Question:
Has anyone ever experienced dumping syndrom 'before' surgery?
I have experienced {on occasion} the exact description to a Tee of dumping and I have 'not' had surgery yet. I never knew it had a name I always refered to it as 'my episodes'. I can't say if they happen after I have eaten sugar or not. It usually, but not always, happens to me at night after I go to bed. In fact it wakes me up and then I'm in the restroom 'FOREVER' all the while feeling so weak I can barley speak, I'm sweating, have severe cramping and gurguling in my abdomen. And it ALWAYS is accompanied w/ horrible diarhea episodes. Sometimes it lasts 30 min to an hour and sometimes after going back to bed I'm back in the bathroom again 15 to 20 min later. Has anyone experienced these symptoms PRE-op. I'm worried if I do this now 'before' surgery, will I experience this even worse 'after' surgery?? Any and all responses will be greatlty appreciated. — renee617 (posted on April 14, 2001)
April 13, 2001
Renee, it sounds like you are lactose intolerant. The symptoms you
describe are consistent with that. Your stomach hurts, you get sweats
(sometimes you feel really hot then really cold), diarrhea, and then
diarrhea some more! This can happen right after you have something with
lactose in it (milk, cheese, ice cream etc.) OR more importantly, like in
your case, it can happen later on (which makes the intolerance harder to
detect. I am lactose intolerant. If I eat ice cream at 1pm for instance,
I'm fine. But that ice cream is sitting in my stomach and not digesting.
When I eat dinner, even if it is lactose free, whatever I eat for dinner
mixes with that ice cream and 1-2 hours later (or immediately) I have the
same symptoms you described. Try buying Lactaid pills from the store and
taking one before each meal (it can't hurt you if you're not lactose
intolerant). You may want to take 2 pills before each meal. Read the
bottle for instructions. I hope this helps!
— Kimberly L.
April 13, 2001
Sounds like IBS, Irritible Bowel Syndrome. I get the same thing from a
variety of foods. Mainly for me its tomatoe products. My favorite Italian
resturant kills me but the food is so good, I only eat there every so
often. If I am stressed out badly this will do it also. Caffeine is a
culprit. I can go months without an episode or just have mild ones. Those
intense ones are no fun. Mine can be so intense that I am weak as a kitten
for about 4 hours. There is a ton of info on the net for IBS. They now
have meds which can help it. I hope that once I am postop it will
dissappear.
— Crystal B.
April 14, 2001
Your symptoms describe to a T, my irritable bowel syndrome that I also
referred to as episodes. They were almost always at night, and often on
the weekends, though not necessarily. I discovered that it was caused
mainly by excessively fatty meals. On 2 separate vacations to Cape Cod, I
had the problem at night and realized I'd had N.E. Clam Chowder and fried
fish or lobster with butter. While this is also suposed to be triggered by
caffeine, or spicy foods, I seem to only be troubled by fatty foods. I'm
only 19 days post op, but have had no problems with my IBS, which could be
directly related to a dramatically lower fat intake. I would suggest you
think back on your meals when you have an episode and see if you've
injested a higher amount of fat, caffeine, or spicy foods than usual. By
the way, my surgeon said that due to IBS, I was not a good candidate for
BPD/DS, and therefore had the RNY gastric bypass.
— danirat
April 14, 2001
I am pre-op and have exactly what you are describing.
I have IBS and am not lactose intolerant. Mine is sensitive
to certain foods like greasy pizza or greasy ribs. The high
fat content seems to be the culprit. When it happens, remember
what you ate last and you will soon discover what the guilty food is. Good
luck.
— Cheri M.
April 14, 2001
I had something similiar to this preop. When I went to my first
consulation for WLS surgery I told this to the surgeon. He asked if I had
my gallbadder removed. I had. He said that what I could be experiencing
is a somewhat more mild case of dumping. When I did have my gallbladder
removed that surgeon never told me that is what could happen!! Now that I
am post op WLS, I am of course more careful of what I eat, and have only
once had a dumping experience.
— Karen A.
April 14, 2001
Well you have several options to explore with your dr. You didn't mention
whether you had your gallbladder out yet. But I experience all the symptoms
of dumping except diarrhea. I get nauseous, fever, pain, cramping, charley
horses in my lower rib area that squeeze the breath out of me,
constipation, etc. But I have a diseased gallbladder that is full of stones
so it isn't functioning properly. All these messages should give you a few
hints to check out with your dr. By the way, a heating pad helps my
symptoms lessen. Good luck,
— Pamela W.
April 15, 2001
I sometimes suffer EXACTLY the same symptoms you described and it almost
always occurs with me at night time, too. I get the sudden diarrhea's and
while in the process I get the sweats, chills, cramps, nausea and horrible
weakness. During several episodes I actually had to lay on the bathroom
floor until the dizziness went away and some of my strength returned. I
cannot attribute it to lactose as I drink milk every day and this only
happens to me occassionally. I, too, thought it might be a
"dumping"-like episode, and wondered if it could be from
ingesting too much sugar. I also wondered if it could be a warning sign of
approaching type II diabetes (can anyone give information on that?). I
have never approached my doctor with it because it doesn't happen but once
every other month or so and I absolutely loathe going to the doctor. I
always get treated like everything wrong with me is due to my weight (and
I'm sure 75% of it is - but who wants to face the issue day after day).
Anyway, I avoid doctors like the plague, but often wonder if it could be
the onset of diabetes. I have always had low-range blood pressure and
assumed that the bowel irritation caused my blood pressure to drop
resulting in the dizziness & weakness. I do hope that this is a
problem that will go away after WLS (I am also pre-op). THANK YOU for your
post as it is nice to know that I'm not alone in my "episodes"!!
— Laura B.
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