Treatment, symptoms & side effects
A forum to focus on treatment related issues, symptoms and side effects from treatment.
223 topics in this forum
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Continuing care after Whipple
by suef- 2 replies
- 8.9k views
I had a Whipple in February to remove a cyst from my pancreas. The cyst turned out not to have become cancerous but was close to it. The surgeons removed the head of my pancreas, 30% of my stomach, my gall bladder and various other bits and pieces. Because I work in Belgium, I had the operation at a hospital in Brussels. Now, as part of the continuing care, I will have one or two MRIs and appointments with the main surgeon every year for the rest of my life plus any other care that turns out to be necessary. When I retire, I am thinking of returning to live in the UK. Can anybody give me an idea of what level of care I would get there? I find this forum very usef…
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- 4 replies
- 10.2k views
I was diagnosed with a masshead at the top of my pancreas just over a year ago. I was told that it was operable without chemo and that I was the ideal candidate for this operation. In May 2009 I turned yellow from head to toe and my blood count was off the Richter scale. So I had a stent put in so that at least my face was no longer yellow. I then had a successful Whipples procedure carried out at the Wellington Hospital, London, on 26 June 2009, where I stayed until discharged on 8 July. In fact I was quite happy staying there watching the First Test between England and Australia. After that I stayed at home for a few weeks watching the grass grow. I was sore for week…
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palliative bypass but jaundice returned
by simplesimon- 0 replies
- 8.7k views
Initially diagnosed with PC - whipple operation failed - palliative bypass performed - biopsies gathered during op show no trace of cancer. Pancreatitis possibility - later scans show mass, reduced of its own accord. Almost a year on with routine blood tests and scans under a very good GP, have now developed jaundice. Admitted to hospital by another GP to emergency assessment unit - doctors on duty aware of history and discharge patient advising will contact for CT scan. Have been told should receive appointment in the next 2 weeks - is it just me or does this seem a very long time for a person with jaundice to wait especially with history of treatment for pancreatic c…
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- 12 replies
- 16.1k views
Hi, My Mum who is 52 had the whipples operation on 21st December 2009. She spent 9 days in HDU following the surgery during which time she was unable to eat or take fluids as anything she did consume seemed to make her sick. Thankfully it turned out that the sickness was being caused due to the feeding tube she had in place had risen up and was irritating her stomach. Once on the ward she began to eat small amounts although she felt full very quickly. After a total of 16 nights in hospital she was allowed home although she is now an insulin dependant diabetic. Other than insulin she is on no other medication but is finding that she is suffering from excriciating pain …
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Triple Bypass Operation
by Walter100- 2 replies
- 12.1k views
Hi. My mum has terminal pancreatic cancer and is now awaiting a triple bypass operation (gastrojejunostomy, choledocho or cholecystojejunostomy & entero-enterostomy I think) to hopefully enable her to be able to eat and be at home for her last few months. Has anyone else here had similar experience and any tips/advice? Thanks.
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- 1 reply
- 9.2k views
Hi, There is also this gentleman on the site: 70yr old,had surgery and chemo and then decided to go down the alternative route (apricot seeds B17). You will only find his interviews if you type Pancreatic Cancer in the search bar. http://www.healthtalkonline.org/Dying_and_bereavement/Living_with_Dying/People/Interview/235/Category/57/Clip/3025/pancreatic-cancer#pancreatic-cancer Juliana p.s. wish this site would provide an update on how these patients are doing, it's frustrating as we all know how things may change at any given time. I'm particularly interested in digestion changes, recurrence of cancer post treatment (especially time info) and of course how…
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Discharge from Hospital Post Surgery
by Guest CFF- 2 replies
- 9.5k views
hi all, My dad had the Whipples op on xmas eve which has seemed (touch wood) to be successful, and after 3 weeks and a couple of complications they are thinking about releasing him (prison?). Surgeon initially said he would have drains attached (which I think we expected) but said a nurse would come to the house daily. Now they're saying my dad needs to empty the drains himself daily. Does anyone know how long the drains are likely to last once he's home and how tricky are they to operate? Also, he's find eating really difficult in that he simply has no appetite but doctors saying he needs to focus on eating. For those of you that have been through this what was…
