The Whipple operation is extremely complex and I hope that you did a bit of internet research besides for what the surgeon told you. Make sure that he did more than a few of them before he tries it on you :).
Also, realize that until they actually open you up, they don't really know what's going on inside. That is what happened to my sister. They thought that her bile ducts were operable and that she was only in stage I or II. It ended up that they couldn't surgically do anything for her.