65-yo Woman, Bronchial Asthma, Severe Allergy: Moderate Persistent Asthma - Essay Sample

Introduction

The patient is a 65-year-old woman who has a complication of bronchial asthma attach as well as a severe allergy to pollen grain. She complains of having severe cough, wheezing, and breathing difficulties. She also informed us that she had an issue with a tight chest and a shortage of air. After the lady described her disease, we realized that she had moderate persistent asthma. The condition used to trouble her mostly at night and when the weather gets cold. The allergy was so severe that she had received treatment many times. Attempts by doctors to treat the complication did not bear fruits. The patient had lived with the condition for about five years.

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The patient informed us that she had never been smoking cigarettes. However, she said that whenever she gets exposed to smoke, the chest problems start. The symptoms were enough to conclude that the patient had asthma. The situation required a strong medication to heal completely.

The patient also informed us that she had been suffering from severe breathing difficulty whenever the weather is cold. Further examination revealed that the man was also allergic to some foods and dust. Strong perfumes used to make her situation worse. The patient has been using inhalers to manage her sickness.

Medical Prescription

The patient is under methylprednisolone (also called Solu-Medrol). The patient had to take medicine to control her disease. The drug was also to boost the woman's immune system. The doctor had to inject the patient with the Medrol. According to the doctor, medicine was to serve in changing the immune response of the body. The patient was not allowed to use other types of medication while using methylprednisolone.

Methylprednisolone is a medicine that can be given to patients either as an injection or administered orally. The Medrol tablet modifies the immune system of the body. The drug controls body inflammation and, at the same time, boosts body immune system.

Nursing Implications

There was a need for us to assess our patient's health before we could administer it. We needed to be sure that our patient does not suffer from a condition such as having insufficient adrenaline in the body. We also ascertained that our patient was not diabetic as the medicine does not do well for diabetic patients. In the lab, we also had to check the patient's level of potassium serum. The patient had the right level of potassium serum and was fit to use the drug. The medicine is not recommended for pregnant women as it may harm the unborn. We, therefore, had to make sure that our patient is not pregnant before administering the dose.

The doctor decided that the patient should not be taking medicine from home to be sure of the quantity. Methylprednisolone can cause a lot of harm to the user if taken in a large amount.

Our patient reported having blurred vision, dizziness, and increased general tiredness.

We advised the patient to be visiting the doctor regularly for checking. The regular audit aimed to ensure that the medicine is working correctly. The doctor also instructed our patient not to be given any vaccine during the period of using methylprednisolone. A vaccine given to a patient under Medrol might not work. We advised the patient to report any case of bone pain. We also instructed the patient to let any doctor or dentist who might treat her know she is under methylprednisolone. The patient was not to taker any other medicine with or without prescription. In case there was any need to take the medication, the patient would have to consult with us.

We were to administer the dose every morning. When applied in the morning, medicine coincides with the secretion of cortisol by the body. We were injecting the patient with 8 mg of methylprednisolone every day.

Patient Education Plan

We advised the patient appropriately on how to behave while under the drug. We recommended that she should not miss an appointment with the doctor. The doctor was to receive the medicine every day.

We also advised the patient to be always in time as a delay might lead to delayed healing. We made the patient aware that the drug has some side effects. We made her aware that Medrol can make someone suffer from hypertension, nausea, vomiting, and other conditions. We requested her to inform us in case of any of these side effects. We also reported the patient the impact of withdrawing from the drug. We told her that she is likely to have some complications after stopping her use of the drug. We, therefore, advised her to use aspirin if she sees any signs of hypoprothrombinemia.

We also made the patient aware that a pregnant woman should not use the drug. In case she became pregnant, she was to consult us. However, the chances of her being pregnant were minimal since she was 65 years old.

The doctor also made our patients aware that the drug could result in other infections. We requested her to see the doctor in case of any need to take any medicine. We also advised our patient not to be exposed to smallpox and measles. If she was to contacts any of these diseases, we suggested that there was a need to consult the doctor.

References

Littenberg, B., & Gluck, E. H. (1986). A controlled trial of methylprednisolone in the emergency treatment of acute asthma. New England Journal of Medicine, 314(3), 150-152.

Engel, T., Dirksen, A., Frølund, L., Heinig, J. H., Svendsen, U. G., Pedersen, B. K., & Weeke, B. (1990). Methylprednisolone pulse therapy in acute severe asthma: A randomized, doubleblind study. Allergy, 45(3), 224-230.