In: Nursing
You are the nurse caring for M.H., a 30-year-old male hospitalized on the oncology unit, as he is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His labs today indicate his WBC count is 1,000 (normal is 3,500-10,500). His oncologist has ordered filgrastim (Neupogen) 480 mcg SQ daily. M.H. asks you, “So what exactly does this medication do and why do I need it?”. He also tells you that it is his 3-year-old son’s birthday and his entire family was planning to come to the hospital tonight so M.H. could take part in the birthday celebration. How do you respond to M.H.’s medication questions and plans for the birthday celebration? (10 points)
Nurse will tell the patient that filgrastim (Neupogen) ,this drug is to increase his white blood cells count which have decreased because of chemotherapy.Chemo drugs also affect the normal cells in bone marrow, which can lower blood cell counts.
WBC help your body fight infection. A low white blood cell count (leukopenia) leaves your body more open to infection.
During the more thorough phases of treatment, people can often have serious side effects from chemo, so they might need to spend time in the hospital.
Regarding birthday celebration ,he should tell them to celebrate birthday at home and be in function through online video call as he may suffer fever, cough ,chest pain, joint pain, vomiting and hair loss with administration of this drugs .Even his WBC count is already less ,so he is vulnerable to get infection that will function drop his condition. so, he should avoid to be in close contact with so many family members gathering for celebration.