A nurse is providing teaching to a client who is postpartum and interested in information about contraception. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include?

Choice A reason: Cheyne-Stokes respirations, alternating hyperventilation and apnea, indicate neurological dysfunction or end-of-life changes in brain tumor patients, not pain. This reflects brainstem involvement, requiring respiratory management rather than analgesics, as it is a physiological response to disease progression in palliative care.
Choice B reason: Mottled skin signals poor perfusion or impending death, common in palliative care as circulation declines. It is not a pain indicator but a sign of systemic shutdown, requiring comfort measures like warmth, not analgesics, which are irrelevant to this physiological change in terminal illness.
Choice C reason: Constricted pupils may reflect opioid effects or neurological changes in brain tumor patients but do not directly indicate pain. They suggest autonomic or brainstem dysfunction, necessitating neurological assessment, not immediate pain medication, in palliative care where comfort is prioritized based on clear pain cues.
Choice D reason: Grimacing indicates pain in palliative care patients with brain tumors, reflecting physical discomfort. As a facial expression of distress, it signals the need for analgesics to improve comfort and quality of life, aligning with palliative goals to manage pain effectively in end-stage disease.

Choice A reason: Abdominal pain is a hallmark of ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo implants outside the uterus, often in the fallopian tube. Tissue stretching or rupture causes localized pain, driven by tubal irritation or internal bleeding, requiring urgent evaluation to prevent life-threatening hemorrhage in affected clients.
Choice B reason: Hydramnios, excessive amniotic fluid, occurs in intrauterine pregnancies, not ectopic ones, which lack a uterine gestational sac. Ectopic pregnancies cannot produce amniotic fluid, as implantation occurs outside the uterus, making hydramnios an irrelevant finding in this condition’s pathophysiology.
Choice C reason: Profuse vaginal bleeding is uncommon in ectopic pregnancy, which typically causes spotting or mild bleeding. Heavy bleeding suggests miscarriage or other conditions. Ectopic pregnancies cause internal bleeding, leading to abdominal pain, not profuse vaginal hemorrhage, a key diagnostic distinction.
Choice D reason: Elevated blood pressure is not typical in ectopic pregnancy unless complicated by pain-induced stress or shock. Internal bleeding from ectopic rupture often lowers blood pressure due to hypovolemia, making hypertension an unlikely finding compared to the expected abdominal pain presentation.