How long is the average hospital stay for Whipple surgery?

Posted by truly520 @truly520, Nov 27 12:02pm

Trying to get a handle on this. Thanks!

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Maybe a few things to consider,

Will the Whipple procedure will be done robotically?

The hospital it is done at and the age of the patient.

It’s quite a complex surgery, after all.

I had a robotic Whipple myself when I was 48. I spent about 10 days at Mayo for the procedure. It was a journey, but I'm grateful for the care I received.

I loved when they would seat me by the window so I could soak in the breathtaking view of the sky and mountains. Every time I looked out, I felt a deep sense of wonder at the beauty of our planet and a profound gratitude for being here to experience it all.

I had a consultation about the procedure before it was done and they had all the information in a packet and we spoke about the details for about an hour, including time frame in the hospital.

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It is a blessing to be eligible for this surgery! 🙏

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My stay was 6 days. I had Open Whipple Surgery at Mayo on a Tuesday, and was home the following Monday. I was 74 yr old and in very good health otherwise. I could have gone home a couple days sooner but my stomach drain was misbehaving and needed additional monitoring.

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Profile picture for azsunshine7 @azsunshine7

Maybe a few things to consider,

Will the Whipple procedure will be done robotically?

The hospital it is done at and the age of the patient.

It’s quite a complex surgery, after all.

I had a robotic Whipple myself when I was 48. I spent about 10 days at Mayo for the procedure. It was a journey, but I'm grateful for the care I received.

I loved when they would seat me by the window so I could soak in the breathtaking view of the sky and mountains. Every time I looked out, I felt a deep sense of wonder at the beauty of our planet and a profound gratitude for being here to experience it all.

I had a consultation about the procedure before it was done and they had all the information in a packet and we spoke about the details for about an hour, including time frame in the hospital.

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@azsunshine7 thank you

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Profile picture for truly520 @truly520

@truly520

Is the whipple going to be done at Mayo?

If so you can go into the Mayo app and ask your surgeons nurse any questions you need to know.

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Hello! I had my Whipple surgery in 2024 at age 67. It was an open Whipple. The surgery lasted about four hours and I stayed in the hospital four days. I had a cancerous cyst on the head of my pancreas which had not spread to any other organs (stage 1A). My amazing surgeon (Dr. D. Evans at Froedtert & MCW) was able to keep my stomach intact which made a huge impact on my recovery. He also had me walking the day after my surgery. I also did several sessions of physical therapy to start strengthening my abdominals. Before my surgery I got in the best shape possible and cleaned out my diet with clean foods. The recovery is a journey and does not happen overnight. I have been cancer free to date and grateful to be alive. This is a great forum to ask any questions / concerns as you go through your surgery and recovery. Whishing you the best!

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Thank you for sharing your journey.

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I stayed 5 days but it could be 2 weeks.

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