Dumping syndrome after bariatric surgery is an unpleasant and distressing collection of possible symptoms after any intestinal surgery. But patients who’ve undergone bariatric surgery quickly become much less prone to developing dumping syndrome than past-stage gastric sleeve patients. What are the causes of dumping syndrome? The incidence of dumping syndrome can be divided into distinct groups: late and early dumping syndrome. Early dumping syndrome, also known as sugar craving, occurs shortly after the large intestine is emptied during a meal. Late dumping syndrome, on the other hand, occurs sometime after an hour has passed and the stomach is packed full of food.
There are many possible symptoms of dumping syndrome, but the most troubling symptom is excessive hunger. Abdominal pain and bloating are often reported as being the most obvious symptoms, but others include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea or constipation, dizziness, and tingling in the arms and legs. Excessive sweating, too, is a symptom common to people with dumping syndrome gastric sleeve. Sweating occurs in many different body functions, and it’s important to note that it doesn’t necessarily indicate dehydration. But excessive sweating can cause other problems, such as excess heat, which may further injure the patient.
There are several theories regarding why dumping syndrome occurs after bariatric surgery. One possibility is that there is a delay in the emptying of the large intestine, causing the brain to signal the pancreas to release insulin. Another potential mechanism is that a significant amount of glucose is left in the bloodstream once the intestine is closed. This excess glucose may stimulate insulin production and secretion, leading to excessive insulin production and a condition known as insulin resistance. Finally, some researchers believe that abnormal hormone levels caused by dumping syndrome may play a role.
A recent study examined the relationship between dumping syndrome and small-intestinal surgery in patients who underwent weight loss surgery (WLS). The study found that approximately two-thirds of these patients who had undergone laparoscopic gastric banding (a form of bariatric surgery) showed a trend for excessive fluid retention after their first meal. This was not surprising: after all, the small intestine is the organ that processes the food we eat. The fact that this excessive fluid remained in the stomach also wasn’t a shock: it is well documented that gastric banding causes a significant amount of diarrhea in its patients. In fact, one of the primary goals of the operation is to reduce the amount of diarrhea that’s caused by food processing in the small intestines.
The study did, however, raise several questions about the safety of using a sleeve to treat dumping syndrome: if the sleeve was so tight that there was a danger of dumping syndrome, why did the patients who experienced the symptoms choose to have the sleeve instead of a more restrictive diet? Would these patients be better off undergoing surgery in order to prevent excessive fluid retention and thus prevent dumping syndrome? Were the patients who chose a gastric banding procedure to lose an enormous amount of weight and regain an inactive lifestyle really willing to change their dietary habits in order to reduce weight without the risks associated with a gastrectomy band? And why did the banding physicians fail to discuss these issues with their patients prior to performing the surgery?
It is certainly noteworthy that gastrectomy and rapid entry surgery both are designed to reduce dumping syndrome and to give severely obese individuals, usually of European descent, a means to reduce excessive weight without sacrificing their health. Both procedures can give a long and rapid improvement in your general health, but they also come with inherent risks. For one thing, the risks become much greater in people who are very morbidly obese. You can’t put a time limit on becoming overweight, and no one can tell you when the condition becomes a problem. The reason for this is that people are born to live a very long and a lifetime. Therefore, there is not a “one size fits all” answer.
If you are obese and experience dumping syndrome, you may be at risk for small-intestinal bleeding or ulcers. Although the risk is somewhat remote, you should discuss it with your doctor. Because the incidence of side effects from gastric banding and laparoscopic gastric banding are both rather rare, you can generally rest assured that any serious side effect will be brief and non-existent. However, if you are mildly obese, or you just ate too much recently, you may want to consider having a medical check-up in order to determine the underlying causes of your weight gain. In some cases, especially if you eat very little but suffer from severe dumping syndrome, the cause could be malabsorption problems, where the small intestine is not processing the nutrients sufficiently.
Because gastric sleeve surgery is an invasive procedure, it is important to do your homework by consulting with your doctor. You can learn a lot about the risks and benefits of a gastric sleeve surgery through many publications that deal specifically with weight loss surgeries. Before you agree to have the procedure, be sure that you have a full understanding of what the procedure entails and how it will affect you.
