Mr. J., a 68-year-old farmer, has been in the hospital for 1 week because of an exacerbation of chronic emphysema, which was aggravated by dust from the fall harvesting. He has a history of diabetes mellitus type 2. He says that he stopped smoking “4 years ago” and tries to “watch what I eat.” He has no history of drug allergies. He is receiving oxygen at 1 L/ min through a nasal cannula. At this time, he is breathing more easily and hopes to be going home soon. His medication orders include the following, among others: • metformin/glipizide (Metaglip) 500 mg/5 mg twice a day by mouth (PO) • prednisone (Deltasone), 20 mg, every morning PO • albuterol (Ventolin) inhaler, 2 puffs every 4 hours Mr. J. is complaining of a headache. When you check the medication sheet, you see two orders: • acetaminophen (generic), 650 mg PO every 4 hours as needed for pain • ibuprofen (generic), 200 mg PO every 6 hours as needed for pain 1. Which medication will you choose to give to Mr. J.? Explain your answer. In the morning, while assessing Mr. J., you notice that he now has increased edema around his ankles, measured at 2+ bilaterally. When you listen to his lungs, you hear scattered rhonchi but no crackles, and his weight has increased since yesterday by 1 kg. When you call his physician, you receive orders for furosemide (Lasix) 40 mg intravenously now, then 20 mg every morning PO. When you check Mr. J.’s fasting fingerstick blood glucose level, the result is 236 mg/dL. Mr. J. is surprised at this result. 2. Considering Mr. J.’s medications, what could be contributing to this elevated glucose level? What other laboratory values need to be monitored closely during this time? One week later, Mr. J. is discharged. His prednisone prescription contains instructions for tapering the dose over the next 2 weeks. You provide patient teaching for his medication management, and both Mr. and Mrs. J. demonstrate that they understand the information. However, 3 days later, Mr. J. is back in the emergency department with severe nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. His blood pressure is 92/56 mm Hg, and the results of his stat laboratory tests reflect hyponatremia and hyperkalemia. His wife says that he hates the way the “prednisone makes him look and feel” but she thinks he has been taking his medicine. 3. What do you expect happened to cause these symptoms? 4. What nursing diagnoses are appropriate for Mr. J.?