Patient experiences with prehabilitation

The whole Prehab program has been outstanding. It was a critical part of my recovery. It might be the most critical outside of or in parallel with the medical treatment.

– Brenda 65-year-old woman, SCT (Stem Cell Transplantation) October 2018  

Rapt with PMCC [Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre] services and the quality of the care I received.

– Anthony, 66-year-old man, Oesophagectomy October 2018 

Thank you for including us in surgery school yesterday. The information proved very beneficial. You delivered it at a pace which was very easy to understand. Both my parents have limited English. This meant that they were not going to attend at the beginning. My mother did admit that she understood a fair bit. She now understands what Peter Mac expects of my dad before and after surgery. She can now influence his actions, as he can be a little stubborn. Thanks again.

– June 2019 

Prehab is great, you do not realise how much it helps you to be a reasonable fitness. Prehab helped me get to have my surgery as it made me fit enough to have it; it also helped me survive my surgery. I hope that Prehab will continue to help others going through this horrible disease.

– Barbara, 74-year-old woman, Oesophagectomy July 2019 

Barry was 76 years old; he was also a very sick man.  

He had a heart condition requiring a pacemaker. He was on many medications for long-term health conditions. He got breathless whenever he tried to do activities. He was struggling to carry on with daily living.  

One day his surgeon told him: “Barry, you have bowel cancer. You will need an operation.” Barry had lost his sister to bowel cancer a few years prior. So, he first felt very overwhelmed and found it difficult to cope.  

His anaesthetic team felt that he had a high risk of complications. He was even at risk of not surviving this surgery. 

His surgeon and anaesthetist told him about our prehabilitation program. They suggested he try to get in the best physical and mental condition before surgery. He had some counselling with his anaesthetist. He then decided to take control of his destiny and follow the advice of his prehabilitation team.  

He had an exercise physiologist and nutritionist help him at every step. Barry invested in an exercise bike. He worked hard over a few weeks to build up his heart and lung reserves bit by bit. This way his body and mind could cope with the stress of the surgery. 

His anaesthetic team made frequent assessments of how his heart was coping. Barry made further changes to his heart medications during this period.  

He had his second exercise test after six weeks (about one and a half months) of prehabilitation. His anaesthetist was very happy to recommend that surgery should go ahead.  

All Barry’s hard work paid off. He had a good recovery after surgery. He'd recovered within days of having his major operation. He was walking, drinking, eating, and sleeping well. He was also able to start his rehabilitation program. This was because his body was already familiar with the exercise regime. And of great benefit, he avoided developing lung and heart complications.  

After discharge home, he was back on his exercise bike. Already, he could resume his normal activities.  

Barry felt energised and motivated by his prehabilitation program. He felt he could now achieve anything that he put his mind to. He enrolled at Deakin University and completed his master's degree. This was something he had always wanted to do.  

In the ensuing years, our team followed Barry’s progress. The five-year mark flew past without his cancer returning.  

Barry thinks that his prehabilitation program triggered him to change his lifestyle. It changed him for the better and for good.