NEVER 2 LATE 4 YOUR 1ST DUMPING EPISODE!!!

 TRUE CONFESSION:
I'm 6 1/2 yrs post-op RNY & holding steady for about 5 years as a size 8 AND I'd never experienced the dreaded "dumping" syndrome.

Reading descriptions of the experience on my surgeon's message board put the fear of dumping into me big time! So I never played the cat-and-mouse game of seeing what I might be able to "get away with," in food & beverage choices.

Two nights ago, however, I was taken down by a full-blown dumping episode; AND, it wasn't from eating "forbidden" foods! It snuck up on me like an army of NINJA. 

What I realized as the episode began was that the fruit salad I'd made with fresh-but-over-ripe kiwi & bananas, had made portion control hard for me to gauge; that I'd probably eaten the equivalent of 1 kiwi+ 1 banana; and the level of fructose, possibly fermented!, was more than my intestinal tract could manage.

My heart was racing, my head was fizzy, I felt dizzy, I found myself panting, gas cramps followed, I staggered upstairs to where my husband was dead asleep, yelling his name in what sounded to my ears as slurred speech. If I'd been in public, I think most folks would've thought I was falling-down-drunk.

I tried lying down. Bad Idea.
I tried standing bent over our bed. Another Bad Idea.
Something told me my only hope was to walk it off, hanging onto Jim's arm. For 30 min. I walked around our upstairs until I was able to support myself with my sturdy walking stick.
Jim went downstairs & came up with a 32 oz. bottle of filtered water with sugar-free Propel lemon powder diluted 50%. I started drinking the water through a straw & walking.

I asked Jim to go  online to OBESITY HELP to see what they said to do for dumping & was told nothing was gonna get better til things got through my small intestines. So I figured the walking & water would force the issuel

It did & I fell into bed at midnight, propped up on my back - about 100 min. after it began. It wasn't over, but it was at a level where my fatigue could overpower everything else & I fell asleep.

So what have I learned?

I have to be as careful around fresh fruit salads as any salad bar or buffet banquet. Fructose is sugar. My intestinal tract did not deduct calories for fructose vs. high fructose corn syrup.

It has been an exhausting, frightening and educational experience. Sunday, I felt like a limp dishrag.  Jim & I took a walk through the Chattahoochee Nature Center to enjoy our first gloriously sunny day in weeks; but I was walking slowly and still feeling mentally fuzzy.  Today, I felt normal.

My hope is that by sharing it with you, I can prevent some other long-time post-op from going through the dreaded dumping syndrome!

Blessings,
Lauralyn

You poor dear!  I tell you what- I am only 4 months out and dump often...not quite as drastic as yours - have had that kind maybe 3 times...and never from eating something labeled "bad"  I too dumped on a banana and have not had nerve to try one again yet.  Eggs was another.  And tuna!  It stinks and also, even the "mini dumps" as I call them take EVERYTHING out of you.  I am exhausted once my body is done purging what should not be there.  You have been initiated!!  :)

Also...  GOOD JOB seems too small to say---awesome on staying a size 8 (my goal mind you!!) for 5 years.  You are an inspiration to me!!  Keep it up! 

Dear Sandra,
Thank you for your caring words!
I'm concerned about the frequency of dumping episodes you describe. Does your surgeon know?
Also, as I was taught it, dumping isn't the same as putting too much unchewed food in one's pouch and needing to upchuck it out. I went thru that A LOT in the 2nd-3rd months. I'd chew and chew and chew...Finally, I convinced my doc's nurse that it wasn't for lack of proper chewing that even a small half a tunasalad sandwich was getting stuck. They scheduled an endoscopy which revealed my stoma had scarred over & needed to be stretched open. It was quick & painless and only had to be done once.
On my profile, you'll find my stories about how I've beaten the odds in not regaining the weight!
I'm here to show others how to overcome a lifetime of self-sabotage!
stay in touch!

Hi Lauralyn,

Yuck, how horrible!!!  I am glad you survived that episode.  I am only out a short-time.  4 weeks tomorrow and also have had the fear of dumping instilled in me.

I wanted to thank you very much for sharing your experience.  It only re-inforces my fear which is a great thing.

You take care of yourself.
Geoff

 Welcome to the "other side" of WLS, Geoff! The reason RNY has been the gold stqndard of bariatric surgery is that the physiological changes in the first year CAN (if patients follow instructions) permanently change your taste buds and food preferences.
I am living proof of that.
I was a CARB ADDICT who absolutely could not imagine breakfast without a big bagel with "a schmear" of cream cheese +; a cheese danish; a Starbuck's scone; a giant muffin, etc. I craved bakery breads and pasta.

By following the RNY nutrition protocols, I lost my taste for starch! I went for protein FOOD (not liquid drinks) that quickly filled my pouch, some fresh veggies, a bit of fresh fruit.

I never had much of a sweet tooth, but I also diluted sugar-free flavorings for my water by 50% so the water wasn't so sweet.

The statement that, after a while, "You can eat whatever you want, just less of it" is a dangerous falsehood. The appetites that got us obese need to change.

I truly enjoy the food I eat; and, if I want to taste something out of sheer curiosity I do so. A taste has never triggered a craving for me. It's nice to be around food as a non-addict. To see & smell delicious foods and not have an immediate and urgent yearning for them.

All that is possible if one learns how to prepare the right foods and how to eat them in a way that is enjoyable.

That said, NO ONE who has a history of chronic obesity is capable of making all these behavioral changes on their own; self-sabotage is inevitable. We all need a coach/counselor to accompany us until the new behaviors and food preferences become natural, second nature to us.

All the best, Geoff. Please let me know if I can be of any further support!

Thank you so much for the info.  I sure hope I can acheive what you have.  How remarkable you are!!!

Congratulations!!!

Yes, the Dr knows.  He tells me in 6 months from now I won't remember that (ya right!!  I told him he was nuts)  I had my gallbladder out about 7 weeks after my bypass so my body is behind - or was at least - what most would have been at 7 weeks out so I had to play catch up.  I not only had to recover and have my body learn how to function on the bypass change but then it had to learn how to work with no gallbladder...I am lucky I did not explode LOL!  I chew and rarely bring things UP anymore, but why I called it mini dumps is I think I have that ONE bite too many - mind you I seriously only eat about 3 bites of food - and  I sweat, shake, feel bad and have to lay down (laying down helps me) and when it is a real dump I usually have the runs in a bit.  It is OK...I am fine. :)  I will read your stories on keeping it all of because that is totally my goal..I do not want to be one who gains a lot back!  

Sandra, that absolutely sounds like dumping to me! What, exactly, are you eating when you have the "one bite too many?"
Have you noticed any patterns to it?

So sorry to hear about your dumping episode - and I'm sure you're glad now you never did 'test the waters' to see what would happen!! I have also dumped on things that I thought were safe so I know now to really watch and read everything. I dumped on frozen pineapple once that I put into a protein shake - OMG it was horrible, and I honestly never thought pineapple would do that to me but it does, so now I use sf pineapple syrup.

Not much you can do to get thru dumping other than what you did - laying down and curling up in a fetal position always worked for me, but we're all different.

Here's hoping you never dump again!!

Dear Ditt,
Many thanks for your kind words.
And congratulations on your excellent weight loss! I see you're almost to goal weight and only 18months out. That was me, too.
How has your life changed, living in your lighter body??