Pancreatitis After The Whipple

My mother was had pancreatitis in June of 2005 and again in July. After removing a stint that was put in her bile duct (twice because the swelling of the pancreas was crushing the bile duct) the doctor decided to run some tests. He found that she had pancreatic cancer in August he told us he was in high hopes that it was caught early on because all of her tests from her first hospital stay in June didn't show any signs of cancer. In Sept my mother had undergone the whipple procedure with no complications. After the surgery they wanted her to do chemo and radiation for 6 weeks and then just chemo for 4-6 months (to prevent reoccurence). Everything was really looking up she was even working again- not up to her normal self but other than a little fatigue she really seemed great. 4 months after the surgery they ran tests and scans and said they believe she is cancer free! (Now in her 2nd month of chemo) 2 days after her chemo appointment she began having severe pains in her stomach. I took her to the hospital because she never had a reaction like this to chemo before. They sent her home saying her it was chronic pancreatitis. They gave her some pain medicine and told us to make sure she eats low fat high protein foods, and the inflammation will go down. I am just so scared because of everything she went through (pancreatitis twice then being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and then the whipple all within 4 months) that she isn't as well as the doctors say. She was really doing great until a couple of days ago. I know I could be over reacting but last year everything happened so fast and I am so scared that I will lose her- she is not only my mother but my best friend. It would be really comforting to know if anyone has had pancreatitis after the whipple procedure and if things really did turn out okay.

I had a whipple done in 2002 and did have pancreatitis, which began a few months afterward. Whenever it flared up, I would take pain medication and lie down. I had it occaisionally for about 6 months afterward, then it finally stopped. A whipple is a big procedure and it can take up to a year to totally heal from it. It is very probable that it is pancreatitis, but keep an eye out for other symptoms or problems. Doctors are usually making a guess when they diagnose pancreatits.