Do I Have Dumping Syndrome?

Did you have surgery to remove all or part of your stomach, surgery to bypass your stomach to help you lose weight, or esophageal surgery?

Do your symptoms occur right after eating, especially after a meal rich in table sugar (sucrose) or fruit sugar (fructose)?

Do you feel bloated or too full after eating?

Do you have nausea or vomiting after a meal?

Do you have abdominal cramps or diarrhea after a meal?

Do you have sweating or facial flushing about one to three hours after eating?

Do you have dizziness or lightheadedness after a meal?

Do you feel weak and tired after a meal?

Do you have a fast or irregular heartbeat within 2 to 3 hours after eating?

Do you have an urge to lie down after the meal?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome is a medical condition characterized by an abnormally rapid discharge of gastric contents into the small intestine. The stomach is a muscular sac that expands when you eat and drink and can receive up to 4 liters of food and fluids. Once the stomach digests food, it pushes the contents towards the upper part of the small intestine, which is called the duodenum. In dumping syndrome, food moves too quickly from the stomach to the duodenum due to changes in the stomach caused by previous surgery.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome is a medical condition that is also known as rapid gastric emptying. In people with dumping syndrome, the stomach contents empty into the small intestine faster than usual. There are two types of dumping syndrome: early, which occur 10 to 30 minutes after a meal, and late, when symptoms appear one to three hours after eating. The symptoms of these two types are slightly different. A diagnosis is based on your medical history and the fact that you had a stomach surgery, a blood sugar test and a gastric emptying test.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome is a medical condition characterized by a group of symptoms that are caused by rapid gastric emptying (the food moves too fast from your stomach to your duodenum). People with this condition may experience nausea, diarrhea, or feeling light-headed or tired after a meal. Dumping syndrome affects about 1 in 5 people who have had a certain type of gastric surgery such as gastric bypass surgery. It can also occur years after surgery. Treatment includes dietary changes to reduce the severity of your symptoms, medications and in some cases surgery.