Lots of oil when going to the bathroom?

Posted by howleegirl @howleegirl, Sep 22, 2023

Husband had Whipple surgery in December 2022 followed by chemo for 6 months. He's doing well..........the only problem is the huge amount of oil when he goes to the bathroom????? He takes 3 (35,000) Creon with each meal. Anyone else have this problem?

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According to my husband’s Oncologist, oily stools mean an increase in Enzymes is needed. He had the Whipple in Feb.,2023 and has steadily increased his Zenpep capsules to 5 with meals and 2 with snacks. This has seemed to help. He just had his last cycle of Chemo this week, so unfortunately the diarrhea is a daily occurrence. Hopefully all will settle down. See how his Dr. feels about a slow, gradual increase. Wishing you both better days ahead.

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I didn't have really good control of my symptoms until I got my dose up to 36,000, two before meals. I was struggling to maintain my weight. I think if I had a higher dose, I wouldn't have lost so much weight. This slowed down my recovery from surgery. I think the dose should really have been increased faster, I would have gone to surgery at a better weight and it would have improved the quality of my life. On the higher doses, I can get away from home much more easily. Certain foods I have discovered are very hard to digest, like butter. If I have a larger portion of meats, I take three Creon, I also dose higher if I am eating away from home.

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Yep... 🙁 The dreaded Triple-O: Orange, Oily, and Odoriferous. With most meals, 3 of my 36000-unit Creon capsules is enough, but for some meals (fatty meats like brisket, or lots of butter) there's just no fixing it.

With sensible self-control, and a mental food diary (if not a physical one), it's possible for me to get by. I'm not sure how much pancreas your husband has remaining after Whipple. They took about half of mine, and the rest isn't functioning particularly well, so everyone's different and their mileage may vary, but they all have my sympathy and empathy!

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