Question:
What is dumping?

I have been reading profiles, questions, message board and the chat room. Everyone is talking about "DUMPING". What is it, what causes it and does everyone do it? Thanks for your help!    — Tiffany S. (posted on July 5, 2002)

July 5, 2002
I have not had my surgery yet (open rny 8-6-02), but I do know that it varies for everyone. You may want to try the library, or when you post a question it shows many categories to choose from, you may get more information that way. Good Luck!
   — Dana B.

July 5, 2002
Dumping comes from eating refined sugar and sometimes too much natural sugar like in fruit. The reason that it is called dumping is that the sugar is no longer processed and is DUMPED into the lower intestine and causes the pancreas to excrete too much insulin giving you a flu-like episode. For me I got very light headed, sweaty and felt like garbage. It happened twice in almost 2 years. The first time was from drinking orange juice. The second was when I had company over for dinner and thier daughter brought some little treat things that she had made. Her mother assured me that there wasn't any sugar in them. That is when I realized that people think that if they didn't pour a cup of SUGAR into something, that it is sugar free. Come to find out these things had SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK in them. She said "there isn't any sugar in that, is there?". I about died as I excused myself and crawled off to bed!
   — livnliter

July 5, 2002
I have dumped 4 times since surgery and it is nothing less than AWFUL! I have a super sensitive dumping trigger...which may not be such a bad thing. It certainly keeps me far away from sugar! However, I also dumped from an egg at a breakfast restaurant. It must have been the butter or whatever it was they cooked it in. Just the other day I dumped on a Decaf, Fat Free Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla syrup from Starbucks (I even watched the girl make it because I an so paranoid). I have no idea what did it, but it was definately the drink becuase I hadn't had anything to eat in a few hours at that point. To sum it all up for you...Sugar OR Fat can make you dump and when it happens you will know it....so will anyone else who is with you! Personally, I get the shakes, start sweating, get very dizzy and feel sick to my stomach when it happens. Like I said...its AWFUL! Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones and never dump. Good luck.
   — pam29922

July 5, 2002
I believe there are a few different stages of dumping, mild, bad and horrible. I am 4 months post-op (-75lbs) I have dumped a few times. Things that cause dumping are pure sugars and fats. I get mild dumping from drinking milk, eating regular mayonaisse, butter or too many carbs - pretty much what happens is I feel really flushed, my heart pounds and I feel really, really tired and a little dizzy. Other than that I had a mixed drink, bad dumping, my heart raced, I got sweaty, had abdmoninal cramps and had diarrhea. It was pretty quick and I felt fine after. I've never had horrible dumping yet, don't want to either. I think every one dumps differently, everyone has different symptoms.
   — Angie B.

July 6, 2002
hello dumping occurs when you eat something too high in fat or sugar content and your body cannot digest it therefore your body "dumps" it... my body changes every few months (i'm 12 mos post op) and what i can eat one month will give me the dumps the next month the 2 feet of small intestine that are bypassed is the part of your body that processes fats/sugars and absorbs vitamins the dumping syndrome feels like (for me)...i get hot, sweaty and my heart starts pounding hard and i know i'll have to "poop" (well, sorry to be gross but its more like squirt!) very soon...sometimes it is not that extreme, just more like warm/slightly sweaty and end up with bad gas you'll learn what your body will do eventually...just stay close to a bathroom if you're trying a food high in sugar or fat! lol
   — jkb