My name is Mike, and I’m 79 years old. In August 2024, I was diagnosed with precancerous pancreatic cancer after high-grade cells were found on a large growth in my duodenum and pancreas, which my surgeon said was the second largest he had ever come across and he recommended swift action to remove the problem so I was put on the fast track pathway. I was extremely scared at the time I remember so my wife and I decided to get as much info as was available on line at the time which still left us with a lot of unanswered questions so this is an attempt to clear up most of the questions I had.
It turned out I was referred to a hospital in Birmingham on the 18th November 2024, as my local hospital couldn’t perform the complex operation I needed, known as the “Whipple Procedure.” This is a 6–8 hour surgery to remove the pancreas, gallbladder, duodenum, and part of my lower stomach. The operation went well and I awoke feeling OK with only slight pain that only required paracetamol every 4 hours, around me was an array of electronic monitoring devices and nurses and doctors coming to see me every time I got a drink or light snack (no real food for several days Im sorry to say).
Overall the experience though daunting learning you were going to loose several organs and loose several kilo's was less stressful than expected once admitted to the hospital, the staff were very thoughtful and helped in any way they could which immediately lowered my stress levels, they were very professional and really made the difference to my operation and 3 week stay. After I woke from the procedure I was extremely disorientated and to put it bluntly was completely on another planet for 2 days which I was told was the time it took for the anaesthetic to wear off. Once I was over the anaesthetic and more with it I looked around to find I was in a small 6 bed recovery ward where I remained for several days with very frequent monitoring.
I was then transferred to a small room all to myself with my own bathroom (a real bonus as it can be hard to sleep). I was still attached to several monitors and got frequent visits from nurses, doctors, physiotherapists etc every hour or so, at all time the room was spotlessly clean and well decorated with cleaners sanitising everything that came into the room. I found that when I was offered food I had no appetite and barely touched the excellent food offered which admittedly was a light diet for a week or so until my appetite stated to return which I was told was normal following the procedure, during my stay I lost over 9kg's partly from organs removed and partly my lack of appetite. The other reason was diarrhoea which can be a problem.
Now we come to digesting food which every one who has had the "Whipple Procedure" or similar operation's gets, because you have no pancreas you have no "enzines" to enable the body to digest and absorb the food youve eaten, so in most cases you will be put on "Creon Capsules" either 10000 or 25000 which translates to 150mg or 300mg. Here is where my real problems started and so do most other patents following this operation. The reason being that we all differ both externally and internally so we all need different amounts of "enzines" the problem being its down to the individual to try differing amounts of "Creon" until they find the amount that suits them and the only guide lines Ive been able to find is basically if you get constipated lower the dose slowly or increase the dose if you get diarrhoea for more than 2 days (the manufacturer of "Creon" give little guidance on dosage as were all different) so its down to the individual!!! After a year Im still getting the dosage wrong on a regular basis.
Finally recovery, theres no quick fix and it takes from a few month's to a year to fully recover from the operation especially if your getting on a bit like me (Im nearly 80!) The other problem everyone suffers from is wind from both the mouth in the form of burp's, extremely loud burp's and farts which never stop and smell more often than not, which can be a real problem if you like socialising or eating out so our social life has been drastically curtailed. The latter problem never seems to go away, Ive found the cure for the burping is mint or ginger tea which help's where as farting does not seem to stop for anything and believe me Ive tried just about everything thats been suggested.
On balance I would strongly recommend the operation if youve got pancreatic cancer or high grade cells on or in the pancreas as once it gets a hold the prognosis is less favourable, the only downside are the problems listed above. I still have a good quality of life, I manage DIY decorating and gardening which I try to do most days to keep fit.
If you want more detailed info or have a question Ive not touched on then please ask. Please note I am not medically trained and I am speaking from my own personal experiences - Mike.
