Hellooooooo

So I'm one week shy of being 7 months post op, and for those 7 months I have avoided sugar like the plague except for some rare occasions where I was traveling and the European country I was in was famous for desserts that I would order and only have a miniscule bite of. On one occasion I got excited and had 3 bites and thought I was fine. 10 minutes later I started feeling extremely nauseous that I was almost dry heaving, I started walking back to the hotel and after 1 kilometer I felt much better so I guessed that was dumping! Not fun Yikes!

So fast forward this week, and it is that time of the month and I was craving some chocolate, so I picked a 72% dark chocolate square which I had with a few roasted cashews (to manage the blood sugar spike) and guess what? 10 minutes later I am extremely nauseous and queasy that my skin was crawling. I was at my desk and got up and walked back and forth but to no success. It lasted a good half an hour/40 minutes and it only fully subsided midway through my Pilates class.

Does this happen to anyone? The chocolate square barely had any sugar!

Will I ever be able to have a little fun? A tiny slice of cake for my birthday? Ice cream? Anything? I don't crave sugar anymore but I like to taste things and take bites here and there especially when I'm travelling/out for a nice meal (which is often).

Edited July 10, 20242 yr by Lilia_90

I'm not sure if that was actual dumping or not. Nausea CAN be part of dumping, but it's not one of the more common symptoms. Usually it involves heart palpitations, cramping, sweating or chills, and diarrhea - and it can go on for hours, or so I hear (I've never dumped). It's also pretty rare in sleeve patients (although it's not unheard of), so I'm not sure if it was that or some ingredient in those foods that your body was reacting to. Although you could be right. I'll be curious to hear what others say/think.

10 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

I'm not sure if that was actual dumping or not. Nausea CAN be part of dumping, but it's not one of the more common symptoms. Usually it involves heart palpitations, cramping, sweating or chills, and diarrhea - and it can go on for hours, or so I hear (I've never dumped). It's also pretty rare in sleeve patients (although it's not unheard of), so I'm not sure if it was that or some ingredient in those foods that your body was reacting to. Although you could be right. I'll be curious to hear what others say/think.

Interesting! The main symptom I've experienced is extreme nausea. No chills or cramps and definitely no sweats. And this has happened any time I had more than a couple of bites of dessert or anything with sugar.

Edited July 10, 20242 yr by Lilia_90

Mayne it was the nuts? Have you had them other times?? Not sure what a mild reaction is like to nuts but I have definitely heard some people develop Allergies to nuts and dairy.

Edited July 10, 20242 yr by ShoppGirl

Just now, ShoppGirl said:

Mayne it was the nuts? Have you had them other times??

I have! And I am always fine.

It is any time I have more than a couple of bites of sugar that this happens.

1 minute ago, Lilia_90 said:

I have! And I am always fine.

It is any time I have more than a couple of bites of sugar that this happens.

That’s odd but like @catwoman7 said. It doesn’t sound like textbook dumping. I would run it by your doctor. It’s also possible it’s something completely unrelated to surgery that you need to look info.

So I had the sleeve and then a year later revision to bypass (due to complications). I can tell you that I developed sensitivities and outright allergies to foods I had never had before IN MY LIFE after my surgeries. After my sleeve, I developed an allergy to peanuts. Not horrible, but I need to take something if I eat them, so I just don't eat them or anything with peanuts in them. I also became lactose intolerant. BADLY. So I avoid dairy and use almond milk and lactose free things. I also have a low tolerance for salt. I use to salt EVERYTHING and now I pretty much never use it at all because I can't tolerate the taste. It's very metallic tasting and gives me a headache.

When I had my revision, all of that stayed the same PLUS I suddenly got a serious, life threatening allergy to shellfish. I have to carry an epi pen with me at all times. I can't eat it, touch it, or even be in the room when it's being cooked because even breathing in the proteins that are released into the air when it's being cooked causes a reaction. I was born and raised in Florida. Shellfish are a way of life there. I could LIVE on crab legs and shrimp. It literally BROKE MY HEART when I realized I'd never be able to eat it again.

Also from the revision, I developed an allergy to surgical glue lol Didn't have that with my first surgery, or any other surgery before it, but from my revision on, can't tolerate it, and can barely tolerate band-aids lol I mean, what??? That's so strange to me, but it's true. I've had every test under the sun, and while it's common for taste buds and likes/dislikes for foods and drinks to change after these surgeries (definitely have that, as well), and even to develop sensitivities to foods like dairy and sugar and salt, it's rare to get such major allergies to foods (happens, but it's rare). So of course, my doctors were super interested in me lol Not trying to make history, ya'll, just tryin to feel better lol

I was trying it think of what else could be In most deserts that you are sensitive to if it’s not the sugar as you suspect. Maybe the dyes??

