The nurse is working with a client who has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The client says, “I have so much left to do. I’m too young to die like this.” Which of the following stages of Kü bler-Ross’s five stages of grieving does the nurse recognize in this client?
Rationale: This client is in the anger stage of grief. During the anger phase, the client may ask questions such as “Why me?” The client feels cheated out of life too early and knows that pancreatic cancer is a harder cancer to treat successfully. In the denial stage, the client refuses to accept the reality of the diagnosis. Denial is a defense mechanism at this stage. In the bargaining stage, the client may pray that if he is healed, he will become a faithful church-goer or be a better spouse. Acceptance is the final stage, in which the client comes to terms with reality. The client may exhibit signs of emotional detachment. In the depression stage, the client accepts the reality but may feel sadness or fear.
