Vicky,
I went through similar problems after returning to work after surgery. And yes it is very embarrassing.
Much of the problems I had with gas got better when I was prescribed Creon. At first, I took Creon with "meals". But since I was told to "graze", I ate frequently throughout the day. So I still had problems with gas even though I was taking enzymes because I wasn't taking them every time I ate something.
Here is what worked for me. I was given both Creon 10 and Creon 20 in the beginning. I was told to take as many as needed to control symptoms. What finally worked best was to get prescriptions only for Creon 10. With a normal meal, I need to take two to three Creon 10s. The most effective way to take them is take one after the first bite of food, and then one toward the middle if it is a light meal. For heavier meals, take one at beginning, one at middle and one at the end of the meal. I found I must also take one Creon if I eat anything between meals. Even if it is just an apple or banana.
Some foods will cause problems with gas, and it may not be the ones on the list the doctor gave you. Foods that never bothered me before surgery did afterwards, although now I'm able to eat most foods. For the first year or so, I found I was much more sensitive to many foods. And then there is the strange phenomenon of going for months with no trouble, and then poof!, a particular food causes severe gas and gastric distress. I have learned to avoid the particular food for a while and then try it again. Usually I find with time, I can eat the problem food with no troubles . The foods I have had to limit permanently are milk products, caffiene, and nutmeats. I can have all in limited amounts without problems, just not too much at any one meal. Currently, I am having problems with clams (I love liguine with clam sauce). Go figure :~).
I was prescribed Nexium following surgery, and while this is not "scientific", I found I had less problems with gas once I stopped taking them. Some of the folks on the Johns Hopkins discussion board say they are helped by taking products like Beano with meals, in addition to the pancreatic enzymes like Creon. I haven't tried it because I can now go for months without serious problems with gas. I'm like anyone else, if I eat lots of beans, I will have gas. Just the normal kind though, not the painful explosive gas problems I had at first, and that still happen with the strange phenomenon I mentioned above. Thankfully, those episodes are rare now.
It takes time, but hopefully you will be able to figure out what works for you. Hope something in this long post helps.
On 9/16/2009 VickiH wrote:
I had the Whipple procedure on 02/12/09 and am doing fairly well. I am very grateful to be alive and able to work. My biggest issue right now is an embarrassing one. I find that no matter what I eat, I constantly suffer from excessive gas.
I take Creon 20 before each meal which has helped with digestion and dumping, but this gas problem is really an issue for me. I work in a doctor's office and am around people all day. Does any one else have this issue? My doctor didn't offer any solutions except to give me a list of foods that don't cause gas--however, I didn't find that to be helpful at all. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
This message board has been a great support to me over the past months. God bless you all!