Has anyone had these problems as a post op?

I am farther out from surgery than you (I just had my 3 year anniversary) but I get the symptoms you described when I eat simple carbs at all (bread, pasta, etc) - any chance it is that?

I haven't had any pasta or bread for the whole time.  The closest thing I have is whole wheat saltines with tuna salad or cheese. 

How much sugar alcohol is in your protein bar that you eat for breakfast?  You could be dumping on that.  Sugar alcohols give some folks grief. Kathy

Hi, I have a problem with sugar alcohols. It gives me the delayed symptoms mostly intestinal. Check the sugar alcohols in your protein bars. Good Luck!

I'm a dumper too... BUT sugar alcs are one of the worst for me! Major diahrrea and nausea. I cannot do any SF chocolate etc because the SA get me everytime. Incidentally, they get me worse than sugar itself! best of luck! Sallykate

Thanks all for the input.  I talked extensivly on the phone with the surgeon's nurse today (they are a ways a way) and she got one of the bariatric nutritionists to talk with me to narrow down what could be going on.  She said that my diet is within all the right limits and that I could be having a problem tolerating sugar alcohols as that's the one thing they can't seem to predict as to one single number of grams for everyone to stay away from.  She also said that if that doesn't help to add the chewable fiber suppliments as fiber slows digestion so things go slower through the intestines and take longer to digest.  Since I eat little fruits or veggies and mostly protein, she thinks this could help.  She also said that some people just have a propensity to have dumping...some early...some late and the two sometimes have different symptoms.  Because it can lead to dehydration and an aversion to eating she said that if it doesn't resolve they have two medications that they use for chronic dumpers.  I guess there are sets of criteria to determine what chronic dumping is.  She is going to mail some literature out.  Seems simple (just dumping....not SERIOUS), but seem complicated to, but I am so glad to have some things to try.   Thanks again for giving me suggestions and letting me know I am not alone.  I would be happy to come back to let you know how it turns out! Rachael

I am three months post op and have dumped twice.  The first time was after eating sugar free peanut butter.  Too much fat.  The second time I had not eaten for about five hours.  I came in from a long walk and took two vitamins with a few sips of water.  It was a horrible experience.  Sweating, palpitations, dizziness and diarrhea.  The vitamins were recommended by the dietician during my pre-op visit.  The brand is Opitsource - they are "specially formulated for use after bariatric surgery".  But guess what - the #1 ingredient is sugar.   Some protein bars can be really high in fat, so that may be the culprit.   Dumping was one of the reasons I selected RNY surgery.  While a horrible experience when it happens, it has served as a real deterent for me as I am a total sugar junkie. TDH DOS 12/13/2006 289/237 5'5''

I am sorry that you are going through this. I would read the label carefully on the protein bar and look for hidden sugars. The ones ending in "...tol". Sorbitol, etc. Try changing to an egg with cheese or change protein bars. I use protein shakes by vitalady.com. Hope this helps! Dianne

Hi Rachael,

I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. Believe me!

Most doctor's are just (pardon me - I mean this in the most loving way) ignorant of what's going on. I don't know about you, but I WISH this was dumping syndrome! Like you, I hadn't had one piece of candy in years.

Nesidioblastosi**** me out of the blue. It's wreak a lot of havoc in my life however, like everything else - I'll get through this and so will everyone else!

The most frustrating part is the lack of knowledge and understanding by both specialists and bariatric friends. I had at least a handful of them try to tell me that I HAD to be eating refined sugar because there was no other explanation.

Once it became clear and verifiable that I wasn't eating crap, many of them just stopped staying in contact. Why? I think that they are scared. I think that we bariatric patients want to believe that if we do all of the right things, nothing bad (or seriously bad) will happen to us.

Well you know what? Bad stuff does happen to good people . That's historically proven. I don't regret my surgery - I think to do so would be hypocritical. Having surgery was a risk - I thought that all of the odds were in my favor - some were, some - I'm founding out - aren't.

One thing tho - I know that what I'm going through (and a handful of others) - we will be more data for doctor's to pour through and better understand as the field of bariatric surgery grows. Pioneers - that's what we are .

Kristina

P.S. Email me at [email protected] if you need to chat - OH is working on setting us up our own forum.