Stomach/Digestive Problem

  For the past year, I have been experiencing what I call a
  mental and physical crash after I eat.  The symptoms occur
  only after I eat.  If I do not eat, I feel fine.  The symptoms
  begin anywhere from 10 min to 1 hr after I eat, and they have
  continued to progressively get worse over the past year.  After
  I eat, I start to feel "it" coming on.  My head feels foggy, almost
  like I'm coming down with a sinus headache, and then the
  physical part follows.  I am so tired, I can hardly keep my eyes
  open.  I need to lay down or I feel like I will fall down.  I feel
  totally wiped out, almost like I have the flu.   At first I thought that I had a food allergy, so I experimented with eliminating everything from dairy products, vinegar, lettuce, fruit, artificial sweetners, carbonated sodas, etc.  You name it.  I then thought that I might have hypoglycemia.  This made sense.  The crash
  time must be related somehow to low blood sugar.  I had a
  5 hour GTT test with showed a normal fasting blood glucose
  level of 83, which then, after ingestion of the glucose, shot
  up to 157, and dropped to 43, but I showed no symptoms of
  these crashes that I had been experiencing.  Still convinced
  that my symptoms must be related to low blood sugar, I eliminated all sugar, all refined carbohydrates, all caffeine,
  all fruit, and all artificial sweetners from my diet (PS.  I excercise
  aerobically 3-4 times per week.)  I followed this to the letter
  for about 4 months, but the symptoms continued and so did my desperation and hopelessness.  What was wrong?  It got to
  the point that the symptoms became so severe, that I was af-
  raid to eat.  It didn't seem to matter what the food was or how
  much, until  I recently discovered that my symptoms are relieved with sugared drinks, ie milk shakes and soda.  This had to be
  hypoglycemia.  I saw an endocrinologist a couple of weeks
  ago, and he found nothing abnormal.  He suggested that I
  purchase a glucometer, which I did the next day.  To my sur-
  prise, the symptoms were at their worst when my blood sugar
  level was at it's highest, when my stomach was the fullest, and
  I discovered that the more I ate at one sitting, the longer the
  crash.  As soon as the food was digested and my stomach was
  empty, I felt fine, just to repeat the cycle again when I was
  hungry.  My blood sugar levels, both high and low, were within
  the normal ranges.  IE.  If I ate an omlet, a small amount of
  spagetti sauce with veggies, a single serving of yogurt, a
  half an apple, or a half of multi grain bagel, bang.  The symptoms
  began.  My blood was tested for a stomach ulcer, and I was
  told that the results were marginal, whatever that means.  When
  I requested that my stomach be scoped, the Doctor refused,
  saying that if I had an ulcer, I would be experiencing acute
  stomach pain, not suttle, long lasting "crash" time.  To make
  it through the day now, I just feed my hunger with small amounts
  of cottage cheese and popcorn accompanied by sugared
  coffee or diet soda.  I save my meal for nightime, knowing that
  I can go to bed if the "crash" symptoms get too bad.  Can you
  make "heads or tails" out of any of this?  What are your
  thoughts?  Any suggestions?  Please, can you  help me in
  any way.   Any help would be much appreciated.
  Sincerely,
  Sandy
  ologist twice, and he found nothing.  During my last visit,
  which was a couple of weeks ago, the doctor suggested
____________________________________________
Dear Sandy,
I read your letter with great interest.  Initially, I also thought that your symptoms were related to hypoglycemia.  Your physician is correct that the problem is not what we usually see with ulcer disease.  Endoscopy will probably not provide useful information.  My only suggestion is to check gastric emptying via a radionucleotide gastric emptying test.  It is possible that alterations in the rate at which foods leave your stomach is the cause of your problem.
This response is offered for your general information and should not replace the conclusions drawn from a careful and complete evaluation by your physician.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: irritable bowel syndrome
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