Question on dumping

[SteveJ]

I would just like to ask has anyone found that they get dumping during or after exercise ?.

I go for a walk in the afternoon, Before I go I usualy have a cup of tea and sometimes a biscuit. I find I get dumping a lot more in the afternoon than I do in the morning.

[OPA_LarryR]

Hi Steve

interesting question. Basically there are a whole bunch of interconnected mechanisms around dumping syndrome. The main point to remember is that it is the early ingestion of food/beverages into the small colon that trigger the problem - essentially the over production of insulin in anticiipation of a sugar spike coupled with osmotic effects that fill the gut with fluid.

A cup of tea with a biscuit is more likely to trigger these effects than some other foods. Paticularly if you are taking them together - solids and liquids.

Another factor is that you have essenially a gravity driven digestion system after this type of surgery and thereforre if you are going on the walk immeadiately afterr the tea/biscuit it is likely that you are accelerating their transit into your gut.

I'd suggest that you have the tea/biscuit at least half an hour before going for a walk and probably an hour before any more strenuous excercise.

You could also try taking some loperimide (imodium) before the excercise period as this can be helpful in slowing down motility.

Please keep in mind that we are all somewhat diffferent post surgery dependant on exactly how much was removed and the nature of our re-plumbing so you will probably need to experiment to find the right solution for you and should discuss it with your specialist nurse and dietician if the problem persists.

I wish you luck and let us know how you get on.

Larry

[SteveJ in reply to OPA_LarryR]

Hi Larry

Thank you very much for your advice, particularly with regard to seperating the liquid and the solids. I will give it a try and see how I get on.

Kind Regards

Steve

[Hidden]

Yes I can get it after excersise.Try avoiding the cup of tea.Yes good idea for imodium or simular to slow down the system

[SteveJ in reply to Hidden]

Hi Griff

Thanks for that, it's interesting to see I'm not the only one to get dumping after exercise.

Kind Regards

Steve

[DaveChuter]

Hi Steve,

I'm now 6 years out from surgery and have learnt to exercise before eating or at least 2hrs after eating or drinking a hot drink, for me a cold drink is fine before exercise.

It not the same for everyone, try keeping a record of what and when you eat / drink and see if a pattern is forming.

Best wishes,

Dave C

[SteveJ in reply to DaveChuter]

Hi Dave

I have just replied to your reply and it didn't come through, if you get this twice you will know why lol. Anyway I am 5 and a half years post op, in all that time I think I have had dumping about 4 times in the morning. I also go for a walk in the morning about an hour after my breakfast ( bran flakes with milk, no sugar) and I never get dumping it's always in the afternoon during or after my walk, but not everyday, I can go quite a while without getting it. Anyway I shall follow your sound advice and keep a record, see what happens. Thanks very much.

Kind Regards

Steve

[yorkshirerose]

Hi, yes I had the same problem after exercise, I started to go swimming and would always be ill afterwards, my doctor thought it one of two things dumping being one as it was too soon after food or my blood sugar dropping low because I was using up my small amount of ingested calories too quickly. I changed my form of exercise and haven't had such severe symptoms since.

Best wishes in your recovery

Edwina x

[SteveJ in reply to yorkshirerose]

Hi Edwina

This does not happen to me every day, sometimes I can go a month without an episode, but it is almost always in the afternoon and often after exercise. the last time I had my blood done the doctor did say it was a little on the low side but he put it down to the amount of food I eat now. I will have to try various things and see what happens. thanks for your help.

Kind Regards

Steve

[Kiks]

Could you be having a hypoglaecimic episode (low blood sugar ) rather than dumping? For some reason sometimes a while after lunch I get that horrible shakiness. I am a diabetic and when I measure my blood sugars they are about 4 and I know that is low for me and will make me feel weak and shaky and confused. Some fruit juice and a biscuit bring it back and I am OK after about 10/15 mins. Can't understand why this happens as it is usually about an hour after a reasonable lunch so would expect my sugar levels to be OK. You may be experiencing the same. Or maybe my low levels are due to dumping?

Hope you get it sorted.

Krysia

[SteveJ in reply to Kiks]

Hi Krysia

It could well be low blood sugar as I said in my reply to Edwina, my reading was a little low last time my blood was checked but it was a while ago. I get those horrible shakes and sometimes I get absolutely soaked in sweat and can feel a bit dizzy, I'm putting it down to dumping but who knows. Sorry if this sounds a stupid question but is low blood sugar a different thing to diabetes ? I know nothing about it. Thank you for your reply.

Kind Regards

Steve

[moya]

To Krysia.It may be your blood sugar drops because you have taken your insulin but your body is now slower at absorbing sugars, so the insulin has nothing to work on. I am diabetic and I now change when I take my insulin, usually about 2 hours after main meal.

I dont have any problem with tea and biscuits, but I dont have the tea very hot and I drink it slowly. Moya

[Kiks]

Thanks Moya

I am only on Metformin and gliclazide at the moment not insulin, but the tablets do increase the amount of insulin the body produces so it could be that as you say it has nothing to work on and so causes the fall in sugar levels.

Steve hypoglycaemia is low blood sugar which makes you go hot and sweaty and very wobbly and confused. Exercise does lower blood sugar levels for some time after the exercise.The best thing for you is to go to the doctor and explain what is happening so that they can test you for it.

Diabetes (and this is just my understanding) is high blood sugar levels which can be due to insufficient insulin or your own insulin not working properly to reduce the sugar level in your blood. For years I was able to control it with diet, but then had to take tablets. If the tablets stop controlling it then I might eventually have to take insulin. The problem now is that sometimes the tablets cause me to produce too much insulin and that lowers the amount of sugar too much which gives me a "hypo" it is a question of recognizing the feelings and taking something to even out the sugar levels.

Of course for you it might be dumping rather than problems with insulin. If it keeps happening then you really need to get it checked.

Good luck with it.

Krysia

[Mentalmicky6 in reply to Kiks]

Isn't an "hypo" (low blood sugar) and dumping the same thing. I'm three and a half years post I L and doing very well, but occasionally during a round of golf become weak and feel faint. I put this down to a combination of exertion, too much food while playing, triggering low blood sugar, am I right?

[Kiks]

PS

With dumping I tend to get a lot of tummy pain as well as the sweats etc but with a hypo it is more shakiness and clammy and sweaty and I don't get the tummy pain.

Krysia

[SteveJ]

Hi Krysia

Thanks very much, you have given me a lot to think about. What you have said has been very helpful. I never get tummy pain, its quite confusing really. I will probably get it checked out.thanks once again.

Kind Regards

Steve

[Hidden]

This sugar:insulin business is to do with the balance between them. When food runs through the system faster than normal (as in with your shorter digestive tract) the body gets tricked into releasing much more insulin than it should. It is this spike of insulin that causes problems of clamminess, sweating etc. I think it is very similar to diabetes in its effect. So the sugar level is much more volatile in the period after eating. So some aspects of dumping do definitely connect with sugar:insulin

It may be worth measuring your sugar levels with a meter (your GP might prescribe one if you are fortunate, but they are normally reserved for diabetics). Anything that slows down and smooths out the spikes of insulin is a good thing, so this is where low glycemic index/load foods come in.

I can the logic of what yorkshirerose's doctor was saying about perhaps using up ingested calories too quickly. I think that keeping the right balance is really quite important, and it is surprising the number of things that can throw things out, without us really knowing for certain why.

[SteveJ]

Hi Alan

Thanks for that, I will have a word with my GP and see what he say's.

Kind Regards

Steve