"This recent cyst I've had for about a year-and-a-half," said Kauer.
On Monday, she was finally supposed to get a grapefruit-sized cyst removed and some lesions. A robotic surgery was scheduled, but it was recently postponed because of the destruction in Western North Carolina.
"I really have a lot of heart for everything that's going on in Western North Carolina and South Carolina and Georgia," she said. "It's hard for me to be selfish and be like 'No, you got to do mine.'"
A factory that produces much of the country's IV fluid supply was damaged and now hospitals nationwide conserving their units.
Duke Health Chief Nursing Officer Terry McDonnell says the supply could be impacted for months.
"That's about 1.5 million units daily that we now don't have in the supply," said McDonnell. "This one was pretty dramatic and is having a significant impact right now."
Duke Health and WakeMed Health Systems are evaluating their caseload and prioritizing them.
UNC Health says at this time, it has not needed to postpone any surgeries because of the shortage.
Kauer is hoping to have her surgery next month and finally get some relief.
"What I need to have done, it's not necessarily life-threatening, but for some of those people it is," said Kauer. "My thought is I will wait as long as they need to make sure they have everything they need."
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WATCH | Damage from Helene in WNC
Lake Lure is one of the many towns in western North Carolina heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene.