Whipple Procedure: Quality of Life after? My Dad's doc has indicated he is a candidate for the Whipple Surgery- he is 81 years old. What are his options? I hear that the recovery from the Whipple is brutal and Quality of Life stinks. Options???

Recovery is indeed brutal.

Submitted by Ross Bonander on Sat, 2012-06-09 23:38.

Recovery is indeed brutal. it also tends to include radiation and/or chemotherapy. the five year survival rate following the procedure is 20 percent, but at 81 post-op will be tough on your dad. I realize the time is short but don't be pressured into this procedure. get a second opinion as fast as possible. This is a very risky and demanding procedure, not very many surgeons know how to do it. I'm surprised, considering the rigors of the procedure and afterwards that your dad would be seen as a good candidate. Granted it does have curative abilities but that's in a rare subset of patients. Again I know the time is short but I urge you to get another opinion preferably from someone who doesn't know your doc or work out of the same hospital.

—

Ross

The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.