Anyone here had the tail of your pancreas removed? How did it go? [View all]

I'll be having this done March 7th, to remove a cyst that has changed from fluid filled to having some solid characteristics, which is suspicious for potential malignancy developing.

The surgeon doing it is the head of the department of surgery at the University of Illinois in downtown Chicago, and is highly regarded worldwide. Stellar reputation, bio, and credentials. My GI specialist called the surgeon's staff last Tuesday, they called me on Wednesday, and I had an appointment on Friday. I'm favorably impressed so far.

Based on what he sees on the CAT scan, the surgeon doesn't think the "thing" looks malignant now, as the shape is smooth rather than irregular, but because the appearance has changed from all fluid-filled to solid components, it needs to come out anyway. It will likely be done laparoscopically.

The cyst was what's known as an "incidental finding," discovered at the end of March of last year, when I was being worked up for what ended up being a ruptured appendix. I'm thanking my appendix for getting infected. Had it not, I would not have had any other reason for getting my abdomen scanned, and this "thing" could have gone undetected for a long time.