Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer: How to deal with anxiety of surgery?

Yes that ( https://people.umass.edu/biep540w/pdf/Stephen%20Jay%20Gould.pdf ) was the paper; thanks for the re-post!

Dr Thomas Yeo in Philly was trained by the surgeon who invented the Whipple. Dr Yeo invented the mini-Whipple.
He saved my life and his team at Jefferson is beyond top-notch.

@ayeo, it sounds like your cancer was caught early. It is always a shock to hear the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. It is an emotional roller coaster. That's normal. And it's OKAY!

Ayeo, have you spoken with the surgeon about the surgery? How are you doing?

Here's an update:
Whipple operation scheduled on 4th March 2025
Pre-admission tests on 11 Feb 2025

Yes, I had spoken to the surgeon and explained to me about this operation.

For now, I still have intermittent diarrhoea (my stools are clay coloured) on some days but some days I feel fine.
I still feel bloated on some days and I did lose some weight.

Just been informed my surgery is brought forward to 11 Feb 2025
This is good as I fear my cancer will spread to other organs if this surgery delays any longer

I would highly recommend that you get treatment from a healthcare, professional in psychology. I did that it helps tremendously.

So glad to hear your surgery has been scheduled earlier. As encouragement, I must tell you that I had whipple surgery September 12, 2018 - and I am still going strong. No return of cancer on the pancreas. Be prepared for digestion problems, but this is something we can live with. Wishing you the best on the 11th. It is a tough surgery, but you can beat it. Hang in there.

appreciate your encouragement, icelander19

would you or anyone here who have undergone the Whipple operation share what kind of food/meals would be better to take after the operation?

The shakes was the first thing I had in the hospital. Ensure was what they had. Then they moved me to soft food. Mashed potato's. Pudding. Creamed soup. Oatmeal. Or whatever you figure out for you. And eat or take small amounts over the time until your next meal. I have to still limit the volume of food I eat and my Whipple was last July. Best of luck to you and everyone dealing with cancer.

I had my Whipple in June 2024. I didn't have much of an appetite for the first two to three months post Whipple. I had for breakfast toast with a little jam and a hard of scrambled egg and herbal tea. For Lunch, I had chicken soup and for dinner chicken soup again or some smashed potatoes with a little chicken. My portions were on the small side. All my meals were home made (no high processed foods or heavy oils). I also purchased a good quality protein powder, that I would have one or two protein shakes a day with half of a banana. Slowly, my appetite has gotten better. I still eat my meals made at home, pancreas friendly low in fat and avoid high fat meats (mostly chicken and fish). My vegetables I partially cook to make them easier to digest. Hope this helps, Ayeo! The Whipple surgery saved my life.