Dumping is real!

jim2011 said:

dumping syndrome
Oh yes...it is a real deal. Ensure or other dairy products are a no-no for me. Even the drinks that say great for lactose intolerance. I can eat starbursts and chocolate but anything with milk gives me problems. Even pasta so whats up with that?? Pizza is out.
The up-side here is that the cramping etc lasts for about 2 hours so maybe I will try some milk in cereal for breakfast on a day that I will be home. Risk it with a small amount. I like a quick breakfast and cereal has been part of my day for years. So many variaties that it is hard to get bored. Lately I have made eggs about everyway possible and bacon/sausages toast. Really miss the cereal. Cream of wheat is out. Red River Oatmeal is good. Butter does not seem to be a problem. I have tried gas-ex and lactaid with limited results. I need ideas...

cereal
For several weeks after surgery, I ate cereal frequently, too. My husband/care giver gave me soy milk with it, as I had problems with 'real' milk. I couldn't tell the difference between soy milk and 'real' milk. Now I can drink real milk, even with a squirt of chocolate syrup in it---19 months post-op, so there is light at the end of everything.

Melinda

p.s. It seems like the soy milk I drank was called Silk.

bingbing2009 said:

cereal
Sorry if there's a double post.

It certainly is!!!!
My husband had the symptoms of 'late' dumping and they started (we think) about a year after the surgery and continued for a couple of years before gradually easing off. We were never too sure about exactly what caused it (the triggers) because it was so erratic and unpredictable. However his first symptom was often a sudden and complete lack of energy (and I mean complete!)followed by an attack of sweating which sometimes meant rivers of sweat running down his legs and arms and soaking his clothes. Sometimes his blood sugar dropped very low and once, I remember, he sort of fell out of bed to keep the sheets dry following a sweat and could not move from the floor. He even had trouble recognising me and appeared confused. That was scary!
Mostly the episodes lasted about 15-20 minutes and after sucking a Barley Sugar or eating something he would come back to normal.
We had a few episodes overseas, (but that didn't stop us travelling) including one in a small town in Tanzania where all the locals crowded around wondering why he was sitting on a ledge looking incredibly weak and disinterested while they were trying to sell him something!
It became such a part of our lives for quite a while and ranged from one or two episodes a week to once or twice a month. It has completely gone now but I thought those interested might like to read the following that I copied from the Mayo Clinic website. It is fairly consise.


Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff

Dumping syndrome is a group of symptoms most likely to develop if you've had surgery to remove all or part of your stomach, or if your 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 symptoms soon after eating. In others, symptoms may occur one to three hours after eating. In either case, symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Dumping syndrome often improves on its own without medical treatment or after adjusting your diet. In more-serious cases of dumping syndrome, you may need medication or surgery.
When symptoms of dumping syndrome occur during a meal or within 15 to 30 minutes following a meal, they may include:
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain, cramps
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness, lightheadedness
• Bloating, belching
• Fatigue
• Heart palpitations, rapid heart rate
When signs and symptoms develop later, usually one to three hours after eating, they may include:
• Sweating
• Weakness, fatigue
• Dizziness, lightheadedness
• Shakiness
• Feelings of anxiety, nervousness
• Heart palpitations, rapid heart rate
• Fainting
• Mental confusion
• Diarrhea
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
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 following a high-sugar meal, especially one that's rich in table sugar (sucrose) or fruit sugar (fructose).
Some people also experience low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), related to excessive levels of insulin delivered to the bloodstream as part of the syndrome. Hypoglycemia is more often related to late signs and symptoms. Insulin influences your tissues to take up the sugar present in your bloodstream.

Hope this helps,
Marilyn