[SOLVED] the patient’s illness/health problem and a description of the impact of the illness on the patient

Essay Information:
– The essay should include the following:
– A description of the patient’s illness/health problem and a description of the impact of the illness on the patient
– A description of the impact of the illness on the patient’s family (or principal carers)
– A description of the patient’s and the patient’s family’s experience of health and social care
– Demonstrate learning from other parts of the HC2002 course i.e. seminars and lectures
– Make appropriate references to relevant literature on issues discussed in the essay and include a suitably formatted reference list at the end. Vancouver or
Harvard styles are both acceptable, but the referencing style must be used consistently. See www.lib.monash.edu.au/tutorials/citing for a guide to styles of presenting references.
– Include your own personal reflections on the experiences of your patient calls.
Some Suggested Reading:
– Niven, Neil. Life Transitions and Crises, Chapter 5 in Health Psychology. An Introduction for Nurses and Other Health Professionals Second Edition Churchill Livingstone: Edinburgh.
– Scambler, Graham. Health and Illness Behaviour Chapter 3 in Sociology as applied to Medicine Third Edition Scambler G Editor Bailliére Tindall.
– Locker, David. Living with Chronic Illness Chapter 6 in Sociology as applied to Medicine Third Edition Scambler G Editor Bailliére Tindall.
– Scambler, Graham. Deviance, sick role and stigma. Chapter 13 in Sociology as applied
to Medicine Third Edition Scambler G Editor Bailliére Tindall.
– McWhinney, Ian. The Family in Health and Disease Chapter 10 in A Textbook of Family
Medicine Second Edition Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-511518-X
– Skynner, Robin and Cleese, John. Families and How to Survive Them. Meuthen. ISBN
0-413-56529-7
– Brody, Howard. Stories of Sickness Yale University Press ISBN 0-300-04692-8
– Huygen FJA Family Medicine. The Medical Life History of Families Dekker & Van der
Vegt republished by the Royal College of General Practitioners. ISBN 850-84-147-X
Comments on the previous essay
– It seems your essay did not succeed in conveying enough information about the specific situation of your patient in relation to her condition (of breast cancer). Thus, while there are a few sentences that mention the impact of the disease on this patient, there is proportionally more about how patients, in general, respond to a diagnosis of cancer
and/or breast cancer. The key aim of the family attachment scheme (which needs to be conveyed in your essay) is to learn about the particular situation of a specific patient. It is recognized that every patient responds differently to having a long-term health problem and that the impact of their condition is strongly influenced by other aspects of
their lives (where they live; what work (if any they do or did); whom they live with; what material and other resources they have to help them cope with their health problem etc.
To illustrate this point, for example, in your essay you talk about the psychological effect of cancer such as problems in concentration, anxiety, isolation, fatigue, depression, etc.
You also mention the impact of this diagnosis on a sufferer’s sense of femininity and self-esteem. However, you do not comment on which, if any, of these psychological impacts you perceived in your patient.
– I, unfortunately, don’t feel that I learned anything about your patient from this essay. Was
she working? What were her hobbies? What was her cancer treatment? How are her
children today? What job did her husband have? Did quitting his job have a financial
impact on the family? This is meant to be patient-centered. I didn’t get any sense of the
day-to-day life of this unique patient at all. For future assignments like this, put yourself
in the patient’s shoes and really imagine what it must be like to be them day to day,
Patient information:
– Patient name: RC
– Age: 39 years old
– Case: Metastatic breast cancer. She’s been ill for 4 years. She was admitted recently
with pulmonary artery thrombosis. She is married and has 2 young children.
Call 1: Intro
– What were the first signs and symptoms that you noticed?
– She found a lump and went to parklands to get it checked out
– What did you think it might be?
– She thought it might be a cyst because she was pregnant
– How and when was the condition diagnosed?
– Diagnosed 2015 whilst 20 weeks pregnant (said to be perfectly safe by doctors)
– Treatment/Medications:
– One week of radiotherapy
– Cancer spread to the spine
– Took Parjeta and Herceptin every 3 weeks in Dunmanway clinic IV
– What tests were taken?
– Ultrasound and tests
– She was diagnosed after 2 days
– How did she feel when the diagnosis was confirmed?
– She was shocked at the time
– Had no real expectation of having illness due to no family history
– She was grateful for the doctors and nurses as the hospital provided great care
after her
– Side effects
– During chemo: hair started falling after 2 weeks
– Considered a wig
– Hair came back once they stopped the treatment
– Recent implications:
– A clot of the pulmonary artery; is very rare
– On blood thinners for life
– Paper was written on her clot because of how rare it is
– Working situation:
– Part-time last creche
– Supervisor; works 20hrs a week
– Worked there for 16yrs
– Very flexible work situation
– On leave at the moment to recover from the clot
Call 2: Ups and Downs of the illness
– Family:
– Her son (age 9) does ask her why she’s always in and out of hospitals for checkups but accepted it
– Her son (age 9) is interested in the hospital industry now
– Ups:
– Being pregnant got her thru cancer, she focused on that and on the end goal of having a baby, which helped her coop
– When her daughter was born and healthy that gave her closure
– Downs: (most challenging)
– Going to the maternity for scans and then going to chemo
– A student thought she had to terminate her pregnancy and that was challenging for her to comprehend
– Post pregnancy:
– She had to get extra chemo,
– She couldn’t take Herceptin during her pregnancy (water could break)
– Although Herceptin was the most medication for shrinking her cancer
– What was going on within the family at any point of crisis?
– It was hard, started when she was 32yrs her. Son was 3 and she was pregnant
with her 2nd child
– Her partner left work to help
– Her family and her partner’s family helped
Call 3:
– Her husband found it shocking and was worried for RC. He had concern for the unborn
child. He commended the healthcare she received and said that the Dr. Was
outstanding. He said he found it ‘tough’ but was, In essence, inspired by his wife’s
positivity. He gave up work so he could be there. He had been a tiler through the
recession CE scheme. He of course helped out more with children etc. he got a part-time
job later work in with the ‘Cork art scheme’. He praised the manager there saying that
they were very good in terms of him being able to take time off to help RC, as well as
setting him up with potential carers and such. I found he was perhaps a bit more
reserved than RC, and they shared the same opinions on a lot of issues.
Call 4 – Experience in health and social services.
– Who is involved in the ill person’s care?
– Husband and family
– Are there too many/ too few services available?
– 2 were mentioned to her
– Girls club – lady passed away due to cancer and the club discontinued
– Prior to her death, she was there for RC anytime she needed her whether on the
phone or face to face
– No one could relate to her because she was pregnant and she found that hard
– She was only 32 she was the youngest person there she found that hard too
– RC believes not many people talk about the position she was in (pregnant and cancer)
and people should be talking about it and be made aware of the risks
– Women should be aware of the possibility and be aware – hormonal pregnancy cancer
– Would’ve been nice to have met someone who’s been through what she’s been thru
– She found it scary that there wasn’t enough knowledge
– One of the Drs in her hospital has seen her case a lot in New York and that made her a
bit more comfortable – Richard green.
– Her main worry: would the treatment affect her daughter during treatment and
post-treatment.
– Financial difficulties
– She got lucky the first couple of months
– But then her husband had to get off work until she got a carer
– No longer had full wages
– She didn’t go back to work for two Years
– The mortgage was paid off as well.
– They. “Winged it” focused more on her getting better
– RC before and after treatment
– Sees life in a different way
– Knows how fast things change in life and in your body
– Time is of the essence
– Appreciates life more
– She loves going on holidays, but due to the surgery she couldn’t
– She can’t go swimming
– And her hobbies