How Are Feeling In Your Chest? Essay Examples

Question one

The symptom discussed in this case is palpitations, where I met a patient who told me she was feeling some fluttering or “flip-flops” in her chest. These are further questions I asked the patient.

Are you experiencing shortness of breath at times?
Do you have any medical history for diabetes of hypertension?
Have you experienced dizziness or even fainting?
The history that might be associated with this problem includes strong emotions, use of drugs such as nicotine, thyroid disease, diabetes or even vigorous physical activity (Indik, 2010). This symptom could be an indication of a serious problem such as heart attack, coronary artery disease, Arrhythmias, pericarditis or even heart failure. Any of these diseases can cause death and need to be attended without any delay. In order to assess the situation well I used stethoscope in order to check the heart beat of the patient (D'Amico & Barbarito, 2012). I advised to go for further screening in order to check all the aforementioned diseases. I also advised to check on her diet to avoid food rich cholesterol and magnesium, which could worsen the situation.

References

D'Amico, D., & Barbarito, C. (2012). Health & physical assessment in nursing (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Indik, J.H. (2010). "When Palpitations Worsen". The American Journal of Medicine 123 (6), 517–9.
Question two
The symptom analyzed in this case is productive cough or what is normally referred to as “wet cough”.
Some of the possible questions to patients include;
For how long have you been coughing?
What is the thickness and color of the mucus you are producing?
After what interval are you coughing?
Does the cough go away and come back after some weeks or months?
Physical examination will include checking the breathing system of the patient as well as the nature of coughing. The history that may be associated with productive cough includes asthma, post-nasal drip, gastroesophageal or eosinophillic bronchitis diseases (D'Amico & Barbarito, 2012). Other risk factors that may be related with this symptom include tuberculosis, inflammation, allergies among others (Pavord & Chung, 2008). I can refer the patient to the physician who will prescribe cough suppressant such as dextromethorphan and other mucinex drugs that can also help to make mucus thinner with less coughing.
References
D'Amico, D., & Barbarito, C. (2012). Health & physical assessment in nursing (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Pavord. I.D. & Chung, K.F. (2008). Management of chronic cough. Lancet 371 (9621), 1375–84.