Question:
I am not sure if I just dumped, or if it was something else...

Ok, first of all I want to appologize for the nature of this question... Tonight, for dinner, I had some thin deli turkey, two bites of pizza topping, (I know I know), and a bite of a canned peach. I can usually eat more than this but started feeling uncomfortable so I stopped. I had a TUMS. I think I ate too fast to tell you the truth. BUT, at work tonight, I felt nautious off and on for hours. Until about 4 hours after I ate the dinner, I went to the bathroom and threw up. Odd thing is, it was PINK. Now, I am hoping this was the Tums but the Tums I had was purple, not pink. I haven't had a pink thing in lord knows how long. Anyhow, when I threw up last time, I felt better instantly. This time, I did feel better, no pain in my chest. But, I did still feel nautious. Plus I had a headache to boot. Also, when I was throwing up, it was like it was sooo hard to get it up and out. Like it was getting caught on something so an extra few heaves was needed. When it came up, there weren't any large pieces either. So I was wondering, did I throw up cause I ate too fast, or had dumping say cause too much fat? Just need to know for future reference. :) By the way, I am 4 weeks post op Lap Rny. Thank you Thank you so very much for any responses, Annie    — Annie R. (posted on September 7, 2001)

September 7, 2001
I don't know for sure but I don't think you experienced dumping. Your food choices probably would not have caused you to dump. The pizza topping should not have been a problem. Cheese, a little sauce and even meat or veggie are just protein and complex carbs so you should have been fine with that. There could not have been that much fat in two bites. The one time I dumped it happened very soon after I ate - maybe after about 10 to 20 mins, definitely not hours. I had cold and hot sweats and felt weak and clammy in addition to the nausea and vomiting. It seems like you could have eaten too fast or maybe didn't chew your food well enough and it sat in your tummy because it could not be digested and had to eventually come back up. I'm almost 5 months post-op and still have trouble with deli turkey - it's very dry and hard to digest. Other meats are a problem too unless moistened with sauce or gravy or mustard, etc. Not to be gross but when I eat too fast or don't chew well enough I get mucus in my stomach that HAS to come up. The food doesn't come up, just the 'gunk'. Maybe that's what you experienced. Just a suggestion. Best of luck to you.
   — [Anonymous]

September 7, 2001
I think a lot of us get confused about what dumping actually is. As the previous post explained it is more than just nausea and/or vomiting. It may not even include those. It is that weak, light headed cold and clammy feeling. I had a reminder just this morning, when I dumped on cough syrup taken on an empty stomache. Oh man, I felt like a bowl of jello. Awful. Turkey breast gives me a lot of trouble too, no matter how well I chew it. Early post op I had a lot of trouble with that kind of thing, until I learned to go slower and chew until is was liquid. It is hard to learn new habits, but it will become second nature soon.
   — blank first name B.

September 8, 2001
From your description you did not experience dumping. Dumping results from the intake of concentrated sugar or fats. <br> "Dumping Syndrome - one of the key features that helps a patient control calorie intake after Gastric Bypass is the fact that food leaves the tiny stomach pouch only into a section of the small intestine called the jejunum. This pathway for the food is the "Roux-en-Y" part of the full name for the procedure, and it matters because the jejunum is simply not made to handle concentrated calories, especially refined sugar. The effect of this is that if a person consumes sugar after a gastric bypass (such as ice cream, chocolate candy, or a soda) the presence of the sugar in this segment of intestine will create a reaction called dumping syndrome that affects the whole body. An episode of dumping shows up as palpitations (heart racing), a sweaty and clammy feeling, cramping abdominal pain, diarrhea, and then a feeling of weakness during which the person simply must lay down for an hour or so until it passes. Dumping syndrome is not dangerous, but it feels awful. It is not exactly a side effect, in the sense that works in a beneficial way by steering patients away from that type of food." <br> I found this description of dumping syndrome at : http://www.sabariatric.com/side_effects.htm I had lap RNY this year and I have experienced vomiting several times after meals. I think what happened is that some food was stuck at your anastomosis (the opening from your pouch to the intestine). This is caused by not "chew, chew, chewing" our food enough and usually results in vomiting. Also eating too fast seems to cause me a problem. You usually feel better after throwing up. I've found that I usually don't see any "chunks". I don't have much problem with meats, but any kind of fruit skin seems to get stuck. LOL:-)
   — Jonathan M.

September 8, 2001
Hmmm..at 4 weeks post op my surgeon still has us on pureed foods up to 6 weeks, so maybe you are eating "heavy" solid foods too early. Might try eating pureed food for awhile..Best of luck to you!!
   — [Anonymous]

September 8, 2001
Just as a sidenote.....Tums does not work in RNY because we have no stomach acid to "activate" it. I believe that we shouldn't ever have heartburn either if the pouch is intact. We have no stomach acids just enzymes in our saliva from chewing. Just out of curiousity, why were you taking Tums?
   — Marilyn C.