84 year old 'pre-hab' for major surgery

I wouldn’t have the op.
My beloved dad spent 3 months in hospital after a cancer op and he was younger (77) and very fit. He never really recovered and died a year later.
I’d be looking at palliative options and asking about chemo and immunotherapy. It’s bloody awful, I’m sorry.

Major bowel surgery can have a long and painful recovery period. I know someone who had a major bowel op as a physically fit 18 year old and the recovery involved 6 months of pain and readmission to hospital and complications. It could be much worse for an elderly person. Do ask the doctors what recovery would look like and if this is im your dads best interest.

It’s a very difficult decision, to have major surgery in your 80’s. I would consider his mobility, unfortunately a lot of elderly patients mobility really suffers after a spell in hospital, also risk of delirium which is very distressing to witness.

i can only speak from experience, my late MIL, 86, had breast cancer, SIL did not want her to have surgery, as she was concerned the cancer would spread, she worked in a clinical profession.

MIL decided to have the surgery, very sadly after the op the cancer spread very quickly, she was a very fit lady before, she became depressed after the op, recovery was slow, had radiotherapy but sadly didn’t help. I miss her every day, we were very close.

i am so sorry for what you and your dad are going through, I do hope he has a better outcome. Wishing you all the very best.

@Catladyagain "He also could not get his head around the fact the anaesthetist basically said life is very likely to be different / outcomes leaving him worse off than before the operation."

very gently, are you sure this is right for him? I think you need to think about the reality of it as well as him.

My DH was going to go to the hospital for a prehab course to prepare him for a Whipple’s op. Sadly he died before he’d had chance to attend.

Are they offering anything at the hospital OP? My DH was going to get physio and cardio to get him fitter.

My cousin was 84 when she was diagnosed, stage 4. She had not been in pain or bled a lot, just constipated. Everything was explained to her and she was given choices. She chose not to do anything and died peacefully.

Surely in order to consent to the surgery he needs to have the impacts including the recovery period, the likely benefits of surgery and the consequences of not having the surgery explained clearly to him - either by you or the surgery team or by both of you - so that he has full knowledge of what he is about to undergo. Nothing is going to turn back time 15 years and especially not major colon surgery.

Given his health up to this point and that he now has cancer do you and the medical team each wholeheartedly agree the surgery will have sufficient long term benefits for it to be worth him undergoing it? Will he also need chemotherapy or radiotherapy and does he understand this? If he is not able to process what the operation entails and how the recovery will be and currently isn’t strong enough to undergo the surgery anyway, then his future seems potentially poor quality from both a physical and mental perspective. My mum died recently at 93 and the last 1-2 years were very much poor quality of life. I believe in quality of life and not simply quantity of life. I am not sure at 84 with poor cognition and in a weak state that I would want major cancer surgery for myself. I am sorry for what you are going through.

Would he eat porridge ?
Quaker Oats do sachets that you empty into a bowl then fill the sachet with milk or water.
Mix and ping for 2 mins.
They also do a larger serving called Big Bowl.
He might be more amenable to it if he sees it utilises the microwave.

Then when cooked add a little Greek yogurt
Mixed seeds
Cashew nuts
Raspberries
Blueberries
Cherries.
Worth a try.
Good nutrition.
All the best.

Pre-hab
NOT jab - predictive text at its worst!

@Catladyagain
you sound like a lovely daughter, wanting the best for your Dad. I hope the pre-jab and op goes well for him. Sending love.

Bloody well done you, then. I'm glad your dad has you on his side.

Well it wasn't clear to me.
Thanks to OP for explaining it.
I have never heard of it and wondered if it was a typo in the OP which confused me.

No apology necessary; it's entirely clear what you meant.

I think the most important thing is that your dad, and the family, have a clear understanding of likely outcomes, as that is essential for proper consent. Pre hab is a relatively new concept, so the team promoting this is a good sign that they really want the best outcome.

Did you read the OP?

It's care, designed to build health, strength and, if possible, fitness before undergoing major surgery. Like rehab, but happening before the operation rather than after it.

As in the OP, optimising the patient's condition before a procedure, in order to get the best odds possible of a good outcome. Can involve diet, optimising weight, stopping smoking, exercise, iron/B12 etc supplements if deficient, basically trying to improve odds of a decent survival.

What does pre hab mean ?