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Whipples Operation - questions
by melyum- 8 replies
- 14k views
hello all I'm due for Whipples next month due to a tumor on the ampulla - at this stage thought to be benign - but it's growing up into the bile duct - they're not sure how far ... I'm wondering if the operation is as bad as the anticipation ? Can anyone tell me let me know what to expect ? Do they cut your breast bone or ribs or just an incision ? My Surgeon wants to re attach my pancreas to my stomach instead of my intestine - has anyone had this done with success is this usual ? Does feeding via the neck tube hurt ? many thanks in advance - Mel xxx
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Surgery after chemo
by clair2305- 0 replies
- 8.7k views
Dear All I normally post on the advanced discussions page, as my husband has advanced PC with liver mets. At the moment because of this he is not suitable for surgery. I was wondering are there any patients that have had advanced PC with spread to other organs (esp the liver) that have had surgery after chemo (if the spread has disappeared) Thanks Clair
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7.5 year survivor
by Support Team- 0 replies
- 10k views
We have just been contacted by an 86 year old gentleman who had his Whipple's surgery in March 2002 and he is doing well. He said in his email: While browsing the internet recently it occurred to me that I might be able to find out more about Whipple's Procedure than was available when I was afflicted and successfully operated on in 2002 at the XX by XX and his team. Back then all that I could find was a brief description of the operation with the technical name pancreatoduodenectomy. I found your website through Google and I was amazed at the amount of information you have there. At the time of my operation was disappointed at the dearth of any written material…
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5 years plus survivors
by Support Team- 5 replies
- 18k views
Peter who is just over 5 years past his Whipple's surgery would like to share experiences with other long term survivors. He is not diabetic and is generally well. He doesn't currently have internet access but if you post here or email Pancreatic Cancer UK we can put you in touch
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whipple prcedure
by marky175- 1 reply
- 9.3k views
hello all, as i type this my aunt is under the knife having a whipple procedure at the XX hospital. my question is what should we expect in referance to her recovery, and how we can be of help to her.
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Omega-3 as part of treatment ...
by emcee46- 0 replies
- 9.1k views
I have already posted the following under the 'Advanced' forum but think it has just as much bearing here as it does on there:- Like many other diseases, there would appear to be many 'false dawns' associated with treating PC as far as new treatments or new 'discoveries' are concerned. However, some of you may be interested in an article which has just appeared in the London Daily Express (and others) on Thursday last (April 2nd - Page 10) announcing that researchers at Egypt's Mansoura University have found that the Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oils can kill cancer cells and shrink tumours - and works particularly well for those on Cisplatin. The researchers…
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Some advice please
by JonathanS- 4 replies
- 12.2k views
Had op last June and body and tail of pancreas removed along with spleen by RXX at XX . Completed 6 courses of Gemcitabine/Capcitabine recently at XX under XX and scan shows residual tumour has started growing again, bugger. Going to have another 3 courses of same regime and then we'll see what's what. Possibility of different regime if this ineffective. Feeling quite low at the moment and open to any advice on what to do. Interested in thoughts about complementary medicines and dietary ideas, what should I eat/not eat etc. Thanks for any advice.
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Advice on geting ready for surgery
by Guest rosiet- 2 replies
- 11.8k views
Hello I am new to this forum. In the course of trying to find out if I had appendicitis in early July (3rd) which turned out to be diverticulitis there was an incidental finding which after, US, CT and MRI revealed that I have 2 tumors in my pancreas 1 in body (3cm) and 1 in tail (1cm). The surgeon thinks they are benign but not 100% sure. I am having a Distal pancreatectomy/splenectomy sometime in the next 4-5 weeks. I havent got a date yet. I have been vaccinated with whatever they vaccinate u with - i had 3 injections(would like to know what if someone knows). I dont even know what type cancer it is. On the day that I got my MRI results back the surgeon briefly …
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grandads surgery on Monday! So many questions....
