anyone who has had the whipple-please help

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I had the whipple back in Nov of 2003. Occasionally,

I have these weird flare ups, sometimes end up in the

ER or overnight.

My doctors are telling me that there isn't a thing

wrong with the small piece of the tail of my pancreas.

Well, this pain is not phantom, it is real and the

pain is as bad. They say they don't know what is

causing this!!!

This really makes me feel like this is all in my

head!!!

Please, for my doctors knowledge, if anyone else out

there has these flare-ups(or whatever)please write me

and tell me what yours is like.

Thanks So Much,

Hugs & Kisses,

Donna Goodine

Hermon, Maine

P.S. There aren't any good doctors around here and my

surgeon lives about 2 1/2 hours from here.

Thanks Again

P.S.S. A whle ago a lady wrote in from Maine and said

that she had Dr. for a doctor. He was the one

that did all my stenting and decided that I needed the

whipple-I would like to get a hold of him!

__________________________________

Celebrate Yahoo!'s 10th Birthday!

Yahoo! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web

http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/

[Guest guest]

Donna,

I haven't had the Whipple, or for that matter, ANY type of surgery on my

pancreas. The only type of " outside contact " that's been done on mine was a

fine needle partial aspiration of one of my two pseudocysts.

But I'm convinced that once a person has chronic pancreatitis, even if the

damaged portions of the pancreas are removed, as long as there's

something of the gland left, that it will still continue to occasionally

evidence all

the normal symptoms of chronic pancreatitis, and will still bring pain.

You have to understand that this is iust my personal opinion only, and I'm

certainly not a physician. I've just heard of too many people that had that

procedure done, or other ones like the Peustow, that months or years later,

said that they were still having pain. Perhaps not nearly as frequent or as

severe as it was before, but pain none the less.

I don't think your pain is phantom, nor in your head.....I believe you that it's

real.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina Rep.

Southeast Rep., PAI

Note: All comments or advice is based on personal experience or opinion,

and should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

Donna; I had the Beger procedure in the spring of 04. It is a

whipple that does not remove the antrum of the stomach or the

duodenum. Seemed safer to me at the time. However, it wasn't long

before th pain returned with a vengence and then about 6 months

later I had the total pancreatectomy.

So yes I would have to agree that a person can still have

pantreatitis even with the tiniest amount of pancreas. As a matter

of fact; the surgeon at the time we were doing the Beger said that

he felt it could buy me a few years before HAVING to have the

total. I am glad I did it when I did, got tons of healthy islets to

tranplant.

I also think that driving for 2 hours or more is not too far to go

to get good quality care. I flew from SC to OH 3 times before I had

the tp-auto ict. There is no distance too far when it comes to

regaining your health. I would have gone to the ends of the earth

if I had to.

How is your blood sugar? Are you a diabetic? I dohope you feel

better and can find that Dr. .

Warmly,

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

I had a modified whipple in 1986 and it was about 18-24 months before I felt

good consistantly. While I had returned to work after 5 months, and had

surgery at 18 months to repair an incisional hernia. But, it was about 2 years

before I felt I could depend on myself to feel good and not pay attention to

every

little detail of " how I was feeling at thaat specific time "

Best wishes, Poncho - GA