Ask Tiny Tank: Dumping Syndrome What is it?
One of the most common questions I receive is “Did you ever have issues with Dumping? And do you still?” Dumping syndrome is a side effort of gastric bypass weight loss surgery. Some think it is a benefit of the surgery. Some choose not to have gastric bypass because they know it is a possibility. They choose a different form of weight loss surgery because they want no chance of Dumping.
I have always experienced dumping since day one of my surgery. Gastric Dumping Syndrome is a result of the RNY surgery.
Although I am many years post surgery I still do dump when eating high fat and or high sugar items.
Some incidents can be worse then others.
So the simple answer is yes I do dump.
In the beginning my dumping events were more severe, but many years out I can still have a bad dumping incident causing me to have to lay down and or run for the bathroom.
I steer clear of those things that cause me to dump.
There are two things that always make me dump to this day. Ice cream and artificial fats.
Ice cream is the one thing that is a guarantee to make me dump. I eat it rarely and my family loves ice cream so typically I will have a taste of someones, but I’ve learned the hard way not to break down and have my own. I’ll only end up on the couch moaning, sweating and making promises never to eat ice cream again.
In the beginning I watched my sugars very closely. I never ate any packaged food with more than 8 grams of sugar in a serving. Now give that a try! It’s not many foods. it may have been one of the driving factors why I don’t eat many packaged foods today. I just don’t eat processed food on a regular basis. I eat food. Pure and simple.
I also want to talk about “Late Dumping.” It is something I experience now that I am later in my journey.
Late Dumping is a form of Gastric Dumping Syndrome. Late dumping is also a form of Hypoglycemia. It is when after 1-4 hours of eating you experience similar symptoms to dumping. What happens is you ingest too much sugar, and your now smaller stomach does not digest it properly so your intestines absorb and deposit too much of it into your blood stream. Your body compensates by releasing more insulin which makes your blood sugar drop.
This is not a fun feeling. Anxiety. Panic. A desperate feeling to eat.
My co-workers were the victims of my symptoms too. They were in fact the ones who ended up insisting that I do something about my “Grumpy Events.”
How do I avoid this? Well I have to be really good about NOT eating snacks or meals that have a higher percentage of processed carbohydrates or sugar. I keep my protein/fat/carbohydrate percentages at a personally defined balance and that works for me.
I’ll close this post referencing my blogging friend Penny’s website and article about Reactive Hypoglycemia. She writes a GREAT weight loss surgery and nutrition blog called Remake My Plate. She is someone I look to for nutritional advice after weight loss surgery. She is a nurse and is currently studying to get her nutrition degrees. She is a MUST FOLLOW blog for any weight loss surgery post op.
Please do leave me a comment and tell us if you experience Dumping? Late Dumping? Hypoglycemia? Make sure you let us know where you are in your journey and how you deal with it to better understand your comment. Thanks!
Note: Most Comments Require Moderation so don’t be concerned if your comment does not appear immediately. It will appear once I have a chance to read it. Try subscribing to the comments this way you will know when I have replied or others have comments too.
Here are some other sources for information on Dumping:
I liked this source for detailed information on dumping and late dumping
Wikipedia will tell you some more details about Gastric Dumping Syndrome
Here’s another resource I thought was helpful Gastric Dumping
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Comments (12)
Karen P
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I’ve not had any surgery, but as a lab professional, it was helpful for me to read about both kinds of dumping. Thank you for explaining it. I had heard about dumping, but I had never read about late dumping. It makes sense.
Thanks again
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my tiny tank
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Hi Karen. It is interesting. My husband who has not had any weight loss surgery can have low blood sugar in afternoon as well. He has a fruit in the afternoon to keep his blood sugar up. When we eat to live we need to make sure we eat enough and balanced foods.