by tracyann82- 1 reply
- 8.4k views
Well my lovely fab grandad is having the surgery on Monday. We know a little more now but i am still unsure about so many things. My grandma tried to explain what the doctors have been saying and what is planned for monday. Apparently he will have part of his intestine removed, the tumor at the tail of the pancreas and his spleen. My grandma thinks this is called the whibble procedure!?!?!?! I have been looking online and normally this procedure doesn't involve the removal of the spleen? Is there a variation of this prcoedure or is he having the more extreme one (if that is even possible)?? What is the recovery like? Does this give him more time? He is a stron…
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problem eating
by Support Team- 0 replies
- 8.2k views
message from post surgical patient HAD WHIPPLE SURGERY MAY 1ST. NOW I HAVE A PROBLEM EATING -- NOT NAUSEATED, BUT GAG WHEN I TAKE A BITE OF ANYTHING EXCEPT THINGS LIKE SLIM FAST, MALTS, SOUP, ETC. HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THIS. I ALSO HAVE NO ENERGY, VERY TIRED (OFF PAIN MEDICATION NOW) AND OCCASIONALLY TEMP OF 101 (FOR TWO DAYS) OTHERWISE I WAS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL IN 6 DAYS AND FEELING PRETTY GOOD AND THEN THE ABOVE STARTED HAPPENING. ANY SUGGESTIONS.
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Whipple's at 85
by Support Team- 1 reply
- 10.8k views
From 16th February: email from daughter of patient I would like to share with you and other patients, the story of my mum......................... in the summer of last year, mum suddenly went off food- as a lady who had always loved food and struggled with her weight this was a new issue. However, over the next few months we realised she "wasn't right" as she really didn't enjoy food at all and had frequent bouts of sickness. Many DR's visits later she was finally admited to hospital on 30th October. We were, of course, worried and after 2 weeks of tests we had the diagonises of cancer. She was moved to a London hospital and had the whipples proceedure on 20th N…
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Australian Whipples
by Support Team- 0 replies
- 9.2k views
posted on behalf of a person who has recently had a Whipple's in Brisbane, Australia I am 60 years old and underwent a Whipples on August 7th 2007 in Brisbane. I was absolutely terrified as I had found very little positive information on websites etc.- just loads of stuff about how hard it was to get back to a normal life. I was discharged on August 18th and since then have been at home on a normal diet, apart from feeling full rather sooner than I may have previously, there have been no problems other than the 'knocked around' feeling of a big cut. As an insulin dependent diabetic for the last twenty years I have had to rework my insulin usage with my endocrinol…
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2 weeks till my whipples
by Guest simon- 16 replies
- 30.5k views
Hi there, I am about to go into hospital to have the whipples operation . wondered if there is anyone reading this who can be of some support . Am pretty healthy at the moment, so i feel a bit of a fraud, but this is mainly due to having two stents in my bile duct keeping it all open.I have a 2cm tumour in my pancratic duct, which has been causing me obstructive jaundice on and off over the last two years . My surgeon thinks it is benign, as it is slow growing(i first had a scan on it in June 2005 ) whilst living in Australia. My worst period was Dec/Jan just gone, my bilarubin level went up to 580 for a couple of weeks. The word itchy does not come close to discrib…
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High Intensity Focused Ultrasound
by looloo1- 1 reply
- 11.4k views
Hello I was unsure where to post this so hope this is an ok place! I had the rarer neuroendocrine tumour of the pancreas in 2006, with so far no recurrence. Istill like to read about pancreatic cancer cures and developments. I cam across an article in the Daily Mail today (26 june) and there is an interesting stroy about the use of HIFU on tumours. The article explains the treatment a rare tumour of the spine called a chordoma. But the lady who received this new treatment (as apalliative treatment not cure) has had fantastic results and the surgeon stated that it can be used to destroy tumours in the liver, kidney and prostrate and has been used to treat pancreati…
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Four months post whipple
by jan m- 4 replies
- 14.1k views
Hi My mother had a whipple in november for pc. She is now half way through her chemo regime. She suffers from terrible wind in the evenings which can be extremely painful for her. We are not sure if this is a complication of the operation or whether it is to do with the creon that she takes. Does anyone else suffer with this and have they found any answers to it. Thanks Jan
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Whipple's experience
by Support Team- 0 replies
- 10.7k views
email from 17th Feb 2007 - probably from USA Hello. I had my Whipple Operation in July 2006 and was in hospital just one week after, then returned home. It took me about 5-1/2 months for my stomach to feel better, a slow process but finally feeling good. I have to take enzymes to help digest my food and get the most out of it. I did lose about 30 lbs., some prior to the operation due to jaundice and being awake at night scratching. I had my Pet Scan on Jan. 10th and saw my surgeon on Jan. 22nd and am pleased to say I am now cancer free but have to go for Pet Scans about every 4 to 6 months for the next little while to keep things in check. So for anyone going thr…