Question:
Has anyone ever experienced dumping syndrom 'before' surgery?

I have experienced {on occasion} the exact description to a Tee of dumping and I have 'not' had surgery yet. I never knew it had a name I always refered to it as 'my episodes'. I can't say if they happen after I have eaten sugar or not. It usually, but not always, happens to me at night after I go to bed. In fact it wakes me up and then I'm in the restroom 'FOREVER' all the while feeling so weak I can barley speak, I'm sweating, have severe cramping and gurguling in my abdomen. And it ALWAYS is accompanied w/ horrible diarhea episodes. Sometimes it lasts 30 min to an hour and sometimes after going back to bed I'm back in the bathroom again 15 to 20 min later. Has anyone experienced these symptoms PRE-op. I'm worried if I do this now 'before' surgery, will I experience this even worse 'after' surgery?? Any and all responses will be greatlty appreciated.    — renee617 (posted on April 14, 2001)

April 13, 2001
Renee, it sounds like you are lactose intolerant. The symptoms you describe are consistent with that. Your stomach hurts, you get sweats (sometimes you feel really hot then really cold), diarrhea, and then diarrhea some more! This can happen right after you have something with lactose in it (milk, cheese, ice cream etc.) OR more importantly, like in your case, it can happen later on (which makes the intolerance harder to detect. I am lactose intolerant. If I eat ice cream at 1pm for instance, I'm fine. But that ice cream is sitting in my stomach and not digesting. When I eat dinner, even if it is lactose free, whatever I eat for dinner mixes with that ice cream and 1-2 hours later (or immediately) I have the same symptoms you described. Try buying Lactaid pills from the store and taking one before each meal (it can't hurt you if you're not lactose intolerant). You may want to take 2 pills before each meal. Read the bottle for instructions. I hope this helps!
   — Kimberly L.

April 13, 2001
Sounds like IBS, Irritible Bowel Syndrome. I get the same thing from a variety of foods. Mainly for me its tomatoe products. My favorite Italian resturant kills me but the food is so good, I only eat there every so often. If I am stressed out badly this will do it also. Caffeine is a culprit. I can go months without an episode or just have mild ones. Those intense ones are no fun. Mine can be so intense that I am weak as a kitten for about 4 hours. There is a ton of info on the net for IBS. They now have meds which can help it. I hope that once I am postop it will dissappear.
   — Crystal B.

April 14, 2001
Your symptoms describe to a T, my irritable bowel syndrome that I also referred to as episodes. They were almost always at night, and often on the weekends, though not necessarily. I discovered that it was caused mainly by excessively fatty meals. On 2 separate vacations to Cape Cod, I had the problem at night and realized I'd had N.E. Clam Chowder and fried fish or lobster with butter. While this is also suposed to be triggered by caffeine, or spicy foods, I seem to only be troubled by fatty foods. I'm only 19 days post op, but have had no problems with my IBS, which could be directly related to a dramatically lower fat intake. I would suggest you think back on your meals when you have an episode and see if you've injested a higher amount of fat, caffeine, or spicy foods than usual. By the way, my surgeon said that due to IBS, I was not a good candidate for BPD/DS, and therefore had the RNY gastric bypass.
   — danirat

April 14, 2001
I am pre-op and have exactly what you are describing. I have IBS and am not lactose intolerant. Mine is sensitive to certain foods like greasy pizza or greasy ribs. The high fat content seems to be the culprit. When it happens, remember what you ate last and you will soon discover what the guilty food is. Good luck.
   — Cheri M.

April 14, 2001
I had something similiar to this preop. When I went to my first consulation for WLS surgery I told this to the surgeon. He asked if I had my gallbadder removed. I had. He said that what I could be experiencing is a somewhat more mild case of dumping. When I did have my gallbladder removed that surgeon never told me that is what could happen!! Now that I am post op WLS, I am of course more careful of what I eat, and have only once had a dumping experience.
   — Karen A.

April 14, 2001
Well you have several options to explore with your dr. You didn't mention whether you had your gallbladder out yet. But I experience all the symptoms of dumping except diarrhea. I get nauseous, fever, pain, cramping, charley horses in my lower rib area that squeeze the breath out of me, constipation, etc. But I have a diseased gallbladder that is full of stones so it isn't functioning properly. All these messages should give you a few hints to check out with your dr. By the way, a heating pad helps my symptoms lessen. Good luck,
   — Pamela W.

April 15, 2001
I sometimes suffer EXACTLY the same symptoms you described and it almost always occurs with me at night time, too. I get the sudden diarrhea's and while in the process I get the sweats, chills, cramps, nausea and horrible weakness. During several episodes I actually had to lay on the bathroom floor until the dizziness went away and some of my strength returned. I cannot attribute it to lactose as I drink milk every day and this only happens to me occassionally. I, too, thought it might be a "dumping"-like episode, and wondered if it could be from ingesting too much sugar. I also wondered if it could be a warning sign of approaching type II diabetes (can anyone give information on that?). I have never approached my doctor with it because it doesn't happen but once every other month or so and I absolutely loathe going to the doctor. I always get treated like everything wrong with me is due to my weight (and I'm sure 75% of it is - but who wants to face the issue day after day). Anyway, I avoid doctors like the plague, but often wonder if it could be the onset of diabetes. I have always had low-range blood pressure and assumed that the bowel irritation caused my blood pressure to drop resulting in the dizziness & weakness. I do hope that this is a problem that will go away after WLS (I am also pre-op). THANK YOU for your post as it is nice to know that I'm not alone in my "episodes"!!
   — Laura B.