Free Essay with the Case Study on Breast Pain

Question one - Distribution of the Pain

The rapidity of onset and any precipitating factors (how fast does the pain start and is there anything that speeds up its occurrence?)

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Severity of the pain (how bad is the pain?)

Alleviating and exacerbating factors (what makes the pain worse and what makes you relieved?)

Question two - The causes of breast pain include

Breast pain causes can be classified into cyclical and non-cyclical causes (Riker, 2014). The cyclical breast pain is the pain that occurs in correlation with the menstrual cycle. It happens almost before the menstrual flow or during the days of menstruation. This sort of breast pain is linked to hormones. Breast tissues swell because of hormones stimulation during each menstrual cycle. The breast feels swollen, painful, tender, or lumpy. Pain from non-cyclical causes is not linked to menstrual cycle and is often in one particular area of the breast(s). This usually is associated with injury or trauma to the breast. This type of pain does not indicate the presence of breast cancer.

Medications can also contribute to the development of breast pain. Some of these medications include; infertility treatments, oral contraceptives and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Aldomet or methyldopa has also been reported as a significant cause. Breast cysts are also causes of breast pain whereby the breast tissue is replaced with fat. The breast, in this case, feels lumpy and can increase in tenderness (Singer & Soma, 2012). The other primary cause of breast pain is mastitis and breast engorgement. In mastitis, the pain is experienced during breastfeeding when the nipples are cracked and blistered while engorgement occurs when the breasts are overly full. The breasts always appear enlarged, and the skin feels tight and painful.

Question three - Problem list

Dull pain

Heavy and tender breasts

Question four - Plan of care

Mechanical support by use of a supportive bra which works efficiently to relieve pain during sleep and exercise improves the symptoms.

Use of hot packs, cold packs and massage which help reduce the symptoms.

Administer analgesics such as Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen may help reduce the breast pain.

Question five

The most likely cause of breast pain in this patient is cyclical causes associated with hormonal changes. This is because the symptoms correlate with those caused by menstruation.

The changes to be provided to her care provider include;

The axillary lymph nodes should always be palpated during a breast examination.

Advise always on the importance of self-breast examination and education on the normal and the abnormal breasts.

References

Riker, A.I. (2014). Breast Disease: Comprehensive Management. Springer. 588. Print. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=1493911457

Singer, S. R. & Soma, G. (2012). Get It Off! Understanding the Cause of Breast Pain, Cysts, and Cancer. BookBaby. 125. Print.