Digestive and Urinary Tract Cancers

Cancer is a serious and a progressive disease. This means that various cancer types need time in order for it progress and develop to more complicated forms. Cancer cells multiply just like the cells of the body yet they interfere with the normal cell activity and also steal nutrients from normal cells.

They can also travel to different parts of the body while also invading a specific organ. It is called metastasis is commonly seen in sites such as the brain and bone. This makes it dangerous especially to residents since they can also cause additional problems and may lead them to death. It is common that cancer is discovered only once it has already affected other organs, making it still one of the hardest diseases to treat.

Cancerous tumors seen in the gastrointestinal tracts, urinary bladders or kidneys may sometime require surgery. The residents that are in the state of recovery may not be able to take in food or fluids requiring them to have tube feedings. Tube feedings or total parenteral nutrition can be done when a nasogastric tube is in place.

Nasogastric tubes are inserted from the nose and into the stomach thus serve as a temporary esophagus for a temporary period of time. If further time for parenteral nutrition is needed, a gastrostomy tube is placed directly to the stomach by putting an outside surgical opening or stoma.

Both of these tubes require a pump in order to transport the amount of parenteral diet needed as prescribed. A safety alarm can be heard from the pump machine so that any problems during the feeding process are made known. Usually, residents having tube feedings should not receive any food or drink by mouth or on NPO as this order should be observed and maintained.

Adequate oral care should be given to residents to protect the skin from harmful microorganisms and make sure that when giving oral care, always position the head of the bed in a moderate high or high back rest. Some residents especially those that are recovering from surgeries of digestive tract may have an ostomy. Ostomy is a surgical detouring of the digestive tract in order to help the resident in elimination. They may be permanent or sometimes temporary therefore observe any signs of infection of this site. Routine care for the ostomy is required in order to prevent this site from infection since this site is very prone to it.