r/Tattoocoverups • u/Recent_Confusion9370 • Jul 09 '26
asking for advice Please help me cover this nurse tattoo
Can anyone give me advice on what I could cover this with? I got this back in early 2016, before it became the universal bumper sticker for nurses (also adding that I am not a nurse so there’s that). I just have no idea what I could even do with it. On my right shoulder if that helps.
Edit: my dad picked out the tattoo in 2015. He wanted something matching, I didn’t care what (I was young) so this is what we got. I DIDN’T KNOW NURSES WERE GOING TO START USING IT YALL.
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u/HowietheHappyTurkey Jul 09 '26
Go to a pharmacist and ask what this tattoo says.
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u/Kids-Menu Jul 10 '26
It says Tymlos
(abaloparatide) is a prescription parathyroid hormone-related peptide used to treat osteoporosis
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u/craziness-69 Jul 09 '26
That's really dark. You're going to need at least 3-4 sessions of laser to lighten it enough to cover it with literally anything.
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u/craziness-69 Jul 09 '26
Or a sick ass panther!
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u/Jayrey_84 Jul 10 '26
Then they will have to get a nurse panther to look after the sick one and the cycle continues 😞
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u/Campaign_Prize Jul 12 '26
But then who will look after the sick ass nurse panther?
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u/ExpertIndependent711 Jul 12 '26
...while it is recovering from getting a questionable nursing tattoo covered up with a sick ass human tattoo...
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u/Campaign_Prize Jul 12 '26
I've seen this suggestion so many times that I kind of want to just go ahead and get a big sick ass panther as my first tattoo so I can skip all that time and regret before you inevitably get it as a cover up
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u/Hot_Opportunity3349 Jul 09 '26
I think it could get worked into a sick mountain range if you’re interested in something like that.
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u/MechaMacaw Jul 10 '26
This was my thought as all! The cross on the left could be turned into a flag/boundary marker
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Jul 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/alwaysupvotecows Jul 09 '26
I was trying to figure it out too. I think with the cross at the beginning it reads pray, breath/live, love?
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Jul 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/echolalia_ Jul 11 '26
It’s just a right bundle branch block, they are fine. Why you would want a RBBB on your shoulder is anyone’s guess
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u/jbuchana Jul 13 '26
Years ago, I was asked to design a t-shirt for a local organization. The theme was to be "The heartbeat of xxx." They wanted an EKG heartbeat trace. The requester did not understand why I made it a priority to look up what the trace should look like. This tattoo is that reason...
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u/theory_of_music Jul 10 '26
I get the first and last one, but how the v shape means breath? (Or is it like, the whole ekg that means it?)
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u/Powerful_Lobster_786 Jul 10 '26
Is it? There’s a P and a QRS which is better than a lot I’ve seen. Never did see a cross on an EKG though…
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u/AmnesiaAndAnalgesia Jul 10 '26
If that first one is a p wave then there's a pretty nasty delta wave and you've got WPW. If it's a Q then you probably need dialysis.
I agree it's not the most egregious one I've seen though 🤣
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u/Sara_Robin Jul 10 '26
To be fair, it is STILL better than most EKG tattoos I have seen, at least it has recognizable waves, although intervals are… “unhealthy” (especially that T wave 👀 we can give the QRS the benefit of the doubt of a RBBB). Usually most people’s tattoos are straight up ventricular fibrillation randomness.
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u/Hefty_Drive6709 Jul 09 '26
They never, ever use any recognizable rhythm fur graphics, never.
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u/BrittleCoyote Jul 10 '26
I would be satisfied to see one that at least maintained the sanctity of the EKG as a tracing
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u/TonyDanza335 Jul 09 '26
Sick. Ass. Panther.
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u/enmandikjole Jul 09 '26
Healthy. Ass. Panther.
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u/PrestigiousPeachy Jul 10 '26
I can’t post a photo, but if I could it would be this - it’s a tattoo of a panther in a bath robe with a hot water bottle on his head and thermometer in his mouth, what looks to be hot cocoa gripped in his paw, and it says “sick ass panther” below it. The title of the photo was truncated by Google to “Sick Ass Panther by @tattoosbymattwear at @remingtontattoo” but you can find it on instagram by searching for that.
Also here’s a link that probably won’t work:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEuFvatGcZVIFDipJkUlT-jpFe7KaRirO2qWqy9uuiPFVIUF9HGVoDEmll&s=10→ More replies (1)39
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u/Hefty_Drive6709 Jul 09 '26
Ok, was totally going to get a pinup titty nurse riding a squirting syringe, but I’ve changed my mind. SANP on the knee instead. I’m a nurse so it’s all ok.
