More Whipple questions

I had the Whipple 8 weeks ago and would like to know if I am just being too impatient with my new "insides".  Can anyone tell me how long the inscisions on the inside and outside take to heal to the point you do not feel like they are sensitive (when my shirt rubs against the incision, it sends pain into my stomach).

Also, after I eat, I do have some aching in the lower part of my stomach and lower part of my intestines.  I take Gas X but it does not seem to do a lot of good.  Does this ever go away or is this something I will have to live with?

I have normal bowel movements but the persistent aching and bloating does not seem to be getting better.  Like I said at the beginning, it has only been 2 months.  Will it get better as the months go by?

Does anybody have a home remedy for gas?  Someone told me that apple cider vinegar was good for gas, but they haven't had the Whipple.  I do watch what I eat, but this gas happens no matter what I eat.

I'm going to start chemo soon.  As bad as I feel now, I can't imagine how bad it's going to be then.

 

 

 

On 5/22/2007 Gofish48 wrote:

I had the Whipple 8 weeks ago and would like to know if I am just being too impatient with my new "insides".  Can anyone tell me how long the inscisions on the inside and outside take to heal to the point you do not feel like they are sensitive (when my shirt rubs against the incision, it sends pain into my stomach).

Also, after I eat, I do have some aching in the lower part of my stomach and lower part of my intestines.  I take Gas X but it does not seem to do a lot of good.  Does this ever go away or is this something I will have to live with?

I have normal bowel movements but the persistent aching and bloating does not seem to be getting better.  Like I said at the beginning, it has only been 2 months.  Will it get better as the months go by?

Does anybody have a home remedy for gas?  Someone told me that apple cider vinegar was good for gas, but they haven't had the Whipple.  I do watch what I eat, but this gas happens no matter what I eat.

I'm going to start chemo soon.  As bad as I feel now, I can't imagine how bad it's going to be then.

 

 

Your complains are common after type of surgery you had.It is a very extensive surgery.Please ask your doctor to prescribe you pancreatic enzymes which you will have to take with each meal.Because during the surgery all or large portion of the pancreas is removed you may be suffering from pancreatic enzyme deficiency.These enzymes are essential in digesting fat and some proteins in your diet and this is why many people after this kind of surgery neeed to take these enzymatic supplements in pill form to help with digestion.These pancreatic enzymes are readily available in pharmacies and you should try them.The bloating and abdominal discomfort or/and cramps may be due to problems with adequate digestion of your food.

Good luck .I hope this will help.Please let me know how you doing after you tried this medication for a week or two.Your doctor probably just forgot to advise you of these complications after the surgery or perhaps you have not complained of these symptoms to him/her.

hello   my husband, jim, had a whipple done in november of 06. he too has experienced the same things that you have gone through. the pancreatic enzymes helped considerably with the gas and bloating he experienced following meals. it helps if he does not overeat also. his portions are considerably smaller than they used to be. i eat more than he does now! but, he said to tell you that he still has alot more gas than he ever did before the surgery. he also was very sensitive at the incision site for a few months after the surgery..it wasn't until about a month ago that he noticed it no longer bothered him. jim has had two rounds of chemo and radiation along with the second round. he will start the 3rd round this next week. hopefully it will be his last. it has been difficult, but it will all be worth it if he beats this. keep writing and don't hesitate to ask questions. this message board has been very helpful, not only with information but also a support in preserving our sanity. jim and i both feel if we can help even one person along the road that we have been on, then it helps us to feel better about what we have been through. there have been alot of positive things mixed in with the hard parts for us. we hope and pray that this will be true for you also. sincerely jimandkathy

 

On 5/23/2007 Jimandkathy wrote:

hello   my husband, jim, had a whipple done in november of 06. he too has experienced the same things that you have gone through. the pancreatic enzymes helped considerably with the gas and bloating he experienced following meals. it helps if he does not overeat also. his portions are considerably smaller than they used to be. i eat more than he does now! but, he said to tell you that he still has alot more gas than he ever did before the surgery. he also was very sensitive at the incision site for a few months after the surgery..it wasn't until about a month ago that he noticed it no longer bothered him. jim has had two rounds of chemo and radiation along with the second round. he will start the 3rd round this next week. hopefully it will be his last. it has been difficult, but it will all be worth it if he beats this. keep writing and don't hesitate to ask questions. this message board has been very helpful, not only with information but also a support in preserving our sanity. jim and i both feel if we can help even one person along the road that we have been on, then it helps us to feel better about what we have been through. there have been alot of positive things mixed in with the hard parts for us. we hope and pray that this will be true for you also. sincerely jimandkathy

 

Thanks, Kathy and Jim.  This is Marsha, Jerry's wife.  I do his typing for him.  Ha.  What kind of enzymes does Jim take?  Jerry is taking Pancrease right now, but we are going to ask the oncologist (or maybe the nutritionist) if there are others he can try.  Our first appointment with the oncologist is tomorrow afternoon.  It's very trying, isn't it?

 

 

Thanks for responding.  I am taking the enzymes (Pancrease) but am wondering what others are out there.  Which one do you take?

jim takes pangestym ec capsules.  he was also taking nexium for a while but no longer takes that for his stomach. i do not know if a switch in your brand of enzymes will help, sometimes a particular brand does help more than another. take a list of questions with you to the oncologist. it is amazing how easy it is to forget when things are overwhelming. chemo is scary. there's no doubt about it. there are some who believe in more alternative, holistic treatments such as diet and herbal medications. while these may be good for some; jim and i did not want to take any chances with such an aggressive cancer. so we opted for the chemo and the radiation both. jim also quit smoking when he was diagnosed. i hope that you do not smoke. we both feel very fortunate that he was one of the lucky ones who qualified to have the whipple done. there are so many who are diagnosed too late. even still, there are no guarantees and we deal with the various concerns as they come along. some days pretty well...other days not as well. we will be thinking about the two of you tomorrow. sincerely jimandkathy

My Mom had the whipple just over a year ago.  She experienced all of the same symptoms.  The bloating is actually still there, but it's getting better.  Along with the enzymes, she takes BEANO with every meal and it has been a lifesaver!  The gas is not nearly the problem it used to be.  Also Prilosec daily.  For some reason, that helps with digestion.  Good luck to you. 

I had my whipple in Apr 07.  My stomach feels full with the smallest amount of food, my stomach muscles ache,  I dont have much endurance and I have lost about 40 lbs since APril.

My surgeon never put me on any enzymes.  I just started taking some 2 weeks ago after seeing hte Gastroenderologist.  I am on the second type of enzymes called Panocaps MT16.  The first type (don't remeber the name) caused me to have severe stomach pain and very loose stools. This one seems to be working becuase at elast my weight has stabilized.  I take Gas X to help with the bloatede feeling i get a few times a day.

 How is your energy level?  I think I can endure teh pain and discomfort if I was just able to to more things with my family during the day. 

 

On 5/25/2007 Jroge wrote:

My Mom had the whipple just over a year ago.  She experienced all of the same symptoms.  The bloating is actually still there, but it's getting better.  Along with the enzymes, she takes BEANO with every meal and it has been a lifesaver!  The gas is not nearly the problem it used to be.  Also Prilosec daily.  For some reason, that helps with digestion.  Good luck to you. 

I will give the beno a try....I am taking Creon and at first it seems to help, but after taking it for 3 months the gas has returned big time....sure hope this works for me too.

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