Whipple surgery

Hi Peggy Sue:

My husband had a blockage last October.   They did a biopsy it came back inconclusive, then they did another biopsy - same thing.   He had a stent placed to hellp with the blockage then they did a 3 biopsy (extensive) which came back pancreatic cancer.   After seeking another doctor and getting good advice, my husband was started on chemo and he just had his Whipple surgery on October 12th.   He came through the chemo (which was a 48 hour treatment).  He had to go get hooked up and then he brought the pump home and a nurse came and unhooked him.   He went on a Friday and it was removed on a Sunday.  He continued to work throught his treatments.   His haired thinned but he kept most on his head although he lost body hair.   His Whipple surgery was done by robotic.  The surgery takes longer but the recovery is quicker.   His surgery went well.  The surgery was on a Tuesday and he was released on a Saturday.   He is still in recovery and still has some pain where the main incision was.  But all in all he is doing great.   He is tired of being in pain but he hates being a patient.   He has been doing some work from home.   

Also, just so you know, after his 7 hours surgery and 3 hour recovery when they brought him to his room they made him walk from the hallway to his bed.   It was in the instructions that he had to do that!   Also while he was in the hospital they made him walk the halls and do a flight of steps.    He can drive as long as he is off the heavy pain meds which he has already started to drive.

He does have to eat small soft meals until he gets used to eating or he will get some indigestion.   

Prior to my husband's whipple surgery, they had placed a stent in because he had a blocked bile duct.   Prior to the stent, he was itchy too and also jaundice.   After the stent, he felt so much better.   I'm surprised that they didn't clear the duct when they did the whipple surgery.

Hopeful:

The newest treatment course for pancreatic cancer is a round of chemo first and also maybe radiation too.  With my husband, they did the chemo (which really didn't shrink the tumor) and then decided on radiation only to form a cutting line between the tumor and the vein.   It was questionable whether or not he could be operated on.   We found a doctor who indicated that the tumor was on a vein and that if he would remove it they may have to graft the vein.   However, this proceedure needs to be done by a very experienced doctor.  Therefore, you must ask the doctor how many of the whipple surgeries he has done in a year and previous years.   They did my husbands surgery robotically.  Doing it roboticallyl though does take longer and to our relief the tumor was only sitting on the vein so it lifted right off.   He then did a round of chemo several months afterwards.   They do say, though, that the end chemo should be done within the first two months after surgery, but my husband waited because he did get a little infection at one of the incision sites.

The operation alone took 7 hours but when we got to his room they made him walk from the hallway to his bed.  Amazing.

My best to your brother.

Bump