17 March 2006

Is this dumping?

Wednesday night my husband and I went to a small party. On the way to pick up my husband, I began feeling somewhat dizzy. At the time, I attributed it to strong winds moving the car so much that it disoriented me. Then, once I picked him up, it got worse. By the time we reached my friend's house, I was almost completely disoriented. I felt like I was burning up from the inside out, my brain felt like it was swimming inside my head and now, I can not remember crisp details of what occurred while trying to figure out where to park. All I know was that I felt like I wasn't inside my body but looking at myself from above. Then, once we made it inside, I felt like I used to after walking quickly somewhere in the middle of the summer; I was sweating profusely! I ate some Gouda cheese and crackers, and within 15 minutes or so, I felt pretty much back to normal. What's odd is that I had nothing to eat right before I left my house, and other than water and a sip of the sugar free Cosmopolitan I made for myself to bring with me, I hadn't had anything to eat since dinner at 5:30pm. If it was dumping, though, it means I've never dumped before!

6 comments:

Kim S. said...

Hi there! Yes, it sounds like you dumped. Not a good time, is it? I've never had it happen to me without reason. I believe that Kaye has had this happen to her. When I've dumped, it's been accidental. Like, when I had some spicy sauces. They were so spicy that I couldn't taste the sugar that was mixed in...BIG dump. The next time you go through this, I've found that water and rest is the only way that I can get through it.
Best to you!
Kim

Sandi Hooper said...

Jenn, I've read on my surgeon's support group site a lot from people who've gone through episodes like you're describing. There is much debate over whether it's a true "dump" or not if you haven't had sugar or fat. Some people say that letting yourself get too hungry can also trigger a dump-like state. From what you say in this post, it sounds like all the symptoms of dumping: the dizziness, the sweating. Pretty scary that you were driving while this was happening...

If the food helped, it may have been the low blood sugar thing. But whatever it was, I hope that you don't have it happen while you're behind the wheel again. YIKES

Anonymous said...

That really sounds like a low blood sugar thing. I know this because I, too, suffer from hypogylcemia. It is rapid, you feel dizzy and weak and sweaty and once you eat a bit of protein, well it passes. The old addage of orange juice with sugar is outdated, and now they say cheese and crackers is the best. So you did the right thing. Hope it doesn't happen again.

Anonymous said...

That really sounds like a low blood sugar thing. I know this because I, too, suffer from hypogylcemia. It is rapid, you feel dizzy and weak and sweaty and once you eat a bit of protein, well it passes. The old addage of orange juice with sugar is outdated, and now they say cheese and crackers is the best. So you did the right thing. Hope it doesn't happen again.

Holly said...

i don' think it was dumping, but there is a low blood sugar thing (as mentioned above) that happens when you haven't eaten that feels like dumping. i discovered it during the past few weeks when i wasn't eating enough. i would get dizzy and sweat profusely and the only thing that would help would be eating.

the worst was the day i went to pick up zoe and i felt totally disembodied. her teachers noticed something was up and were trying to convince me to sit down when i backed into a closet and had a panic attack.

dumping has many of the same symptoms but usually extreme nausea and sleepiness to boot. if you dump off of sugar or fat the only thing that usually helps is to lay down and try to sleep it off. you definitely wouldn't be interested in eating more.

Jenn said...

Thanks for all of the input everyone! So, I'd guess that I didn't dump, then, but instead had a bout of low blood sugar. I had issues w/ low blood sugar before sugery, but my experiences were nothing like this. So, that's why I wasn't sure. I still don't get why I would have had low blood sugar, though, as it hadn't been that long since I'd eaten dinner. I just hope it never happens again ... especially while driving!