question to ask surgeon

Tony, you and Gidget are doing FANTASTICALLY! I am so impressed with the results I see that people are having with this surgery. I think if I hadn't found this support board, I would have backed out by now. It helps to see so many doing so well. I've been so hungry the last few days and so weak from not being able to eat anything hardly. I KNOW it wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't gotten these forces in my mouth that has prevented me from being able to chew. I am still getting my 30 carbs a day because I'm doing the high protein drinks twice a day and then tuna w/tomato for supper or ground turkey (that I almost choked on because I wasn't able to chew it small enough). I go Friday for my EKG and EDG. I'll be glad when that part is over. I hope everything comes out okay on the tests. Tell me guys, after the surgery are you hungry all the time? I have missed some of my old foods that I would eat and it's only been 6 days. I hope this gets easier FAST! Are you guys weak from lack of food after surgery? I usually work out at the gym 2 - 3 hours two and three days a week but just do not have the strength to even do that right now. I don't like low-carbing it when I have such an appetite and can't eat the meats that we could eat on low-carb. When these braces come off, I think I'll have a big, fat, juicy (but not "fat") Sirloin! and then another day I might have a hamburger with onion and tomato slices and even pickles if I can eat those after surgery, no bread of course. hmmm... can ya tell where my mind is tonight? Gale

Hi Gale, Since the surgery I'm not hungry at all like I used to be. I had to lose some weight before I had surgery and that helped me alot, once I healed up everything started getting much easier. Now that I'm 3 months out I can tell when I'm full, I was kinda weak for about the first month but that goes away. Hope all goes well for you. take care.

Jessica: A lot of patients get confused about dumping syndrome and understandably so! This is the information I share with our patients: Dumping syndrome is a group of symptoms caused by rapid passage of undigested food into the small intestine. The stomach has a valve at the top and bottom of the stomach, and this serves as an acid filled storage tank which breaks food down into small parts and passes it on into the small bowel, in small increments. After gastric bypass, the food you eat passess directly into the small bowel, mixed only with saliva, but not the stomach acid. The undigested food remains fairly intact and the pieces large. The small intestine responds to this by diluting the ingested food with water. The richer the food in terms of sugar content, the more water will rush into the small intestine to dilute it. This is called EARLY DUMPING. Early dumping occurs a few minutes to 45 minutes after eating. Symptoms of early dumping can be any of the following: weakness and fainting, sweating, irregular and rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, flushing of the skin, dizziness, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea and cramps. LATE DUMPING occurs 2-3 hours after eating. It is caused by excess insulin produced in response to rapid entry of foods and fluid into the small intestine. The high insulin levels lower the blood glucose (blood sugar) level and cause the following symptoms: Perspiration, hunger, shakiness, anxiety, difficulty in concentration,exhaustion, faintness You can prevent early and late dumping by avoiding the foods that cause dumping. Sugars, starches and fried foods. Eat evenly spaced small small meals, no drinking fluids while eating or for 60-90 minutes after eating. To treat early dumping, lie down for 45 minutes or until symptoms pass to minimize the chances of fainting. To treat late dumping, drink fruit juice until the symptoms resolve. Early dumping syndrome usually occurs for 3-4 months after surgery and late dumping syndrome can occur for an entire year or longer. This information was obtained from OAC NEWSLETTER, APril 2006, written by Dr. Michael Murr and Dr. Taghreed Almahmeed I hope this helps you to better understand dumping syndrome. Even though the effects are pretty ugly, it's a great thing for those of us who need a reminder we made a bad food choice! The information I am sharing is for the patients at our center so please check with your surgeon on their thoughts specific to their patients. Best wishes! Cathi Roskind, RN and WLS Patient The Bariatric Center at Georgetown