Nursing Care of a Cancer Patient
Kendall Cline
Rasmussen University
NUR2392: Multidimensional Care II
Cathy Meadows(American Breast Cancer Foundation,
... [Show More] 2021). Once again there are different types of risk factors
that predispose a person; these include but are not limited to genetics, environment, and
lifestyle choices. Anna has quite a few things in the category of lifestyle choices as well as
genetics that make her at a higher risk for developing breast cancer. The first thing that is a
lifestyle choice that puts Anna at a higher risk is that she is a smoker. This is harmful to many
things in the body and predisposes one to many different types of cancer. Another lifestyle
factor that Anna has is her weight. Being overweight once again predisposes you to many
different health conditions and makes it much harder to recover from conditions as well. Lastly
it is known that Anna is a non-compliant diabetic; meaning that she does not take her
medications or follow her diet. The genetic risk factor that Anna has is a positive family history.
This means that someone or multiple people in her family have been treated for breast cancer.
In Anna’s case it was her mother as well as her grandmother. All of these things put Anna at a
higher risk for developing breast cancer.
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As with any illness there are signs and symptoms that could correlate with the illness.
While signs and symptoms can be indicators, they are not the end all be all especially in the case
of diagnosing cancer. One of the main indicators that something is wrong in the breast is a lump
(CDC, 2021). Anna found a lump in her right breast while she was doing a self-check which was
then confirmed in the exam by the practitioner. It has been six months since Anna had found
the lump for the first time. Another symptom can be pain in the breast in any area (CDC, 2021).
While the practitioner was examining Anna it was discovered that she was having pain with
palpation. Also, Anna was experiencing pain in her nipple which is a symptom as well. While
these are all indications that Anna could have developed breast cancer further testing and
imaging will need to be done in order to make a confirmed diagnosis.
Anna’s case is one that is seen far too often; life gets busy and certain things take the
back burner like a patient’s health. One of the care strategies that Anna would benefit from is
education on annual screening and the importance of making health a priority. Anna would
benefit from this because with annual screenings things like lumps or dense breast tissue can be
found and investigated as soon as possible. She would also benefit from education about
prioritizing health because she lives a rather unhealthy lifestyle with smoking, being overweight,
and being non-compliant with her diabetes protocol. Educating the patient on making health
first can help them understand what they are at risk for and what it could look like if they do not
start to make changes. Lastly, I would use therapeutic communication at all interactions with
Anna so that she feels comfortable in what could be the hardest or worst time of her life.
Especially if she found this lump six months ago she may [Show Less]