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Had the Whipple on Monday 4/24. This is day 5.
Hello Friends,
I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer October 27, 2022. Since then, I’ve had nine chemo treatments and just recently on April 24, I had a Whipple. On April 25th, I turned 57 years old. It was probably the best birthday that I’ve ever had because I woke up. After two days in the ICU, I moved to a regular room and each day the amazing team of doctors and nurses has been removing wires and drains from my body. I still have two drains left, but I am disconnected from the IV. The hardest thing was adjusting the pain medicines. I started with IV fentanyl and then IV dilaudid, and then pill form oxycodone as soon as I started a liquid diet. The oxy doses were all wrong - either too strong or too small and by mid day, I was in severe pain for the last two days. We are currently working on other options as we move forward. The chemotherapy and the surgery were all done at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Maryland. My review would be the doctors here are A++. I will leave my review on that positive note. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about my journey. During this time, I’ve been able to keep in touch with my friends and family and employees by creating a YouTube video channel where I’ve chronicled my week to week struggles, and accomplishments in short videos. A lot of my inspiration came from you here in the chat room, and other pancreatic cancer survivors that I’ve met along the way. It’s been a challenge and at the same time, it has been incredibly rewarding. Best to you all!
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Congrats on the successful surgery! Hoping they get your pain meds right and you are feeling much better soon.
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1 ReactionGlad to hear you are on the road to recovery!♥️🙏
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1 ReactionGlad you woke up, too! : )
And I'm glad to see that you are in good spirits and that you are doing well 5 days out from having a Whipple surgery.
Thanks for the YouTube video as it puts things in perspective in real time with all that it entails regarding your Whipple surgery and your recovery.
I look forward to future updates.
Here's hoping for you a speedy and uneventful recovery!
I was diagnosed on October 17 2022. and have had 10 rounds of chemo. They took my gallbladder out last thanksgiving. I have two more rounds of chemo and then 3 weeks of radiation. Then the surgeon will do the Whipple. Your experience seems a lot faster.
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2 ReactionsThank you for the support. One of my goals since my diagnosis has been to really stay present and be in the moment. I’ve also tried to keep my sense of humor and control what I can control. Of course, there have been a few moments that were painful, both mentally and physically. Here’s another short clip from a longer interview that my 20 year old son did with me about my life:
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4 ReactionsYour posts are life-affirming. I’m being followed at JH for a dilated pancreatic duct so it’s good to see you rate them A++.
Have you thought of posting on Reddit’s r/pancreatic cancer (https://www.reddit.com/r/pancreaticcancer/)?
Good luck!
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1 ReactionThank You. I will look at the Reddit thread. Feel free to contact me and I can give you all my feedback for JHH. As I said, the doctors are excellent but there are some things to know that I am hesitant to post in this platform. Best on your journey.
I’ve made it home from my Whipple surgery. The surgery is a tough one. I was told it’s the most major surgery anyone can go through. No two people have the same experience. There are so many factors that come into play. Bless you all with health.
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1 ReactionStephen,
Was the Whipple open or laparoscopic?
Other involvement of hepatic or lymph systems?
It was an OPEN surgery. After speaking with the surgeon, he stated that the OPEN surgery took two hours less time. There was part of one vein removed and several lymph nodes. I have not received the pathology of the extraneous tissue yet.