Nursing Blog

For anyone who is informed you have multiple myeloma, you might be confused as to what it really is or what kinds of treatment you will likely have to undergo. Multiple myeloma may also be named plasma cell myeloma or more commonly known as Kahler's disease. This condition is actually a cancer of the plasma cells of the body. Plasma cells are types of white blood cells that are critical to producing antibodies. The physiology of this illness is when large quantities of abnormal cells collect within the bones . Here they produce damage in the bone marrow. This serious damage results in the interference of normal blood cell generation. There are quite a few different signs of multiple myeloma an individual may experience if they are affected by this disease. Among those symptoms include pain in the bones. The most common areas of this bone pain generally occurs in the backbone and the ribs and may actually worsen with exercise. Infection is also a sign or symptom of this disease. Typ...

Cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers in women and it is said to be preventable if it is detected early. Girls of the age 11 and 12 can be given a vaccine and a pap smear test schedule for the prevention of cancer. Women, at the age of 21, or within three years of the starting sexual activity, should start taking the Pap smear test and it should be repeated every two till the age of 30 and every 3 years thereafter. Early detection of cancer can lead to its surgical removal and it is usually the most preferred way of treatment but not every woman has to undergo it. The different stages for the cervical cancer surgery are - Laser surgery, conization, cryosurgery, simple hysterectomy, radical hysterectomy and radical trachelectomy. The first alternative is loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) which includes the usage of high frequency electrical current to cut and remove the diseased tissue. This procedure is done by administering local anesthetic to numb the cervix and ...

Treatment of gastritis depends on the cause of the problem. Some cases of gastritis may resolve by themselves over time, or be relieved when you stop drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or taking NSAIDs. You may need to change your diet, although doctors now know that a bland diet isn' t required. If your gastritis is due to H. pylori infection, you will be given antibiotics. Lifestyle The treatment for gastritis that is caused by irritants is to stop using them. These include: Alcohol Tobacco Acidic beverages such as coffee (both caffeinated and decaffeinated), carbonated beverages, and fruit juices with citric acid NSAIDS, such as aspirin and ibuprofen -- switch to other pain relievers (like acetaminophen) These steps may also help: Eat a fiber-rich diet. Foods containing flavonoids, like apples, celery, cranberries (including cranberry juice), onions, garlic, and tea may stop the growth of H. pylori. Avoid high-fat foods. In animal studies, high-fat foods increase inflammatio...

Congestive Heart Failure Prevention Congestive heart failure can be the ultimate result of a number of diseases, or lifestyle choices, that damage the heart. Some of these can be prevented. Others cannot be prevented but can be treated successfully. Some examples of illnesses or lifestyle choices that can lead to congestive heart failure are as follows: Coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease), including heart attack Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) Uncontrolled high choleterol Diabetes Congenital heart disease (a heart condition that one is born with) Infection (particularly some common viruses that can rarely severely affect the heart and cannot be reliably predicted or prevented) Damage to the heart valves (possibly from IV drug use) Alcoholism Smoking In some cases, a family history of heart failure can be present. Many cases are a combination of factors, and in other cases, the cause is unknown. If you have congestive heart failure, you are at increased risk...

by: Carl Payne If you suffer from a Tinnitus, then you know that finding an effective Tinnitus treatment would be tantamount to finding a pot of gold. The condition can bring you to the point where seemingly all you want out of life itself is a few shining moments of blissful, peaceful silence. The one problem? It seems most Tinnitus treatments are pretty hit and miss. Of course, every person's body is different, so all treatments are going to have a certain element of "your mileage may vary" built into them. However, each of the top ten treatments do have their group of supporters who say that it was this method that was able to finally give them that blessed silence. Let's take a look at what the top ten treatments for Tinnitus are: 1) White Noise - In some peoples' experience, white noise can block out the ringing effects of tinnitus, effectively canceling it out, so to speak. The problem with this approach is that, even if it works as promised, it's a logi...

Shock Symptoms Shock is defined as abnormal metabolism at the cellular level. Since it is not easy to directly measure cellular problems, the symptoms of shock are indirect measurements of cellular function. Shock is the end stage of all diseases, and symptoms will often be dependant on the underlying cause. Vital signs As the patient goes through the various stages of shock, vital signs change. In the early stages, the body tries to compensate by moving fluids around from within cells to the blood stream with an attempt to maintain blood pressure in a normal range. However, there may be a slight rise in the heart rate (tachycardia = tachy or fast + cardia or heart). Think of donating blood. A unit of blood (or about 10% of your blood volume) is removed, yet the body compensates well, except for a little lightheadedness, which is often resolved by drinking fluids. Another example is exercising and forgetting to drink enough fluids and feeling a little tired at the end of the day. As th...

