I finally get it

I am 1 yr and 3 mths post op and I dumped.  I finally understand what everyone means.  It is AWEFUL and you will definitely know the difference.  I have eaten stuff before that made me feel yucky but this time I thought I would die.  I wanted to throw up so bad but does anyone know why I can't?  I know this is bad but I felt bad enough to do it..I stuck my finger down my throat just praying I would throw up what I ate but nothing.  It was coming out quick enough through the other end though (tmi). 
I will NEVER eat chocolate drizzled popcorn again.  I never want that feeling again.  Hell, I wish this had happened to me sooner as I probably would have been avoiding more of the bad stuff from the beginning.  I am laying on the couch now feeling like crud and still feel all clammy but head burning inside. 

Sorry you feel so bad. Yes, dumping is a curse and a bit of a gift...keeps
us from going too rogue.  You probably didn't throw up because if it
was coming out the south end, the food had already left your pouch
so there wasn't anything left in there to come up...the only exit was
southerly. You will probably have extreme aversion to
even seeing chocolate popcorn again.  Feel better soon and
good job on your great progress.

Hope you don't mind but that makes me smile --- Dumping is the WORST feeling ever and I did it by accident early on after surgery.  I can tell you that having chocolate, cakes, and cookies put in front of me does nothing after that experience!  Nothing in the world makes me want to test that boundary again.  It is the best preventive medicine. 

My husband who is in nursing school and has seen me in labor, helped me after surgery, and very very sick but is not a really sympathetic person was so scared when I dumped that he called the hospital and the surgeon!  Hours of pain and feeling like crap.  You really can't throw it up b/c it's already hit your small intestines which is what caused you to dump.  Hope you feel better now -- sending you hugs.  k

Yes, true dumping is VERY different from just getting sick from somethign that did not agree with you (and many people take ANY kind of stomach/intestinal upset as dumping)  For newbies, along withe the stomach upset and/or intestinal cramping, if your heart rate does not elevate and you don't feel a bit dizzy or lightheaded or hot OR clammy, it probably isn't dumping.)

There are two reasons we cannot always throw up even if we want to do so.  As the others have already mentioned, if the food is no longer in your pouch it is extremely difficult to throw it up (but it CAN happen if the vomiting is violent).  The second reason is that, even though the pouch is made from the stomach (which is a muscle), its small size means that there is very little muscle for you to be able to voluntarily contract in order to force the food up into the esophagus and back out.  If you have overeaten, however, it is generally much easier to throw up because the food is already backed up to the point where the esophagus and the pouch meet (and less muscle constriction is required to force the food up to the point wehere the body takes over and forces it out itself.

Lora

Thanks Lora and Kelly, I understand the not being able to "throw up" now.