Want to talk about treatment after Whipple Surgery for Pancreatic Ca

My friend had a Whipple on Aug. 6, 2019. He was sent to a nursing home on Aug. 14, where he was very unhappy, refusing to eat any of their food. He came home on Aug. 30, with home health aides taking care of him for two four hour shifts per day. He has lost a lot of weight and can’t seem to swallow solid food due to a “gag reflex.” He is still very weak and uses a walker to get from bedroom to living room and back.
I see your father had the Whipple procedure in 2011. If you get this message, I would be interested in knowing how your father is doing now, and how long it took for his recovery.

Recovery can take a few months, depending on how much of the pancreas was removed, re-attached, whether other parts of the digestive
system were altered, etc. Blood glucose has to be monitored for a few months in case the Whipple changed how much insulin is still being
naturally produced. Most patients will need the aid of digestive enzymes. Creon is usually prescribed to be taken with meals. Weight loss is
often 20 to 30 pounds after the Whipple. Hopefully your Cancer Center has Support Services that offer help with food choices, Physical Therapy
and a Patient Navigator to coordinate needed care, support and advice during the healing process. Be patient, the Whipple is a life saving, but
Digestive altering procedure. It will take the good part of a year to discover the “new normal”. This advice come from a breast cancer survivor
caretaker! Moo1

My husband is two and a half weeks out from his Whipple. He had that same gag reflex thing going and vomiting once he came home. Delayed Gastric Emptying often happens after the surgery. Stomach stays full, if it doesn’t go down it comes up. It has been better since he got on medication, Reglan, to help move food through the stomach. .

After my Whipple Procedure surgery, I had both G&J-tubes in place for 8 months. My surgeon put me on Erythromycin to jumpstart my stomach muscle, which worked for me. Plus he put me on Megace to increase my appetite, which also helped.

After my Whipple Procedure surgery, I had both G&J-tubes in place for 8 months. My surgeon put me on Erythromycin to jumpstart my stomach muscle, which worked for me. Plus he put me on Megace to increase my appetite, which also helped. I cannot take Reglan (which also sometimes used for patients), as it causes me acute dystonia, a movement disorder.

Hi @kimber361, thanks for jumping over to the Pancreatic Cancer group to share your experiences. It is so helpful to learn from someone who has been there. From reading your bio in your profile, I see that you have a variety of health experiences to share about and help others. Glad to have you on Mayo Clinic Connect.

Might you have some thoughts for Mimimia as she supports her father-in-law, who is about to start chemo? See this discussion:
* Recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancerous tumor - awaiting PET https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/recent-diagnosis-of-pancreatic-cancerour-tumor-awaiting-pet/

Thank you @colleenyoung for thinking of me. Hopefully, I will be able to give some insight to Mimimia from my personal experiences.