Disgusting, but pls. help if you're not easily grossed-out

Hi.

today, for the 2nd time in a week, I had diarrhea and vomiting at the same time. Not easy, I assure you. Pretty bad diarrhea; the vomiting was more like that gag one gets right before throwing up, but not much coming up but clear stomach juices/saliva, about 10-15 times in a row.

All this time I was sweating profusely. It was all over in about 15 minutes, then I felt fine.

Today it was about 1 hour after eating soy crisps, which I eat all the time. Last week I had to turn the car around on my way to the train & go back home. I think I had only had water & my vitamin & calcium pill. (I usually drink a protein drink on the train.)

the rest of my eating has been going just fine...cheese, eggs, some hamburger, even a little sushi without rice..none of these meals took place remotely around when this happened.

Any ideas?? Thank you, and again, sorry so gross.

I'm sorry you aren't feeling good...I have had a similar problem in the morning.  I feel very queasy in the morning.  It is from my sinsuses draining in my stomach all night. Sometimes I have to gag the stuff up in the morning.  The doctor told me to eat a couple of crackers first thing...this does help a little.  You may need to eat before you leave for work...to make sure you have something in your stomach...good luck...let us know! Rosemary

ok  i had that last week, the docs in the e.r. said it sounds like a stomach bug and there are a few good ones going around....i work in a hospital so i go down from time to time and play can you name this illness! Drink some warm tea and see if that helps you or at least it'll give you something to gag up. ANDI

Sorry this is happening to you. I am apt to agree with the stomach bug thing . Several people have it. It is strange for this time a year, but this year has been very odd for illnesses.  I suggest that if it continues you call your doc. You don't want to dehydrate and if I remeber correctly you are a newer post-op? Again, take care and I hope that you are feeling better soon.

Yup, I'm still new at this. I wasn't thinking bug because the 2 times happened more than a week apart. If it happens again, I'm absolutely calling the doc.

I'm going to drink water, decaf tea & suck on s/f popsicles for the rest of the night.

Thanks so much.

Karen,
I wouldn't be waiting to call your doc because while we can offer you support, we can't offer you a diagnosis. You should get checked out asap to rule out anything serious.

Good luck and keep us posted!
Amy

I am with Amy, you should call your Dr though I have to say that I have learned that taking my vitamins with nothing in your tummy can really mess ya up (well for me it sure does) so I have my Archiev One and then take my vitamins. For me it sure helped, and sometimes, in the beginning it would act up for no reason. Keep us posted hun and try eating something before you take your vitamins, see if that helps some.

Also remember just because you ate something one day your new tummy might not like it the next time. I had an episode like this just last spring and I was at Disney, boy don't you think that was  the wrong place to experience this. I find to this day that what goes down good today may not go so well next time. I am over 4 years out now and I still have issues some times. But that tends to refresh earlier eating habits. Betty Jo Lap RNY 7/11/03

I do not have any ideas...would call the Dr if you do it again.  (((HUGS))) feel better  love!

Karen3 The possibilities are numerous and range from benign to perhaps QUITE SERIOUS/URGENT.

I agree w/ some others who say DO NOT WAIT FOR IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN to seek Professional Medical attention. Our support is nice but that is about it. Could as well be a mixture of things like a GI bug in that case sever risk of dehydration can happen and be quite catastrophic, or a stricture or a obstruction, DUMPING comes to mind (or severe reactive hypoglycemia) I have seen people dump on shakes, especially if whey isolates too much toofast for body to absorb, The VOMITING sounds like the SLIMES due to irritation of the esophagus either too much food, not chewed well, eaten too fast, got stuck, irritated pouch etc. Your body is signaling something is up, please consider listenting and finding root cause if possible!

 

Tell us what the surgeon says ok! info on dumping:

DUMPING SYNDROME DEFINED, EXPLAINED, AND AVOIDABLE!

