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My Dad (age 87 )had sepsis then an operation for an aortic aneurysm. It's been a long road and he is slowly getting his strength back, good days and bad but over all he is improving. Before the sepsis he was active, still running a small business, his mind seemed fine. He had no confusion and he was completely continent. However, since he was sick he has been urine incontinent and he gets confused. They have tested him a few times for bladder infection with negative results. He has had an MRI for his kidneys and bladder (that's how the found the aneurysm) and both are fine. His prostate is OK. So why is he still incontinent and why is he having confusion, particularly with anything math related? The doctors just say it's his age but can these things just happen overnight? Could it be related to the sepsis? That's when it all started. Dad is really having a hard time with the incontinence, it's humiliating for him. He wears adult diapers but he hates them. Does anyone have any ideas why this all happened so fast? Any suggestions outside of what the doctors have already tested for?

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What kind of anesthesia did Dad have for the aortic aneurysm surgery? The kind where they basically cool the patient to near freezing before they put him on the bypass machine? Any anesthesia is hard on the elderly brain; this kind is hard on anyone's brain. Have him evaluated by a geriatric neurologist.
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Thank you. His problems started before the aneurysm operation, with the sepsis but I will look into what you suggested.
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Fighting the sepsis took a lot out of him and was hard on his body. At his age he just wasn't able to bounce back. Acute illnesses in the elderly such as UTI, pneumonia, or sepsis, as you're finding out, take their toll on an elderly person. Even a bout with the flu or a bad cold can affect an elderly person's baseline. This may be his new normal if you can't find a medical reason for his decline.
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Thank you Eyerishlass. I was afraid that might be the case. I am still hopeful that things might improve, but hearing this helps me to be prepared in case they don't.
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