Sheesh, ya think I'd know better...

So, I am slightly over a year out....a couple nights ago, I indulged, or more accurately, I became mindless. Allow me to explain. My husband brought home some pumpkin spice liquor. Now, I am not a drinker, especially since surgery. However, he came in with a small glassful and 2 small squares of a Hershey bar and handed them to me. For a small time, I didn't think about the 83 lbs I've lost, or the surgery I've had, and I drank the liquor and ate the chocolate. I do love to indulge in a small taste of chocolate from time to time, but no longer crave it. 

However, within a few minutes, I was laying in bed, feeling crampy, chilled, sweaty, and shaky. I felt the need to throw up, but it wouldn't happen. I was miserable for about and hour or so. Then, I was slowly better. 

Do we dump??? Because this is just how a friend who's had the RNY described it to me once.

Ok, so, yeah, I spanked myself and woke the F up....that won't happen again.

There's some disagreement about whether sleeve patients experience the true dumping syndrome that RNY patients often experience. Dumping occurs when sugary/fatty food empties too quickly into the small intestine, which is not equipped to handle that kind of virtually undigested food, hence the unpleasant symptoms. 

By contrast, sleeve patients don't have the shortened intestine and can usually easily process nearly all foods.

A year ago, I had a similar reaction to yours after I downed a McDonald's vanilla shake after months of eating lean proteins and vegetables. It hit my gut like a grenade. I made it to the bathroom in time (almost ... 'nuff said). I'm inclined to think my reaction was the result of an outraged digestive system that had become accustomed to healthy lean food.

Jury's still out, but whether you had dumping syndrome or not, you now know to avoid alcohol and chocolate -- good lesson learned. You couldn't pay me to drink a McDonald's shake. Another good lesson learned.

psychoticparrot

The same thing happens to me 8 years out.  It's like having a diabetic, high sugar, reaction.  At least, that's what I liken it to. I had these after ice cream and shakes.  I also noticed the negative effects on my hemaglobin A1C (120 day red blood cell life span test of blood sugar).  It showed me becoming borderline diabetic.  I decreased the sugars, queezy cold sweats & shakes stopped, and my blood sugars dropped.  I can't caution you enough about alcohol.  But mindfulness is very important.  Chalk it up to lesson learned.

Yeah, it was just stupidity on my part. I have had some liquor prior to this, but like a shot glass full...and had no problems with this. I think the combination of a bit more than a shot glass full and the bit of chocolate...yeah..not good. But, I hated the feeling SO much, that won't happen again.

My surgeon told me that some sleeve patients do dump (and some RNY do not).  Even with the pyloric valve intact, I think food does go into our intestines in a less digested state. I think that's why some foods which previously agreed with us don't after surgery.

I once lost my mind on my sons birthday. Had ice cream AND cake... I thought I was going to have to go to the er, had no idea what was going on... Because I wasn't supposed to dump, but I did. Oh boy did I. Never, ever again. You can't pay me to eat ice cream or cake now. 

Just go easy on the tummy the day after, I went back to mushy food for the day after, because everything hurt! (I did end up vomiting several times) 

Dumping is actually common after gastrectomies of all sorts, forget the VSG.  Most other gastrectomies may remove the pyloric valve--typically we do not because we retain ours after sugery.  However, liquids and "slider" foods move through far faster through the pyloric valve.  What happens is that carbohydrates which aren't broken down enter the small intestine and the body then pulls water from the blood stream to processes it, and this causes a severe drop in blood pressure.  However, it could also be a blood sugar issue, too.

Thanks for explaining. I would agree with this. Both times I have experienced these horrific "dumping" symptoms were when I had too much rich liquids too quickly. Firstly was just too much chicken bone broth and the other drinking a vitamin powder with water too quickly. Holy moly, it is a sharp shock to the system and a great reminder we have to eat and drink mindfully.

I don't know if it was dumping or your body simply trying to process a huge amount of sugar it no longer is used to. I know if I eat something with sugar I get the same thing.

Yes, we can dump. There is a much smaller percentage of us that do, but it can happen. I have also endured this, but usually mine comes in the form of heart palpitations.