Is Dumping Syndrome Common

[Barbara1972 13]

Hi All,

I am still in the process of deciding between Bypass and Sleeve. My doctor and nurse tell me that Dumping Syndrome is not as common as the internet makes it out to be. I'd love to hear everyone's experience with this. Has anyone eaten a slice of cake or a cookie and NOT experienced dumping?

[PatientEleventyBillion 851]

Dumping syndrome is a lot more common for bypass than sleeve. For sleeve, dumping syndrome generally means your diet is drastically wrong and needs to change.

[Barbara1972 13]

Yah I know that dumping doesn't really occur with the sleeve. I was hoping to hear that it's not as common as it seems for people with the bypass. I don't really eat sweets now but I would like to be able to have a small piece of cake at my wedding or my granddaughters birthday. I have a hard time accepting that I have to give up those things FOREVER.

[Little Green 583]

4 minutes ago, Barbara1972 said:

Yah I know that dumping doesn't really occur with the sleeve. I was hoping to hear that it's not as common as it seems for people with the bypass. I don't really eat sweets now but I would like to be able to have a small piece of cake at my wedding or my granddaughters birthday. I have a hard time accepting that I have to give up those things FOREVER.

My surgeon told me that less than 25% of people with RNY get dumping syndrome. I think this is another case where people with the worst symptoms or bad experiences pipe up far more than those who have good experiences. It's also frequently cited as a reason some people chose to get VSG instead of RNY so just based on sheer volume of seeing "RNY=dumping," it can seem like it's inevitable. But according to my surgeon, it's not.

Different foods can cause dumping, apparently. For some it's all sweets, for some it's sugary beverages in particular, for some it's fatty meats, for some it's fried food. I'm not sure if the "dose" (so to speak) affects it, like if you have a bite or two of cake vs. a whole piece.

I did read that over the course of a few years, the intestines adapt and the incidence of dumping is vastly reduced. (I'll try to find the source and come back!) So even if you do get it, it doesn't mean it's forever.

Sorry I'm not more helpful, I'm still preop myself so I just have to go based on what I've read and heard from my bariatric team. Hopefully others who are postop will be by soon to share their experiences.

[blondie66 271]

I had RNY gastric bypass and dumped the first year if i ate anything high in sugar. Your body eventually adapts after a year you can eat sweets without dumping. Some people continue to dump but they are usually the ones who have very strict diets so their intestines don't adjust to sugar. If you slowly incorporate sugar back into your diet you will likely not dump after a year. I'm coming up on 2 years and can eat sweets. Actually dumping can be a benefit the first year cause it keeps you on track. I once dumped from having cocktail sauce with shrimp! After the honeymoon period ends around 10 months you can gain weight by eating too many sugars and carbs. Best to keep them out of your diet as long as you can.

[blondie66 271]

I wish the medical and media would be honest and tell people that you will be able to eat everything again. I gained 25 pounds the first year prior to surgery cause I ate everything thinking I'd never eat pizza or ice cream again! It was so stupid of me LOL

[larta 26]

I was converted from lap band to sleeve. I ate everything in moderation with the lap band except for a few things that just didn't work for me. Strangely, one thing I could not eat was a banana and, or french fries.

Primarily I tried to eat healthy, but I am a social person and travel a lot. I am not going to not enjoy food in moderation. If its a problem, then I won't eat it.

Geting all the Protein in is paramount.

[Barbara1972 13]

Thank you so much. You both are so helpful. This site has been amazing. I tend to agree that we often hear about the bad more than the good and we certainly don't often hear "yippee I didn't dump!" LOL I also strongly believe that, if done right, we can train our intestines to accept food more. High hopes maybe but I need high hopes to move forward.

I dont drink juices due to acid reflux and don't eat sweets that often, greasy foods already upset my stomach. My weakness is bread, but I think I can keep it to whole grain or whole wheat.

So with all this ... I'm down to the line on making my decision and I can have the sleeve next Monday or the bypass next Wednesday (or maybe Aug 9th depending on if he needs a co-surgeon). Between this an my other posts, I decided I'm gonna be an RNY girl!

