Personal Reflections in Nursing - Essay Example

The patient did not have any signs of pain or difficulty in breathing. Based on the patient’s physical appearance, she appeared thin and normal to me. During physical assessment, I noted several bruises on the chin and abdomen. The patient informed me that the bruises were from a previous fall.

I proceeded to monitor her heart for atrial fibrillation. During my assessment, I noted that the patient’s pulse was elevated and her blood pressure was high. I administered 40mg of Lasix by IV pulse via peripheral line and left the patient to rest. A few hours later, I went back to take the vital signs. Her blood pressure has decreased from 141/62 to 113/70.   The patient was on fall precaution due to the side effects of medication, which was hypotension. The Lasix was pushed slowly because it could cause hearing problems if it was pushed too fast. Thoracentesis was done and 1 liter of fluid was drained. I did not observe any ABD distention or swelling of the lower extremities. The patient was taking Lasix and void 1400CC of clear and yellow urine that was the expected outcome.

I was confused during the auscultation of the lungs because I expected to hear crackles upon auscultation. However, I did not hear crackles, so I was puzzled by where all the fluid was coming from. I did not see any edema in any of the extremities. The patient appeared healthy to me.  After several discussions with my clinical instructor, I learned that continuous weight loss could be an indication of cancer. The patient had PMH of hyperthyroidism since even after consuming large amounts of nutrients, she still lost weight. At first, I thought the patient was losing weight because of the thyroid. Later, I got convinced that it could have been an indication of cancer because she did not have any problems with weight loss during previous diagnoses. This patient’s symptoms were similar to my cousin’s. They were both losing weights very rapidly and coughing with no mucus. Later, my cousin was diagnosed with cancer.