Hello @maggieflorida,

I can understand your husband's post-surgery concerns. I'd like to invite @kim1965 to this discussion as his wife had this surgery (not robotic) this year. I'd also like to invite @vmchow and @pavlina60 to this discussion. I'm guessing that the eating plan will be about the same. Small frequent meals that are light (not high in fat, etc.)

I have personally had three surgeries of the duodenal bulb and the light meals worked best for me. I had well-meaning friends bring me salads, cream-based casseroles after my surgery, however, the broth-based soups (especially chicken) were the best. The heavier foods I mentioned caused nausea and or diarrhea.

Basically, a low residue diet is very helpful for several weeks after the surgery. I'm sure his doctor will give him some advice, however, asking for a registered dietician to visit him before discharge from the hospital is a tremendous idea. There should be no problem getting a referral to a hospital dietician before he is discharged. If you can be present for that consult, it would be most helpful to you as well.

Walking is a very good thing to do post-surgery. It keeps keep the digestive tract moving and is beneficial in many ways.

Does he have a NET specialist?

I think it really depends on how much of the pancreas needs to be removed. You mentioned very very small lessons on both the trail and the body? Actually I'm surprised they are operating on such small lesions. I had a 2 cm net in the tail. I had a spleen saving distal pancreatomy done by open surgery, not robotic. It's been 4 months now. Except for being tired, having lost about 7 pounds, I'm actually in pretty good shape. Even at 65, i still take the stairs and I'm choosing NOT to slow down too much. If your husband is going into surgery relatively fit, movement will be key to his recovery. Yes, i walked every hour on the hour for a full week in hospital. I started eating apples, peanut butter and honey by the 3rd day. The rest is history. I'm very blessed, no debilitating digestion issues. I'm back to Thai food and even a small glass of wine occasionally. I hear that things can change even at this stage, diabetes in particular. But for now, at this moment, surgery was an excellent choice for a cure, and an entirely bearable experience. I know there are horror stories out there. I'm not one of them🙏. Keep positive and best of luck.

@maggieflorida, so I am curious to clarify was your husbands lesions
1. mm or cm?
2. what kind of imaging found it?
3. What hospital are you having the surgery at?

To this day I am so perplexed why Dr. Vege at Mayo Clinic told me and my husband that his tumor is not big enough to cause him pain(they read it was .7cm, Hopkins read it to be 1.4cm telling us they won’t do anything till it’s 2cm) When I continue to read they can cause pain(that’s how Maria Menuno found hers from pain and a MRI) how does he know that it’s sized base on whether a tumor can cause pain or not every person is different and every tumor and location is different. I just think it’s ridiculous he says this can’t cause pain. My husband is laying on the floor every night after he eats in pain and then soon after is running to the bathroom with diarrhea. This is just not normal and we can’t find a physician who wants to help him they just make him feel like he is crazy and making this all up! As a nurse I have never been more disappointed in the healthcare system.