Pregnancy after whipple op (Page 1)

You should talk with your physician, because the effects of Creon during pregnancy aren't adequately studied.
It is not known whether pancrelipase, one of the Creon's ingredient, can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity.

I am 33yr old and had the Whipple done a bout 3 years ago. I was told that i couldn't get pregnant and have another baby - but here I am 7 months pregnant and so far so good. I was told that there are just certain risks around the area they did the surgery on and the main problem to watch out for is bowel obstructions and pain from the muscles stretching. Although I was fully healed 3yrs after I don't know if 6 months after is considered "fully healed". I am diabetic now from the procedure so I have to watch out for the risks that are associated with that. I checked with my primary care doc, OB, and surgeon regarding getting pregnant - so I would advice you to do the same. I know that you will definitely not find any information online - so Good Luck!

GeeWoo-
How did your last trimester finish? How was the delivery? Any advice you would give to a fellow Whipple post-op in her early 30s who is also considering pregnancy?

Hi. Thanks everyone to your replies, it has been very helpful.To answer the last question: Yes I went full term & asked to be induced due to the fact I had a large baby 9lb & I'm quite small so it was getting unbearable! The pessaries inserted didn't work straight away & finally the 5th one worked. It took 48hrs in Labour & had to be put on a drip to speed things up.It went up to the last count b4 having to consult the doc (sorry forgot the count)Kian was born healthy & no complications to myself or him. I am now 41 & he is nearly 2. I am still on creon & have had quite a few tests since & all seems well. No I didn't get pregnant, I decided to wait but being 41 time is not on my side! My consultant says the scaring shouldn't be an issue & creon would be ok to take during pregnancy. I'm moving home in 6 weeks so I'd like to wait until we have moved & have 2 months to settle in before trying again & then i'll give myself a year, if nothing happens then it's not meant to be but I would like my son to have another sibling to grow up with. My eldest being 21!!! I would like to have a chat with geewoo but there is no contact detail's. Ellie x

I had a whipple surgery at the age of 31(3 years ago) and have been wondering the same question. I also have a nerve diease that has prevented me from having a baby due to a number of medications. Finally, I am ready to have another baby. My son is 9 years old. I asked my GI doctor about having a baby and being on viokase (pancreatic enzyme)and she said it was perfectly fine. She said I would have to have all my vitamin levels checked before hand and throughout the pregnancy b/c I don't absorb certain vitamins now. I will also have to have a C-Section b/c of Scarring. I just wish there was more information out there.

Hi. There has been one lady who had a baby after a 'whipple' but unfortunately I have had no reply from her. Also, I,like yourself have not found any other info about it. My consultant said it would be fine. I'm due for my next MRI Scan that I have to have every year now & if it comes back ok then we will try for another baby: ) All moved & settled now so hears hoping!!! Please keep me posted on how you get on gmelder, it would be nice to at least for us to keep each other informed how things go as there is no or very little info out there! Also, I would love to hear from anyone else in the same situation. Ellie

I had the whipple procedure 4 years ago. I will be 38 next month and I am 4 months pregnant. I'm having a great pregnancy so far but am having problems with bloating and fullness no matter what and how much I eat. I'm assuming it's because of scar tissue and the way that my muscles and organs have settled, but it is making my pregnancy extremely uncomfortable. I'm concerned because, like before the surgery, I am again afraid to eat. It seems all of my doctors really don't know what to make of me because this surgery is rare for younger people so I feel like even the professionals have no don't know what to tell me. Has anyone gone through the same thing?

I'm 28 I had a whipple 2 years ago and have a 3 month old baby boy thank god he is healthy but mommy is going for surgery next month because of stretching and taring I now have 3 hernias voing for pet scan thur with hopes nothing came back...

I am 31 and 3 months pregnant with my second child. I had the Whipple a year ago. I have tried to eat small frequent meals to cut down on the bloating. I also try to drink plenty of fluids. Please email me if you want to talk.

I found one article, Pregnancy following Whipple Procedure, but I do not have access to the journal. Here is the citation: Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2007, Vol. 27, No. 8, Pages 855-857.

Hi, I am 29 and had a whipples last February. I have just found out that I am almost 6 weeks pregnant and am very bloated with some pain at the top of my abdomen. Ever since my op I do get bloating and severe pain at the top of my abdomen but the doctors have no explanation for it. Should I be concerned? Thanks

I am 22 and 25 weeks pregnant, so far I have had no complications due to the whipple, they are only suggestioning I see a high risk OB as I am anemic since the whipple and to have a few more ultrasounds to make sure she is growing normally. Also because of the whipple I developed Dumping Syndrome and couldn''t take the glucose test, so for 2 weeks I have to test myself at home. Other then that everything has been normal and great!

I recently had a whipple, too. I am wanting to have more children as well. Just curious if any of you that have achieved pregnancy after the whipple, had the whipple because of FAP? Any info would be helpful. Thanks! Kimi

Hi im 39yrs old had a whipple at age 37 for tumor of my pancreas. I was wondering about the pregancy chances after a whipple, as well. Im newly married and my husband only has 1 child, not planning on pregnancy but would like to know my odds of becoming pregnant? Im doing great no problems other than a little scarring pain of my abdomen. It has been one year & 3months since my surgery and im doing fine..bad with taking my creon, but dont really have a need for them.