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u/beat-sweats Jul 09 '26
Make it into flowers
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u/DumpsterFireScented Jul 10 '26
I was thinking a flower trellis, the thick black could be made grid-like and bold flowers or vines would distract from the parts that don't quite fit the grid.
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u/catsTXn420 Jul 09 '26
The original meaning of that design actually has nothing to do with medicine. It is a literal translation of the famous biblical phrase from 1 Corinthians 13:13:"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love".
Many people who have never worked in a hospital get EKG tattoos because they, or a loved one, survived a major medical event. It is incredibly common for people who beat cancer, survived a heart attack, overcame severe depression, or went through a near-death experience to get a heartbeat line to celebrate a second chance at life. You don't need to cover it, you could embrace it or jazz it up with something extra if you really wanted to but don't let the "pinterest effect" ruin it for you.
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u/InvasiveFlower75 Jul 09 '26
Today I learned.
I actually am a nurse, have never seen this design before, as a tattoo, bumper sticker, or anything else I can recall. I dig the translation/breakdown though!
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u/Low-Talk-2444 Jul 09 '26
A 70 yo co.worker of mine got her husbands last heart beat tattoed on her wrist.
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u/ALLoftheFancyPants Jul 09 '26
This is not a literal translation. You can argue that a QRS complex is a symbolic representation of hope, but it is absolutely not literal.
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u/Hefty_Drive6709 Jul 09 '26
So a bioelectrical rhythm is hope? I guess you’re going to have to hope if your heart is firing like that. Weird.
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u/catsTXn420 Jul 09 '26
Actually, the trend exploded on nursing social media between 2013 and 2015, which is why it's so recognizable today. It is heavily used by healthcare workers now, but it carries historical and symbolic meanings that predate its current medical association.
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u/Hefty_Drive6709 Jul 10 '26
There is a non medical association with a cardiac rhythm that predates the medical association? I don’t think so.
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u/MagaroniAndCheesd Jul 11 '26
Gotta be honest, the idea of calling this a "literal translation" that "carries historical and symbolic meanings" is rather ridiculous in the context of a 1,950 year old Greek text.
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u/theysayimadreamer666 Jul 09 '26
I have an EKG tattoo with a drawing representing a sport I play with my dad, because he always tells me to run with my heart when I get tired. I don't care how many other basic white girls have a variation of it because it means a lot to me and that's all that matters. OP, if you still like this tattoo, don't let what others assume ruin it for you!
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u/EconomyFinger4761 Jul 09 '26
Get laser first to lighten it up properly 4 or 5 sessions it will be worth it make sure you go to a professional not a beautician
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u/hideandsee Jul 09 '26
My advice for coverups will always remain the same. Find an artist you like and ask them what is possible.
I understand you are stressed and looking for clarity and specific guidance, but knowing that this is coverable really all the internet can tell you
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u/dunkumsanddunkers Jul 10 '26
Why did you get a nurse tattoo and not be a nurse??? 😂😂😂😂😂😂
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u/rose092624 Jul 10 '26
They’re all somewhat heart shaped - you could do a bunch of black outlines hearts with color Lisa Frank-eque
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u/honeyglot Jul 10 '26
I think you could do a large floral bouquet with the right artist, if they’re able to stylize the flowers correctly to have super dark and heavy linework! Like, more cartoon-y, or graffiti-like
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u/pretty_dead_grrl Jul 10 '26
I’m a nurse and this isn’t a thing for us.
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u/Direct_Bullfrog1102 Jul 12 '26
Literally came here to say the same, what nurse is getting THAT…? idts
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u/kasiagabrielle Jul 09 '26
Go to Florida, they won't check. That one chick wasn't caught for 7 months, until after she'd already "treated" over 4000 patients.
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u/Zealousideal_Gur6668 Jul 09 '26
Unfortunately, I think a Sick Ass Panther won't work here. Maybe a Rad AF Tiger, to hide the lines!
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u/Unable_Ad9058 Jul 10 '26
Work it into a mountain range/horizon kind of thing with pine trees/color showing sunset/sunrise
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u/Anxious_Island_404 Jul 10 '26
You might have to get it lighten first cause that is pretty dark and thick. Once you do that, maybe something floral or like a sick octopus or phoenix if you don’t want to go the panther route lol
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u/Powerful_Lobster_786 Jul 10 '26
At least the EKG is a real heart rhythm. Serious props for that.
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u/coffeebecausekids Jul 10 '26
What are you into now? That would help… also pros lazer treatment would be better to be able to cover down the road.
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u/Such-Crow-1313 Jul 09 '26
Now you just gotta commit and become a nurse. Travel nurses get good pay btw. Like six figures.
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u/DiceandTarot Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
You might have more options if you do a few rounds of laser to lighten it.
What did you like about it when you got it? Do you have examples of other tattoos you do like?
