Infectious Laughter Podcast

CN Wilson Waddell
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Education

Nurses have special senses of humor. They find themselves in situations that were never imagined. Can we, as real nurses, use those stories to teach others as well as ourselves and share a few laughs? We sure can! Created by two nurses who care, love & laugh. We've seen some things! Cindy Waddell, APRN-C: A nurse for over 25 years only 2 of those as an RN. Nancy Wilson, RN, PCCN: A nurse for over 30 years, most of that time at the bedside of patients.

  1. 6d ago

    Nursing Stories You Can't Unsee: like Shamrock shake urine. Season 2 Episode 16

    Infectious Laughter Podcast is hosted by nurses where real, ridiculous, and relatable moments from working in healthcare are shared. We respect HIPAA because it's real and we like our licenses. In this episode, we dive into some of the wild, gross, and unforgettable things we've seen on the job — from green pus-filled urine in a Foley catheter to maggots in a wound (spotted on a flight to Yellowstone, of all places). We swap stories about alligator bites, nail gun X-rays, and why you should never flip through a nurse's camera roll. Plus: how a blue moon threw off a whole Saturday shift, the things nurses don't say (but should get credit for), and the colorful world of urine — including a comparison that may ruin shamrock shakes forever. Chapters: 0:00 — Intro: The Padded Room 0:28 — Welcome to the Podcast 0:47 — The Blue Moon Saturday Shift 1:33 — The Green Urine Incident 3:00 — Don't Flip Through a Nurse's Phone 6:04 — Maggots on a Plane (True Story) 7:36 — Breast Cancer Wound Stories 8:11 — High School Guest Speaking & the Alligator Bite 8:47 — The Nail Gun X-Ray 9:52 — A Rainbow of Urine Colors 12:24 — "The Things I Don't Say" 15:46 — Outro & Disclaimer About the Show: Infectious Laughter Podcast is hosted by nurses, recorded from the padded room at the library. We learn, laugh, and listen together — sharing stories that prove nursing is serious work, but it comes with seriously funny moments. ⚠️ Listener discretion advised. Discussions are for general information and entertainment only and are not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider for any medical concerns. We laugh WITH our patients and coworkers, never AT them.

  2. Oct 19

    Syphilis, Spinal Taps & the Wildest Microbiology Story- Season 2 Episode 15:

    What happens when a young patient walks in with syphilis, a positive HIV test, and neurosyphilis — and a herd of nursing students gets invited to watch the whole case unfold? You get this episode.  Two nurses share real, ridiculous, and relatable stories from the front lines of healthcare — from blood-brain barriers and IV penicillin desensitization protocols to the age-old question: how do you even teach microbiology online? Along the way, we swap tales of petri dish experiments, mushroom-foraging professors, and one ecology teacher who measured pond temperature with his bare toes. 🌡️🦶 In this episode: 🩺 A real patient case: syphilis → HIV → neurosyphilis 🧠 The blood-brain barrier and why neurosyphilis is harder to treat 💉 Penicillin desensitization and anaphylaxis prevention in the ICU 🔬 Why hands-on microbiology education matters (and why online labs just don't cut it) 🍄 A Berkeley professor's mushroom-foraging class that ended with a cat having kittens 🦶 An ecology professor’s legendary pond-water thermometer technique in Maryland We respect HIPAA because it's real and we like our licenses. Listener discretion is advised — we laugh with our patients and coworkers, never at them. 🔔 Subscribe for more episodes! New stories every week from two nurses calling back to you from the padded room. Listen, laugh, and learn with us — because laughter is the best medicine, but laughter with friends is even better medicine. ⚠️ Educational and health-related discussions are meant for general information and entertainment only. They are not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider for any medical concerns.  #InfectiousLaughterPodcast #NursingLife #HealthcareHeroes #Microbiology #Syphilis #Neurosyphilis #NursingStudents #NPStudent #NursePractitioner #NursingEducation #ScienceNerd #Podcast #NursesOfYouTube #HealthcareHumor #InfectionControl #PublicHealth #STDprevention #ClinicalNursing #NursingSchool #LabLife

