Dumping Syndrome from FAT content

Prior to beginning my program, I'd heard of dumping from sugar--though only related to RNY patients. But I was surprised at the initial seminar(and have heard it repeated since then by my nutritionist) that VSG patients can trigger dumping syndrome from both sugar and fat. That it's not as common, but that it happens.

After a search of the boards, all the threads I found were regarding Dumping Syndrome with relation to sugar. Not a lot of people have it, but some do. I get it, 15-ish% of VSG post ops get DS from sugar.

My question is: Have any of y'all experienced or have anecdotal stories about DS being triggered by fat content in food, or just from sugar?

I'm 6 weeks post op today and more or less back on the regular food. I have had no dumping issue whatsoever from any type of food. Once or twice I experienced some nausea as I was still learning what being close to full signals were but never had it come back up that way either. You learn fast and remember what that signal is. 8)

Every once in a while, the issue of dumping syndrome comes up here. I'm not sure, but I don't think VSG patients experience true dumping syndrome. If you eat something very rich with sugar/and or fat, it'll make you feel pretty sick, but true dumping syndrome is another animal altogether.

As described to me by a bariatric nurse, she saw an RNY patient eat just a nibble of something sweet. As they walked back together to their car in a parking garage, the RNY patient wa**** with dumping syndrome. She had pain, nausea, and a feeling of illness so severe, she had to actually lie down on the filthy garage floor for about 15 minutes until it passed. That's dumping syndrome. I've not heard of that happening to VSG patients.

Dumping syndrome occurs when undigested sugars/fats go undigested through the stomach pouch straight into the small intestine. The intestine is not equipped to handle sugars and fats in their undigested forms and will forcibly and quickly remove the irritants through and out of the body, causing the symptoms I described. 

VSG patients have an intact, though small, stomach and a pyloric valve (which RNY patients do not). Food, including sugar and fats in small quantities, is digested normally in the sleeve before it passes through the pyloric valve into the small intestine. No dumping.

psychoticparrot

Fats can make RNY or VSGers pretty sick, but it is not dumping. Dumping can only happen with sugar. It is a very specific medical condition. As in, a runny nose might be a cold, the flu, or an allergy. They are caused by different things, but the symptoms may be similar.

Every gastric upset is not dumping. It's just become a catchall phrase in the WLS community.

In my experience, surgeons' seminars (I went to three) tend to pull data, supplement needs, and patient experiences from RNY and apply to VSG, sometimes accurately and sometimes not. 

Dumping syndrome is caused when too much sugar is "dumped" too quickly into the small intestine.  This causes blood sugar to soar and in turn triggers a flood of insulin to deal with the sugar.  Symptoms of dumping syndrome occur when the insulin does its job too quickly - blood sugar drops very quickly, creating sweats, shakes, and sometimes other symptoms.  Dumping syndrome can (rarely****ur in non-surgical people, and as a VSG patient, I have occasionally experienced sweats/shakes an hour or so after eating too much sugar.  I assume this is because I normally eat so low on the GI scale that the occasional hit of sugar is quite a shock to my system, LOL!

I have heard anecdotal stories from people who claim to experience dumping syndrome from eating too much fat, and I'm loathe to dismiss anyone's personal experiences.  But I have to wonder if it's actually dumping syndrome, since fats are metabolized so much more slowly than sugars and don't trigger an insulin flood.

Real dumping comes with too much sugar or simple carbs. 

But fat can cause what I call " fat flashing". It is also unpleasant - nausea, may be cramping, BG attack, or liver pain, and severe runs..  Some fat can cause that I.e processed fats.. Oils...  I can eat 1/2 stick of real butter (with food) But I can get reaction to fried foods .  

Btw- I don't avoid fats - but I do avoid comercially fried foods.... ...the oils they use can make a number on my guts.. 

During the first year after surgery - and even now, if I eat anything with high sugar, about an hour to an hour and a half later, I shake, get terrible stomach cramps and anything in my stomach comes out the other end and it's ugly.  Call if what you like - but don't tell me it doesn't exist. Now that I am further out, on the advice of my nutritionist, i eat something not sugary first - and that slows down the digestion and the ugly consequences don't happen.  Once or twice early out I reacted poorly to high fat foods, but as my stomach healed, that went away.

I'm 2.5 years post op and I haven't had any problem with dumping.  I do try to eat sweets in moderation, ie I eat dense protein first, so I usually will only have 1/3 to 1/2 of a desert at one sitting.  I try not to pu****  But my sleeve seems quite durable.  I've never had any problem with fats, and I sometimes have a lot of butter on my occasional bread.

Did I mention, I love my sleeve! 

Carol

I think what you describe is probably another medical term that hasn't been named yet, probably because it happens so infrequently to vsg'rs, so they probably decided to just lump it in with dumping, which can be confusing because it isn't dumping in the classic sense.

I haven't had any symptoms so far, from too much sugar. I really try to keep on top of it because I'm diabetic. Too much fat?, I'm not too sure. My stomach does get a little picky & I'll get a case of the runs (sorry tmi) but I haven't locked down where its coming from. Usually when I change up my routine, it'll act up.

Ohmy I surely do have some stories to tell..!

With sugar dumping, I once had the huge error of being only two months post op and eating two small oreos..! They instantly they knocked me down, and I had to wait for 15 minutes to pass haha Still 2 months post op, I asked for my favorite chocolate frappuccino (which I used to drink before surgery) and within two sips I was already feeling so bad..

With fat foods it tends to happen to me when I consume flour foods or certain junkfoods, that make me feel nauseated and exhausted two minutes after I've consumed them.. What I've learned: don't even bother to eat them because you will regret it instantly, so not worth it!