Treatment Plan for John Ames

Posted by Winnie Melda on October 16th, 2018

TreatmenOverview

Mr. John Ames has type II diabetes and is struggling with diabetes-related complications.  The tests reveal he still has very high glucose levels in his system.  At 120mg/dL, he has high glucose levels that are far from the normal 64-100mg/dL range.  Mr. Ames WBC stands at 13.9 x 10/ul, an indicator that his body is trying to fight off an infection, inflammation or a disease.  A probe on Mr. Ames dental formula reveals teeth that are adversely affected by gum disease. The teeth are darkened, and the gums and palatal region appear swollen. The patient also has a persistent cough and shortness of breath.  The patient also has a non-healing foot ulcer.

Body

Mr. Ames has undergone numerous medical procedures to resolve different diabetes type II-related complications.  However, there is need to treat his bleeding gums and get his glucose levels under control. First, it is important to note that the patient is taking prednisone among other drugs that he is taking.  Prednisone is a corticosteroid that patients are given so as to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system.   In Ames case, he received the prednisone prescription as a medication to ensure that his body does not reject his new kidney after his transplant.  Unfortunately, the use of prednisone by diabetic patients is likely to result in an increase in blood sugar levels.  Mr. Ames blood sugar is too high mainly because of his daily intake of prednisone. The first step in the management of Mr. Ames high sugar levels is to stop taking prednisone (Alexiadou, &  Doupis, 2012).  Glucose levels will return to normal when he stops taking the drug.

The high sugar levels are also the cause of Mr. Ames gum disease and bad breath. The patient’s gum disease is worsened by his habitual smoking habit.   Smoking can be blamed for his poor dental hygiene, bad breath, and COPD. Specifically, the patients may be suffering from periodontitis and may need a deep cleaning to remove tartar from the gums.  He also needs an antimicrobial mouth rise and oral antibiotics to manage the bacterial infection.  The patient also needs intensive education on the importance of brushing his teeth with fluoride toothpaste (Shrivastava, 2013).  He also needs to floss on a regular basis and visit the dentist for routine dental check-ups.

The patient admits to smoking almost 1 and a half packets of cigarettes a day, for the last thirty years. Mr. Ames needs to stop smoking because he could be having the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The patient denies experiencing breathing difficulties and hence may not need inhalers.  However, he needs cough relievers to manage a persistent cough (Alexiadou, K. &  Doupis, 2012). Mr. Ames, foot ulcer requires local wound care to avoid an infection. The patient’s wound can be cleaned using Silvadene, bacitracin-zinc or Neosporin ointment. Irrigation using Dakin solution can be done in case a deep wound infection is found. Lastly, the patient needs a thin hydrocolloid dressing on the wound to keep the wound clean.

Conclusion

 Mr. Ames needs a complete overhaul of his lifestyle.  He has had so many medical procedures and complications relating to his diabetes and thus needs to adopt healthy lifestyle habits to avoid further complications.  Other than dental hygiene and the cessation of smoking, the patient needs to adopt a healthy diet so as to boost his overall health and immune system.

Reference

Alexiadou, K. &  Doupis, J. (2012). Management of diabetic foot ulcers. Journal of diabetics. Vol. 391):4

Shrivastava, S. (2013). The role of self-care in the management of diabetes mellitus.  Journal of diabetes & metabolic disorders. Vol  12

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in nursing paper writing services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for medical essay writing service online.