Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

Original poster

I’m SURE I’m being dramatic but could I have ammonia poisoning?

11 replies

ShutUpGreg · 03/09/2022 15:27

I’m a nurse and yesterday I was called out to a patient who had a leg in compressions bandaging (I’m a community nurse. On arrival the patient was in bed, he had bypassed his catheter and his bed was DRENCHED, plus as he lives alone(carers found him in bed like that in the morning) he’d been like that all night and due to the bypassing catheter and him being incontinent of urine, he legs dressings were literally dripping wet in urine. such a shame

So, I removed the dressings from
his legs. Due to the bending down to take them off my face was a few Inches from the dressings for a little while. The ammonia smell
was unreal, it was burning my eyes and throat, the carer had To wipe my eyes for me because they were streaming and I couldnt wipe them due to wearing soiled gloves. At one point I took all of My ppe off and took the lift down 5 floors to go and stand outside, my throat was literally on fire.

i have woken up this morning and I can barely swallow and my eyes are blood shot and I feel
like there’s grit in them. My whole body is aching, I feel nauseous and have vomited twice. I have a slight temp but I am shivering with cold. I’ve taken paracetamol.I am supposed to be going to a much waited for concert tonight but clearly can’t go. I’ve had a google (I know, I know) and
clearly I have breathed in the urine/ammonia and it has affected my respiratory tract. I thought it was ease as the day went on by my body is aching more, I’m starting to shiver more and just genuinely feel horrific

am I being dramatic? I may just have a bug( don’t think it’s covid I’ve taken 2 tests and actually had covid 2 weeks ago) but just seems like too much of a coincidence 😩

OP posts:

Haggisfish3 · 03/09/2022 15:31

I think it very unlikely but I would call 111 and/or go to a and e. They can do a bloody test.

Haggisfish3 · 03/09/2022 15:33

Or contact the national poison centre:
Poison centre

ZealAndArdour · 03/09/2022 15:36

I think it’s a coincidence and you’re just ill with something else.

Treat the symptoms, which sound viral; fluids, paracetamol, rest.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health

ZealAndArdour · 03/09/2022 15:37

Haggisfish3 · 03/09/2022 15:31

I think it very unlikely but I would call 111 and/or go to a and e. They can do a bloody test.

A&E are not going to do a blood test. They don’t even do any kind of tox screening on people who have been spiked.

ZealAndArdour · 03/09/2022 15:38

Haggisfish3 · 03/09/2022 15:33

Or contact the national poison centre:
Poison centre

OP can’t contact NPIS as the patient, she needs to go via 111.

Presumably if the OP is this sick from the duration of exposure that it took to redress the leg, the patient himself who had been sat in it all day must be almost dead by now 😮

fallfallfall · 03/09/2022 15:46

Well your not feeling well after a work related experience. Call your manager and discuss from there. They will most likely recommend a drs appointment and then follow up with how this could be prevented. You should have proper PPE.
I always travelled with a hazmat suite for bug type calls, eye protector, N95 mask, you should have access to adequate supplies to do your job safely.

Haggisfish3 · 04/09/2022 09:44

How are you op?

HanarCantWearSweaters · 04/09/2022 09:55

I would find it unlikely that the level of ammonia from one person’s urine could poison you at that exposure. I’ve worked in confined spaces with industrial ammonia, regular mask evac drills etc, and the handful of times we had a leak it’s never caused symptoms longer than immediate hour or two after exposure. Not saying it’s impossible but I would be impressed if one person was that potent! Hope you’re feeling better soon.

Original poster

ShutUpGreg · 04/09/2022 12:14

I’ve just got back from the walk in centre, I have a severe bout of tonsillitis so I’m feeling very sorry for myself and i’m going to go back to bed. Can’t swallow at all so I feel really weak and dehydrated, hopefully the penicillin will kick in quickly

OP posts:

HanarCantWearSweaters · 04/09/2022 13:08

Try sucking an ice cube or ice lolly if small sips or a straw are too much, hopefully in a few days you’ll be feeling much better. Possible the ammonia irritation exacerbated the inflamed tonsils so ramped the tonsillitis up

ZealAndArdour · 04/09/2022 13:35

ShutUpGreg · 04/09/2022 12:14

If you can’t swallow at all, even your own saliva is drooling out of your mouth, then that is a red flag for a peri-tonsillar abscess and you shouldn’t be going home.

If you can swallow saliva then you should also be able to swallow sips of water, and need to be doing this like it’s your full time job to stay hydrated.

If struggling to get paracetamol and ibuprofen down then try the kids syrup versions, can be a bit easier.

Flip