What you can expect

Before the procedure

The morning of surgery, you'll check into the admission desk and register. Nurses and staff members will confirm your name, date of birth, procedure and surgeon. You will then need to change into a surgical gown in preparation for surgery.

Before your surgery, an intravenous (IV) line is put into a vein, usually in your arm. This is used to inject fluid and medication into your veins as needed. You may also receive some medication to help you relax if you are nervous.

You may also undergo placement of an epidural catheter or a spinal injection in addition to local nerve blocks to the abdominal wall. These procedures allow you to recover with minimal pain and discomfort after surgery and help to decrease the amount of narcotic pain medication you will need.

During the procedure

A surgical team works together to enable you to have a safe and effective surgery. The team is made up of pancreatic surgeons, specialized surgical nurses, anesthesiologists and anesthetists — doctors and nurses trained in giving medication that causes you to sleep during surgery — and others.

After you are asleep, additional intravenous lines may be placed with other monitoring devices, depending on the complexity of the operation and your overall health conditions. Another tube, called a urinary catheter, will be inserted into your bladder. This drains urine during and after surgery. It is typically removed one or two days after surgery.

Surgery may take four to 12 hours, depending on which approach is used and the complexity of the operation. Whipple surgery is done using general anesthesia, so you'll be asleep and unaware during the operation.

The surgeon makes an incision in your abdomen to access your internal organs. The location and size of your incision varies according to your surgeon's approach and your particular situation. For a Whipple procedure, the head of the pancreas, the beginning of the small intestine (duodenum), the gallbladder and the bile duct are removed.

In certain situations, the Whipple procedure may also involve removing a portion of the stomach or the nearby lymph nodes. Other types of pancreatic operations also may be performed, depending on your situation.

Your surgeon then reconnects the remaining parts of your pancreas, stomach and intestines to allow you to digest food normally.

After the procedure

After your Whipple procedure, you can expect to:

• Stay in the general surgical unit. Most people will go directly to a general surgical nursing floor after surgery to recover. Nursing staff and the entire surgical team will be monitoring your progress several times a day and watching for any signs of infection or complications. Your diet will be slowly advanced as tolerated. Most people will be walking immediately after the operation. Expect to spend at least a week in the hospital, depending on your overall recovery.
• Stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a few days. If you have certain medical conditions or a complex case, you may be admitted to the ICU after surgery. ICU doctors and nurses will monitor your condition continuously to watch for signs of complications. They'll give you fluids, nutrition and medications through intravenous (IV) lines. Other tubes will drain urine from your bladder and drain fluid and blood from the surgical area.

After discharge from the hospital, most people can return directly home to continue recovery. Some people are asked to stay nearby for several days for monitoring and follow-up visits. Older adults and people with significant health concerns may require a temporary stay in a skilled rehabilitation facility. Talk to your surgeon and team if you are concerned about your home recovery.

Most people are able to return to their usual activities four to six weeks after surgery. How long it takes you to recover may depend on your physical condition before your surgery and the complexity of your operation.