Edited July 10, 20242 yr by ShoppGirl

1 hour ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

So I had the sleeve and then a year later revision to bypass (due to complications). I can tell you that I developed sensitivities and outright allergies to foods I had never had before IN MY LIFE after my surgeries. After my sleeve, I developed an allergy to peanuts. Not horrible, but I need to take something if I eat them, so I just don't eat them or anything with peanuts in them. I also became lactose intolerant. BADLY. So I avoid dairy and use almond milk and lactose free things. I also have a low tolerance for salt. I use to salt EVERYTHING and now I pretty much never use it at all because I can't tolerate the taste. It's very metallic tasting and gives me a headache.

When I had my revision, all of that stayed the same PLUS I suddenly got a serious, life threatening allergy to shellfish. I have to carry an epi pen with me at all times. I can't eat it, touch it, or even be in the room when it's being cooked because even breathing in the Proteins that are released into the air when it's being cooked causes a reaction. I was born and raised in Florida. Shellfish are a way of life there. I could LIVE on crab legs and shrimp. It literally BROKE MY HEART when I realized I'd never be able to eat it again.

Also from the revision, I developed an allergy to surgical glue lol Didn't have that with my first surgery, or any other surgery before it, but from my revision on, can't tolerate it, and can barely tolerate band-aids lol I mean, what??? That's so strange to me, but it's true. I've had every test under the sun, and while it's common for taste buds and likes/dislikes for foods and drinks to change after these surgeries (definitely have that, as well), and even to develop sensitivities to foods like dairy and sugar and salt, it's rare to get such major allergies to foods (happens, but it's rare). So of course, my doctors were super interested in me lol Not trying to make history, ya'll, just tryin to feel better lol

Kinda makes you wonder why they don’t just send you to an allergist to get a scratch test post op. I may actually do it now before I have peanuts or shellfish since I’m paranoid. ?

Edited July 10, 20242 yr by ShoppGirl

I dump and my first sensation is feeling loopy, then I see bright spots that don’t go away, they get worse. Then the sweats and shaking starts, and if I haven’t fixed myself with some protein then it turns into vomit/diarrhea town. Others could feel different, but the clue to me is you saying your “skin was crawling.” If it’s food allergy related, it’s very serious. I wish you the best!

Sometimes this happens to me specifically with cashews and brazil nuts if they are hot/sweaty (going racid)

This sounds a little like what I occasionally experience if I rush my breakfast or have it too early. General weak feeling, a little nauseous, doesn’t last long. From what I’ve worked out it’s related to hypoglycemia specifically reactive or postpradial hypoglycemia which can occur if you’ve had stomach surgery like us.

It occurs after you eat unlike hypoglycemia which occurs when your glucose levels drop because you haven’t eaten. ( I have this occasionally too which I manage by eating regularly & taking electrolyte drinks with me if doing anything more strenuous than usual.) They think your body produces more insulin than you need to digest what you’ve eaten which then cause your glucose levels to drop which is why it occurs shortly after you eat. Maybe the bite or two of dessert or chocolate, signaled your body to produce additional insulin to process the sugar???

I don’t have added sugar in my breakfast but of course there’s natural sugars in the milk & blueberries which I think triggers mine.. Generally it doesn’t occur as often as it originally did which could be being more careful about situations that can cause it or just time since my surgery. Wouldn’t give up about not being able to have a small sweet treat at some time in the future.

Worth a conversation with your doctor anyway.

1 hour ago, Arabesque said:

Maybe the bite or two of dessert or chocolate, signaled your body to produce additional insulin to process the sugar???

I think this might be it. It definitely happens when I eat more sugar than usual. It feels like a reaction to the fast secretion of insulin. Prior to my VSG, I had insulin resistance and my fasting blood sugar was on the higher side.

I think it is sensitivity to insulin that is causing this phenomenon lol.

5 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

Sometimes this happens to me specifically with cashews and brazil nuts if they are hot/sweaty (going racid)

Oh no! I love cashews!

9 hours ago, learn2cook said:

I dump and my first sensation is feeling loopy, then I see bright spots that don’t go away, they get worse. Then the sweats and shaking starts, and if I haven’t fixed myself with some Protein then it turns into vomit/diarrhea town. Others could feel different, but the clue to me is you saying your “skin was crawling.” If it’s food allergy related, it’s very serious. I wish you the best!

That sounds awful.

I feel lethargic and extremely nauseous, but no sweats or shakes thank goodness.

I want to echo the possibility of reactive hypoglycemia -- I've a relative who suffered a long time before they figured out what it was. But it sounds pretty similar.

The problem is, I feel like the symptoms of so many things are similar. If you're suddenly having 'low tolerance' (rather than outright intolerance) of lactose, or cacao, etc, it could manifest in the same way.

It might also be a pre-cursor to dumping? Like your body telling you "Heck No, Stop RN!" before you have enough of something that would trigger a full-out dumping attack. I've had awful dumping syndrome four times now post-OP, but have had near-misses several times that I catch the warning signs early enough on that I'm able to prevent it. (I really have to get better at knowing what constitutes 'dry' food. Broccoli & Cauliflower steamed or in broth? Fine. Broccoli or cauliflower in a thicker creamy soup? Just kill me already. This is why I stick to leafy veg and green beans lol.)