My husband had the Whipple on January 15, 2026. (He is 83.) After recovering from the surgery, he had two additional months of chemo, which he finished at the end of April. After the last round of chemo, he had low energy but no other significant symptoms. On May 29, we met with his oncologist and learned his scan showed no evidence of disease. He lost 35 pounds, and at this May appointment, he weighed 151 pounds. He then started on 36,000 units of Creon (two pills at meals and one at each of two snack times). On Friday, June 19, he weighed 158 pounds. We were thrilled! He also played pickleball for the first time since before surgery! It was a red-letter day for sure!

Things I think helped achieve this result are eating protein and increasing his calories even when he didn’t feel like eating. He also started walking and tried to get exercise daily. At first, he could only walk a short distance, but he kept at it and can now walk about a mile and a half at a time.

It is hard not to get discouraged when losing weight and not having energy, but persistence is very important and can produce results. I would definitely say if you are eligible for the Whipple to have it! Only about 20 percent of people with pancreatic cancer are eligible, so if you are eligible, go for it! Wishing you the best!