Gastrointestitis

The digestive system is made up of several organs that all work together so that the body can get the energy it requires to go about its daily tasks. The initial way the gastrointestinal (GI) system does this is by breaking down the food we eat into smaller and smaller pieces so that the body can use the energy from the food to help repair and build new cells. The pathway that the food takes to go through the body is called the gastrointestinal tract. The GI tract is a series of organs that begins in the mouth and goes all the way to the anus, which, in adults, is about thirty feet long and takes anywhere from twenty four to seventy two hours, depending on the individuals digestive factors, for food to travel through. The first leg of

The treatment for constipation is largely based on the patient’s symptoms. The first, and easiest treatment, is having the correct diet, high in fiber, high in fluid intake, and increasing exercise is important, the proper diet will be discussed further in the nutrition section. Another thing that helps constipation is trying to start a regular schedule to have bowel movements. Once the body realizes that it is on a schedule, it adapts and, surprisingly, the patient will most likely feel the need to defecate at approximately the same time each day. Along with the schedule, it is important that the patient does not ignore the urge to have a bowel

My patient’s potassium level was within normal limits, but her chloride and sodium levels were low. The normal range for chloride is 99-110 mmol/L, over three days, her levels were 98, 94, and 93 mmol/L. One reason for this may be from the recent dehydration, or possibly because she is taking two laxatives while she was in the hospital. Some expected signs and symptoms of a low chloride level are loose frequent stools, and tremors, both of which my patient exhibited during the clinical day (Dunning & Fischbach, 2009). Her sodium level was low as well. The normal range for sodium is 135-145 mEq/L, my patient had two values of 131, and 132 mEq/L over three days, which is also due to the dehydration and recently recovering from a fever. Some signs and symptoms that go along with having a low sodium level are confusion, tremors, and increased heart rate (Dunning & Fischbach,