Question:
Dumping

Can someone please explain in detail, as gross as it may be, what exactly is dumping? I'm not 100% as to what it is. Is it pain? Is it a weird bowel that comes out of you? My surgery is next month. Ruthie    — Ruth M. (posted on January 16, 2009)

January 16, 2009
Here's a pretty straightforward definition from wikipedia: Gastric dumping syndrome, or rapid gastric emptying, happens when the lower end of the small intestine, the jejunum, fills too quickly with undigested food from the stomach. "Early" dumping begins during or right after a meal. Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, dizziness and fatigue. "Late" dumping happens 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms of late dumping include weakness, sweating, and dizziness. Many people have both types. The syndrome is most often associated with gastric surgery. It is speculated that "early" dumping is associated with difficulty digesting fats while "late" dumping is associated with carbohydrates.[citation needed] Rapid loading of the small intestine with hypertonic stomach contents can lead to rapid entry of water into the intestinal lumen. Osmotic diarrhea, distension of the small bowel (leading to crampy abdominal pain), and hypovolemia can result. In addition, people with this syndrome often suffer from low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, because the rapid "dumping" of food triggers the pancreas to release excessive amounts of insulin into the bloodstream. This type of hypoglycemia is referred to as "alimentary hypoglycemia". I haven't had my RNY surgery yet but from what I've read here and other places you can avoid the obvious sugars but you may still have dumping syndrome from consuming too much fat or excessive carbohydrates. It sounds like it's a trial and error learning experience with different foods till you figure out what can trigger this unpleasant side effect. Hope this info helps.
   — Arkin10

January 16, 2009
Oops....meant to wish you good luck on your upcoming surgery too! Save me a seat on the loser's bench!
   — Arkin10

January 16, 2009
It's not gross really, it's awful though my mouth starts watering and I get shakey and dizzy I start sliming sometimes( mouth gets all slimey -comes from the throat)sometimes I throw up sometimes I don't but I always get really tired afterwards. Not fun at all.Usually it's from sweets, sometimes it happens to me from eating icecream it depends, sometimes it's from something that doesn't usually cause dumping.I think it's your body's way of keeping you from eating things you aren't supposed to after surgery. Good Luck to you it is worth it.I didn't lose a whole lot but what I did lose made me feel a ton better. God Bless you in your journey.
   — sunnie

January 16, 2009
That's it! It's quite easy to avoid dumping by avoiding sugar...However lactose is milk sugar and I cannot drink milk at all or whey (unless it is a high quality isolate)..Unfortunately for me though many Whey isolate protein powders are sweetened with some artificial sugars that make me dump worse than sugar or lactose combined! So sugar and fat comes in disguises too..always try new things slowly! I've not dumped on fat...but I don't vomit when I dump...I get a little twinge below my pouch and it grows into full blown pain that will have me in fetal position for two hours at times...I usually fall asleep after the first hour from shock! (I'm kidding)...and when I wake it's gone or I am gassy until the next bowel movement! It's HORRIBLE! I avoid dumping by listening to my pouch...but sometimes it just happens on something that didn't bother me the day before!...I get a little warning if I am pushing the limits...and if I ignore that "YOU'RE DONE" feeling and take even ONE more bite...That's it...I 'm doomed...and what's worse my dumping happens after the food is out of my pouch and throwing it up to help, is too late....and I cannot do anything but wait til it runs it's course! Sometimes I am lucky and it lasts 20 minutes or it'a a false alarm for about 5 minutes...Other times...2 hours and I am useless! This does not happen to me often...Once it happens to you...you won't want it to happen again either! LOL My husband usuually can tell immediately by the dialated eyes and "OMIGOD" look on my face and makes me a place on th couch!
   — .Anita R.

January 16, 2009
i basically agree with everyone's answers, but you can dump without cramping, diarrhea or tossing your cookies. if you are eating and your nose starts to run, you have tripped the vagus nerve, which tells you, slow down, you are eating too fast. If you start to sweat, i mean rivers of water in your hair, down your neck, then you are taking in more than the 3 grams sugar you are allowed, accompany the sweating with a pounding heart and then you are in the middle of a dumping episode. Most post ops are told, the best you can do is lay down for at least 30 minutes. Some even have to sleep it off. I have been soooooooo fortunate not to have dumped once, but if eating a stew with more juice than is good for me, i get the runny nose, slow back down to 1 bite every 5-10 minutes, and all is well. its a learning curve you have to experience first hand to understand it. good luck and welcome to the losing side, hang on to your bootstraps cause you are in for the ride of your life. Cindi M.D. retired -230#
   — DollyDoodles

January 16, 2009
Hi Ruthie, I get a similar experience to dumping, just not as expreme as some. It has happened many times since my surgery in November. Sometimes I eat something I have ate many times before and this time, I have the dumping experience. I had a grilled chicken salad, only ate a little chicken and a few bits of lettuce and I was sick. It could have been the fat or sugar in the dressing. But I ate such a small amount. I get very warm, nauseated, dizzy or light headed, feeling weak, have had a the heart racing experience but not every time. I have never vomited with the dumping, far that I am greatful. The entire experience usually passes in 15 - 20 minutes. Makes it difficult when I go out to eat, the not knowing if it will happen today. I also feel bad for those sharing the dinner with me. It takes the fun out of going out to eat. I have tried to journal my foods and see if there is any pattern or triggers, but for now it seems very random. Best of luck on your upcoming surgery.
   — DianeMB

January 17, 2009
Ruth, this is something that you want to avoid, at all costs. I noticed that someone said something about eating sweets and ice cream, you should avoid those things as well as you can. Try to avoid food items that are high in fat and/or sugar, also things that are high in carbs. Just do your best and only eat the things that you are supposed to eat, whenever you think that you want to try something sweet, remember what was said here about how dumping feels! I think that it should be enough to scare you out of it, as long as your realize that this is REAL!! Good luck to you with your surgery!
   — anitak