www.incontinentsupport.org

So I went to see my doctor about the fecal urgency/accidents I’ve been having since I had my gallbladder removed in July. They mentioned that it could take a couple of months to get things back to normal but when I explained my symptoms and how long it had been since my surgery, he diagnosed me with what he believes to be dumping syndrome. Essentially I eat something (can be anything from saltines to steak) and within 10-30 minutes I’ve got nausea, cramping, and diarrhea. I can sometimes make it to a bathroom but dang does it strike fast sometimes and it has led to more than a few accidents. It seems to be the worst if I go a period of time without eating and then eat something, but it can really strike seemingly at random. The doctor gave me some medicine that seems to help some but it doesn’t have a perfect record. For example, today at work I ate something and about 15 minutes later I got the tell-tale cramping, sweating, and nausea. I excused myself and tried to make it to a bathroom but I didn’t make it I am thankful that I was wearing a diaper for my urinary problems, otherwise I don’t want to think about the results. I was able to get to a restroom, change and go about my day. Even though my urinary incontinence predates my bowel issues, I am learning to handle both.

Has anyone ever heard of/have dumping syndrome? My doctor said it typically happens after gastrointestinal surgery, especially if something was removed. Hoping to chat with someone who is familiar with this condition or at least can share some advice on managing these types of symptoms.

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"It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”
- Rose Kennedy

Has anyone ever heard of/have dumping syndrome? My doctor said it typically happens after gastrointestinal surgery, especially if something was removed. Hoping to chat with someone who is familiar with this condition or at least can share some advice on managing these types of symptoms.[/quote]

I have dumping syndrome. I developed it after having surgery to correct a hiatal hernia. Feel free to PM me with any questions or comments.

This must be a real challenge. Good luck maintaining your weight.

Yeah, it is certainly a challenge. It is even more of a pain for me since I am smaller guy and I have been working out and trying hard to put on some mass. Hopefully with the medicine the doctor gave me, I can slowly start gaining some weight. Do you have experience with dumping syndrome or fecal incontinence Patrick? How do you manage? Any tips?

Regards,

Dallas

_________________
"It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”
- Rose Kennedy

Although I do not have dumping syndrome, my GI system is paralyzed. Folks with gastrparesis typically have trouble maintaining their weight. I too am a skinny runt, and must fight daily to consume enough calories to keep my weight up. Fecal incontinence, for me, happens when my diet gives me a colon blockage; diarrhea seeps around the blockage, and I either wear protection, or wish I had. At the suggestion of my gastroenterologist I intend to begin using enemas the next time I go on a liquid diet. I am grateful to JD for his sage advice.

I developed dumping syndrome after having an increased dose of Lithium. The dose was borderline toxic. I would have an all liquid bowel movement about 20-30 minutes after eating. I lost about 30 lbs. It eventually improved over time and while I still suffer a good bit of discomfort, it is better than it was for which I am thankful. This is partially due to my dose of medication being decreased to a more therapeutic level. I still suffer from frequent fecal incontinence but it is caused by nerve damage to my pelvic floor from autonomic neuropathy.

Goodness Patrick, that sounds pretty rough. I have been so constipated before that I started to leak diarrhea, it was pretty terrible. I don't know that my colon was ever completely blocked though. I hope the enemas help you get things under control! I can definitely sympathize with trying to meet daily calorie goals, it is a big time struggle for me since I am bad about "forgetting to eat" and skipping meals.



Lithium I've heard is a finicky drug. It can do some crazy things at less than ideal therapeutic doses. I suffer from major depression and anxiety so I know the struggle to find the perfect dosage of a medication and dealing with all the side effects that come from that process. i was reading one of your other posts about your neuropathy and I absolutely feel for you, it sounds incredibly challenging. The fecal incontinence alone would be difficult. I definitely struggle with my bowel incontinence more than my urinary incontinence in terms of embarrassment and shame. I know that it is not a reflection of the person I am, but it still gets to me. Although, every time I have had a bowel accident, I am very grateful that I was at least wearing protection. The thought of the disaster it would be if I wasn't wearing diapers is enough to scare me into never risking it.

_________________
"It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”
- Rose Kennedy

I think medical science has lots to learn about brain chemistry. Everyone on lithium or any other brain medication deserves my high regard. Gastroparesis is just aggravating. I am proud of how well I manage both it and my incontinence. Incontinence, rather than a source of shame or embarrassment, makes me proud that most of the folks with whom I deal daily are unaware of everything I must do to appear normal. I do not hide my incontinence from my family and neighbors; that would be impossible anyway, given my surgeries. And, the way I walk, and occasionally collapse, distracts them from noticing my occasionally bulging bottom.

I had my gallbladder removed in 2004 after developing a condition called cholecystitis, or "porcelain gallbladder," the symptoms of which came on very suddenly. I thought I was having yet another kidney stone attack and went to the emergency room. The CT scan didn't reveal any kidney stones and my urinary function was normal. However, a subsequent nuclear medicine test revealed that the gallbladder had become thick and hard, was not functioning at all, and was at risk of rupturing. As a result of that diagnosis, I had surgery to remove it.

After the emergency room visit, I went home to recover (I was off work for a week) with a heavy dose of narcotics and lots of sleep. During the first night, I woke up and was shocked to discover that my bowels had completely released (diarrhea) at some point! (This was before I experiencing urinary incontinence due to the kidney stones...the UI started after a kidney stone in 2011, so I was not using diapers at the time). Needless to say, after I cleaned up the mess as well as myself, I went to the nearest pharmacy and bought a pack of diapers. I stayed in diapers for the rest of that week until I figured out what was going on and things finally calmed down. Fortunately, the diarrhea incontinence did not repeat after the gallbladder was removed, though that was another indication that the gallbladder was not functioning at all.

I did some research and found that gallbladder disorders can trigger bowel incontinence. The gallbladder stores bile that is necessary for the digestion of fats. While you can live without a gallbladder, your digestive system's ability to handle fats is diminished since all bile has to come from the liver. I have to watch the fat content in my diet very carefully to prevent nausea, diarrhea, and difficult-to-control bowels.

Wow, Mike you just described my incident with my gallbladder to the letter. I was in so much pain that I also thought I was having another kidney stone (unfortunately I have had like 6-7 ) they did a scan for the kidney stones and while they found one, they said that at that moment it was too small to be causing me that much pain. They ran a subsequent HIDA scan and sure enough my gallbladder was no longer functioning. It took about 3 days in the hospital for them to figure out what was going on. Once they did the surgery to remove my gallbladder however, I was back home the next day with a recovery that went similarly to yours. Unfortunately, the difficult-to-control bowels and fecal incontinence stuck around for me. I had pretty bad IBS before my gallbladder and I think having it removed may have made things worse on that front. Now add to that this dumping syndrome condition and lets just say every day is an adventure with my stomach and my bowels. I have good days and then I have really bad days. It's funny how a bowel accident will actually make me thankful for the diapers I wear for the urinary incontinence. While the bowel incontinence is not as frequent as the urinary problems, it is absolutely awful and my heart goes out to those who deal with it on a 24/7 basis

_________________
"It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”
- Rose Kennedy