It has been five months now since my Whipple operation. Because the cancer was in the head of the pancreas, it was a major surgery: part of the pancreas, the duodenum, the gallbladder, and the bile duct were all removed at once and then everything was reconnected. Leaving the hospital, all I felt was relief at being alive. The real adjustment began once I was home and sat down in front of a meal.
For the first month, finishing a single meal was a chore. Even half of what I used to eat left me uncomfortably full, and pushing it a little brought on bloating and diarrhea. They told me it was because the pancreas no longer makes digestive enzymes as it once did. So I take enzyme supplements with every meal. On days I forgot, my stools turned greasy and floated and I was in and out of the bathroom, so now I reach for the pills before the food.
I split my eating from three meals into five or six. Since I cannot eat much at once, eating small amounts often is the only way. Greasy fried foods and fatty pork are still too heavy, so I keep my distance from them and stick to gently cooked vegetables, white fish, tofu, and mild things like rice porridge. My wife was lost at first about what to cook, but by now the two of us have found our rhythm.
What I did not see coming was the blood sugar. The pancreas also makes insulin, so once part of it was gone, my sugar shot up whenever I ate. In the end I started on diabetes medication, and pricking my fingertip to check my sugar became part of the daily routine. Cutting back on sweets and white rice and switching to mixed grains settled the numbers somewhat. I never imagined I would end up managing diabetes in the middle of cancer treatment.
My weight dropped far below where it had been before surgery and only recently stopped falling. For a while I hated looking in the mirror, until the dietitian told me that putting weight back on is the same as building strength, and that I had to make sure to get protein. Since hearing that, every meal has at least one source of protein, whether eggs or fish. Just knowing I am not losing more weight has put my mind much more at ease.
Looking back, the surgery was not the end but the start of a new everyday life. Enzyme pills, blood sugar checks, meals broken into small pieces. It is all a bother, but I am learning to listen to the signals my body sends. If someone is facing the same operation, I would tell them that everyone stumbles in the first few months, and that you slowly find the rhythm that fits your own body.
This piece shares one patient's personal experience and does not apply the same way to everyone. Decisions about meals, medication, and blood sugar should always be made with your own care team and a dietitian.