Fat does NOT cause dumping and not all digestive upset is dumping

This has come up a BUNCH of times in different posts this week.  Admittedly, I am feeling a little cranky this week from the kidney stones, but this idea seems to be one that just will not die (along with things like soda stretching your pouch), so hopefully I can help clear things up. Too much fat make make you feel ill, but fat does not cause dumping, and not every episode of pouch/intestinal upset is dumping.

Dumping syndrome is a very specific physiological reaction -- racing heart, flushing, dizziness/lightheadedness, nausea, abdominal cramping, and sometimes diarrhea -- to too much unprocessed sugar (or, sometimes carbs, which are sugars) in the lower intestine.  Your lower intestine expects the sugar to have been partially processed by the portion of the intestine that we have bypassed, and when there is too much of the unprocessed sugar, you get the symptoms of dumping as the body reacts.  Foods and drinks that do not contain a large amount of sugar (or carbs) cannot cause dumping.  They might make you sick, but it is not dumping.

Fat does not cause dumping.  It may make you feel absolutely terrible and can produce serious cramping and diarrhea, but it is not technically dumping.  Many people (like me) are more sensitive to fat than sugar (but my sensitivity to fat does not make me a "dumper").

It is also not dumping just because a particular food does not agree with you.  Lots of people, for example, have trouble eating eggs early out, but eggs don't cause dumping.  They just cause you to get sick.  Dumping does not produce vomiting, BTW, because the reaction happens after the food is in the intestine (beyond the point where you have the ability to throw it up).

I know, many of you are wondering why this bothers me so much.  If so, just ignore it and move on to another post.  When you have been here for 6 years and seen several hundred posts about people dumping from fat and from foods with no sugar, you will understand.

Lora

Thank you! 
I am on a few WLS pages on facebook and that is all I see....dumped on eggs, dumped with fried something-or-other, dumped, dumped, dumped.  So many reaffirm the comments, as well.  I had one girl post something from a site that told about dumping from fats, too. 
It does get tiring to see the same things over and over.  I'm only 7 months out...God bless you!  lol

Janet

P.S.  Sorry you are having such a time with the stones. 

Hope you have a good day. Feels good to de- stress

So, don't hate me for asking this, but can people dump on sugar alcohols?

Again, technically, it isn't dumping, but the reaction to those can be WORSE than sugar!  I personally have a terrible reaction to maltitol (but seem to be able to handle others better). If I have a choice between something with sugar and something with maltitol, I take sugar and the calories.

Lora

edited to add: trivia tidbit for the day: sorbitol and potassium nitrate allegedly combine to form rocket fuel.

I have issues with most of the "tols" if I eat too many of them. Hey I thought most of the sugar alcohols had just as many calories as regular sugar? Maybe it's less I can't remember. This is all great information.

I remember when Olestra/Olean first came out and I ate literally one serving of chips and a couple hours later I thought I was having a baby. I almost had my wife call 911 I was in so much pain for 4 hours. You could feel the "contractions" coming on. It was a miserable night. In recent years I have been able to eat them without too much of an issue, but I wonder how they will affect me now with RNY?

Aahhhh... That explains it. I had a bad reaction two days ago and I said to myself, it can't be dumping, it's sugar free! I just went and checked. It has malitol syrup, and to top it off, it says on the package that it may have a laxative effect. See, should've read that first.

My DH offered me a couple of his SF wafers he was having while watching a game ... knowing better (from previous reactions) I still had them while we chatted and oh my goodness ... the cramping and churning and urge that I experienced was so horrible and intense I was doubled over in pain ..AND I get itching and a rash too... even before surgery I had  bad reactions to sugar alcohols .. I remember a couple handfuls of SF jelly beans prior to surgery and I almost embarrassed myself at a staff meeting ... again cramping and itching so bad I never touched SF jelly beans again ... to think I used to pick out all the grape and the green ones the regular ones that is...YIKES... and no it is not dumping ... it is just an adverse reaction to sugar alcohols... 

Excellent! Hmmm, that should be a sticky post too. Maybe OH should have a dictionary of Terms, but.... that would require people to go look.

Thank you, thank you, thank you - I just can't anymore ...  

If you are not feeling like you are dying, and would gratefully accept it, you are probably NOT dumping!   You certainly will not be posting about it here at the time!!!!!!