Re:whipple

[Guest guest]

i have not posted for awhile for I have been busy with the holidays. I

haven't even been on line. Some things have changed and somet6hings have

remained the same. As for me, I have changed. The whipple is giving me a quality

of life that I so missed. I can't say that I am the person I was before this

horrid disease took over my life, but I am living. I am slowly cutting down on

my pain meds., and I have put on a great deal of weight. Too much weight if I

must say so myself. I have gone from so thin to chunky. I know that eventually

things will even out and the weight will come off, I hope. I had an emergancy

colostomy 2 years ago and I thought I would never have a desire to reverse it.

I now believe that I can have it reverse, I my system will work. It would be

nice to not have anymore bags.

I had the best Christmas I have had in years. I was able to b e with

my children and family and not be wishing that I was in bed all drugged up to

get out of pain. I see a future now. I see hope, which is something I never

thought I would see or feel. I don't know how long this whipple will hold me up,

but for now I am living.I hagte the surgeon who performed the procedure, but

he knew what he was doing and he gave me this window that is getting wider and

brighter each day. My gaols now are to put my colostomy reversed, get off of

the PCA pump and onto patches, pull out my hickman and put this chapter of my

life to bed. I pray that I won't have to deal with it again. If I do have to

deal with the ugly monster atleast I will know how to deal with Dr.'s. Besides

the pancreratitis, dealing with Dr.'s is the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish all the new and old members of the group all the best. I wish

you a wonderful new year, and I wish that all those who have set goals that

they are successful at obtaining them. I also want to thank all those that

helped

me with my decisions. I know without those wonderful special people I don't

think I would be here writing this e-mail.

Happy New Year and may this year be the year that you get out of pain, stop

feeling nausea, and stay out of the hospitals!

All my best Paget

[Guest guest]

Paget,

I had a whipple five months ago, and unfortunately for me, it isn't

working, and they don't think it will. They are thinking the disease

is throughout the entire organ, not just the head, which was removed

(they said it was very hard).

If you don't mind, would you email me privately? You can also IM me

as we are both on from what I can gather...robinmk02.

Robin

> i have not posted for awhile for I have been busy with the

holidays. I

> haven't even been on line. Some things have changed and somet6hings

have

> remained the same. As for me, I have changed. The whipple is giving

me a quality

> of life that I so missed. I can't say that I am the person I was

before this

> horrid disease took over my life, but I am living. I am slowly

cutting down on

> my pain meds., and I have put on a great deal of weight. Too much

weight if I

> must say so myself. I have gone from so thin to chunky. I know that

eventually

> things will even out and the weight will come off, I hope. I had an

emergancy

> colostomy 2 years ago and I thought I would never have a desire to

reverse it.

> I now believe that I can have it reverse, I my system will work. It

would be

> nice to not have anymore bags.

> I had the best Christmas I have had in years. I was able to

b e with

> my children and family and not be wishing that I was in bed all

drugged up to

> get out of pain. I see a future now. I see hope, which is something

I never

> thought I would see or feel. I don't know how long this whipple

will hold me up,

> but for now I am living.I hagte the surgeon who performed the

procedure, but

> he knew what he was doing and he gave me this window that is

getting wider and

> brighter each day. My gaols now are to put my colostomy reversed,

get off of

> the PCA pump and onto patches, pull out my hickman and put this

chapter of my

> life to bed. I pray that I won't have to deal with it again. If I

do have to

> deal with the ugly monster atleast I will know how to deal with

Dr.'s. Besides

> the pancreratitis, dealing with Dr.'s is the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!

> I wish all the new and old members of the group all the

best. I wish

> you a wonderful new year, and I wish that all those who have set

goals that

> they are successful at obtaining them. I also want to thank all

those that helped

> me with my decisions. I know without those wonderful special people

I don't

> think I would be here writing this e-mail.

>

> Happy New Year and may this year be the year that you get out of

pain, stop

> feeling nausea, and stay out of the hospitals!

> All my best Paget

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I too have had a Whipple Surgery performed in December 1996 at Mass

General. Dr Warshaw performed mine. Like the others, my

Whipple surgery lasted 8 hours and I was supposed to be in the

hospital for a week to 10 days. Unfortunately in my case, I was to

stay in the hospital for a little over a month. Upon release and my

return home, I had a nurse practitioner come over daily to monitor my

progress and do the day-today care needed a si was still on TPN

feeding. This continued for another month before i was able to go it

alone (of course ithmy wife too as she was a tremendous help

throughout my recovery). I too returned to work too soon (late

February). I was able to continue to work for another 3-4 years but

I don't know how I managed it as I was unable to eat anything without

excruciating pain and so I was practically subsiting on Ensure only-4

cans per day. My Whipple was not successful either as I came out of

the surgery in much worse condition than when I went into it. When

questioning my doctor here in Atlanta as to why this was, he said

that due to my Pancreas Divisum and all of the other surgeries and

preceedures performed on me, my Pancreas was permenantly damaged.

Besides, he says I should just be happy I lived since many people do

not survive such a surgery. However, don't let this stat scare you

for most people who have this surgery have some sort of pancreatic

cancer with very low survival rates. I am sorry to this day that I

ever had this surgery but I don't know if I would have been any

better off if I didn't have it done. While I was able to stay clear

of diabetes so far (I think I am just starting to show signs of

diabetes now)my quality oflife took a serious hit. I now am unable

to sleep lying down and must sleep sitting uprightin a chair.

Otherwise I wake up in excrutiating pain that lasts for several

hours. The pain is so severe that it literaly takes your breath

away. While my experience with this type of surgery turned into a

nightmare, others have done quite well after surgery.

Andre'

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I would like to tell you about my Whipple experience. I too, have had a

Whipple. I had my in 94 and was in the hospital 21 days due to complications.

They said it usually takes 14 days. When I got home I still had 2 drains and a

feeding tube( Which I did use) in place. I had this all in for 3 more weeks. I

did well after my recovery for 2 year. I only had several attacks. Well in the

fall of 96 the bottom fell out and they told me all the pain was coming from my

Gastric Outlet Obstruction, I had due to the way I was put back together with

the Whipple and I am very prone to scar tissue and adhesions. Well, I had the

surgery to repair the Gastric Outlet Obstruction and the pain continue to get

worse and worse after the surgery. Then I was told that my pancreatitis was

Chronic. Then in 98 the pain was so pain, that after 2 failed nerve blocks I

had a Medtronic Pain Pump implanted and it does help. I have Dulidid in it and

have to take Morphine 30mg IR- Long acting 3 times a day and have quick

acting morphine 10mg for the breakthrough pain. In the spring of 98 the pain

was so bad that I could not even function any longer, so I had to give up my job

that I loved. In 2000, I became a diabetic and it control with diet and

medicine and so far I have been able to keep off insulin. If I had to do all

over, I would have the Whipple done all over because the 2 years it worked, it

did help a lot, This is my experience with my Whipple.

Take Care,

Louie in WV