To ask if you're squeamish?

[ElvisPresleyHadABaby]

I was just about to help DD put a feather in her scrapbook, cut the end and realised it was all squishy and bloody inside (even writing this makes me cringe). I can't stop picturing it and genuinely feel a bit sick. Have binned it, but I'd like to know how to stop feeling this way!

I'm not terrible with blood, but don't like needles. Not good with big spots/pus. How do I snap out of it? Can you toughen yourself up to visceral stuff?

Reassurance needed, advice and tips appreciated. Can't stop picturing that bloody feather.

YABU- don't get squeamish, put your big girl pants on.
YANBU- do get squeamish

I'm cast iron with everything I've ever encountered (things related to animals, people and needles, for example) except for one thing.

Infected Snot. As in 3 year olds with luminous green upper lips who aren't yours so you can't swoop down with a tissue and remove the offending substance and neither they nor their parents seem to care and what they do when it touches their actual lips [bork]. And the disgusting articles who hawk and spit either in the street or at others.

Yes, completely squeamish! Ugh. I admire medical professionals so much - they come from a different planet to me!

I'm not remotely squeamish usually, love all the hospital trauma programmes and can easily look at autopsy photos etc but I CANNOT do bloody birds/mice that the cat brings back, oh feck no!!

@ElvisPresleyHadABaby the advice of gradual exposure probably is the best way I agree but do NOT ever go on r/eyeblech.

It depends blood and shit don't bother me too much.

Snot, pus, spots, skin, vomit, spit then yes.

No, except for phlegm, really struggle with it, in a professinal setting I can cope until I am away from the person producing it and then I have a little dry heave.
Blood, urine, faeces and vomit in all their varied colours and aromas, I have no issues with. Spend a lot of time in close proximity to wounds of all varieties, including ulcers to feet and legs, have had gangrenous and necrotic toes fall off during a dressing change.
I do love my job, but am disappointed in the general lack of pus

Very squeamish. I don’t even like getting my period!

Not at all bothered by blood and gore I worked in theatres for a long time. Spit makes me heave! The way people kiss visibly wet slobbering kids and dogs 🤮 Grim.

Very squeamish and an over active imagination! I’m quite surprised by many of these replies.... you lot are hardcore!!

I do agree about exposure though, I only stopped fainting from needles when I became pregnant and got used to bloods being taken.

I also can’t watch gruesome bloody stuff on telly... Quentin Tarantino no thanks!! But i can deal with blood irl if I have to. Although I think I’d be a complete useless mess if I came across a serious accident such as an rta. I do often worry about that when driving.

I think I’m worse injury happens to someone else as i would Over think it, where If I’m the one experiencing it I can rationalise it

Not at all with blood or guts, I follow some doctors on Instagram who post all sorts of extreme stuff like "hey look that's what happen when you pit your fingers in the blender".

Not scared of rats, mice, snakes...however, I'm terrified of most bugs, worms and larvae.
Basically I can watch an infected wound up until the point it geta maggots on it.

Utterly unsqueamish. Apart from someone hoiking phlegm. Although it makes me feel sick I'd probably say it gives me the rage more.

Fine with blood, but any other bodily fluid... 🤮
And I really, really can’t cope with dead animals. I have this weird thing where if I see a small dark shape on the ground I am instantly convinced it’s a corpse and have to check. It’s nearly always a leaf or a stick. Maybe that’s just the inevitable consequence of having cats.

It genuinely depends what mood I’m in. If I’m in a good mood, I generally don’t care. If I’m anxious/irritable, the sight of anything like that would make me freak out.

I’ve worked in healthcare for years and years. I’m not squeamish about blood, poo, wee, vomit, needles, wounds etc etc.

But if someone hands me their spit covered false teeth 🤮

TW for a horrible phlegm story....

DD's friend was sat on the bus with her legs crossed, so one calf was on the other thigh, in a right angle. The man behind her was sat on the higher seats on the bottom deck and had a hacking, croupy cough. She got off, all was well, until she got back home, sat on her bed in the same position AND NOTICED A HUGE GLOB OF GREEN PHLEGM ON HER JEANS. She was gagging telling us, and literally just threw the jeans away.

Am not bad with phlegm, but have a DC who had lots of chest infections as a wee un so I think I was desensitised to it then, got used to checking the colour to gauge the stage of infection.

@TheCanyon

I'm not remotely squeamish usually, love all the hospital trauma programmes and can easily look at autopsy photos etc but I CANNOT do bloody birds/mice that the cat brings back, oh feck no!!

@ElvisPresleyHadABaby the advice of gradual exposure probably is the best way I agree but do NOT ever go on r/eyeblech.

Even the name of r/eyebleach gives me a little cringe. Not great with eye stuff, ever since reading a Clockwork Orange as a kid.

@tegannotsovegan

It genuinely depends what mood I’m in. If I’m in a good mood, I generally don’t care. If I’m anxious/irritable, the sight of anything like that would make me freak out.

That's interesting, today has been a stressful day so I wonder if that might have made it worse. Your post has reminded me of the day before my wedding, the cat mutilated a mouse and DP dutifully put it out of it's misery, but I got so bloody emotional about it I slept in a separate bed and cried myself to sleep wondering if I should call it off In my defence, I was pregnant and anxious about the wedding, and the mouse was very cute! I knew he did the right thing really.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Yes, completely squeamish! Ugh. I admire medical professionals so much - they come from a different planet to me!

They must do! It's interesting though as I've never really heard it be mentioned as a reason for a Dr or nurse being well suited to their job. Those with weaker stomachs are probably weeded out early on.

Just to add a late night squeam. Had a lovely dinner tonight, neighbour brought round a fabulous plum pie. Chatting with DP while trying to dry swallow an anti-histamine tablet (bloody mossie bites!) but it wouldn't go down so tried to push it down my throat with my finger and promptly threw up a pie/red wine mix. Darling DP mops up and STILL kisses me goodnight.

@Chicchicchicchiclana

Yes, completely squeamish! Ugh. I admire medical professionals so much - they come from a different planet to me!

When I was a medical student, we had a classmate who fainted at the sight of needles and blood. He eventually worked through it and got along with it, though!

No can look at anything, cast iron stomach.

Surgery is fascinating boils pops anything like that as well.

I am fairly OK with most bodily fluids/functions /injury if and when I need to be. Have worked with very vulnerable/prone to violent outbursts in the past and the only things that really creep me out are head lice, maggots and someome spitting. Blood, urine, faeces any skin ailment not an issue. Random I know.

Not squeamish at all. My husband is awful! He can’t watch stuff in telly with blood and gore if he’s eating. Doesn’t bother me on the slightest.