A patient undergoing radiation treatment for laryngeal cancer has developed xerostomia and mucositis, leading to an imbalance in nutritional intake.
What is the most likely reason for this issue?

Choice A rationale

Exenatide is a medication used to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. One of the potential side effects of exenatide is pancreatitis, which can cause severe abdominal pain. Therefore, patients should be instructed to notify their healthcare provider if they start having abdominal pain after starting exenatide.

Choice B rationale

Exenatide should be injected within 60 minutes (1 hour) before the morning and evening meal (or before the two main meals of the day, at least 6 hours apart), not 30 minutes before or after a meal. Therefore, this instruction is incorrect.

Choice C rationale

Exenatide does not act in the same way as insulin. While both insulin and exenatide help to control high blood sugar, they work in different ways. Insulin allows sugar in your blood to enter your cells, while exenatide works by increasing the release of insulin when blood sugar levels are high, decreasing the amount of glucose produced and released by the liver, and slowing gastric emptying.

Choice D rationale

There are precautions about taking exenatide with other medications. For example, exenatide may affect the absorption of some orally administered drugs due to its effect on gastric emptying. Therefore, patients should be advised to take oral medications that require rapid absorption at least 1 hour before injecting exenatide.

Choice A rationale

Initiating bilateral intermittent sequential pneumatic compression devices is not the most appropriate immediate intervention for a patient showing signs of a possible stroke. These devices are typically used to prevent deep vein thrombosis in patients who are immobile, not for stroke management.

Choice B rationale

Raising the head of the bed to 30 degrees and keeping the head and neck in neutral alignment is the correct intervention. This position can help reduce intracranial pressure and facilitate venous drainage. In the case of a suspected stroke, it’s crucial to maintain proper cerebral blood flow.

Choice C rationale

Maintaining elevated positioning of the dependent joints on the affected side is not the immediate priority in stroke management. While it’s important to prevent contractures and maintain functional positioning, the immediate concern is to stabilize the patient’s condition.

Choice D rationale

Obtaining a focused history to determine recent bleeding and use of anticoagulants is important, but it’s not the first intervention. While this information will be necessary for the healthcare provider to determine the appropriate course of treatment, the immediate priority is to manage the patient’s acute symptoms.