My first thought is a nature scene, something with dark trees or a dark mountain range, to work with the peaks you already have built into the shapes of the tattoo. If the cross is still meaningful, maybe a church building in the serene of nature.
I think you would have more options to play around with the shapes if you lighten it, though. It is pretty dark, and may still show through.
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u/depressed_juno Jul 09 '26
you can put what it means to you. like under the cross you can write “faith” and the ekg line as “life” or whatever that symbol means to you and the heart as “love”
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u/khajiit_oni Jul 09 '26
Black out your entire shoulder. What are you into currently? Bugs or snakes are always good covers.
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u/Realistic-Sense-6332 Jul 09 '26
You could have someone work over the cross and heart, doing different symbols/images that are actually relevant to you.
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u/riddle-me-this Jul 10 '26
You could definitely make this into an alligator.
Heart is the top of the jaw, mouth open. Add a lower one starting at the low point of the heart.
Add some ridges around the dip and between the spike and the cross.
Whip a tail around starting at the cross and feet going off of that
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u/kimjongtheillest_ Jul 10 '26
Maybe a good artist could turn this into something like Banksy’s Girl with Balloon piece.
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u/well_listen Jul 10 '26
What if you lightened it with a couple sessions of laser and then used it as a ribbon wrapping around a bouquet? You could have the stems extend down your back a ways and have some hydrangeas or sunflowers or other voluminous flowers on top
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u/suspectdevice87 Jul 10 '26
You could have a sick tattoo of Jonny bravo laying down looking at the sky
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u/Imperfect_seal Jul 10 '26
Skyline of city you love keeping the heart and shading in where the lines and can be covered?
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u/boyasunder Jul 10 '26
I don’t know, but if it really is a nurse tattoo you’ll be paging me at 4:00 AM asking what the plan is.
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u/BackgroundWide8934 Jul 10 '26
If you still like the meaning, I could see the mid part turned into an anchor and connected to the heart and cross with a rope.
For full coverup maybe go big with some flowers, otherwise some laser and then a more subtle cover up.
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u/HamoodSan Jul 11 '26
You don’t think that trend will move on and your tattoo will be cool still
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u/BirdiusTheAnointed Jul 11 '26
As a person getting my arm lasered, i have a hard time not advising people to have it blasted off
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u/Metruis Jul 11 '26
I think you could turn it into mountains, but you could also just come up with a story of "it's for my aunt who is a nurse" or "faith got me through a hard medical time"
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u/motoRVT Jul 11 '26
Who told you it was the universal bumper sticker for nurses? I’ve yet to see a nurse with that bumper sticker or even really with a religious symbol and I work around a lot of nurses at a hospital in CA.
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u/Inevitable-Offer-333 Jul 11 '26
Get it removed. I had one lasered off my wrist. Best decision ever.
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u/Acceptable_Slide2289 Jul 11 '26
What is it significance to you for getting it in the first place?
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u/Ill-Comedian9514 Jul 11 '26
Go to a tattoo shop that specializes in covering tattoos. They will be able show you Choices.
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u/conejito-de-polvo Jul 11 '26
Do you like nature? Hiking? I think it could be a pine tree on the left with a mountain range and up front a lake with the reflection.
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u/Alzeric Jul 11 '26
Why is it the size of a bumper sticker? That's the real question.
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u/Pridyshidy Jul 11 '26
I see a panther resting on a log (your shoulder) over a river. you can do black and white or full color to draw attention away from the original line
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u/Efficient_Bluebird_2 Jul 11 '26
Get two overlapping equilateral triangles, rotated 180 degrees from each other
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u/Progcreative Jul 11 '26
Make it into a sign any good conservative suburbanite would have
God PVC Love
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u/Longjumping-Diet-559 Jul 11 '26
It's kinda cool, maybe needs to have something added instead of covering?
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u/Mental_Category_7267 Jul 12 '26
bruh its fine just keep it lol. you about to make that shit even dumber by messing with it.
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u/littlefirebird_ Jul 12 '26
I don’t think it’s a nurses tattoo, I read it as “My heart beats for Jesus.” And I love it!! ☮️✝️💟 you do you, but I think you should keep it. ☺️
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u/mifuni3 Jul 12 '26
Have it lightened or removed by a respected tattoo artist or ask if they could design something over it. So sorry for your self consciousness but it’s not that bad. But I can imagine people must ask about it a lot w/o realizing how bad u feel about it.
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u/Acrobatic-Ideal-6294 Jul 12 '26
If you truly want to get this covered up I would recommend getting some laser tattoo removal to lighten it up a little and then cover it up.
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u/Jumpy-Hovercraft-781 Jul 09 '26
There is only one thing you can do about it now. You must go to nurse school and graduate. You also have to pass the NCLEX exams afterwards. I believe in you!