Weakness, Dizziness, Vertigo, Cramping and Diahrea

ladybug2659

Not a fun topic but a necessary one. There are gastric sleeve patients that do experience dumping syndrome. Typically it happens if you eat too fast, drink fluids with meals, too much sugar/fat or even a soup you thought was okay (cream of tomato) but it has a high oil content which is what gives the soup such nice rich creamy texture. When you eat, your digestive track commands energy and quickly goes to task digesting your meal and rapidly enters the intestines causing pain, nausea and discomfort — it can create gas and ultimately diahrea. If you introduce processed foods, sucrose, sorbitol then you may be in danger of having a most painful and uncontrollable bowl movement, you may feel dizzy after eating, or very tired-you may feel faint getting out of your car and standing too fast. Some patients experience tightness in the chest or heart fluttering. It can be very frightening. Take caution introducing new foods or even old favorites—they may or may not be tolerated very well. Follow your doctor’s recommendations and remember the bariatric community’s mantra “NEVER TRUST A FART”.

ladybug2659

The right time for salad? Discomfort or digestive issues can begin to plague you and unless you are keeping up with your food diary, you may have difficulty pinpointing the problem. Many bariatric patients have complained of issues resulting from eating raw veggies but one outlier reason may be the lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has no real nutritional value but yet many complain that after eating it they become nauseous or gassy. Similarly, post op patients complain even after months of normal eating that salads and their pouch just don’t sit well. It is recommended that patients wait a full four months on to eat raw veggies and I think lettuce falls in this category. Lettuce, finely chopped celery and grape tomatoes with a slice of avacado is very appealing to me. However, if I eat it I then become very aware of not feeling well — much like I have morning sickness that lasts pretty much for the rest of the day. It’s not worth it right now. 9 weeks out.

ladybug2659

And so you are merrily going down the VSG path and you are thinking you are pretty steady on your weight loss, perhaps a little nausea but you are tolerating foods pretty well. Then one day.... the cramping, the churning occurs, maybe your face is flushed, perhaps a bit gassy... maybe too much fiber, didn’t eat any sweets, but something isn’t right. You leave the house, and that feeling of panic sets in... you gotta get to the bathroom. Not fun... it’s like your body is rejecting everything. You may feel light headed, dizzy... what to do? First, drink liquids at least a half-hour to an hour after eating solid food. Watch out for simple sugars, fructose, and sweets, candy, soda, cakes, and cookies (personally none of those appeal to me anymore as my desire for them is gone). If you do slip up and start to feel bad, Lie down as soon as you finish eating. This reduces the symptoms of dumping syndrome by slowing the emptying of food from the stomach. The downside of laying down is for people who suffer reflux. And heaven forbid if you ate something very spicy...you may find out the hard way that you can not tolerate it anymore. You certainly don’t want to end up having an accident... which can happen. Watch out for soups such as a tomato basil which is loaded with oil to get that smooth consistency.... read labels as dumping syndrome DOES happen to VSG patients as well as bypass patients.