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Diagnosis of Chronic Illness Lived Experience
Purdue University Global
NU475: Providing Transition Care – Chronic Disease and Palliative/Hospice Spheres
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Diagnosis of Chronic Illness Lived Experience
Introduction
Phenomenology is a philosophical concept developed by German philosopher
Edmund Husserl. It studies how a person perceives an event, not how it occurred, and
provides insights into their “lived experiences” (Ungvarsky, 2020). For this assignment, I
will consider the phenomenology of George’s chronic illness diagnosis and Martha’s
lived experience in the face of her husband’s diagnosis.
George and Martha Smith are an African American couple who have been
married for 30 years. They live active lives and are involved in local church activities.
They also enjoy spending time with friends while attending the theater, concerts,
sporting events, and walking nature trails. George is a bus driver and has been
considering retiring. The couple is looking forward to traveling after his retirement. They
also have two adult children who are both married, as well as three grandchildren.
, George is a 58-year-old bus driver with a history of high blood pressure for 10
years. Martha is 56 years old and has arthritic pain that is managed well with
medication. George’s blood pressure has been managed with a low sodium diet and
hydrochlorothiazide 50mg by mouth daily. His blood pressure typically runs 140/80.
George has recently been experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue, unexplained weight
gain, and lower extremity swelling.
George was subsequently diagnosed with congestive heart failure by his primary
care physician and given several new medications as well as a referral to a cardiologist.
George was prescribed Lasix 20mg daily by mouth, lisinopril 40mg daily by mouth, and
atorvastatin 10mg daily by mouth. George’s blood pressure at his primary care visit was
Diagnosis of Chronic Illness Lived Experience
Purdue University Global
NU475: Providing Transition Care – Chronic Disease and Palliative/Hospice Spheres
2
Diagnosis of Chronic Illness Lived Experience
Introduction
Phenomenology is a philosophical concept developed by German philosopher
Edmund Husserl. It studies how a person perceives an event, not how it occurred, and
provides insights into their “lived experiences” (Ungvarsky, 2020). For this assignment, I
will consider the phenomenology of George’s chronic illness diagnosis and Martha’s
lived experience in the face of her husband’s diagnosis.
George and Martha Smith are an African American couple who have been
married for 30 years. They live active lives and are involved in local church activities.
They also enjoy spending time with friends while attending the theater, concerts,
sporting events, and walking nature trails. George is a bus driver and has been
considering retiring. The couple is looking forward to traveling after his retirement. They
also have two adult children who are both married, as well as three grandchildren.
, George is a 58-year-old bus driver with a history of high blood pressure for 10
years. Martha is 56 years old and has arthritic pain that is managed well with
medication. George’s blood pressure has been managed with a low sodium diet and
hydrochlorothiazide 50mg by mouth daily. His blood pressure typically runs 140/80.
George has recently been experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue, unexplained weight
gain, and lower extremity swelling.
George was subsequently diagnosed with congestive heart failure by his primary
care physician and given several new medications as well as a referral to a cardiologist.
George was prescribed Lasix 20mg daily by mouth, lisinopril 40mg daily by mouth, and
atorvastatin 10mg daily by mouth. George’s blood pressure at his primary care visit was
