Beebee12:
I just read all the responses on this thread and found them so interesting. I’m a cardiac RN as my profession, and an fa in my personal life. Above all I try to be ethical, and therefore I do my best to avoid mixing the 2, but it would be a lie to say I’ve never thought about certain scenarios after I go home.

Part of the physical exam I do on every patient at least once a shift involves palpating the abdomen. At work I’m only focused on making sure the liver is the proper size, and there are no masses, or painful areas, etc. But if a patient had an especially nice belly, I might think about it once I’m home from work, and how I got to squeeze and press on it. I’d imagine that their belly was extra sensitive and round because they just had an especially large meal. Maybe their stomach was tender and swollen because they overate and really need a soothing rub from their nurse to help them relax and digest.

Another thing that I sometimes do at work is take a tape measure around a patient’s waist to record their abdominal girth. I can see in their chart if it’s gotten bigger and by how much. IRL, if it’s bigger it is usually a sign that something is seriously wrong, for example, ascites secondary to end stage liver failure, or CHF with fluid build-up, so I know I need to closely monitor the patient and can’t be getting horny or distracted. Once I’m at home though, I will probably fantasize about measuring someone’s belly because I need to figure out how seriously they overate. In that context, just the words “abdominal girth” … ummm well yeah…

It seems like some folks here enjoy being scolded or teased about their weight? That’s another thing I’d never consider at work because 1) I never want to make an unsafe space for someone who would be hurt by this, 2) motivational interview technique is more effective and helpful than lecturing because that way the patient comes up with their own ideas on what they can do better, and 3)I believe in HAES (health at any size). However in my personal fantasies I find it charming and sexy when a person is a little embarrassed about their weight and I could definitely lean into the shaming/ teasing nurse role.

This has gotten long so I’ll wrap it up by saying I find it kind of funny how wildly different my ideas as an fa nurse are from how I’d actually behave at work. I guess it’s similar to wearing the “sexy nurse” outfit at home while wearing oversized scrubs to work haha. To anyone who made it this far, thanks for reading my inappropriate thoughts.