 

The weight loss that is achieved through the RNY appears to be primarily dependent upon the removal of the pyloric valve, leaving the individual without a regulator of food movement into the small intestine. This results in the well-known phenomena called "dumping syndrome" which can cause an individual to feel sick or even faint. Rapid gastric emptying, or dumping syndrome, happens when the lower end of the small intestine (jejunum) fills too quickly with undigested food from the stomach. "Early" dumping begins during or right after a meal. Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, and shortness of breath.  "Late" dumping happens 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms of late dumping include weakness, sweating, and dizziness. Many people have both types. Stomach surgery is the main cause of dumping syndrome because surgery may damage the system that controls digestion. Treatment includes changes in eating habits and medication. People who have dumping syndrome need to eat several small meals a day that are low in carbohydrates and should drink liquids between meals, not with them. It is imperative to the Roux En Y or other procedural gastric bypass patient that they follow their diet plan to reduce the risk factor of Dumping Syndrome. Many people equate the term solely to be spasmodic fits of diarrhea, when that is merely one of the symptoms of a more intensified unpleasant experience. Dumping syndrome is usually divided into "early" and "late" phases - the two phases have separate physiologic causes and shall be described separately. In practical fact, a patient usually experiences a combination of these events and there is no clear-cut division between them. Early dumping is caused by the high osmolarity of simple carbohydrates in the bowel. The various types of sugar all have small molecules, so that a gram of (for example) sucrose has MANY more molecules than a gram of protein, creating a higher concentration (number of molecules per cc) from simple sugars than from other foods. This matters because, inside the body, fluid shifts will generally go toward the higher concentration of molecules. So, if a patient consumes a bite of milk chocolate (lots of sugar), when it gets to the Roux limb it will quickly "suck" a significant amount of fluid into the bowel. This rapid filling of the small bowel causes it to be stretched (which causes cramping pain). This also causes the activation of hormonal and nerve responses that cause the heart to race (palpitations) and cause the individual to become clammy and sweaty. Vomiting or diarrhea may follow as the intestine tries to quickly rid itself of this "irritant."Late dumping has to do with the blood sugar level. The small bowel is very effective in absorbing sugar, so that the rapid absorption of a relatively small amount of sugar can cause the glucose level in the blood to "spike" upward. The pancreas responds to this glucose challenge by "cranking up" its output of insulin. Unfortunately, the sugar that started the whole cycle was such a small amount that it does not sustain the increase in blood glucose, which tends to fall back down at about the time the insulin surge really gets going. These factors combine to produce hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which causes the individual to feel weak, sleepy, and profoundly fatigued. Late dumping is the mechanism by which sugar intake can create low blood sugar, and it is also a way for gastric bypass patients to get into a vicious cycle of eating. If the patient takes in sugar or a food that is closely related to sugar (simple carbohydrates like rice, pasta, potatoes) they will experience some degree of hypoglycemia in the hour or two after eating. The hypoglycemia stimulates appetite, and it's easy to see where that is going...The reason that sugar does not cause dumping in non-operated people is that the stomach, pancreas, and liver work together to prepare nutrients (or sugar) before they reach the small intestine for absorption. The stomach serves as a reservoir that releases food downstream only at a controlled rate, avoiding sudden large influxes of sugar that can occur after a Roux En Y. The released food is also mixed with stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic juice to control the chemical makeup of the stuff that goes downstream and avoid all the effects outlined above. Obviously, surgeons consider dumping syndrome to be a beneficial effect of gastric bypass - it seems to be important to provide quick and reliable negative feedback for intake of the "wrong" foods. In practice, most patients do NOT experience full-blown dumping more than once or twice. Most simply say that they have "lost their taste" for sweets. Of course, this is always a great topic to ask patients about directly, so you may want to ask about it at our support group in person, or in a support group online. It is an unpleasant side effect of this surgical procedure, experiencing it means one simple thing; you are not following your prescribed diet, and unless you do, dumping syndrome is going to become a major part of your life. Do yourself, and your body a favor and follow doctors orders, to the letter.

 

DUMPING SYNDROME DEFINED, EXPLAINED, AND AVOIDABLE!

