Hi everyone,

im new here… had to find a support group somehow even though I really didn’t think I needed one in the first place. I’m pretty strong and have had many medical issues in the past (breast cancer being one of them). I’m 44 now and living in Belgium. But no matter where you live things are pretty similar surgery wise. I had surgery about 2 weeks ago. Everything went well. Prior to it, I had this super strict diet which was not liquid but sugar free, fat free and carb free, to reduce the size of my liver. It was really hard and I lost 6kg (around 12 pounds I think).
Surgery as I said went super smoothly and I felt like I had made the best choice…well… as long as I was on pain meds and not eating I should say. Because as soon as I got home it started with the buildup gasses which extremely uncomfortable and sometimes painful. I had a liquid diet and stuck to it religiously even though I could never keep up with the quantities. At best I had half of every tiny meal and only managed 3 out of the 6. I was starting to feel miserable. My stomach would gurgle and make horrible burping sound at the slightest sip of water. Then came week 2, in which I am right now. This week it is minced food. So I can have cream cheese and blitzed vegetables (as long as it is smooth) mixed with a lot of protein. I was happy for the change, but I have experienced dumping yesterday which lasted 2 hours and then today again TWICE in a row! To say that I absolutely afraid of food now is an understatement. I barely have 300cal a day. I feel “fine” but exhausted at the same time. I look at food videos and want to cry. I’m not hungry, just scared of what I’ve done. The gassy feeling is slightly better but I though dumping happened when eating fatty foods or sugary foods?? Ibanez done none of that I experienced horrible pain. I don’t think I’ll be able to take it…. That’s how I ended up here. I hope someone can help me in understanding what is going on and maybe tell me it is really going to get better? Drinking water is the worst. I barely have 1 glass a day. I can’t manage more… I’m devastated. Ive lost 13kg since doing the pre-op diet. (Around 26 pounds) I fear it might be too fast. Please help…

I am not familiar with your type of surgery but not being able to drink is a huge red flag for any of us. Please contact your surgeon asap maybe you have a stricture or something similar.

are you sure it was dumping? Dumping usually means dizziness, heart palpitations, chills or sweating, cramps, and diarrhea.

it you were vomiting and generally can't keep food down, that could be that your stomach isn't quite ready to move to the next food progression - in which case going back to the week 1 plan for a few days before trying week 2 again is the usual solution. Or it could be some kind of food intolerance. That's not uncommon after surgery and is usually temporary. Lactose and artificial sweeteners are the usual culprits for that.

a third possibility is a stricture, although those usually appear between weeks 4 and 12, so it's a little early - and I'm not sure if they occur with mini bypasses or not (they do with traditional gastric bypasses - about 5% of bypass patients get those).

I'd call your clinic and let them know what's going on. They might want you to come in for testing. Plus Tomo is right - not being able to keep food down for a few days is one thing, but not being able to keep fluids down can be dangerous.

Edited February 19, 20233 yr by catwoman7

Have you talked to your surgeon already? I had MGB a year ago and luckily didn't have any major issues. I had some issues with my stomach similar to what are you experiencing now (gas, gurgle etc) after I was released from the hospital. What really helped me was walking and taking small sips of herbal tea that the doctor recommended (anise seed tea). Whenever I feel gassy or uncomfortable, I'd get up and walk and that helped a lot. I also found that waiting for20 minutes or so after eating before drinking water was really helpful.

I hope you feel better soon and start enjoying your new life.

Thanks for your replies. They helped a lot already to put things into perspective. I know it’s still early days. I still need to not only get used to a new way of eating and drinking but also to a new stomach and digestive system. Sounds obvious but I swear it’s only dawning on me how huge the challenge actually is.

to answer some questions: the thing I experienced after eating lately was freezing cold hands, hot cheeks, feeling of overall dizziness and unwellness. Followed by painful movement in my bowels, diarrhoea and extreme nausea but no vomiting. You tell me if that is indeed dumping or something else.

this morning I woke up at 5am with dry mouth and eyelids. I had to urinate and it was dark brown. I know I’m at a very high risk of dehydration so I sat down in my bed and sipped water for an hour very slowly. It was ok this time. I felt a little unwell but I don’t think I suffer from obstruction. Just overall unwellness with every sip or bite I make. I shall follow your advise and go back to phase one diet and only have liquids like soup… I am not looking forward to it but that phase was fine, so. I just hope it will get better… ?

