ABSTRACT
Nurses frequently take a lead role in the management of chronic diseases. Please reread the introduction to Chapter 4 about your need to be qualified for a specialist role.
Case study 7.1 When you first saw Mrs Weary last week she had consulted you because she had felt ‘tired all the time’ for the last six months. On questioning, she admitted that she had gained a stone in weight in the last year but had not eaten any more than usual. She felt a bit down but attributed that to her nearing 60 years of age. She has come back to hear the results of blood tests you organised last week. Her blood count, renal and liver function and fasting glucose are normal. Her thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level is raised at 6.6 mu/1 and her thyroxine level is normal at 17.4 pmol/1. You suspect she has subclinical hypothyroidism.
