A postmastectomy client tells the nurse, "The doctor says my arm is so swollen because of lymph fluid. How much lymph fluid do we have?" How should the nurse respond?
1. "Not very much. Most of your swelling is due to your cancer."
2. "The normal amount of lymph fluid in the body is about 3 liters."
3. "The lymph fluid is part of your blood, so it is hard to determine how much you have."
4. "Everyone is different. Some people have lots of lymph fluid and some have very little."
Correct Answer: 2
Rationale 1: Much of the postmastectomy swelling in the arm is due to lymph. The body contains a substantial amount of lymph fluid.
Rationale 2: As much as 3 liters of fluid per day travel through the lymphatic vessels.
Rationale 3: Lymph fluid comes from the blood, but is not part of the blood.
Rationale 4: While some differences in amount of lymph fluid do occur, it is inaccurate to say that some people have very little.
Global Rationale: Lymph fluid is created when fluid leaves the capillaries due to osmotic forces and high pressure in the capillaries. This fluid enters blind-ended lymphatic vessels and slowly travels on its journey through the lymphatic system. As much as 3 liters of fluid per day travel through the highly branched lymphatic vessel network to eventually return to the cardiovascular circulation. Much of the postmastectomy swelling in the arm is due to lymph. The body contains a substantial amount of lymph fluid. Lymph fluid comes from the blood, but is not part of the blood. While some differences in amount of lymph fluid do occur, it is inaccurate to say that some people have very little.
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