dump question

I only have a minute, but could someone please give me a few examples of dumping?  the symptons, etc. Thanks

There are different types of dumping and not everyone experiences all or even any of them. Also, my experiences might be different than those of other people, but here you go...

Classic dumping... feeling like there is churning and bubbling, followed by feeling faint, nauseous, diarreah, cold and clammy, the shakes, palpatations, intense abdominal cramping, ... you may have some or all of the symptoms. The come on very quickly, lasting about 30 minutes or so and then leave. I have only had this happen once with about a 1/4 cup of walnuts, which had never bothered me before.

Food coma ... You feel yuck, maybe nauseous and need to go lay down. After 'sleeping it off' you awake feeling better. I had this happen more often early on and it seemed to be brought on by either too much fat, sugar, or the combination of the two. Eating too much, too fast seemed to exaserbate the problem.

Intestinal disturbance... You may have abdominal cramping, followed by the immediate need to find the nearest facilities and have diarreah, then return to feeling okay. This tended to be brought on by something with too much fat and/or dairy... I either always was and didn't notice or developed a mild lactose intolerance.

Ohhh... I shouldn't have eaten that... Nauseaus, slightly uncomfortable, maybe a bit light headed. Wait 15 to 30 minutes and the feeling passes. This happens if/when I push the envelope... I can have some things in moderation, but if I pu**** I'll have this 'uneasy' feeling, not sick, but uneasy... It generally does get me to recognize that I was pushing the envelope and I stop.

Foamies ... This isn't really dumping at all. This occurs when you eat too much too fast and generally is an issue during the first few weeks and months post op. You may feel pressure or even pain in your sternum. You may feel like 'stuff' is backing up. You may actually 'throw up' and to be honest, you will usually get relief from that. It's not really vomiting in the classic sense because it never made to your stomach, but you'll 'toss' whatever you chewed and salive that has been backing up on top of it. It can be alarming and painful, soooo it's really important to take 'pea' size bites and chew them at least 30 times and then wait about 3 minutes before taking the next bite. When you really do that, you are unlikely to experience foamies, but I have to say that I have never met anyone who didn't have to learn their lesson the hard way at least once.

I hope that this is helpful and/or what you were looking for.

 

Thanks so much for this explanation!  I have read about these, but I really like the concise way you explained each one.  I am concerned about eating lunch on the job.  We have a limited amount of time to eat so I'm concerned I'll get the foamies or throw up trying to eat too quickly.  My nutritionist said NOT to "graze" throughout the day, eating little bits all day long.  She said it was best to eat 3 regular meals.  But I'm guessing that in the early stages, as your body heals and adjusts, you almost HAVE to "graze" to get all your protein in without getting the "foamies."  Is that correct?

Hi Meredith,

Each program approaches things a bit differently. With mine, we eat 5 to 6 times a day... every 3 to 4 hours. I wouldn't say a graze, but I have breakfast, then a morning snack, then lunch, then an afternoon snack, then dinner and finally I may have an evening snack. I honest probably do eat about every 3 hours or so... I also have to eat about 2000 calories a day to maintain my weight, so I have to eat that often to get the calorie count in since I can't consume very much at one sitting. All of that said, 'grazing' is a dangerous habit for us. One that can cause serious weight gain, so it is to be avoided. I would say that grazing, drinking with meals and then having high caloric density, slider foods are the things most likely to sink your 'proverbrial' boat.

To guard against the dangers of grazing, I have a couple rules.

No mindless eating. Only eat sitting down at table; no standing, no sitting in the familyroom in front of the TV, etc... In other words, no 'mindless' eating, because you can consume too much, too fast that way. You also may not be aware of what and how much you are consuming when eating mindlessly. So be 'present' when you eat.

Eat DENSE protien first! Followed by COMPLEX carbs... simple carbs and fats come once the good stuff is in... That allowed me to thoroughly and without guilt, enjoy Thanksgiving and just about anything else, because to be honest once I've had my 2 to 3 ounces of dense protien and some comlex carbs, there just isn't too much room for much 'damage.'

Soooo... To answer you question, it will probably feel like grazing when you first start, because you can't get too much in at one time, which is why I eat about every 3 or 4 hours. But this isn't won't 'grazing' in the negative term, if you sit down and eat thoughtfully...meaning that you pay attention to what you are doing. You will fill up with the dense protien pretty quickly, and in the early stages, you may not get past the protien to anything else at all. That's okay. With time, the pouch heals and as the swelling goes down, you'll be able to consume enough to get in the protien and the complex carbs that will help you have the balanced, diverse diet necessary for good health. Grazing, in the negative term, is when you eat a little bit and then 20 minutes, or an hour later eat a little more and so on... This can get you into trouble because you can amass more calories overtime than if you eat 'meals'.

You can assume that it will take you about 20 to 30 minutes to eat an incredibly small meal at first. This is the same amount of time that most people allot to a 'normal' mealtime, so don't worry. You can do it. Just be sure that as you take each bite you cut up your protien into pea, bean or eraser size pieces and to chew it about 30 times. Then wait about 2 or 3 minutes before starting the next bite. This slow pace will keep you from developing the dreaded foamies... I only had a problem with them when I didn't follow this protocol.

 

I re-read my nutritionist's book Life After Gastric Bypass and it said that I will, at first, have to eat little by little throughout the day to get in all the protein I need, but after 3 to 6 months I should try to transition to 3 regular meals a day.

Thanks so much Barbara, that was very helpful...just trying to learn things I will need to know...I hope You had a good Thanksgiving...

Barbara,
This was a great explanation of "dumping".  Everyone has their own take on the word and you gave all senarios! Thank God I have only experienced the "foaming". That was bad enough to cause me to do as you do, NO mindless eating. I have to stay aware of my chewing and bite sizes. I am still using my baby spoon and I am almost two months out. LOL. You'd think I would have it down by now. BTW, it grosses me out to see my family eat. The size of the bites they take are the size of my meal! LOL
Thanks again!
Jane