I see my surgeon tomorrow. I will keep you posted…

4 hours ago, SuperGuuurl said:

Thanks for your replies. They helped a lot already to put things into perspective. I know it’s still early days. I still need to not only get used to a new way of eating and drinking but also to a new stomach and digestive system. Sounds obvious but I swear it’s only dawning on me how huge the challenge actually is.

to answer some questions: the thing I experienced after eating lately was freezing cold hands, hot cheeks, feeling of overall dizziness and unwellness. Followed by painful movement in my bowels, diarrhoea and extreme nausea but no vomiting. You tell me if that is indeed dumping or something else.

this morning I woke up at 5am with dry mouth and eyelids. I had to urinate and it was dark brown. I know I’m at a very high risk of dehydration so I sat down in my bed and sipped Water for an hour very slowly. It was ok this time. I felt a little unwell but I don’t think I suffer from obstruction. Just overall unwellness with every sip or bite I make. I shall follow your advise and go back to phase one diet and only have liquids like soup… I am not looking forward to it but that phase was fine, so. I just hope it will get better… ?

I see my surgeon tomorrow. I will keep you posted…

yes - that does sound like it could be dumping - although it also sounds like you're very dehydrated. That can get very dangerous quickly, so if you're not able to handle fluids very well, call your clinic or go to the hospital. They may need to put you on IV fluids to get you hydrated again.

dark urine is definitely a symptom of dehydration - and the feeling of being unwell is, too.

7 hours ago, SuperGuuurl said:

to answer some questions: the thing I experienced after eating lately was freezing cold hands, hot cheeks, feeling of overall dizziness and unwellness. Followed by painful movement in my bowels, diarrhoea and extreme nausea but no vomiting. You tell me if that is indeed dumping or something else.

P.S. just wanted to add that I didn't intend AT ALL to offend you. I see from what you wrote that you know what dumping is. I just mentioned that because a lot of people on here think that every time they vomit, it's "dumping". That's not dumping. What you described above are some of the actual symptoms of dumping. But again, the most critical thing at this point is the dehydration - and some of the symptoms you mentioned - like dizziness and feeling unwell - can also be from dehydration. That can land you back in the hospital if it goes on too long. I'm glad you're seeing your surgeon tomorrow.

Edited February 20, 20233 yr by catwoman7

23 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

P.S. just wanted to add that I didn't intend AT ALL to offend you. I see from what you wrote that you know what dumping is. I just mentioned that because a lot of people on here think that every time they vomit, it's "dumping". That's not dumping. What you described above are some of the actual symptoms of dumping. But again, the most critical thing at this point is the dehydration - and some of the symptoms you mentioned - like dizziness and feeling unwell - can also be from dehydration. That can land you back in the hospital if it goes on too long. I'm glad you're seeing your surgeon tomorrow.

Hey catwoman,

I’m sorry I didn’t want to sound rude. I was genuinely asking … I’m sorry if I offended you!

I went to see my doc today. I burst out crying and told her how desperate I was. How hard it was to drink water, to eat puréed food, to eat 6 times a day… I almost used the word regret but she was very quick to reassure me. It’s only been 12 days after all. She said I was being very hard on myself. That drinking water is a REAL issue and she can’t scientifically explain why. She told me to stick to soups and teas and to forget the water for now. I was surprised by that. But it’s true that I tolerated both better. She also said that when I speak she could tell I swallowed a lot of air. When your stomach is the normal size, there’s room for air but now, air can’t go anywhere and may cause a lot of pain if you try to push it down your digestive systems. It’s true that I burp a lot.and I mean A LOT. It’s really unpleasant. A lot of it is stress related. The fact that I experienced dumping may have been because I had carrot puree (amongst other veggies) and that may be too sweet for the moment.

I trust her. She’s been very open and genuine with me. I have to keep going even if it is much slower than others. Some people don’t suffer from these issues. I’m not surprised I do as I’m usually an emotional wreck. Anyway she’s booked an appointment with a nutritionist Thursday so I can go in deep detail about the things I should eat etc. I can’t wait…

this is really hard…

I also had issues with water. I tolerated broth much better. I ordered a miso soup powder off of Amazon and add that to hot water to get in some fluids. Or better than bouillon mixed with some hot water. And sugar free popsicles were great too! I like the no sugar added outshine ones - they were approved by my dietitian but they do have natural fruit sugar in them.

5 hours ago, vsg2410 said:

I also had issues with Water. I tolerated broth much better. I ordered a miso Soup powder off of Amazon and add that to hot water to get in some fluids. Or better than bouillon mixed with some hot water. And sugar free popsicles were great too! I like the no sugar added outshine ones - they were approved by my dietitian but they do have natural fruit sugar in them.

Thanks for the tip. Yes I never thought I’d ever say that but water is hell somehow… I bought some instant broths which you dilute in hot water. They’re perfect and I can add some neutral protein powder in to get something at least.

