A 12-Year-Old Boy Is in the Final Phase of Dying

question 11

Multiple Choice

A 12-year-old boy is in the final phase of dying from leukemia.He tells the nurse who is giving him opiates for pain that his grandfather is waiting for him.How should the nurse interpret this situation?

• A) The boy is experiencing side effects of the opiates.
• B) The boy is making an attempt to comfort his parents.
• C) He is experiencing hallucinations resulting from brain anoxia.
• D) He is demonstrating readiness and acceptance that death is near.

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Definitions:

Alcohol

An organic compound characterized by one or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups attached to a carbon atom, commonly used in beverages, medicine, and as a solvent.

Lactic Acid

A compound produced in the muscles during strenuous exercise, responsible for the feeling of muscle fatigue.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that carries energy within cells for metabolism, serving as a primary energy currency of the cell.

Electron Transport Chain

a component of the electron transport system involved in cellular respiration that generates a proton gradient to produce ATP.