Grief...

[frappachino]

this is a for another surney i'm doing for a class...

what type of grief do u find most of yoiur patients in after they have surgery (any kind of surgery) done to them, and how do they and you deal with it?

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I can't offer an "after", but I can offer a "before". Last week, I had a patient with squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth (did I say that right?-I'm still a student). He had surgery yesterday morning to remove the tumor and to try and rebuild his soft palate. I was with him the day before his surgery. He was very quiet, more so than usual, so I talked to him, tried to calm some of his fears by answering any questions he asked me. It seemed to calm him, having someone there to talk with, someone whom he could share his fear with. (He had 2 daughters he wanted to be "strong" for.) I had some extra time, so while he was just looking out his window (trying to calm his own fears, I guess), I just sat by his side and held his hand. He said it comforted him for me to take time to be there, and that made me feel good. Made me feel like I "know" I have chosen the right profession.

Julie:)

[misti_z]

That was wonderful of you to do that Julie, sounds like you did all the right things.

:)