Need help reading labs really bad at putting it together

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 15, 2005

I'm a nursing student and have a patient i have to give care to tomorrow and they have myasthenia gravis and their lymph count is high. And I need help so if anyone has any websites I would appreciate it or books but its too late to go buy a book. Any help will do. thanks

Hi, kisno,

What labs are you needing info? You are running out of time........

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

I'm a nursing student and have a patient i have to give care to tomorrow and they have myasthenia gravis and their lymph count is high. And I need help so if anyone has any websites I would appreciate it or books but its too late to go buy a book. Any help will do. thanks

As in a lymphocyte count in a CBC w/diff??? Is that the only abnormal lab??

kisno · Sep 15, 2005

Hi, kisno,
What labs are you needing info? You are running out of time........

I only need lymph and monocytes which are both elevated and I think its b/c MG recognizes self as foreign and mounts an attack. So, since they have MG it is always releasing Antibodies and monocytes. but what can i do as a nurse to asses/intervention/teaching. My teacher last year really affected my self esteem with care plans and I now always get mental blocks. any help is appreciated

kisno · Sep 15, 2005

As in a lymphocyte count in a CBC w/diff??? Is that the only abnormal lab??

Monocytes and lymp are elevated I posted below but i'm just learning how to respond so i don't know if you got it also

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

I only need lymph and monocytes which are both elevated and I think its b/c MG recognizes self as foreign and mounts an attack. So, since they have MG it is always releasing Antibodies and monocytes. but what can i do as a nurse to asses/intervention/teaching. My teacher last year really affected my self esteem with care plans and I now always get mental blocks. any help is appreciated

http://www.medfriendly.com/lymphocyte.html

http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic232.htm

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

Monocytes and lymp are elevated I posted below but i'm just learning how to respond so i don't know if you got it also

I don't get it, are you writing up your care plan right now and are looking for interventions to your nursing dx, are you looking to explain the elevated labs, or are you just looking for how to teach/respond to your pt tomorrow?

kisno · Sep 15, 2005

http://www.medfriendly.com/lymphocyte.html
http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic232.htm

THANK YOU so much I really needed help. Do you happen to know any good books to get to help read labs

kisno · Sep 15, 2005

I don't get it, are you writing up your care plan right now and are looking for interventions to your nursing dx, are you looking to explain the elevated labs, or are you just looking for how to teach/respond to your pt tomorrow?

Yes to all they make us do all of this the night before for three patients and expect us to be awake for work

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

THANK YOU so much I really needed help. Do you happen to know any good books to get to help read labs

Just browse through them and pick out which one seems the easiest for you to read. Make sure that they include a reason for the lab to be abnormal. Not all do. Here is an article from a nurse about the disease, just page down to the middle to find the whole article.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3689/is_200201/ai_n9032264

I love Google....

Good luck tonight!

kisno · Sep 15, 2005

Just browse through them and pick out which one seems the easiest for you to read. Make sure that they include a reason for the lab to be abnormal. Not all do. Here is an article from a nurse about the disease, just page down to the middle to find the whole article.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3689/is_200201/ai_n9032264
I love Google....
Good luck tonight!

Thanks I really appreciate it.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

The high lymph count is not generally a symptom of the MG itself although it is common for MG patients to have autoimmune disease as well going on. However, an elevated lymph count indicates a possible infectious process or even a possible leukemia going on as well. The monocyte count gets elevated when the patient's immune system is attempting to replace active granulocytes that are catabolizing debris from the process of phagocytosis.

Patients with elevated lymph counts will be lethargic, weak, fatigue easily, and may have dyspnea on exertion. That is where you go with your care plan. Address and monitor for these possibilities. You would also monitor a patient with high lymph counts for fever, acute chest pain, and chills (in other words, symptoms of infection or sepsis). So, what will you as a nurse do? You will monitor their labwork, take temps every 4 hours, assess the patient for symptoms of infection or sepsis, make sure they have assitance when they ambulate, instruct them to call for help to go to the bathroom, change the linens if they become diaphoretic so they are comfortable and give antipyretics. Now, put this into care plan form.