A 21-year-old client admits to recently using diuretics and laxatives to lose weight quickly
She does not want to feel fat in her bathing suit on vacation. Her sodium level is 146 mEq/L; her potassium level is 3.1 mEq/L. She is 5 feet tall, weighs 100 lb, and has lost 15 lb in 3 weeks. Which of the following goals is a priority at this time?
A) Stabilize her electrolyte levels.
B) Assist her to begin gaining weight at the rate of 2 to 3 lb per week until she reaches 112 lb.
C) Help build her self-esteem.
D) Develop a contract with her to stop using laxatives and diuretics.
Ans: A
Feedback:
Restoring nutritional balance is a priority for clients with severe eating disorders. Clients who are clearly malnourished need to become physiologically stabilized until they are no longer at risk for severe medical complications related to starvation. Refeeding the very-low-weight client with anorexia means that nurses must carefully monitor cardiac function; another important intervention is to carefully monitor electrolytes. These clients are at risk for developing a "refeeding syndrome" with accompanying hypokalemia.
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