To whipple or not to whipple? What is quality of life like after?
Am 56 years old in generally good health, though with type 2 diabetes. Have a very large (41mm) adenoma in my duodenum. It's not malignant but is of a type that will almost certainly become malignant, it will eventually block my duodenum. I also have abnormal cells in the bulb of my duodenum, so endoscopic removal is not an option. Surgeon is suggesting a full Whipple, without preserving the pylorus. Realize that I'm blessed that things are pre-malignant but also didn't have a Whipple on my bingo card at this point in my life. Whole process has moved very quickly - started with anemia in mid-October and am looking at a potential surgery date in January. Would appreciate anyone's perspective on living with a Whipple and on quality-of-life post recovery.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Pancreatic Cancer Support Group.
Connect

@ellyou069 I understand now. I wear compression socks for neuropathy. Thanks for the analogy. I am a believer in keeping a positive attitude and also realizing my worst days are someone's best days. I used to be that someone. Thanks for the reminder. I sometimes lose sight of that.
@bilas Yay for the two of you. I think that the distraction will help. Are you going to see anything fun? A good belly laugh or two might be just what the doctor ordered.