 

The weight loss that is achieved through the RNY appears to be primarily dependent upon the removal of the pyloric valve, leaving the individual without a regulator of food movement into the small intestine. This results in the well-known phenomena called "dumping syndrome" which can cause an individual to feel sick or even faint. Rapid gastric emptying, or dumping syndrome, happens when the lower end of the small intestine (jejunum) fills too quickly with undigested food from the stomach. "Early" dumping begins during or right after a meal. Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, and shortness of breath.  "Late" dumping happens 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms of late dumping include weakness, sweating, and dizziness. Many people have both types. Stomach surgery is the main cause of dumping syndrome because surgery may damage the system that controls digestion. Treatment includes changes in eating habits and medication. People who have dumping syndrome need to eat several small meals a day that are low in carbohydrates and should drink liquids between meals, not with them. It is imperative to the Roux En Y or other procedural gastric bypass patient that they follow their diet plan to reduce the risk factor of Dumping Syndrome. Many people equate the term solely to be spasmodic fits of diarrhea, when that is merely one of the symptoms of a more intensified unpleasant experience. Dumping syndrome is usually divided into "early" and "late" phases - the two phases have separate physiologic causes and shall be described separately. In practical fact, a patient usually experiences a combination of these events and there is no clear-cut division between them. Early dumping is caused by the high osmolarity of simple carbohydrates in the bowel. The various types of sugar all have small molecules, so that a gram of (for example) sucrose has MANY more molecules than a gram of protein, creating a higher concentration (number of molecules per cc) from simple sugars than from other foods. This matters because, inside the body, fluid shifts will generally go toward the higher concentration of molecules. So, if a patient consumes a bite of milk chocolate (lots of sugar), when it gets to the Roux limb it will quickly "suck" a significant amount of fluid into the bowel. This rapid filling of the small bowel causes it to be stretched (which causes cramping pain). This also causes the activation of hormonal and nerve responses that cause the heart to race (palpitations) and cause the individual to become clammy and sweaty. Vomiting or diarrhea may follow as the intestine tries to quickly rid itself of this "irritant."Late dumping has to do with the blood sugar level. The small bowel is very effective in absorbing sugar, so that the rapid absorption of a relatively small amount of sugar can cause the glucose level in the blood to "spike" upward. The pancreas responds to this glucose challenge by "cranking up" its output of insulin. Unfortunately, the sugar that started the whole cycle was such a small amount that it does not sustain the increase in blood glucose, which tends to fall back down at about the time the insulin surge really gets going. These factors combine to produce hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which causes the individual to feel weak, sleepy, and profoundly fatigued. Late dumping is the mechanism by which sugar intake can create low blood sugar, and it is also a way for gastric bypass patients to get into a vicious cycle of eating. If the patient takes in sugar or a food that is closely related to sugar (simple carbohydrates like rice, pasta, potatoes) they will experience some degree of hypoglycemia in the hour or two after eating. The hypoglycemia stimulates appetite, and it's easy to see where that is going...The reason that sugar does not cause dumping in non-operated people is that the stomach, pancreas, and liver work together to prepare nutrients (or sugar) before they reach the small intestine for absorption. The stomach serves as a reservoir that releases food downstream only at a controlled rate, avoiding sudden large influxes of sugar that can occur after a Roux En Y. The released food is also mixed with stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic juice to control the chemical makeup of the stuff that goes downstream and avoid all the effects outlined above. Obviously, surgeons consider dumping syndrome to be a beneficial effect of gastric bypass - it seems to be important to provide quick and reliable negative feedback for intake of the "wrong" foods. In practice, most patients do NOT experience full-blown dumping more than once or twice. Most simply say that they have "lost their taste" for sweets. Of course, this is always a great topic to ask patients about directly, so you may want to ask about it at our support group in person, or in a support group online. It is an unpleasant side effect of this surgical procedure, experiencing it means one simple thing; you are not following your prescribed diet, and unless you do, dumping syndrome is going to become a major part of your life. Do yourself, and your body a favor and follow doctors orders, to the letter.