Neuroplasty Case Study Essay

Mr. and Mrs. James, your daughter, Ellen, came into the ER barely conscious. Ellen told us that for the past two days, she has been experiencing excessive vomiting, lots of diluted urine, being abnormally thirsty, having loose or watery stool, and experiencing some pains in her head and neck. In addition to those things, she told us that she has been rapidly losing weight, despite eating plenty of food. Although there are no recent hospitalizations on record, her history of past surgeries include: a surgical removal of the tonsils and the extreme discharge of blood in 1985 (a tonsillectomy and a hemorrhage), a surgical repair of the nerves in 1991 (which is a neuroplasty), and a surgical creation of an artificial opening between the colon and the
She had a temperture of 99 degrees and some minor arteriosclerosis, which is the abnormal hardening of the walls of the artery. The physician also ordered for a pregnancy test, a complete blood count, and a urine analysis to check for sugar, creatine, blood protien, and electrolytes in her urine. Some of Ellens blood was sent into a lab to be tested for levels of blood sugar, insulin, and C-Peptide. (This is to determine if the pancreas is still making insulin, or if its displaying insulin resistance. If your body is insulin resistant, it means that you have cells throughout your body that does not use insulin effectively. This means that those cells have trouble absorbing glucose, which would then cause a buildup of sugar in the blood.) In addition to those blood tests, Ellen's blood will also be tested for leukocytes, which are colorless cells that circulate through the bloodstream, and the number of red blood cells to determine if she needs antibiotics. Lastly, a CAT scan was ordered so we could rule out poliomyelitis, a viral infection of gray matter of the spinal cord that may cause