worst is the burnt skin/face combo patient that comes into the ER after popping one of the one way valves out of their non-rebreather because they just had to have a smoke, but cant take off their oxygen because then "it gets hard to breathe". And they have this cute little triangle of blistered/puss-y skin on their face from where the mask flashed over, and probably all down their trachea as well... Or the ones that come in from home which is an oxygen enriched environment because they have enphysema and cant breathe anyways, and smoke. Im tellin you, you just cant fix stupid.
Click to expand...

Yeah those are funny. We had a lady like that except she had a nasal canula on while trying to light her cigarette. Well I don't have to tell you what happened next. Her entire nasophanryngeal area was swollen shut. Smelled horrible, well to us at least...She couldn't smell a thing.
 
rose351 said:
The worst is the burnt skin/face combo patient that comes into the ER after popping one of the one way valves out of their non-rebreather because they just had to have a smoke, but cant take off their oxygen because then "it gets hard to breathe". And they have this cute little triangle of blistered/puss-y skin on their face from where the mask flashed over, and probably all down their trachea as well... Or the ones that come in from home which is an oxygen enriched environment because they have enphysema and cant breathe anyways, and smoke. Im tellin you, you just cant fix stupid.
Click to expand...

Total burns are nastier. 100%, full thickness, where they do the trick with the gasoline. One time I was asked to put a foley in this guy, but his urethra opening was crusted and closed over.

It's true though, you can't fix stupid...you just stabilize and shift
 
paramediclizard said:
Total burns are nastier. 100%, full thickness, where they do the trick with the gasoline. One time I was asked to put a foley in this guy, but his urethra opening was crusted and closed over.

It's true though, you can't fix stupid...you just stabilize and shift
Click to expand...

HE had 100% of his body surface burned full thickness?😱

And Survived?😱

If you were refering to just full thickness burns(being 100% burned) then how in the heck did he burn his wee?😱 Full thickness at that.
 
mastamark said:
HE had 100% of his body surface burned full thickness?😱

And Survived?😱

If you were refering to just full thickness burns(being 100% burned) then how in the heck did he burn his wee?😱 Full thickness at that.
Click to expand...

Fortunatly for him, we withdrew care and he passed away. It was really bad though. Like my g/f said, some things just aren't meant for the hard drive. :cry:

He actually was transporting gasoline in the passenger seat of his vehicle and it expolded. 100% of his body was burned, 3rd degree burns.👎
 
paramediclizard said:
Fortunatly for him, we withdrew care and he passed away. It was really bad though. Like my g/f said, some things just aren't meant for the hard drive. :cry:

He actually was transporting gasoline in the passenger seat of his vehicle and it expolded. 100% of his body was burned, 3rd degree burns.👎
Click to expand...

That sucks. 🙁 Editing my post out of poor joke timing.
 
Haha, too late. Paramedicklizard already quoted you.
 
blahwhatever said:
I went for my first interview, and they took us into the cadaver lab. I felt like I was gagging at certain points. Leaving there I felt like the formaldehyde smell was stuck to my nose, and I almost tasted it in my mouth. It was just so strong, and in the car I got a massive headache from it. I'm wondering whether anyone knows of people who had a hard time with this at first, but then found a way to deal with it? It really makes me nervous that it might interfere with my learning, especially considering the smell was strong enough to cause a headache. That's never actually happened to me before.

I guess this could be considered a bit of a minor issue, but for anyone who has any advice/suggestions, it would be nice to hear.
Click to expand...

Generally, you'll get used to the actual smell pretty quick as your olfactory receptors become exhausted - as far as the headache goes, you might try a dose of Milk Thistle before you go to lab. Milk thistle seems to have some cytoprotective and gluthathione increasing effects in the liver that may help your body detoxify the formalin. This was a pretty common practice before hitting the lab in naturopathic school and seemed to help some people who were more chemically sensitive deal with lab time.
 
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