A patient who had a below-the-knee amputation 2 months ago is seen walking with a new limb prosthesis and returning to work. What does the nurse realize about this patient?

Question

1. The patient has completed the work of mourning the loss of the leg.
2. The patient is having difficulty with grief.
3. The patient is in denial.
4. The patient is forgetting about the disease that caused the loss of the limb.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1

In one theory of the process of loss, the person gradually withdraws attachment to the lost object or person. The period of mourning, or work of mourning, ends and the person reaches a state of completion. This is the time when the patient may be ready to move on and make a change such as using a prosthesis or return to activities they were involved in before the loss. The patient's actions indicate a positive adaptation, not an inability to manage grief. Denial is manifested by behaviors or statements indicating the patient cannot believe the event has occurred. There is inadequate information provided to infer the patient has forgotten about the disease which caused the loss of the limb. Further, forgetting an event of this magnitude is extremely unlikely.