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TLA On Cancer Case in Point

Grace has been experiencing weight loss and lack of appetite due to cancer and its treatments. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer after abnormal pap smear results and symptoms like vaginal bleeding and weight loss. The cancer has since spread to her lymph nodes. She is receiving chemotherapy and radiation. Grace continues to lose weight and has no appetite. Her nutrition is important for healing and future treatments but she faces barriers like nausea, smell aversions, and lack of motivation. Maintaining a healthy diet is a goal. The home health nurse can monitor Grace's wellbeing and work with a dietitian to develop strategies like relaxing meals and appetite stimulants to help Grace increase her food intake and meet her nutritional needs.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

58 views5 pages

TLA On Cancer Case in Point

Uploaded by

JUSTYN ELEN CAMACHO

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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TLA on Cancer

Case in Point—Grace: Encouraging Appetite following a Hysterectomy

Grace has had intermittent vaginal bleeding for three months. At first she thought she was experiencing
the first signs of menopause. After all, she was 52, and this is to be expected. She called her gynecologist
just to be sure and went in for a Pap smear. Finally, after a week, Grace’s doctor called and told her she
had suspicious cells on her Pap smear and he was recommending a hysterectomy. Grace had cancer of the
uterus. Grace was devastated. Maybe this was why she was losing weight, something she was not trying
to do. She had lost 20 pounds in the last three months. She had felt tired but dismissed that as due to how
busy she had been with her job and her quilting.

Grace had her hysterectomy and was informed that the cancer had spread throughout some of her lymph
glands. She needed chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

After five months of treatment, Grace was continuing to lose weight. She was down 50 pounds. For her,
that was good since she had been 80 pounds overweight. She had no appetite, and the smell of food made
her nauseated. Sometimes she could eat a banana, and other times she could eat a hamburger. But mostly
she drank clear broth and ate some crackers.

ASSESSMENT

1. What do you know about Grace?

➔ Intermittent vaginal bleeding for three months

➔ Grace had cancer of the uterus.
➔ Grace’s doctor called and told her she had suspicious cells on her Pap smear
➔ She had lost 20 pounds in the last three months.
➔ She had felt tired
➔ She had no appetite
➔ the smell of food made her nauseated
➔ cancer had spread throughout some of her lymph glands

2. What barriers does she have to balanced nutrition?

➔ Her illness
➔ Lack of motivation
➔ Radiation therapy
➔ Smell of food
3.What resources does she have to overcome these barriers?
➔ Grace should get regular medical care.
➔ Health information needs
➔ Physical and daily living– physical requirements and adjustment tasks, such as coping with
physical symptoms and treatment side effects, completing daily physical chores and
activities, and self-management of medical treatment routines and health care at home.
➔ patient care and support—cancer patients' requirements for assistance from family, friends,
and health-care professionals.

4. How important is her nutrition to her current health? How about her future radiation treatments?

➔ Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that shrinks and kills cancer cells. It can
have a number of harmful consequences, some of which may lead to calorie and protein
deficiency. Loss of appetite and a lack of desire to eat are two of the harmful implications.
When you're getting radiation, it's essential to eat appropriately. This aids in the
maintenance of a healthy body and immune system by supplying nutrients for the
regeneration of healthy tissues.

DIAGNOSIS

5. Write a diagnosis about potential alteration in nutrition.

➔ Appropriate nutrition is necessary to satisfy the body's demands though taste, smell,
appetite, and the capacity to consume enough food or absorb nutrients from food may all be
affected by cancer and cancer therapies. Malnutrition, a condition characterized by a lack
of essential nutrients, might develop as a result of this.

However, to keep your body working at its best throughout cancer treatment, you should
consume a healthy, balanced diet. Some of the finest choices include mildly flavored, simple
to digest, and nutrient-dense foods.

6. Write a diagnosis about her deficient knowledge.

➔ A knowledge deficit is defined as a lack of perceptions or physical skill required for health
recovery, maintenance, or development. A patient's life and recovery are influenced and
affected by their knowledge.

Grace shouldn't be afraid of undergoing medications.

