Question:
What exactly is DUMPING? A reaction to sugar, or throwing up in general??

My surgeon and dietition told me that dumping is a reaction to sugar. When my body gets the un-broken down sugar, it produces more insulin, and I get a hypoglycemic reaction. Is this the official dumping? I see alot of people post that dumping is throwing up foods like meat and mayo, but that wouldn't be a sugar reaction. I would like to ask what we are supposted to dump on. Will all carbs make us dump? Or just simple sugar carbs? I would like to eat some potatoes, or mac n cheese, but I'm not sure if they will make me dump.    — Jennifer W. (posted on December 5, 2002)

December 5, 2002
Your surgeon and dietician are right. Dumping is caused by sugar, not by eating too much. It's not just throwing up. It's a physiologic reaction to the sugar. First your intestines suck water out of your body to help digest the sugar. Then your pancreas 'senses' that load of sugar and pumps out extra insulin to take care of the sugar. Since it usually puts out more insulin than you need to take care of the sugar, your blood sugar gets too low and that will cause the shaking, sweating and other typical symptoms of low blood sugar. Usually dumping is caused just by refined sugars, not by sugars occurring naturally in foods, like lactose in milk, or fructose in sugar. It's a very common misconception that people 'dump' on too much food or on food not chewed well enough or anything else that might cause them to vomit.
   — garw

December 5, 2002
Hea Gar!! Someone else that knows what dumping is. I will add that he really ment "like fructose in FRUIT (not sugar)"!! I will tell you that I have a hard time with the sugar in milk, I do get mild dumping like symptoms more of a lactose intolerance I think I have developed. And no, lots of times you do not throw up from dumping, as the reaction occurs after the food has already passed the stomach, so there is nothing to throw up!! You just wish you could throw up so you would feel better. The one thing that my surgeon explained, is that there is also a "rush" of fluid into the bowel where the offending food is, causing a few other things then just the insulin reaction. it can cause a decrease in blood pressure from the fluid shift, and it will cause abdominal cramping and occasionally accompanying diarrhea. Dumping is not caused by fatty foods, but you can get similar symptoms, such as abdominal cramping and diarrhea (most of which is caused becasue we do not absorb it any more). AND.... stuck food is just that, stuck food, that is not dumping either. So, AVOID DUMPING AT ALL COSTS!! (actually avoid too much fat and getting food stuck too, none of it is any fun!!!)
   — Vicki L.

December 5, 2002
I've heard this question alot from people - my surgeon told me that if I over-ate and it caused diarrhea, that was dumping. Not vomiting from a bite too much (I've only done that twice), but cramping and diarrhea. I haven't had "sugar" dumping because I watch my sugar content closely (I've not been brave enough to test fruit yet) - but I have had those dumping symptoms from natural sugars/carbs in milk and potatoes - and a friend of mine has trouble with the high carb content in beans. Personally, whatever the "correct" definition of dumping is...anything that causes similar symptoms sending me running to the bathroom is enough I don't try it again! You have to weigh your options and find out what foods work for you and which do not. There seems to be a lot of variety in tolerance even among patients with the same doctor and same surgery.
   — Mendi M.

December 12, 2002
thanks for all your answers, thats what I thought it was... love, jenny
   — Jennifer W.