I am a 51 year old male diagnosed with Ampullary Carcinoma of the Ampulla of Vader (4cm tumor). Never had been to the hospital and was in great shape, just started getting some fevers that popped out of nowwhere. The blessing for me was that I turned jaundice and thought I had hepatitis. The attending ER doctor was my god send as he kept testing and was convinced it was something else because of my pancreas enzymes. Turns out the tumor had blocked everything and the fluids were backing up inside. A scope revealed the tumor and 2 days later I had a 3 1/2 hour Whipple procedure at CDH in Winfield, IL performed by a fantastic surgeon who I happened to know before hand. They remove plenty of lymph nodes that tested negative and after further review and a second opinion at Northwestern from the tumor board, I did not need further treatment. The recovery takes a while, but I was golfing 6 - 8 weeks after surgery (not hitting very far and only playing a few holes). You get used to the reduced eating and find the stomach only holds so much so avoid drinking alot of water prior to trying to eat. There are foods like milk and fried foods which definitely will have an effect on you, but in the end you get used to this and end up eating healthier.
I was told about an 84% chance it will NOT recurr for me, but this type is so rare, you just don't think about it because everyone is different. Attitude is the best medicine and we all know that every day is more precious for us, so enjoy each time you wake up in the morning. I do not take any other medicine other than a vitamin supplement so I am lucky. You never forget the scar is there, but again the alternatives make it all bearable. I hope this gives some insight and positive hope that things can be better in time. I find myself looking at the clouds alot more and not letting the little things in life get so consuming. I still get ticked missing a 3 foot putt as no one should ever let that happen:)
Good Luck and hope you have a bright future.