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After a Whipple operation the stomach can be slow to empty for days or weeks, meals feel full quickly, and pale, oily stools mean enzymes are needed; small frequent meals, enzyme capsules with everything, a dietitian's review and patience over several months are the pattern most people describe.
Pancreatic Cancer UK says it takes time to eat normally again after surgery, you may lose your appetite or feel full quickly, eating little and often helps, and the stomach may not empty normally for the first days, when some people are fed through a tube until it does; the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery defines this delayed gastric emptying by how long a nasogastric tube or a liquid-only diet is needed (Wente 2007). Feeling sick after surgery is usually temporary and is treated with medicines and smaller meals. Removing part of the pancreas can cause weight loss, diarrhoea, tummy discomfort or bloating from poor digestion; pale, oily, smelly stools that float are the sign, and enzyme capsules with every meal and snack are the treatment (the dietitian should check whether you need PERT before and after surgery). Bowels do not work normally for a few days, and opioid painkillers cause constipation, so laxatives are given alongside them.
Macmillan says a modified (pylorus-preserving) Whipple's keeps the stomach valve while a classic Whipple's removes the lower stomach, which is why some people feel very full or get sweaty, faint or have diarrhoea soon after sugary meals (dumping); the dietitian's usual advice is small meals, protein first, drinks between rather than with meals. Pancreatic Cancer UK says there are no foods to totally avoid, that smaller portions with more calories and protein help you regain weight, and that recovery of appetite and the range of food you can digest returns gradually; one person quoted found they could manage a spoon of cereal rather than a bowl at first. If diarrhoea persists on enzymes, bile acid diarrhoea or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth are looked for. This is orientation from public patient pages and guidelines, not advice for your case: your own team's instructions and 24-hour number come first.
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Shares Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT, pancreatin, Creon) for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: why and how to take it, Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT, pancreatin, Creon) for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: why and how to take it, Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.
Shares Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the tags gi, pancreatic.