Hi April. Sorry to hear you have side effects from the surgery. I am 67 yo, currently 7 weeks post Whipple. Still recovering but doing not too bad although it is a slow process. I’m in the process of trying to decide if I take chemo or not. I was caught early with negative margin and nodes.
What are your thoughts on the chemo, how long post op did you start treatment? What chemo drugs did you have? Did you have side effects?
Thanks for your help.
Mary Lynn

Hello, April. I am so sorry to learn that continue to have issues since your Whipple. I do hope that you get better and that diet will help that.

Mary Lynn and April, since we are sharing info - I was 62 when I had my Whipple and was in the hospital a week. I was readmitted the following week due to an infection and had a drain inserted. That stay was another four days. The drain was removed about three weeks later.

Since my Whipple, I had a laminectomy in May 2023. A tumor was found to have grown into my spinal chord at T-11/T-12. I reside in Charlotte, NC but had this surgery at Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC.

In November 2022, I began to have the sensation that my right foot was asleep but I still had feeling in the foot. It gradually included my left foot and prior to surgery had crept up my right leg.

By the time of my surgery, I was using a cane as my balance was much affected and had lost much strength in my legs. I was really concerned that I would ultimately be in a wheelchair.

There were several MRIs done to determine if any other tumors had formed in any other part of my back or brain. The concern was that the ampullary carcinoma had metastasized to those areas.

Fortunately there were no other tumors and the one removed was benign. The “asleep” sensation was gone almost immediately after surgery. I just had my one year follow up and I would say that I am 95% back to normal. I still have some minor balance issues as well as loss of strength in my legs. I walk without a cane and can do most anything I could do before except play tennis. My affected balance is a concern for the potential to fall and that would not be good for the back. I’ve resigned myself that I may never play tennis again but that is a minor loss in the scheme of things.

I share all of this to let you know how long it has been since my Whipple and how well I’ve been since. Also so you know there was another major surgery but it was not related to the ampullary carcinoma.