Hypoglycemia Treatment Management of hypoglycemia involves immediately raising the blood sugar to normal, determining the cause, and taking measures to hopefully prevent future episodes. The blood glucose can be raised to normal within minutes by taking (or receiving) 10-20 grams of carbohydrate. It can be taken as food or drink if the person is conscious and able to swallow. This amount of carbohydrate is contained in about 3-4 ounces (100-120 ml) of orange, apple, or grape juice although fruit juices contain a higher proportion of fructose which is more slowly metabolized than pure dextrose, alternatively, about 4-5 ounces (120-150 ml) of regular (non-diet) soda may also work, as will about one slice of bread, about 4 crackers, or about 1 serving of most starchy foods. Starch is quickly digested to glucose (unless the person is taking acarbose), but adding fat or protein retards digestion. Symptoms should begin to improve within 5 minutes, though full recovery may take 10–20 minutes....

Treatment for malignant mesothelioma has not been found, but the people affected by this disease still prefer to undergo treatment with a mixture of methods or participate in various clinical trials. Various kinds of mesothelioma treatment techniques regularly performed with surgical procedures, drug therapy, and radiation therapy. Although this treatment is most often found, you can find other treatment options that are now growing in popularity. Several treatment options, which are gene therapy, immunotherapy, and photodynamic therapy. The different surgical procedures performed on patients with malignant mesothelioma there are 3 types of palliative surgical procedures, surgical procedures diagnostic, curative surgical procedure. Palliative surgery aimed at reducing the symptoms and eliminate all cancer cells. However, this type of operation is not recommended. The purpose of curative surgery is to remove as much mesothelioma cancer, hoping this type of therapy to fully...

A boil is a localized infection deep in the skin. A boil generally starts as a reddened, tender area. Over time, the area becomes firm, hard, and tender. Eventually, the center of the boil softens and becomes filled with infection-fighting white blood cells from the bloodstream to eradicate the infection. This collection of white blood cells, bacteria, and proteins is known as pus. Finally, the pus "forms a head," which can be surgically opened or spontaneously drain out through the surface of the skin. Pus enclosed within tissue is referred to as an abscess. A boil is also referred to as a skin abscess. There are several different types of boils. Among these are: * Furuncle or carbuncle: This is an abscess in the skin caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. A furuncle can have one or more openings onto the skin and may be associated with a fever or chills. The term carbuncle is sometimes reserved for an abscess that involves a group of hair follicles. The condition of...

Treatment of Angina Pectoris When a patient is diagnosed with angina pectoris via a non invasive procedure, the next step is to perform a coronary angiogram. A coronary angiogram is a blood vessel x-ray used to determine the source of the angina pectoris . Depending on the results, the doctor will recommend coronary artery bypass graft, treatment with medication or angioplasty. Angioplasty is a surgery to clear blocked blood vessels. When a patient is diagnosed and hospitalized with unstable angina – recently being referred to as ‘high risk acute coronary syndromes’, resting ischemia ECG or raised cardiac enzymes a coronary angiography is performed almost straight away. Treatment of angina pectoris is mainly directed at pain relief, reduction of recurring episodes and slowing of the progression of the disease which in some cases can lead to heart attacks and death. One aspirin ingested at 75mg to 100 mg per day is recommended to all patients with a stable angina pectoris. Nitroglyceri...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium (synovitis) secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of pannus in the synovium. The pathology of the disease process often leads to the destruction of articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, pericardium, pleura, and sclera, and also nodular lesions, most common in subcutaneous tissue. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, autoimmunity plays a pivotal role in both its chronicity and progression, and RA is considered a systemic autoimmune disease. Management / Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis Because the exact cause of Rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, there is no causative treatment that can cure this disease. This should really ...

Tuberculous spondylitis or Pott disease is one of the oldest demonstrated diseases of humankind, having been documented in spinal remains from the Iron Age in Europe and in ancient mummies from Egypt and the Pacific coast of South America. In 1779, Percivall Pott, for whom the disease is named, presented the classic description of spinal tuberculosis. Signs and symptoms Back pain Fever Night sweating Anorexia Spinal mass, sometimes associated with numbness, paraesthesia, or muscle weakness of the legs Difficulty standing Treatment Triple therapy: Streptomycin: initial 2-3 mths Isoniazid: 9 mths Rifampicin: 9 mths Commence antibiotics ~ 1 wk prior to surgery Indications for nonsurgical treatment alone are patients with early disease with minimal bone involvement and medical contraindications to operation Surgery is indicated in all others - especially in the paraplegia of active disease Surgery - recommended is the Hong-Kong operation- consists of excision of the disease focus and st...

Treatment of Myocardial Infarction The management of a myocardial infarction is with regard to alleviation of symptoms, prevention of extension of the infarct and detection / treatment of the complications of a myocardial infarct. The first priority with these patients is to maintain a clear airway and breathing, monitoring will be established as soon as the patient arrives in the resuscitation room. (NB This will have already been initiated by the ambulance crew). It is also likely that intravenous access will have been established unless the patient was brought in by relatives. A high percentage of prescribed oxygen will be administered via a facemask unless contraindicated by chronic respiratory disease. This will serve to optimise the patient’s oxygenation. Chest pain and nausea are relived by diamorphine and an anti-emetic given intravenously. Diamorphine also acts by offloading the heart and reducing the preload and afterload. If the patient has pulmonary oedema, diuretics ...