Whipple for Advanced Ampullary tumour 60 YO Female Sydney Australia

by Jennifer
(Sydney Australia)

I had the Whipple procedure on the 12th March 2016.

My intestinal polyp was discovered by routine endoscopy while they were looking for something else, so I was lucky it was not cancer but it did have high dysplasia.

My surgery was without complications and I had bearable pain, trying to sleep on my back was a nightmare. I was released on day eleven from hospital only to come crashing down a day later.

I was on major pain killers for three weeks after this with little improvement and then I developed a UTI this put me back into hospital for seven days. I also had bad inflammation that had not shown up on earlier tests so finally I was put on intravenous antibiotics and I stated to feel better.

It is now the 7th of September and I have had many digestion issues mostly resulting in frequent bowel movements sometimes twelve times a day this was becoming very debilitating so finally my dietician put me on Creon and things have now started to improve. It is very hard to find a dietician that understands the issues and the correct amount of Creon to take.

I am also attending rehab to build up some muscle strength as I have lost thirteen kilograms. I am also very tired and my iron stores are low. At the moment I am also having bladder issues not too sure how they are related but I am concerned that I might develop diabetes. I am also experiencing hair loss which is distressing but understandable considering what I have been through.

So even though I "dodged a bullet" as my surgeon says I have still had the same horrible procedure as those of you with pancreatic cancer and I wish you the very best of luck.