  3. Oct 12

    A Poop Episode- Season 2 Episode 14

    Welcome to the Poop Episode of Infectious Laughter Podcast! 🎙️ Nurses Cindy and Nancy dive into the hilarious, gross, and surprisingly educational world of all things digestive health. In this episode, we cover: 🚽 The Bristol Stool Chart — what your poop says about you 📸 Patients sending bowel movement photos through MyChart (please don't) 🦠 Clostridium difficile (C. diff) and toxic megacolon 🧴 A brief history of enemas: tap water, soap suds, Harris flush, and the legendary milk & molasses enema 💩 Fecal matter transplants — from DIY blenders to capsules you can buy online ☕️ Why coffee grounds sit out at the nurse's station (it's NOT for drinking!) 👃 The distinct smells of C. diff, Pseudomonas, and lower GI bleeds We laugh with our patients and coworkers — never at them — because nursing is serious work, but it comes with seriously funny moments. 😂 ⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information and entertainment only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider for any medical concerns. 👉 Like, subscribe, and share with a friend! Have a wild nursing story or a question? Drop it in the comments — it might get answered on a future episode! #InfectiousLaughterPodcast #NursesOfYouTube #NursingLife #HealthcareHumor #PoopEpisode #BristolStoolChart #CDiff #FecalTransplant #NursePodcast #MedicalHumor #NursingStudents #HealthcareWorkers #FunnyNursingStories #GutHealth

  4. Oct 5

    Labor & Delivery Stories — Smoking in Labor, Refunds, & NICU drive through- Season 2 Episode 13

    This episode is not for the faint of heart (or the faint of cervix). Nurses Nancy and Cindy share their most unforgettable Labor & Delivery stories — including a woman smoking a cigarette mid-contraction, a NICU window that worked like a fast-food drive-through, and a Haitian mom who nearly choked her OB with her legs during delivery. Plus, Cindy tells her own birth story: a late epidural, an anesthesiologist eating a popsicle, and a demand for a $350 refund. We talk cultural differences in labor, saddle blocks vs. epidurals, and how Nancy's L&D dreams turned into a career in AIDS hospice nursing. As always, we respect HIPAA because we like our licenses, and we laugh WITH our patients — never at them. Nursing is serious work, but it comes with seriously funny moments. 🎙️ Hosted by Nancy & Cindy 📍 Coming to you from the padded room at the Orange County Library ⚠️ Listener discretion advised — content is for entertainment and general information only, not medical advice. #InfectiousLaughter #NursingPodcast #LaborAndDelivery #FunnyNurses #BirthStories #HealthcareHumor #NurseLife #MedicalComedy #Podcast #WomenInMedicine #ScrubLife #NursingStories #ComedyPodcast #HealthcareWorkers #Maternity #FunnyPodcast #NurseHumor #LaborNurse

  5. Sep 28

    Season 2 Episode 12: STI in the EYE!