Hi - water puts me in hell .Even a sip .I told my Dietitian and she said it's pretty common .She pointed me to Vieve Protein water , it goes down very softly .They sell it on Amazon and I'd be utterly lost without it .You're not just getting fluids in , you are getting protein .I also suffer from trapped gas/wind - I could burp for Britain ! It lasts for a few hours and then goes off .It only happens about twice a month but it's horrible isn't it ?

I'm six months in and still find solid food very uncomfortable to digest ,I tend to stick with soft foods .

Hope this helps !

1 hour ago, fed-up said:

Hi - Water puts me in hell .Even a sip .I told my Dietitian and she said it's pretty common .She pointed me to Vieve Protein water , it goes down very softly .They sell it on Amazon and I'd be utterly lost without it .You're not just getting fluids in , you are getting protein .I also suffer from trapped gas/wind - I could burp for Britain ! It lasts for a few hours and then goes off .It only happens about twice a month but it's horrible isn't it ?

I'm six months in and still find solid food very uncomfortable to digest ,I tend to stick with soft foods .

Hope this helps !

Hi, yes it helps tremendously! I’m just back from my appointment with the dietitian. She spent an hour with me going through everything I have in a day (so little). She said she was worried about not only my protein intake but also my fibre intake. She’s a different dietician than the one I saw before surgery who had given me a default 4 week diet plan. I will list the tips she gave (which I might post in another thread as well to help others):

*my old diet plan listed a soft cracker and cream cheese for breakfast, followed by a plain yoghurt and then runny vegetable soup for lunch. Second snack was homemade applesauce with no sugar and dinner was soup with cracker. All of that during 4 weeks! The only changed were week two pureed veggies with minced meat. Third week same diet except breakfast with hard cheese instead of cream cheese and more meat. Fourth week was same diet but introduction of some harder foods …

this was not exciting to say the least. The puréed stage literally killed me and guess what… it was neither dumping nor dehydration. I was severely constipated! The minute I had a proper bowel movement (I had had 2 very small ones before) the relief to cramping and nausea disappeared into thin air. I can’t explain it.

so this new dietician is like:

1) Don’t worry about water. Keep drinking hot drinks like teas and coffee, just dilute them a bit more

2) cut a banana in three and have one piece as a snack instead of plain yoghurt

3) change the yoghurt into soy, almond or coconut in case you turn intolerant to lactose which can happen after surgery

4) adding meat to your puréed veggies too challenging? Add a slice of smoked salmon even in week 2.
5) have a yokult to keep your flora alive

6) drink a couple of protein shakes instead of a meal if too challenging…

anyway, the flexibility was eye opening. She said don’t try to follow rules too blindly. As long as you keep eating pretty soft foods you are fine eating toasted bread with peanutbutter (creamy)!

to say that I was in a shock is an understatement…

cant wait to have breakfast tomorrow!

On 02/23/2023 at 16:27, SuperGuuurl said:

Hi, yes it helps tremendously! I’m just back from my appointment with the dietitian. She spent an hour with me going through everything I have in a day (so little). She said she was worried about not only my protein intake but also my fibre intake. She’s a different dietician than the one I saw before surgery who had given me a default 4 week diet plan. I will list the tips she gave (which I might post in another thread as well to help others):

*my old diet plan listed a soft cracker and cream cheese for Breakfast, followed by a plain yoghurt and then runny vegetable Soup for lunch. Second snack was homemade applesauce with no sugar and dinner was soup with cracker. All of that during 4 weeks! The only changed were week two pureed veggies with minced meat. Third week same diet except breakfast with hard cheese instead of cream cheese and more meat. Fourth week was same diet but introduction of some harder foods …

this was not exciting to say the least. The puréed stage literally killed me and guess what… it was neither dumping nor dehydration. I was severely constipated! The minute I had a proper bowel movement (I had had 2 very small ones before) the relief to cramping and nausea disappeared into thin air. I can’t explain it.

so this new dietician is like:

1) Don’t worry about water. Keep drinking Hot Drinks like teas and coffee, just dilute them a bit more

2) cut a banana in three and have one piece as a snack instead of plain yoghurt

3) change the yoghurt into soy, almond or coconut in case you turn intolerant to lactose which can happen after surgery

4) adding meat to your puréed veggies too challenging? Add a slice of smoked salmon even in week 2.

5) have a yokult to keep your flora alive

6) drink a couple of Protein Shakes instead of a meal if too challenging…

anyway, the flexibility was eye opening. She said don’t try to follow rules too blindly. As long as you keep eating pretty soft foods you are fine eating toasted bread with peanutbutter (creamy)!

to say that I was in a shock is an understatement…

cant wait to have breakfast tomorrow!

So glad your nutrition has given you advice that’s offered some hope amidst the frustration ?