I had a 24 hour pH probe test a few weeks ago and the results came back abnormally high (way abnormally high). The procedure my surgeon has in mind is still rather sketchy to me. Obviously I will be getting more information about it. What I do remember from his sketch and description was that he wants to removed the pylorus. Maintaining the pyloris and part of the duodenum is what keeps DS patients from dumping. So, I am assuming that if he has to do this, I will have to deal with dumping.
Dumping freaks me out. My mom had an early form of WLS almost 30 years ago, and had dumping so badly that she passed out on the floor at a restaurant. Only then did they diagnose dumping, and did she realize that when she "had to lie down after eating" she was really passing out. Needless to say, this scares me to death.
So tell me, please, what is dumping like. How often does it occur? How debilitating is it?
One of the things I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE about my DS is that I feel perfectly fine 99.99% of the time, and have from the beginning. I hate the thought of feeling ill a lot of the time.
So, does everyone (who has had RNY or GB) dump? Is it hard to figure out what foods trigger it. When it happens, are you able to function/work/drive? Does it happen less the farther out you get from the surgery (for some reason, my mom hasn't had it in years now).
I understand your worry but I, personally, don't need to lie down after I eat but high sugar or high fat items do make me dump. Everyone is different but to me it feels like having the flu for a few hours...sweaty, shakey, sick to my stomach. I don't have the "intestinal difficulty" and cramping that some have.
Good luck with your surgery, I will be thinking about you. Let us know how things come out.
I sorry I don't know anything more about it either, but if it is still fuzzy with you call and talk to the Dr. again or his nurse, have them suggest some reading material and do some reseach on the internet. I am sure there are people who have posted a blog of their experience
Thanks Angela. That I will have surgery, and in what form, is not yet decided. What he wants to do and what I let him do may be two different things. I'll need to do a cost benefit analysis once I am certain I understand what is happening.
I have been doing some research on dumping. I understand the mechanics of it. I just sort of want to hear different people's versions of how it affects them.
I do have another round of tests to go through before I have further discussions with the surgeon. We shall see how those turn out.
I got this from michele's blog "the world according to eggface". Now who wants to try dumping? NOT ME!!! This sure made an impression on me! I've had this happen once and that was enough!
"Dumping syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that develops most often in people who have had surgery to remove all or part of their stomach, or in whom much of their stomach has been surgically bypassed to help lose weight. Also called rapid gastric emptying, dumping syndrome occurs when the undigested contents of your stomach are transported or "dumped" into your small intestine too rapidly. Common symptoms include abdominal cramps and nausea.
Most people with dumping syndrome experience signs and symptoms soon after eating. In other people, they may occur later — one to three hours after eating — and they can range from mild or moderate to severe and debilitating.
Most of the time, dumping syndrome improves on its own without medical treatment, or by adjusting your diet. In more serious cases of dumping syndrome, you may need medications or surgery.
Signs and symptoms
When signs and symptoms occur during a meal or within 15 to 30 minutes following a meal, they may include:
Some people experience both early and late signs and symptoms. Conditions such as dizziness and heart palpitations can occur either early or late — or both. No matter when problems develop, however, they may be worse in the aftermath of a high-carbohydrate meal, especially one that's rich in sugars such as sucrose (table sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar).
Some people also experience low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), related to excessive levels of insulin delivered to the bloodstream as part of the syndrome. Insulin influences your tissues to take up the sugar present in your bloodstream.
Causes
In dumping syndrome, food and juices from your stomach move to your small intestine in an unregulated, abnormally fast manner. This accelerated process is most often related to changes in your stomach associated with surgery. For example, when the opening (pylorus) between your stomach and the first portion of the small intestine (duodenum) has been damaged or removed during an operation, the syndrome may develop.
Dumping syndrome may occur in up to 15 percent of people who have had stomach surgery. It develops most commonly one to six months after surgery, and the greater the amount of stomach removed or bypassed, the more likely that the condition will be severe. It sometimes becomes a chronic disorder.
Gastrointestinal hormones also are believed to play a role in this rapid dumping process." Credit goes to Eggface
When battles rage between RNYers and DSers (yup, deep down, we all have the traits of a 5-year old!), RNYers like to point out that not all of them experience dumping at all. I believe the statistic is about 40% of RNYers have consistent dumping--that is, most will have dumping early out from surgery, but for some, it lessens or goes away completely as time goes on.
I am a dumper!!! I dump on sugar and Doritoes (don't ask). Sugars are the worst for me, I am very sensitive to them. I have to keep them below 6 grams per sitting or I am in for it. I am too scared to try yogurt and fruit even though these aren't supposed to cause dumping.
What happens for me is this... I eat and then about 15 minutes my saliva starts going into overdrive. At this point I feel nauseous. It's odd, I don't feel like I'll get sick even though I am nauseous. After about 10 min of this I get diarrhea. After that I lay down for 5-10 minutes and then I am ok and it's like nothing ever happened! I have only ever had this happen at home and never in public, I am just very careful not to eat anything with sugar in public. I am almost 8 weeks out and have had no problems!
I am too scared to try yogurt and fruit even though these aren't supposed to cause dumping.
At the last WLS information session I attended, the surgeon said fruit absolutely CAN cause dumping. One woman in attendance was very upset about this! Though, as with everything else, it is an individual thing, especially since some people don't dump at all. I'm sure some who do experience dumping don't dump on fruit. It's one of those things you won't know till you try! Or, not try, if you don't want to take the chance (which I don't blame you for!).
I did not have WLS, but I have lived with my older sister, who had it two years ago...
When she dumps....oh boy. When we finally sat down and we talked about what seemed she ate before she got sick, we noticed patterns and now she does her best to avoid them...so far it hasn't worked all the time. But at least now she doesn't have to live in fear of eating.
I have only dumped twice. Once my own fault, because I just had to try a little of something and once because they gave me regular ice cream instead of NAS.
It was horrible, slobbery, sweaty, nauseated, diarrhea, shaky. Now have I thrown up since I had WLS, yes, because I'm a glutton and have to eat everything whole, don't chew well, and over-ate. People often get dumping and that old clogged pain mixed up. 57 y/o of eating everything in sight in two minutes or less is a hard lesson to break, but it is either break it or yak. I'm working on it, okay! LOL! Slow your eating down, take small bites, and don't deliberately test your limits. If your NUT tells you not to do more than 2 added grams of sugar, than don't. What if you do know that you can eat sugar, with your diet history and obesity problems, will you be tempted to do the sugar?!?! Try very hard to stay in the bounds set for WLS and you will be successful. Don't and you will start a whole thing with temptation, guilt and eventually weight gain. I'm off the podium now! SORRY! Mostly I'm preaching to myself!