Hi. I'm 45 & 23 wks pregnant. Whipple surgery only one year prior to pregnancy. I've had the upper bloating issues since the surgery & it's grossly increased with pregnancy. I'm also starting to have constant pain in my stomach and my whipple scar burns more & more as stomach stretches. TMI butI've had major problems w/ no bm for days, causing even more discomfort. When I finally go, the pain is intense enough to make me sweat & dizziness. I've had nausea & pain w/ every bite of food since surgery so take phenagren about every 4-6 hrs. This too has increased dramatically. I'm not sure what dumping problem is that other poster mentioned, but when I do go, it's steatorhea & numerous bathroom trips. The cramps again are horrible with it. OB says baby boy is fine despite my creon & other meds. I'm even more complicated since 2 days post whipple I developed what was believed to be pulmonary embolism (not positive), but def pulmonary effusion & pulmonary hypertension nearly died. Was put on vent for 6 days. I've been frustrated by nothing on the issue or complications of pregnancy post whipple. My ...ologists all say I'm in for great pain as baby grows. They are concerned w/ possible bowel obstruction, & I'm showing signs as said above of an increased possibility. I'm relieved to see I'm not alone with this. I'm frightened for both me & my baby. We look at this as a miracle since I've wanted kids all my life, but thought was infertile. Then. Turn 40 & cycle became regular. Then surprise (again only 1 yr post) my first pregnancy is dx'd. Please let's do something to educate, as we need all the support we can get. I am considered very high risk & must deliver in Houston medical center only. No other hospitals could handle me. Thanks for sharing ladies! It's great I found this!!

I had the whipple done 5 years ago for chronic pancreatitis that developed in my second pregnancy. I am newly pregnant with my third child at 32. All my docs (surgeon, GI, OB) felt as though pregnancy was fine as long as my baseline was back to normal. I am not diabetic and don't need pancreatic enzymes. I am meeting with a prenatal nutritionist this week because that is likely to be my biggest concern. I will attempt to record this pregnancy for all of you wondering.

Hello everyone, i had a distalpancreacatetomy and spleenectomy 2yrs ago as of feb 2011.(had tumor in body of pancreas, so they removed head body & tail of pancreas) That left me with just 30% of my pancreas. So its similar to what yall experienced w/ whipple but def much simpler, yet left me with less of pancreas ofcourse. I'm 32, have a 4yr old, would like another, just spoke with my obgyn & said could be very rough w/ feeling extremely sick, & chance of developing pancreatitis, etc. He gave me the go ahead, since I have had no problems but gastritis since surgery, but explained all risk for my husband & I to discuss and then decide. As yall know theres no info out there for pregnant after whipple, I really cant find any. So Im asking advice or any knowledge or feelings in regards to my situation. Im glad to hear majority of yall did & are doing well. Appreciate any feed back! Thanks ladies!

Hi there! I'm 26 and had a Whipple 2.5 years ago due to a recurrence of bone cancer (it was in my duodenum, a bit of my stomach and pancreas, too.) and I have been doing SO well since. I had a rough time with dumping syndrome, was eating 5 FULL meals a day and still hungry, BUT, I saw a holistic dietitian and cut out processed soy foods (veggie burgers and fake meats) and most wheat products (I can eat spelt and other grains though without any problems) and OH MY GOSH. I am a normal person now. I have normal BMs, a normal appetite and digestion. It's amazing how you can change things by cutting out common irritants.

Anyway, I am currently 18.5 weeks pregnant with no problems at all! I'm due July 3rd!

I did had a miscarriage last year, BEFORE changing my diet (when I had the dumping syndrome) and I think it's REALLY important to get your digestion and absorption problems dealt with BEFORE you conceive. Have your doctor check your vitamin levels for SURE get your doctor's approval.

I don't have any pains other than normal pregnancy stretching (of ligaments) and aches. I am bit worried about how my tummy scar will stretch as I get bigger, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I got evening sickness, but since I was so used to dealing with nausea from the Whipple, it wasn't all that bad. I didn't puke at all. We find out what we're having on Monday!

Dear Littlechoc (Kimi),

I had the whipple in November 2011, because of Gardner's Syndrome (a subtype of FAP). I had a pre-cancerous tumor in my Duodenum that was causing pancreatitis and started crawling into my biliary duct.
I am 30 years old and had the whipple when my baby was three months old. I had a lot of trouble at first and was in the and out of the hospital until the end of January. I still take vicoden and oxycontin twice a day and experience quite a bit of pain off and on.
I would love to have more children and have been told to wait for a year before getting pregnant.
I had ultrasounds every four weeks with my daughter because they were concerned about my previous surgery to remove my large intestine (when I was 16 - because of Gardner's) and the scar tissue and absorbtion issues.
I would like to hear more about your story with FAP and how you are doing post-whipple. This was a life saving, but scary experience that's still causing problems for me. I lost my dad because he was too ill to have the whipple, and I am grateful to have survived the surgery. There are days when I hurt too much to fully take care of my baby and have to have help. Thank God for my amazing husband and family. Good luck to all you ladies and keep your chin up!
Thanks,
Amy

Correction: My Whipple was done in November 2010

I'm nearly 11 weeks pregnant and have been having ongoing gastroentrology appointments since I started having right abdominal pain back in November 2010. During my antenatal tests my glucose level has come back high at 8.8mmol so now I'm suspected diabetic (pending further tests), have had oily stools and difficulty digesting certain food types without increased side pain. I'm writing this as I'm just wondering what where your symptoms for those of you that had to have the Whipple procedure. Clearly I'm suspecting my pancreas to be the root of the problem and am very concerned! Any advice, your stories on why you had this procedure would be much appreciated.
TrudyBlue