    Infectious Laughter Podcast — STIs in the Eye 👁️ Can you really get an STI in your eye? Spoiler: yes — and it's more common (and more complicated) than you'd think. This episode, we're stepping away from the nether regions and heading straight to the orbit to talk about which sexually transmitted infections can show up in your eyes, how they get there, and what the symptoms look like. In this episode: Which STIs can affect the eye (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes) How ocular syphilis is diagnosed and treated — including a jaw-dropping story about how one patient's eye symptoms revealed a very uncomfortable secret The difference between primary, latent, and neurosyphilis Why there's a penicillin shortage (and why that matters for treatment) Gonorrheal conjunctivitis: why it's so dangerous and can lead to corneal perforation and vision loss How chlamydia and herpes present differently in the eye A surprising case of shingles in the eye in a young patient — and why it stumped the entire care team The RPR blood test explained (and why reading your own MyChart results can be terrifying if you don't speak "medicalese") Needle gauge sizes, 16-gauge Bicillin shots, and why you really don't want to look down the barrel of one Why the shingles vaccine matters, especially after 50 ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 — Intro & "How do you even get an STI in your eye?" The STIs that can affect the eye (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes) Ocular syphilis: real patient stories Penicillin: how it's dosed, why there's a shortage Gonorrhea conjunctivitis & neonatal eye care Reading your own lab results: the MyChart problem Shingles in the eye: a zebra diagnosis What shingles is, how it works, and why you should get vaccinated Wrapping up: all the STIs in the eye, reviewed About the podcast: Welcome to Infectious Laughter — a podcast hosted by nurses where real, ridiculous, and relatable moments from working in healthcare are shared. We respect HIPAA because it's real and we like our licenses. Listen, laugh, and learn with two nurses calling back to you from the padded room. 🔔 Like, subscribe, and share with a friend — because laughter is the best medicine, but laughter with friends is even better medicine. ⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information and entertainment only and is not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider for any medical concerns or decisions. We laugh with our patients and coworkers, never at them — because nursing is serious work, but it comes with seriously funny moments.

  6. Sep 21

    Season 2 Episode 11- Urethras & Rectums

    Foley catheters, things seen on CT scans, a few jokes. Cindy and Nancy discuss these things and more. Remember to like, comment, subscribe and share with a friend! Thank you for listening, learning and laughing with us! Healthcare workers! Email us your stories and funny moments. We love to hear about what you do and what you've seen or done or heard that's shocked you. We may share what you send on the podcast. InfectiousLaughterPodcast@gmail.com Find us on social media: IG infectious_laughter_podcast FB Infectious Laughter Podcast Music found on Pixabay: FASSounds- Happy Mood - Indie Rock Background Music Cindy Waddell, APRN-C: A nurse for over 25 years - 2 of those as an RN and the rest as an NP. Nancy Wilson, RN, PCCN: A nurse for over 30 years, most of that time at the bedside of patients. #nurse #nursestories #healthcare #healthcareeducation #medical #nursehumor #foley #rectalhealth

  7. Sep 14

    Season 2 Episode 10:Nephrostomy tube situation

    Foley catheters, things seen on CT scans, a few jokes. Cindy and Nancy discuss these things and more. Remember to like, comment, subscribe and share with a friend! Thank you for listening, learning and laughing with us! Healthcare workers! Email us your stories and funny moments. We love to hear about what you do and what you've seen or done or heard that's shocked you. We may share what you send on the podcast. InfectiousLaughterPodcast@gmail.com Find us on social media: IG infectious_laughter_podcast FB Infectious Laughter Podcast Music found on Pixabay: FASSounds- Happy Mood - Indie Rock Background Music Cindy Waddell, APRN-C: A nurse for over 25 years - 2 of those as an RN and the rest as an NP. Nancy Wilson, RN, PCCN: A nurse for over 30 years, most of that time at the bedside of patients.

    Season 2 Episode 10:Nephrostomy tube situation

  8. Sep 7

    Season 2 opener: episode 9: Potpourri

    Cindy and Nancy are back for another season. They kick things off with a discussion to include the infamous Man Cold, kidney stones, hormones released during labor, food recalls and parasitic infections in the GI tract.

    Season 2 opener: episode 9: Potpourri
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Nurses have special senses of humor. They find themselves in situations that were never imagined. Can we, as real nurses, use those stories to teach others as well as ourselves and share a few laughs? We sure can! Created by two nurses who care, love & laugh. We've seen some things! Cindy Waddell, APRN-C: A nurse for over 25 years only 2 of those as an RN. Nancy Wilson, RN, PCCN: A nurse for over 30 years, most of that time at the bedside of patients.

Information

  • Creator
    CN Wilson Waddell
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 by CN Wilson Waddell
  • Show Website
    Infectious Laughter Podcast

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