I'm so torn right now. My mother is gravely ill with a fistula (leak) from her bowel obstruction surgery. I'm scheduled for surgery September 8th. I hesitate to put myself in the hospital a week while things with my mom are up in the air. I've learned invaluable lessons about leaks, and urge all pre-ops to visit this link and find out how best to avoid this dangerous complication. It's important to maintain bowel rest with the nasogastric tube and intake restrictions. As soon as the discharge is noticed, aggressive treatment should be applied.
www.nursingceu.com/NCEU/courses/fistula
I'm not even worried about the surgery. It just seems like a distraction while I'm worrying about my mom. I'm afraid to cancel, but am I being selfish and putting my concerns above all others?