Grace should get the help that she needed without hesitation since it will be good for her
conditions.

PLAN/GOAL
7. What is the immediate goal for Grace’s nutrition?

➔ Grace should stick to a healthy, balanced diet that contains lots of lean protein, healthy fats,
fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as a low-sugar, low-salt, low-processed-foods,
and low-alcohol diet.

8. What is the long-term goal?

➔ Staying active, according to Ailish Daly, clinical specialist physiotherapist in cancer care at
the Beacon Hospital, may be beneficial both during and after treatment.

Do what seems right to you. Make a list of a few short-term objectives. Make a list of a few
long-term objectives. Do both, but don't forget to set goals from one survivor to the next. It
will make the journey much more difficult because there would be no plan or finish line.

IMPLEMENTATION

9. What does Grace need to learn?

➔ There are vast number of things that Grace needs to learn, including:

1. What are the potential dangers? Are other family members at danger if it's genetic?
2. What lifestyle modifications have you made? (diet, exercise, rest)
3. What therapy choices do I have?
4. Are there any activities that should be avoided because they may induce or worsen
symptoms?
6. Are there any medical tests or treatments that are required?
7. What is the typical rate of survival and cure?

10. List four strategies to increase what Grace eats at home.

1. Create a relaxing ambience.

2. Increase the attractiveness of Grace's meals
3. Stay away from smells that make her nauseous.
4. When Grace is hungry, she needs to eat more.

11. How important is her nutrition to her healing?

➔ A healthy, well-balanced diet is essential for cancer patients. Proper nutrition is beneficial to
cancer patients because it enables them to recover between treatments and enhances their
quality of life. Cancer can alter the way your body processes food, making it simpler to lose
weight. Maintaining a healthy weight will help you cope better with cancer treatments and
recover faster.
12. What can a home health care nurse do to enhance Grace’s nutrition? What can a dietitian do?
➔ A nutritionist is the ideal person to talk to about her diet. They can help Grace choose foods
and beverages that will be beneficial to her during and after therapy. While dealing with the
side effects of cancer therapy, a health care nurse or nutritionist can assist her in sticking to
her specialized diet. They can also offer advice and suggestions to assist her better her
current position.

EVALUATION/OUTCOME CRITERIA

13. What can the home health nurse observe and measure as evidence of the success of the plan?
➔ Assessing and monitoring the physical and emotional well-being of the patient. Laboratory,
pathology, and imaging investigations are all kept track of. Administering medicines, fluids,
and cancer treatments like chemotherapy in a safe manner. Collaboration on the treatment
plan with the patient's physicians and other providers.

THINKING FURTHER

14. Why is it important to use nutrition to reduce your risk of cancer?

➔ Aim to structure your diet around a mix of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, nuts,
beans, whole grains, and healthy fats to reduce your risk of many forms of cancer—as well
as other dangerous diseases. Meanwhile, aim to minimize your intake of processed and fried
meals, as well as harmful fats, sweets, and refined carbohydrates.

RATE THIS PLATE

Grace is having trouble maintaining her weight. The dietitian recommends to the physician that an anti
nausea medication and an appetite stimulant may be helpful. Grace is willing to try anything. She is
willing to try hard to follow the dietitian’s recommendations. This is the meal she planned. Rate this plate.

Half a turkey sandwich on white bread with 1 tsp mayonnaise

Banana
4 oz cold supplement
Sorbet

What was the dietitian thinking when she helped Grace plan this meal? Why only half a sandwich? Will
this be adequate nutritionally?
ANSWERS TO RATE THIS PLATE

➔ The dietician was most likely thinking of white bread's refined carbohydrates, which can
raise blood sugar levels and contribute to insulin resistance. When mayonnaise is heated to
high temperatures, it is more likely to create these hazardous chemicals. Mayonnaise has
the potential to cause inflammatory bowel illness. Both of these things are detrimental to
cancer patients. Instead, spread whole grain wheat toast with butter or margarine. Since
sorbet is inherently reduced in fat, it is a good choice for frozen desserts. Bananas may be
an excellent supplement to a cancer patient's diet.