How long is the average hospital stay for Whipple surgery?

Posted by truly520 @truly520, Nov 27 12:02pm

Trying to get a handle on this. Thanks!

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I was in hospital for 8 days, but might have gone home sooner if I hadn’t gotten a C. dificil infection. They wanted me out of bed and walking the day after the surgery, but I had a hard time doing that except to use the bathroom the first couple days. I was 65 in case that gives any perspective.

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Profile picture for sheryldill @sheryldill

@tomrennie ,
I read someone's post who said she thought she was having issues because of what she was eating. I found a menu of 6 small meals that sound good and I think I could do this. It's from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. It's call " Diet and Nutrition After Your Whipple Procedure. I wish I would have found this 2 years ago.

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@sheryldill I am glad you found something worth trying. Unfortunately, a lot is trial and error. After learning the hard way what doesn't work, you really appreciate it when something does. Good luck. Please share what you learn. You'll most likely help someone else going through something similar. Ok?

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I stayed 7 days in the hospital when I had Whipple surgery.
And turned 68yr during that time. The surgery went for 5 hrs.

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Profile picture for Turkey, Volunteer Mentor @tomrennie

@sheryldill Here is a link for a discussion on dietary issues after GI tract surgery:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-i-eat-after-digestive-tract-surgery/
Please scroll to the top, so you can see the initial post.

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@tomrennie ,
I read someone's post who said she thought she was having issues because of what she was eating. I found a menu of 6 small meals that sound good and I think I could do this. It's from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. It's call " Diet and Nutrition After Your Whipple Procedure. I wish I would have found this 2 years ago.

REPLY
Profile picture for Turkey, Volunteer Mentor @tomrennie

@sheryldill Here is a link for a discussion on dietary issues after GI tract surgery:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-i-eat-after-digestive-tract-surgery/
Please scroll to the top, so you can see the initial post.

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@tomrennie , Thank You for this link. I will check it out. The thing is, I didn't have Pancreatic Cancer. I had a tumor on my small intestine so the surgeon did a Whipple Procedure to get all the cancer, and he got it all. Does that make a difference? I don't know.

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Profile picture for azsunshine7 @azsunshine7

@sheryldill

Did you tell your gi doctor about the pain?

If not you may want to do so.
They may run tests including a metabolic test.

My tests were not normal so we had to do the mri called the Mrcp and ct scan to look for complications from the surgery.

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@azsunshine7 , I'm changing all of my doctors next year so I will have it checked then. Thank You for your input.

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Profile picture for sheryldill @sheryldill

Stomach aches are the most common issue I have. I didn't get a lot of information from doctors so I don't know what kind of small meals to eat, so I eat what I want an d pay for it. I wish I would have found this site 2 years ago.
Any suggestions on what kind of small meals to eat would be appreciated.

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@sheryldill

Did you tell your gi doctor about the pain?

If not you may want to do so.
They may run tests including a metabolic test.

My tests were not normal so we had to do the mri called the Mrcp and ct scan to look for complications from the surgery.

REPLY
Profile picture for sheryldill @sheryldill

Hello. In 2023, I had the Whipple Procedure. Two years later, I can't seem to find a diet that works for me. Does anyone have suggestions for the 6 small meals I should be eating? I have been to a Dietician but all she did was raise my A1C. I appreciate any feed back I can get on this issue.

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@sheryldill Here is a link for a discussion on dietary issues after GI tract surgery:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-i-eat-after-digestive-tract-surgery/
Please scroll to the top, so you can see the initial post.

REPLY
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