A client with diabetes and a right below-the-knee amputation tells the nurse that he feels pain in the amputated leg, even though the leg is gone. The nurse's response is based on what information?
1. Phantom pain is experienced by most amputees; it will resolve without pain medication.
2. The client thinks he feels pain, but it is actually a response to his denial about the amputation.
3. The nurse cannot adequately assess the pain; therefore, medication cannot be given.
4. Phantom pain occurs when the nerve endings have not adjusted to the loss of the extremity, and the client should be offered pain medication.
Answer: 4
Phantom limb pain is real pain for the client and is common in amputees. Phantom pain can best be controlled by pain medication. It is important to respect a client's interpretation of the experience of pain and offer him or her pain medication. (Lewis 8 ed, p. 1612).