carefully in the home; the care team provided instructions to Jill on how to store the oxygen correctly. See appendix 2 for side effects and more information about oxygen. Fortunately, Jill was a non-smoker and her four litres of oxygen seemed to be working for her. Unfortunately, Jill was overweight at 115 kg which had to be addressed and probably assisted in the maturation of her CHF. Furthermore, it did not help with her shortness of breath as moving around with her physique was not easy and left her quite breathless. It was agreed on that Jill would also see a dietician to address her weight.
The patient’s second main problem was oedema in lower limbs and abdomen. Oedema is the accumulation of fluid in the tissues caused by the back-up of blood returning to the heart. There are two types of oedema; pulmonary, which results …show more content…
It was suggested that maybe instead of drinking a full glass of water in one go maybe consume smaller portions. An increase in weight is one of the signs of oedema, therefore patients need to weigh themselves on a regular basis. Jill’s weight was recorded on the visit and it was her usual weight which indicated no signs of oedema. A pitting technique was also used to check for fluid retention, which consists of applying pressure to the skin for ten seconds then releasing the pressure to observe the elasticity of the skin and tissue in the swollen areas (Nicholson 2007). There was a slight swelling in the ankles, however her abdomen was not distended during the initial observation from the care team. Jill was also on diuretics to help her clear water from her body which caused the oedema before. Ascites if not treated in time can cause liver dysfunction as the build-up fluid puts too much pressure on the liver (The International Journal of Angiology 2011). Patients with oedema can also be very isolated. Fluid retention can be painful and make it difficult to mobilize, therefore it leads to isolation and
The patient’s second main problem was oedema in lower limbs and abdomen. Oedema is the accumulation of fluid in the tissues caused by the back-up of blood returning to the heart. There are two types of oedema; pulmonary, which results …show more content…
It was suggested that maybe instead of drinking a full glass of water in one go maybe consume smaller portions. An increase in weight is one of the signs of oedema, therefore patients need to weigh themselves on a regular basis. Jill’s weight was recorded on the visit and it was her usual weight which indicated no signs of oedema. A pitting technique was also used to check for fluid retention, which consists of applying pressure to the skin for ten seconds then releasing the pressure to observe the elasticity of the skin and tissue in the swollen areas (Nicholson 2007). There was a slight swelling in the ankles, however her abdomen was not distended during the initial observation from the care team. Jill was also on diuretics to help her clear water from her body which caused the oedema before. Ascites if not treated in time can cause liver dysfunction as the build-up fluid puts too much pressure on the liver (The International Journal of Angiology 2011). Patients with oedema can also be very isolated. Fluid retention can be painful and make it difficult to mobilize, therefore it leads to isolation and