In: Nursing
You are the nurse taking care of Mr. Case, a 75-year-old patient newly diagnosed with colon cancer. Mr. Case’s pain has been severe, and he has been taking narcotics for pain management. He feels weak and tired, has no energy or appetite, and is unable to keep his weight up. Mr. Case has had great difficulty moving his bowels; when he does, it is very painful. He is oozing a small amount of stool from his rectum. Mr. Case is admitted to the hospital for fecal impaction. He tells you, “Nobody told me I would get constipated. It’s been almost a week and it hurts so bad. In the future, I am going to just deal with the pain rather than take the pain meds.”
1. Identify three factors affecting Mr. Case’s bowel elimination.
2. Identify three strategies you can recommend to Mr. Case to treat his constipation and prevent it from occurring again.
1:- Identify three factors affecting Mr. Case’s bowel elimination.
1:-Dehydration
One of the most common cause of constipation.The food you eat will normally mix with intestinal juices and moves to large intestine .If your body is deprived of water normal digestion don't takes place and the large intestine soaks up water from your food waste it makes stool too hard to pass.
2:-lack of dietary fibre
When you don't have enough fibre in your diet,the toxins you eliminate via your stool get absorbed back in blood stream causing health problems
3:-Medication side effects :-all opioids can cause constipation it's a common opioid side effect.This medicine slows bowel movements. The stool becomes hard .constipation may last as long as you are taking this medication.
2:- Identify three strategies you can recommend to Mr. Case to treat his constipation and prevent it from occurring again.
:-Encourage him to drink plenty of water and include plenty of water based food in his diet
:-medications like oral laxative products,rectal suppositorys or enemas.Oral products are classified as bulking agents,stool softeners,stimulant laxatives and osmotic laxatives
:-Abdominal massage to increase gastric motility and digestive secretions ,relax sphincters,shorten GI transit time,decrease abdominal discomfort and enhance rectal loading which increases the sensation of having to have a bowel movement.