Chapter 14: Somatosensory Function, Pain, Headache, and Temperature Regulation

A client who has been exercising says to the nurse, "My skin is so hot!" What is the nurse's BEST response?

"Your body is trying to lower your temperature."

Which interventions are appropriate for a client with chronic diabetic neuropathy pain?

-Carbamazepine -Guided imagery -Heat therapy -Ibuprofen -Amitriptyline

The nurse if working with a client who has been diagnosed with recurring migraine headaches. Which advice by the nurse is MOST appropriate?

"Many people find that maintaining regular eating and sleeping habits is beneficial."

Which conditions or events commonly trigger nociceptive pain?

-surgery -osteoarthritis -chemical burn

What will the nurse teach a client with trigeminal neuralgia about the condition?

Carbamazepine is a first-line treatment

A nurse who is testing a client's response to passive movement of the fingers with the client's eyes closed notes that the client cannot accurately identify on which side the movement occurred or in what position the finger was placed. What is an appropriate interpretation of this result?

Abnormal discrimination pathway function

The nurse is caring for a client who has returned from surgery after having a colon resection. What is the BEST method for the nurse to use when administering an opioid for pain in order to optimize pain control?

Administer the opioid preemptively and before the pain becomes extremeTre

The nurse is taking the history of a client scheduled for surgery with general anesthesia. What is the best response by the nurse to the client's statement that an uncle died after receiving general anesthesia?

Inform the anesthesiologist

A client who has a spinal injury now has sensory changes on the distal forearm and fourth and fifth fingers. The nurse can predict that this client has experienced and injury to which cervical spine region?

Cervical (C) 8

The nurse knows that chronic pain lacks which of the characteristics pain-related reactions?

Increased heart rate

Which client is exhibiting headache symptoms that indicate a need for further evaluation?

Pregnant mother with drowsiness and unrelenting headache

A client who is being treated for chronic low back pain is using a TENS unit for relief of pain. The nurse is aware that the use of this device is considered what type of pain relief?

Stimulus-induced analgesia

Which client is MOST likely to be susceptible to developing a neurogenic fever?

Sustained a head injury in a bicycle crash

A client is experiencing anorexia, myalgia, arthralgia, and fatigue. The nurse should assess for:

Temperature

The nurse learns that different types of headaches respond to different therapies. Which headache is most responsive to nonpharmacologic therapy?

Tension

A nurse caring for an older adult who has been diagnosed with urinary tract infection checks the client's temperature on admission and finds that it is 96.6*F (35.9*C). Which statement describes how the nurse should interpret the finding?

The client may be exhibiting a blunted or absent febrile response.

Which pain disorder is a manifestation of a disruption of cranial nerve function?

Trigeminal Neuralgia

A recovery room nurse monitoring a client for adverse effects of cold cardioplegia assesses for:

Ventricular dysrhythmia

A client is admitted to the acute care facility with severe pain in the abdomen related to inflammatory bowel disease. What type of pain will the nurse be administering medication to relieve?

Visceral pain

A nurse assessing an older adult 3 hrs postoperative notes guarding, grimacing, and stiff body movement when changing positions The client denies feeling pain. Which response will help the nurse BEST manage this client's pain?

You seem to be uncomfortable. Pain is common with surgery. I can bring you pain medication.

A client has sought care because of recent malaise and fever. Upon assessment, the client states that for the past week there has been a cycle of high fever in the evening but normal temperature in the mornings. Which fever pattern will the nurse document?

intermittent fever

A client who has been exercising for a few weeks begins to sweat as soon as he exercises. What will the nurse determine from this assessment?

the client is reacting normally

Following an automobile accident that resulted in a traumatic amputation of the right lower leg, the client complains of feeling tingling, heaviness, and shooting pain in the amputated limb. The health care providers treat phantom limb pain by using which interventions?

-TENS of the large myelinated afferents innervating the area -Hypnosis -Relaxation techniques

A client with a rising temperature is pale and has begun to shiver. The nurse reports that the client is in which phase of fever development?

Chill

What will conduct injurious stimuli to alert the body to potential damage?

Nociceptors

Antipyretic drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen, are often used to alleviate the discomforts of fever and protect vulnerable organs, such as the brain, from extreme elevations is body temperature. The use of aspirin is limited in children, however, because it can sometimes causes which disease?

Reye Syndrome

A client has recently been diagnosed with chronic back pain that requires the daily use of hydromorphone, an opioid analgesic. For the first few weeks, the client achieved relief with 4 mg every 6 hrs. However, the client now requires 6 mg doses to achieve the same effect. How should the nurse best interpret the phenomenon?

The client is developing opioid tolerance, which is expected.Cervical

Children feel pain just as much as adults do. What is the major principle in pain management in the pediatric population?

Treat on individual basis and match analgesic agent with cause and level of pain

A client with a history of migraine headaches tells the physician that he or she usually experiences an aura before the onset of the headache. The client is most likely experiencing:

Visual disturbances