Many patients with pancreatic cancer have lost weight by the time they receive the diagnosis. However, to keep your body strong, it is important to maintain your weight before, during, and after therapy.

Good nutrition helps minimize the side effects and repair the damage caused by treatment. Side effects from chemotherapy and radiotherapy may affect your ability to eat and may also cause your body to need more calories than usual.

Eating small, frequent meals (four or five a day) of high-protein foods will help you maintain your weight and your strength. Nutritional supplements and nutritional therapy, such as intravenous or tube feeding, may be used if needed.

Before and after surgery a dietitian is available to help you plan ways to meet your nutritional needs.

AFTER SURGERY

If you have surgery, a small feeding tube (a jejunostomy tube, or J-tube) will be placed into your small intestine. This tube will deliver a high-calorie liquid directly into your intestine to supplement your diet. A second tube (a gastrostomy tube, or G-tube) will be placed into your stomach to help you avoid nausea and vomiting after surgery

FIGURE 3 reconstructed upper abdominal organs with tubes in place

Tube feeding through your J-tube begins on the third day after surgery and advances slowly depending on your tolerance. On the fifth day, the nursing staff will start clamping (closing) your G-tube for three hours and releasing it for one hour to help your stomach empty its contents. Because of the nature of your surgery, regaining normal stomach function may take a few days.

You will start on a clear liquid diet and advance to a regular diet depending on your stomachs ability to empty. Tube feeding is used to supplement your oral intake. When you are able to eat a regular diet, the dietitian will cycle your tube feeding to nighttime. You will go home on a regular diet with tube feedings at night to help you regain strength and heal. The tube feeding will be decreased and eventually stopped as you eat more by mouth.