Living with Dumping Syndrome After a Gastric Bypass

Many overweight people anxiously wait up to a year before they can get a gastric by-pass approved by their insurance companies. They are willing to face the risks of surgery - including death - to lose the weight they have not been able to lose with all other attempts. Though possible side effects are discussed they really don't hear because they want the surgery so badly. Dumping syndrome may have been mentioned but usually it's just as one of a number of possible side effects. But Dumping Syndrome is very serious and will change your life more than your new look. I know all about it. Three years after my Roux-N-Y By-Pass I developed Dumping Syndrome and now I know more about it then any of the gastroenterologists in my town.

There are two kinds of Dumping Syndrome - early and late. Early Dumping Syndrome occurs when you get sick almost as soon as you start eating and late Dumping Syndrome occurs anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more after you have finished eating. You may begin to feel nauseas, extremely dizzy and lose you equilibrium, have pressure in your head and lose some or all of you sight or hearing, experience a very rapid pulse and heart rate, and feel that you must lie down. You may fall asleep for a few minutes to several hours. And this may happen every time you eat. For a full explanation of early and late dumping go to http://www.bariatric-surgery.info/how-dumping-syndrome-occurs.html.

Doctors will tell you to change the way you eat. I was told to eat fat 30 minutes before a meal to coat my stomach and slow absorption. Don't drink before or after the meal, eat small meals, and watch the sugar. I found the doctors attitudes - and I say doctors because I went to several medical centers around the country to try to get help with this - to be blameful and very uninterested. But I found that diet was not the simple fix it was supposed to be and my Dumping Syndrome continued.

One doctor finally decided to give me an injection of Octreotide. Magically I was able to eat. I began taking this shot before each meal. The monthly cost of this medication was over $2000 and the insurance company wasn't happy. But with this medication I was able to work and socialize and my life returned to some level of normalcy. Then they refused to pay for it and I changed to Precose, another medication that is recommended for Dumping Syndrome. My liver stopped working and I became seriously ill. All medication was stopped at that point and the Dumping Syndrome returned.

Another name for Octreotide is Sandostatin. My research on the web revealed that Sandostatin came in a monthly depot. That meant I would only have to take one shot a month instead of 90 shots of Octreotide. My original doctor refused to see me. He had actually fired me as a patient after my Precose incident. But I found another doctor who agreed to prescribe the medication and the insurance company agreed to pay for it. I believe they changed their minds after the Precose proved to not be a viable solution. The shot has proven to be significantly helpful in allowing me to eat. But I still have to be careful about what I eat.

If you have the symptoms of Dumping Syndrome make sure your doctor knows about the pharmaceutical options to treat this illness. Many of them don't. Eat small meals and stay away from carbs as much as possible. When I go out to eat I have one rule for myself - don't eat it if you can't see it. What I mean by that is everything has to be broiled or steamed. Ingredients in sauces and fancy gourmet foods will most likely make you sick. If you must eat that do it at home. The slightest sip of alcohol is going to cause immediate symptoms because it is not being worked on by stomach acids but rather is going directly into you intestine. Usually protein and veggies will successfully get you through the meal. Hopefully you will be eating with someone who knows you have this problem and understands that you may have to sit for a while before you can leave the restaurant if you get sick. If you are meeting someone for the first time or on a business luncheon play it safe and order a broiled chicken breast. You will learn what you safe foods are over time.

Since my surgery I have been told that people who do banding do not have this problem. I strongly suggest you explore all the options for weight reduction surgery before you make a decision about which one to do. There are even more surgical options other than the Roux-N-Y. Surgeons are not trained in all the different methods and will encourage you to do the ones they know. Be a smart consumer and an even smarter patient and do your research before you make the decision on which weight loss procedure you will have. The side effects are serious and lifelong.