after whipple

I had a pyloric preserving whipple at Virginia Mason Hosp. in Seattle on 2/25/09.  It has been an interesting ride to say the least.  I had the best of surgeons with Dr. Traverso(the guru of the Whipple).  Eight hours ond forty minutes of surgery - wow.  After about seven weeks out I was back at work(car sales) working at first about 4 hours and gradually working my way up to a ten hour day.  I ride my motorcycle to work every day that the weather permits(80 miles round trip)and feel really good.  I take creon 20 to help with digestion and I am also now insulin dependant.  Insulin is no big deal-just a detail of life after the whipple. I have been through 14 treatments of gemsar.  It was not fun but it will be worth it in the long run.  I had a ct and a ca19-9 test last week showing no sign of spread and a ca19-9 of 6! A count of 37 or under is considered normal. I suppose you could say this journey has been a successand I attribute it to three things-1.a fine surgeon 2. chemotherapy.3. a loving creator who listens to the prayers of myself and many friends(this is the most important of the three!)  My experince has been great and it came at a time in my life when I need a wake up call and boy did I get it!

Good for you.  Hope you have a long and happy life.  I'm past the the time they said I would be on this side of the dirt and thank the Big Guy for every day.

Best wishes,

ACE42

idahobubba,

I'm very happy that you are doing so well.  However, I do have one question for you.  Who is Dr. Traverso and who named him/ her the guru of the Whipple surgery?  I would really think that distinction should be reserved for Dr. John Cameron of Johns Hopkins, who has done more Whipples than anyone else in the world.  It's good that Dr. Traverso did well for you, but I have never heard of this particular doctor as being among the top Whipple surgeons.

Hoping your excellent recovery continues.

Joan L 

Hi Idahobubba - Dr.Traverso is my surgeon too!  I agree, he is an outstanding doctor.  My understanding is that he and his buddy at UCLA developed the pyloric preserving whipple that allowed an easier time post op with digestion.Virginia Mason in Seattle is an outstanding hospital even though it is "out west".  I live in Portland, was diagnosed with a 5cm neuroendocrine tumor in the head of my pancreas.  This was almost 2 years ago. Dr. Picozzi -the  fine pc oncologist at Virginia Mason came up with a tailor-made treatment plan as surgery was not possible at that time because the tumor was abutting the portal vein. I had 5 bland embolizations performed by Dr. Hauphman - interventional radiologist - whereby she located the blood vessels going to the tumor and filled them with "poppy seed oil" - I know, it sounds crazy. With no blood supply the tumor shrank 30 percent and pulled away from the portal vein. I should add that embolization in the area of the pancreas can cause pancreatitis, but is my case, the tail was attrofied so it wasn't a problem.  I had a successful pyloric preserving whipple early is February.  I feel great and I am cancer-free.  I can't say enough about Virginia Mason and the fine care that I received.  I hope that this message may help others in deciding a treatment plan and trusting doctors at Virginia Mason.  Nancy

b00mslang,

I am very happy that you have had a good surgical outcome.  However, you are incorrect in stating that the number of Whipples the surgeon does in a year's time has no bearing on the surgical outcome of any particular surgery.  Actually, it has been proven via studies that the more Whipples the surgeon has done and continues to do, the better the patient's chance of a positive outcome.  Makes sense, doesn't it; you've no doubt heard the old saying "practice makes perfect".  In this case, as is most others, it is true.  The more experienced the surgeon, the better the chances that he has seen all of the problems that may arise and has already learned how to deal with them.  Most of the great Whipple surgeons do between 80 and 100 Whipples every year.  That is the reason why patients are advised to go to an institution that is recognized as being in the forefront of diagnosing and treating pc.  Experience is still the best teacher.

Wishing you continued good health.

Joan L     

I am so glad all of us are discussing whipples and docs. Seems like many are aware of the procedures and yes I agree the more a doc does the better they get. For sure John Cameron is well respected as is Dr. T at Vir Mason.

Good luck to us all.

Brog in Seattle with twin with PC in Cal.

nana-roo,

Congratulations on your successful surgery!  I am interested in why the surgeon at Virginia Mason would not or could not perform your surgery with an insert from your jugular vein as is commonly done by many surgeons in other institutions.  My husband had this procedure done by Dr. Talamonti in Chicago in 12/06 and has had an excellent result.  (Dr. Talamonti is Chairman of the Medical Advisory Council of PanCan; Dr. Traverso is also a member of that Council as is Dr. Picozzi.)

That was an interesting procedure you had.  How far apart were the embolizations and how did you feel during and after the procedure?  Was it done under anesthetic?  Thanks for any info you are willing tomshare.

Joan L

 

I don't understand why this is not common knowledge among the surgeons that perform the whipple.  They opened up my mother for the whipple but ended up doing a biliary bypass because the tumor was growing around the vein.  

Well, Dr. Traverso has a 0% mortality rate for Whipples. I don't want to have someone practicing on me until they become perfect. Surgical success is a matter of quality, ability, and knowledge not bulk quantity.

 

Obviously I wouldn't want to have my surgery performed by a rookie. However, if I found some guy w/ a rusty-knife doing Whipples out of a caboose on a Burma railway I think I'd take a pass. Even if he performed 300 per year.

 

Ciao