5 8 St Thomas University Back Pain Case Study S
For this Discussion, you will take on the role of a clinician who is building a health history for one of the following cases. Your instructor will assign you your case number.
| Case 1 | Case 2 | Case 3 | |
| Chief Complaint (CC) |
“I have a tumor on my left breast” | “I have pain during intercourse and urination” | “My back hurts so bad I can barely walk” |
| History of Present Illness (HPI) | A 55-year-old African American social worker presents to your clinic with a finding of a lump in her left breast while in the shower this past week. | A 19-year-old female reports to you that she has “sores” on and in her vagina for the last three months. | A 35-year-old male painter presents to your clinic with the complaint of low back pain. He recalls lifting a 5-gallon paint can and felt an immediate pull in the lower right side of his back. This happened 2 days ago and he had the weekend to rest, but after taking Motrin and using heat, he has not seen any improvement. His pain is sharp, stabbing, and he scored it as a 9 on a scale of 0 to 10. |
| Drug Hx | I took birth control pills for 10 years, starting when I was 20 I am not on hormone replacement | She tries to practice safe sex but has a steady boyfriend and figures she doesn’t need to be so careful since she is on the birth control pill | Motrin for pain. |
| Family Hx | My grandmother had breast cancer when she was 76 years old | Father hypertension Mother DM |
|
| Subjective |
Denies any fever or chills. No changes in vision or hearing, no difficulty chewing or swallowing. Supple neck, states that she does self-breast-exams on occasion. Menopause at 52 No skin changes or nipple discharge from the left breast |
states “I have sores and bumps on the inner creases of my thighs and pelvic area”. “There is yellowish discharge from the sores that comes and goes” | He is having some right leg pain but no bowel or bladder changes. No numbness or tingling |
| Objective Data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| VS | temperature 98.6°F; respiratory rate (RR) 16; heart rate (HR) 80, regular; blood pressure (BP) 130/84; height: 5′8″; weight 160 lbs; body mass index (BMI) 24 | temperature: 100.2°F; pulse 92; respirations 18; BP 122/78; weight 156 lbs, 25 lbs overweight; height 5′3″ | temperature: 98.2°F, respiratory rate 16, heart rate 90, blood pressure 120/60 O2 saturation 98% |
| General | well developed, nourished, healthy-appearing female | patient appears to have good hygiene; minimal makeup, pierced ears, no tattoos; well nourished (slightly overweight); no obvious distress noted | well-developed healthy 35-year-old male; no gross deformities |
| HEENT | Atraumatic, normocephalic, PERRLA, EOMI, conjunctiva and sclera clear, nares patent, nasopharynx clear, edentulous. | Atraumatic, normocephalic, PERRLA, EOMI, conjunctiva and sclera clear; nares patent, nasopharynx clear, good dentition. Piercing in her right nostril and lower lip. | Atraumatic, normocephalic, PERRLA, EOMI, sclera with mild icterus, nares patent, nasopharynx clear, poor dentition – multiple carries. |
| Lungs | clear to auscultation | within normal limits, appropriate lung sounds auscultated, clear and equal bilaterally | CTA AP&L |
| Card | regular rate and rhythm (RRR) | S1S2 without rub or gallop | S1S2 without rub or gallop |
| Breast | Examined in sitting and supine positions. In sitting position, no evidence of skin changes, right breast is slightly larger than the left, symmetrical movement with the arms above the head and at the side and with flexion of the pectoral muscles; 5-mm nonmobile, non-tender, firm mass felt at 10 o’clock position, 5 cm from the areola. Right breast without dominant masses or tenderness. Nipples without inversion or evidence of nipple discharge. Breast mass is palpated in the supine position in the same manner as in the sitting position |
• INSPECTION: no dimpling or abnormalities noted upon inspection |
• INSPECTION: no dimpling or abnormalities noted upon inspection • PALPATION: Left breast – no abnormalities noted. Right breast – denies tenderness, pain, no abnormalities noted. |
| Lymph | negative axillary, infraclavicular, and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy | Inguinal Lymph nodes: tenderness bilaterally, numerous, 1 cm in size | no bruising, fever, or swelling noted, no acute bleeding or trauma to skin. |
| Abd | normoactive bowel sounds x 4; | tender during palpation; the left lower quadrant was very tender during palpation; patient denies nausea or vomiting | benign, normoactive bowel sounds x 4; Hepatomegaly 2cm below the costal margin. |
| GU | Bladder is non-distended. | labia major and minor: numerous ulcerations, too many to count; some ulcerations enter the vaginal introitus; no ulcerations in the vagina mucosa; cervix is clear, some greenish discharge; bimanual exam reveals tenderness in left lower quadrant; able to palpate the left ovary; unable to palpate the right ovary; no tenderness; uterus is normal in size, slight tenderness with cervical mobility | Bladder is non-distended. |
| Integument | good skin turgor noted, moist mucous membranes | intact without lesions masses or rashes. | |
| MS | Muscles are smooth, firm, symmetrical. Full ROM. No pain or tenderness on palpation. | Muscles are smooth, firm, symmetrical. Full ROM. No pain or tenderness on palpation. | No obvious deformities, masses, or discoloration. Palpable pain noted at the right lower lumbar region. No palpable spasms. ROM limited to forward bending 10 inches from floor; able to bend side to side but had difficulty twisting and going into extension. |
| Neuro | No obvious deformities, CN grossly intact II-XII | No obvious deficits and CN grossly intact II-XII | DTRs 2+ lower sensory neurology intact to light touch and patient able to toe and heel walk. Gait was stable and no limping noted. |
Once you received your case number, answer the following questions:
- What other subjective data would you obtain?
- What other objective findings would you look for?
- What diagnostic exams do you want to order?
- Name 3 differential diagnoses based on this patient presenting symptoms?
- Give rationales for your each differential diagnosis.
- What teachings will you provide?
Submission Instructions:
- Your instructor will assign you your case number and you will post on the case number you have been assigned.
- You will reply to the other two case studies (One of each).
- Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.
- You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. Your reply posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response.)
- All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Grading Rubric
Your assignment will be graded according to the grading rubric.
| Discussion Rubric | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Ratings | Points | |||
|
Identification of Main Issues, Problems, and Concepts |
5 points Identify and demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the issues, problems, and concepts. |
4 points Identifies and demonstrates an accomplished understanding of most of the issues, problems, and concepts. |
2 points Identifies and demonstrates an acceptable understanding of most of the issues, problems, and concepts. |
1 point Identifies and demonstrates an unacceptable understanding of most issues, problems, and concepts. |
5 points |
|
Use of Citations, Writing Mechanics and APA Formatting Guidelines |
3 points Effectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Exceptional use of citations and extended referencing. High level of APA precision and free of grammar and spelling errors. |
2 points Effectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Moderate use of citations and extended referencing. Moderate level of APA precision and free of grammar and spelling errors. |
1 point Ineffectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Moderate use of citations and extended referencing. APA style and writing mechanics need more precision and attention to detail. |
0 point Ineffectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Unacceptable use of citations and extended referencing. APA style and writing mechanics need serious attention. |
3 points |
| Response to Posts of Peers |
2 points The student constructively responded to two other posts and either extended, expanded, or provided a rebuttal to each. |
1 point The student constructively responded to one other post and either extended, expanded, or provided a rebuttal. |
0 point The student provided no response to a peer’s post.
|
2 points | |