Welcome @faithjlv. I moved your message asking for suggestions and advice prior to your husband's distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy to remove a neuroendocrine tumor to this existing discussion:

- What's recovery after distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy like? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/recovery-after-distal-pancreatectomy-and-splenectomy/

I did this so you can review the previous helpful suggestions made and to connect easily with fellow members who have been there like @ken240 @blw77 @skkirby @leighs2011 @jqleck @stageivsurvivor and more.

You're asking great questions like pain management, length of hospital stay and things you can do and be prepared for to make his recovery as smooth as possible. It is terrifying. I get that. I know members will have tips to help. Your husband is lucky to have you.

Hi,
I am 66 years old and had a distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy in July 2022. I had an IPMN pancreatic cyst that looked suspicious. The post-op pathology showed an adenocarcinoma, and I have stage 1b pancreatic cancer. In my experience with the operation, I was in the hospital for five days. It would have been four days, but I was kept in due to a fever. Initial pain following surgery was managed with self-dosing IV for one day, followed by oral pain meds. I didn't find the pain to be excruciating. My operation was performed with robot assisted means, and I had five small incisions. Uncomfortable at times, but not painful. I was told that full recovery would be three months, but I felt pretty good in half that time. I followed a low fat diet, avoided lifting, and got regular light exercise (walking was very good), and rested. Part of my regimen was self-injecting meds to prevent blood clots, and Regalen to help with digestion. Without a spleen I needed to follow up with vaccines. I hope this is helpful. Each person's experience is not the same, I think, but I hope that you can draw some help from my experience. Let me know if you have any questions.