dumping syndrome/ advice needed

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Ronnie69
Ronnie69 Member Posts: 5
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hello,

my husband has started to have what we think is dumping syndrome. 10 to 15 minutes after he eats he has diarhea. I read somewhere that one should lay down after eating, but I thought he needs to sit up, as not to get reflux. Do you think he is eating too much? We are only 4 days eating soft foods etc. Ronnie69

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  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #2
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    Ronnie69,
    It might be what
    Ronnie69,

    It might be what he is eating. I have read that some people are sensitive to sugar or milk products, post surgery. That might sound contrary to the food tip I gave you last night. Even though my husband could not tolerate some foods early on, he doesn’t have many foods that cause him problems now. We were never able to pin point which food caused him problems. There seems to be fewer and fewer “events” as time goes by. Hopefully he will find a food that settles well. It is frustrating, but keep trying foods until he finds something that works for him.
  • birdiequeen
    birdiequeen Member Posts: 319
    #3
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    Best position
    My husband found the recliner to be his best position after eating, while recovering. But he always ate setting up, per Doc's orders.
  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,391 Member
    #4
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    Some suggestions that worked for me
    Ronnie,

    Dumping Syndrome is relatively common after gastric surgery. It does improve with time. Here are some things that help:

    1. Avoid sugar or foods that are high in simple carbohydrates
    2. Sit down for at least 30 minutes after eating
    3. Insure you chew your food completely and eat slowly
    4. Stop eating before you feel completely full (this will happen quickly after surgery)
    5. Eat frequent small meals (about seven times a day worked best for me)
    6. If you drink high calorie supplements like Boost or Carnation Instant Breakfast drink them slowly (put them in the refrigerator and drink them over a few hours time.)

    Here is a reference to a diet that may be helpful:

    http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/DumpingSynDiet.pdf

    Here is a good description of Dumping Syndrome and causes:

    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dumping-syndrome.html

    Dumping does improve with diet management and time but sometimes medication can help. Consider discussing Lomotil with your doctor is it persists.

    I hope this helps, I know it can be frustrating.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
    3/14/2011 CT Scan NED

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

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