Dumping???

I heard you get dumping syndrome with the vsg, but it's not as intense as with bypass. Is this true?

Not really. You might get diarrhea from too much sugar, but it isn't technically dumping.

And, of course, we shouldn't eat too much sugar anyway.

It's possible to dump with VSG, but tends to be exceedingly rare. Most of the time (from my 6 years on OH), when people think they're dumping, they're more likely to actually be experiencing something like reactive hypoglycemia.

I think maybe because of the moniker people associate dumping syndrome with intestinal distress. And with all weight loss surgeries there is a good chance that you'll end up with intestinal pain and diarrhea, constipation, bloating, etc., at some point(s) in time.

But true dumping doesn't necessarily have much to do with your bowels. "Dumping" actually refers to rapid gastric emptying and happens when food (mostly sugar) is "dumped" from your stomach into your small intestine. All at once.

Symptoms such as weakness, rapid heart rate, flushing, dizziness, and light headedness are evidence of dumping. Some folks also deal with bloated feelings and nausea. Dumping Syndrome is a medical event that you'll never want to repeat; fortunately only about 30% of bypass patients have to deal with it.

If you have to ask if you're experiencing dumping I can almost guarantee that you're not. You will know if it happens. Believe me, you will know.

With VSG you can get something that's just as unpleasant but not the same. I've heard it referred to as the foamies. It's incredibly painful and unpleasant. And your mouth repeatedly fills with spit. You don't have to eat anything forbidden or different. Just overeat. I've only had this occur once and never want it to occur again. Seriously painful and unpleasant experience.

Bypass patients get the "foamies" too and you're right they are miserable. Fortunately none of these things happen very often to the majority of post-ops.

The fomies are a completely different thing from dumping. All surgeries can get it. Its most prevalent in the ealy months after surgery, and as you say, it comes from over eating -- either too much in total, or eating a proper amount that isn't chewed well enough. Highly unpleasant, but very avoidable.

Most people tend to label everything unpleasant after WLS as "dumping." Dumping is one very specific medical condition. Its actually pretty rare. By comparison, every runny nose is not a cold -- runny noses are caused by many different things. It may seem like splitting hairs -- its still a runny nose -- but the precise cause matters if you are trying to treat or avoid the problem.

The same hoes for "dumping." Too much sugar causes true dumping. Anything can cause the foamies, but in the first few months anything dense, even plain protein, is the most likely culprit.

Now see my surgeon is now saying after checking my stomach that there might be scar tissue and won't be able to perform the bypass so I might have to get the sleeve but damn if I do, damn if I don't but the last thing I would want is anything that is like my morning sickness period when I'm pregnant. I hate that feeling of always having spit in your mouth. I don't want that.

As long as you follow the rules laid out by your doctor and don't eat more than your sleeve can hold, you should be able to avoid the "foamies" pretty easily.

It's no more common than dumping without any surgery at all.