[Barbara1972 13]

That's great news. I have no problem not having sweets until I get to my goal weight and am happy to have the negative reinforcement for the first year or more. It was the word "forever" that was really stressing me. We all deserve a little reward when we hit out goals. I'm happy to hear it's possible.

[dee.jay.bee 12]

Thanks for posting this! I have been wondering the same thing.

[dawson62704 20]

I am 10 months out and did not have any dumping from sweets. I had totally different triggers. Eating too fast. Eating too much. Not chewing well enough. meats that did not break down well, ie. chicken breast, pot roast, pork roast.

Once I figured out my triggers, then I was able to be more mindful and ensure that I did not dump, although there have been a few things that did cause enough pain, that I pushed myself to throw up for relief.

Hope that helps, remember everyone's body reacts differently, so you need to think about what you'll be able to leave with for the rest of your life.

[blondie66 271]

I am 10 months out and did not have any dumping from sweets. I had totally different triggers. Eating too fast. Eating too much. Not chewing well enough. meats that did not break down well, ie. chicken breast, pot roast, pork roast. Once I figured out my triggers, then I was able to be more mindful and ensure that I did not dump, although there have been a few things that did cause enough pain, that I pushed myself to throw up for relief. Hope that helps, remember everyone's body reacts differently, so you need to think about what you'll be able to leave with for the rest of your life.

Yes vomiting can happen from eating too fast or too much especially Protein cause it is more dense in the stomach. Dumping is dropping food quickly through the intestines due to high sugar levels in a drink or food. It is possible to never dump if you keep your sugar levels low. Your stomach is going to start to slowly stretch and around a year you will notice an increase in food volume and a reduction in vomiting.At almost 18 months post upI just started being able to eat more protein. Normally need Protein Shakes and bars to get my 60 grams of protein in a day. I'm slowly converting to fish and shakes as my protein sources as I don't enjoy chicken and beef as much...but I can now eat a steak at almost 2 years post op.

[Monasmle 90]

3mo post bypass, I had dumping about 10 times when introducing new foods, since then, I'm able to eat everything without issues. Sweets don't bother me, though i also don't crave them as i used to. If i eat fatty and fast, i do have dumping, no pain or gas, just extremely uncomfortable and wanting to crawl into a ball and die for about 15min.

I have only positive things to say about the bypass, and agree that negative postings tend to blow the issues pout of proportion in the grand scheme of things. Good luck!

[wiresandwood 15]

I had RNY in Jan 2017 and I experienced no dumping at all. I did vomit a couple of times early in my recovery due to eating too quickly and eating foods that were too dense, but other than that, I haven't had any issues. I am able to eat basically anything in small quantities - in moderation, of course! I'm not gorging on sweets like I used to, but I'll have a small bite of cake or a cookie every once in a while. Strangely, I rarely have cravings for sweets since my surgery, and I used to have the biggest sweet tooth!

This surgery has been a great tool for me to finally learn moderation, which has always been my goal. I didn't want to become too obsessed with having a 100% 'perfect' diet, because I feel I would just be turning one addiction into another if that makes sense. I feel I can sustain my current diet for a long time without feeling like I'm being deprived or not enjoying food at all. I've lost 121 pounds so far, so it's definitely working! Having RNY was the best decision I ever made. Good luck to you!

[blondie66 271]

3mo post bypass, I had dumping about 10 times when introducing new foods, since then, I'm able to eat everything without issues. Sweets don't bother me, though i also don't crave them as i used to. If i eat fatty and fast, i do have dumping, no pain or gas, just extremely uncomfortable and wanting to crawl into a ball and die for about 15min.
I have only positive things to say about the bypass, and agree that negative postings tend to blow the issues pout of proportion in the grand scheme of things. Good luck!

That's a lot of dumping!! I guess it's how we heal but in time it should not be as frequent. Sometimes it takes awhile to adjust to foods and some foods will make u dump and then try a month later and ur fine.