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julia
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Fellow dumper here (more evidence for that whole “geek twin” argument…). I actually WANTED dumping. I read after surgery that it actually only affects about 30% of us, and when I didn’t experience it early on I started to actually be kind of disappointed that I wasn’t going to have the threat of dumping to help keep me honest. Then in October (10 months out) I made the mistake of eating no sugar added mandarin orange slices on an empty stomach (while also recovering from having a weird flu/fever where I had a temp of 102 for about 3 days). Boom! Turns out I’d just been very very well behaved those first 10 months in watching my sugar/fat intake. Surprisingly, the NSA orange slices were about 6 g of sugar, and generally I’m okay if I’m under 8-10 (can even go up to 12 if it’s something that gets its sugar count from lactose for some reason). But I guess it was the on the empty stomach part that pushed me over the edge: heart palpitations, cold sweats, dizziness. The over all “I want to die NOW” phase only lasted 30-45 minutes. I’m lucky that I live about 2 miles from my office so was able to drive home and suffer by myself before the worst of it hit. But after that please kill me phase I needed a 4 hour nap to recover. Which was crazy because I have NEVER been a napper unless I’m really, really sick.
Of course, the interesting thing, I no longer feel like I needed dumping to “keep me honest” the way I thought I would pre-op. Am I bummed out that I dump? Not really. It is what it is, and I’ve managed to avoid it happening again thus far (of course, I’m sure that’s just a matter of time…). But I guess I’ve just learned that I never needed that threat in the first place…
I have also discovered I suffer from the reactive hypoglycemia incidents (only had a few of those but they’re not much fun either). My nutritionist said that RH/late dumping/early dumping are all closely linked and that those who are prone to dumping are very likely to develop RH problems. So I carefully monitor all my food intake, and always have protein snacks in my bag if I start to get early symptoms of an RH episode.
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my tiny tank
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Hi Julia. I hear more and more that if you were a dumper or still are that you are more apt to be sensitive to late dumping or Reactive Hypoglycemia. Very interesting. For me 8 grams of sugar was my limit with I was early post op. Now it seems its a combination of empty stomach and sugar concentration. thanks for your comment.
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Marlene
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Sometimes I wish I could dump. I do have such a sweet tooth And with the band there is no repercussion. But I love my band!
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my tiny tank
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Hi Marlene. The dumping is a good deterrent. It has helped me as I too have a sweet tooth. I’ve learned I don’t need the sugar anymore. In fact it is when I do have the sugar that I am actually more hungry. So I try to avoid it as much as possible. I think a combo of portion control and food choice is the key. Your band certainly helps you with portion control!!
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Diana Heise
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I had my first dump yesterday. I tried some froyo. Researched the lowest sugar and fat, ordered a small portion…ate slow. But low and behold before I got to the car the symptoms hit like a brick.
I will remind myself it did not taste nearly good enough to go through that feeling again!
I will stick with my SF popsicles that make me feel good, taste good and give me fluids.
Thank you for keeping us informed!
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my tiny tank
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Oh Diana! When I read this I could feel your pain. In fact I knew exactly how you felt. The icy sweet stuff is a killer! And you’d think the yogurt would be better because it has less fat BUT NO, it has more sugar so it is worse. It is a lesson we all learn. I’m so sorry it happened to you so severely. It’s a process and you are learning and doing such a good job. thanks for sharing this as it will help someone else.
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Julie
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I can time my dumping syndrome into 30 minutes…how sad is that?!?
Okay, eat something I KNOW I shouldn’t have. Heart palpitations, rapid breathing & heart beat, sweating, moaning and groaning, wishing I’d learn my lesson–this lasts approximately 8 minutes with severe symptoms. For the next 7 minutes, symptoms are slightly better. For the next 15 minutes, still feel yucky, but improving. After that 30 minutes, I’m as good as new and ready to make a better choice next time.
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my tiny tank
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Oh Julie, I know it well! And I’d like to say I never do it any more but I can’t. Every once in a while I forget and get reminded REAL QUICKLY!! YOU are not alone. thanks for sharing.
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Hannah
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I am 5 weeks out .(sleeve)… I was wondering about late dumping. Thanks to this blog; now, I know. I have been able to down lemonade from Chic Fil A pretty easily as it is about the only liquid i can drink. Plain water, even with, crystal light, MIO, or any thing else makes me very, very nauseous. Haven’t experienced any dumping whatsoever, but Im also careful with the sugar intake. I love love SF popsicles.
Thanks for the blog
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my tiny tank
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Hi Hannah, I’m not sure vsg experience dumping. Have you been told you could?? Try some lemon or fresh berries in your water to flavor it. You could even use frozen fruits. Stay hydrated. Thanks for your comment.
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