Whipple procedure and follow up chemo

Dakota, meant “hang in there”, not” hand”. Just a slip of the finger!

No problem, as I knew what you meant. Yes, it is a tough lonely road. Number of people affected is rather small compared to other cancers, but it is one of the top three killers. Sorry to hear your have breast cancer. I am hogging the cancer in our family. Prostate cancer with prostate removed in 2004, not it is back again. Will take care of the pancreas first. and worry about the other afterward. Stay positive and stay strong! .

@moo1 I had my Whipple in June of 2014. I have been on Creon since that time. I take 2 capsules with each meal and 1 with my bedtime snack. Very seldom do I eat anything between meals. For me, the only time I have problems is when I forget to take my Creon (typically at bedtime) or when we have a family gathering and I snack on food all day (basically, i eat more food than I take Creon for). Even then, it is a couple of days later before I have problems. There are several factors that affect how much Creon you need take. Your husband may want to talk to his doctor or contact PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network) for advice.

Marvin, thanks for the comeback! Formerly, my husband was a big carb/sugar eater, so he is having difficulty losing his desire for those sometimes
difficult to resist foods. He takes 3 Creon caps with meals and two with snacks. He’s hooked on Sweet tea, since his medical team is in the South.
Weight is no longer a problem since he’s lost 30 pounds and is having trouble keeping his weight up! I’m so pleased to know that you had your
Whipple in 2014 and your still able to respond to me in my caretaker role!

@moo1 I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes 5 years before I had pancreatic cancer so I was used to watching my carb/sugar intake. In my Whipple, the surgeon removed most of my pancreas and did not reattach what was left to my digestive system. That means I am now a Type I diabetic. My diabetes nurse said that gives me more flexibility - I can eat whatever I want and just give myself more insulin to cover what I eat. Even though that may be true, I still try to watch very carefully what and how much I eat.

What were u r symptoms of pancreatic cancer

Marvin and Dakota, please stay well, my prayers are with you both!

Hey @dakotarunner, just checking in. I think you just started chemo a few days ago and I was thinking about you.

Hello Colleen. Yes, 1st chemo was 4/22, Folfirinox. Was vomiting by 6 that evening, and into next day. Got couple of bags of saline, some Zofran and Atavin on the 23rd. It helped a bunch. Got pump unhooked the 24th, and got 2 bags saline, Zofrna and Atavin, along with iron thru port that day also. I imagine they will play with dosage, nauseau meds with next chemo on 4/6. The iron really makes a quick difference in fatigue and energy level. Little tired the last couple of days, but I tend to push myself pretty hard. Best thing is I can eat like a horse on most days. I am very positive about chemo. There will be bad days, but there were eight weeks of bad days after the Whipple. Love this site. Thank you. Bill Kennedy

I had the whipple at Mayo April 30, 2018. I first did the floforinox, but could only do 5 treatments. Then the whipple. After healing for 8 weeks I did radiation. They wanted me to do oral chemo with it, but I could not tolerate it. I had five weeks of radiation. After healing, they wanted me t o double dose on chemo, but I could only do single doses. My blood counts were low and I only did five of nine. But my scans hav all been clear since then. List 70 pounds total. Putting weight back on us a struggle, but it’s getting there. I still do medicinal marijuana and this helps. Moving and exercise is also very helpful. I eat lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. I try to get as much organic as possible. Good luck! Also try the shanti protein bars for snacks! Not much sugar and like add with antioxidants. I also do acupuncturist nature, which many medical facilities have found to be useful. And creon is taken many times during the day....