low sodium
Instructed patient that certain medications you might be taking, including Coumadin (Warfarin Sodium Tablets), also require special nutritional precautions. Your doctor or LVAD coordinator can provide you with detailed nutritional guidelines for your particular situation. Understanding was verbalized.
SN Instructed on measures to detect and alleviate edema: Gently compress the soft tissue with your thumb over both shins for a few minutes and observe for indentation. If indention is noted, edema is present. Notify SN or Md if there is a deep indention. Reduce sodium (Na) in diet and exercise as tolerated to help reduce edema.
SN instructed patient and caregiver that NAS Diet (No-Added-Salt) is still a balanced diet. It includes grains, fruits, dairy products, meat and vegetables, but the choices you make, must be lower-sodium choices. The NAS Diet (No-Added-Salt) allows all milk, all yogurt, all fruits and all breads without salted tops. Vegetables must be fresh or frozen and not canned or pickled.
Instructed in knowing what to do if symptoms of low blood sugar occur: eat some form of glucose or carbohydrate, notify physician or go to emergency room if symptoms persist.
Instructed in new medication Tylenol to manage mild pain or fever. In addition, warned of possible S/E such as hemolytuc anemia, neutropenia, leukopenia, pancytopenia, liver damage, jaundice, hypoglycemia, rash and urticaria. Consult prescriber before giving drug to children younger than age 2. Tylenol is only for short-term use. Consult prescriber if it is given to children for longer than 5 days or adults for longer than 10 days. Instructed not to use for marked fever (higher than 103.1 F), fever persisting longer than 3 days, or recurrent fever unless it is directed by prescriber. Warned that high doses or unsupervised long-term use can cause hepatic damage. Excessive ingestion of alcohol may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity. Breast-feeding women: acetaminophen appears in breast milk in low levels (less than 1% of dose). Drug may be used safely if therapy is short-term and does not exceed recommended doses.
Instructed in how to recognize signs and symptoms of low blood sugar such as fatigue, headache, drowsiness, tremors, pale, moist skin, hunger anxiety, impared vision, etc.
Instructed in foods low in cholesterol such as fish, fruits, vegetables, egg substitutes, poultry, lean meats, grains, etc.
Instructed patient on how important is to understand that a diabetic diet is not a restrictive diet, on the contrary it is a healthy, nutrient enriched diet, low in calories and fat.
Instructed patient about how the thyroid hormone helps regulate metabolism. When this hormone is abnormally low the energy production decreases, disrupting many vital functions.
Instructed patient on how to recognize S/S low blood sugar, such as, fatigue, headache, drowsiness, tremors, paleness, moist skin, hunger, anxiety, and impared vision.