Do you feel a strange feeling in your stomach or dizziness after eating? This could be dumping syndrome!

Have you had weight loss surgery (like gastric bypass surgery)? Or do you sometimes feel full, have stomach cramps, feel nauseous, sweaty, and dizzy after eating a meal, especially something sweet? You're not alone. Today we're talking about a condition that affects many people but isn't often talked about. These symptoms can be a bit scary at first, but they're not life-threatening. The best thing is that you can control it by making small changes to your eating habits.

Simply put, what is Dumping Syndrome?

Think of your stomach as a dam. The food we eat is stored in this dam for a while, slowly digested, and then sent to the small intestine in small pieces. But what happens to someone with dumping syndrome is that the gates of this dam are suddenly opened. That is, a lot of food is suddenly 'dumped' from the stomach into the small intestine, that is, it falls out.

When a lot of undigested food suddenly enters the small intestine, it becomes agitated. It has to absorb a lot of water from its body to digest this food. It also releases a lot of hormones into the blood. This is why you get symptoms like stomach ache, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and a fast heartbeat. It can also cause rapid changes in your blood sugar levels.

Why is this happening? What are the main reasons?

The main and most common cause of dumping syndrome is surgery involving the stomach. Specifically:

• Weight loss surgery: This condition is more likely to occur after surgeries that remove part of the stomach, such as ``Gastric Bypass`` or ``Gastric Sleeve.`` Between 20% and 50% of people who have had such surgeries may experience these symptoms to some extent.
• Other stomach surgeries: This condition can occur even if part of the stomach is removed due to stomach cancer or an ulcer.

In addition to surgery, this can also rarely be caused by certain medical conditions. For example, some people with diabetes mellitus may also experience these symptoms.

Also, some of the foods we eat can make these symptoms worse. This condition can be especially severe when we eat foods that contain refined sugars, such as sugar, sweetened drinks, cakes, and ice cream . This is because these sugars can quickly absorb water in the stomach. Also, dairy foods and fatty, fried foods can make these symptoms worse for some people.

Symptoms of dumping syndrome can occur in two ways:

In this condition, symptoms can be seen in two main stages. Some people may have both, while others may have only one.

What causes the symptoms to appear in the later stages?

This happens because the blood sugar level suddenly goes up and then suddenly goes down. When we eat a sweet food, that sugar is quickly absorbed into the blood from the small intestine. In response, our body produces a lot of the hormone insulin. This causes the blood sugar level to suddenly drop (hypoglycemia), causing symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness.

Warning: If you have not been previously diagnosed with dumping syndrome, and you suddenly experience loss of consciousness, extreme dizziness, a very fast heartbeat, or fainting , go to a hospital emergency room (ETU) immediately.

How does the doctor diagnose this?

If you have previously had stomach surgery, your doctor may diagnose dumping syndrome based on your symptoms. They may ask you to fill out a questionnaire called the Dumping Symptom Rating Scale.

However, if surgery has not been performed, or the symptoms are unclear, some tests may be needed to determine the exact cause.

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: You are given a sugary drink and your blood sugar levels are checked before and 1-3 hours later. If your blood sugar levels drop suddenly, it is a sign of late-stage dumping syndrome.
• Gastric Emptying Test: This tests how quickly food moves out of your stomach. You are given a small amount of food mixed with a radioactive material and watched as it passes through a scanner.
• Upper Endoscopy: A thin, camera-equipped tube is passed through the mouth into the stomach to check for structural problems inside the stomach.
• Upper GI Series: A special liquid (contrast agent) is given to drink, and a video X-ray machine is used to observe how it moves through the digestive tract.

Treatment and management of dumping syndrome

In most cases, this condition can be controlled by changing your diet and lifestyle . This is the main and most important treatment.

Some other important tips

• Lie down for a while after eating: Lying down for about 30 minutes after eating can reduce symptoms such as dizziness.
• Stop eating when you feel full: Don't overeat.

If dietary changes do not control your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe medications. For example, an injection called Octreotide acetate (Sandostatin) or a tablet called Acarbose (Precose) that controls carbohydrate digestion. These should only be taken under medical supervision. In severe cases where none of these measures work, surgery may be recommended.