Essay on Nursing Question

Introduction

As per the chief complaint, the patient has experienced a severe headache with difficulty in speaking. Also, the patient has been experiencing frequent headaches and feels a burning sensation whenever they urinate. The given symptoms could mean that the patient may be suffering from several ailments, including Urinary Tract Infection, stroke, Pyelonephritis, or even other causes like depression.

Additional Subjective Data I Would Obtain

Additional subjective information that I would obtain is if the patient has a fever that results in confusion, generalized pains, heightened urination frequency, appetite loss, and high blood pressure. Such symptoms could be related to Pyelonephritis. Additional subjective data I would obtain that is related to stroke include if the patient has numbness, decreased sensation, finds it difficult to swallow things, feels nauseous and dizzy, and has fatigue or light-headedness. All these symptoms could be associated with stroke.

I would also obtain additional subjective information like if the patient has lower abdomen, pelvic, or back pain, feels pain during sexual intercourse, feels like his or her bladder is not fully emptied after urinating, passes frequent and tiny urine amounts, and feels tired, shaky, or malaise. Other subjective information that I would obtain and is related to depression includes feeling sad and losing interest, decreased appetite, sleep pattern changes, and suicidal feelings.

Additional Objective Findings

Other objective findings that I would look for include if the patient’s urine contains blood or pus or seems cloudy. Also, I would obtain other objective data like instability, coordination issues, overactive reflexes, moist skin, mental confusion, slurred speech, blurred vision, and rapid heart rate.

Diagnostic Examinations

The first diagnostic examination that I would request is a urine test, which would help determine if the patient’s urine contains bacteria. A urine test would help determine if the patient is suffering from a Urinary Tract infection or kidney infection. I would request a blood test since Glomerular Filtration Rate is a kidney function measure, which can be performed by way of a blood examination. Additionally, a blood test can be useful in determining the patient’s blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which can help one know if the patient may be at risk of suffering from a stroke (Li et al., 2019).

Differential Diagnoses

The first diagnosis would be stroke since it brings about headaches and difficulty in speaking. Diagnostic tests for stroke include imaging, electrical, and blood flow examinations. Imaging tests would give a brain’s picture, just like x-rays. Electrical examinations would provide the patient’s brain’s electrical impulses record. Lastly, blood flow examinations would show any issue that may bring about transformations in the brain’s blood flow of the patient. All these tests would be essential since they would help to determine if the patient is suffering from stroke.

The second diagnosis would be UTI or Pyelonephritis. The two ailments bring about a burning feeling when urinating. A urinalysis diagnostic examination would be essential based on the patient’s presented symptoms since it would help to analyze a sample of the patient’s urine and look for bacteria and even blood cells. Also, a urine culture test would be useful whereby bacteria in urine grow on a culture dish in a few days. The test would help to detect and identify particular bacteria in the patient’s urine, which would help identify if the patient has UTI or Pyelonephritis (Perez et al., 2019). The third diagnosis would be depression since it results in headaches. The patient could be depressed as a result of the pain experienced. A depression-rating questionnaire would be essential.

Teachings to Provide

One major teaching that I would provide is that certain symptoms could mean the presence of various ailments. Therefore, one needs to visit a physician for a more excellent examination before making any conclusions and purchasing over-the-counter medications. Also, some symptoms may be combinations of different illnesses in one’s body hence the essentiality of proper examination so that all existing ailments can be well-treated.

References

Pérez, R. P., Ortega, M. J. C., Álvarez, J. A., Baquero-Artigao, F., Rico, J. C. S., Zúñiga, R. V., … & de Liria, C. R. G. (2019). Recommendations on the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infection. Anales de Pediatría (English Edition), 90(6), 400-e1.

Li, L. H., Dutkiewicz, E. P., Huang, Y. C., Zhou, H. B., & Hsu, C. C. (2019). Analytical methods for cholesterol quantification. Journal of food and drug analysis, 27(2), 375-386.