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Foggy after Eating

It's good to see some other people are going through the same thing.
No matter what I eat, I get this foggy, disconnected feeling. Concentrating and thinking on my feet aren't up to speed. I don't completely feel like myself.
A lot of times I'll feel back to normal when I wake up. It all changes when I start to eat.
I wouldn't say my symptoms include pain or feeling off-balance like some people have mentioned. But this issue bothers me to the core. Work and social interactions become more laborious and uncomfortable.
I'm having a lot of tests done. I'll let everyone know what I find.
Some other mild symptoms I occasionally feel are mild thumping above my forehead and tingling lips. I'm not sure if these are really related.
One of the worst things about this is the confused reactions i get from doctor(s) and others. It is so scary not knowing if I can figure this out.


This discussion is related to Dizziness/foggy feeling.
21 Responses
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Avatar universal
My headaches and brain fog went away after I cut out all caffeine, and started running regularly (three times per week). I think the caffeine was the biggest problem — once it was out of my system (and I had a real withdrawal experience) I immediately started feeling better.
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Avatar universal
I have exactly the same problem as the poster.  Almost immediately after I eat (really too fast for my body to be digesting and reacting to something I ate) I start to feel a chronic tension headache behind my sinuses.  It feels like it's at the front of my head, between the temples and behind the nose and eyes.  I also feel foggy and tired, and a little irritable.  This has been happening for years, with variable intensity and frequency.

I have a long history of sinusitis and congestion / allergies, and I've been wondering if that's the source of my problem.  I also just did a blood test for food allergies and am waiting for results.

Did anybody on this thread have good results after treating sinus issues?  I think I'll try the probiotic, too.
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Avatar universal
I've had the same problem for 10 years and it all started from taking protein supplements. I'm betting that most of you were into supplements like protein, vitamins, and herbs before your issues started.
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Avatar universal
Anyone who is on the fence about whether or not their blood sugar is an issue that is causing their brain fog should try the ketogenic diet.

It's a very high fat, moderate protein, very low carb diet.

Basically by starting this diet your body will switch from using blood sugar as "fuel" to using ketones as "fuel"

Very useful if your blood sugar is all over the place and you are not sure if it's causing your brain fog or not.

Essentially, if your problems go away after FULLY implementing the ketogenic diet then blood sugar is your likely problem.
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Avatar universal
Please look into Iodine deficiency!
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Avatar universal
I have had the same thing for the last five years! However, I have found a solution that has made it almost go away! Probiotics! I use Renew Life Ultimate Flora Critical Care. I took 2 a day for a while. I also cut out sugary items unless found naturally. No dairy. I still keep my sugar items to a minimum. You will begin to be able to introduce more food items into your diet eventually! I hope this helps. I was on the search for a long time as well and all my doctors just scratched their heads!
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Avatar universal
I suffer from the same problem for more than 5 years. I certainly know by long trials and errors that it is food related. To the best of my knowledge, for me it is dairy and gluten. I have rashes on my hand which look much like dermatitis herpetiformis. However, even if i exclude gluten i still cannot digest dairy. I believe, gluten and dairy intolerance have damaged my intestinal wall in a way that i can no longer digest food properly. I recommend to start with FODMAP diet with limited amount of food at each meal. then add other foods step by step to see which food causes problems.
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Avatar universal
I am having the same issues. After I eat I get this foggy/discomfort in my sinus area. I recently got treated for Stage 4 Melanoma and thought it may be connected to that but now after reading your comments I think it isn't.
I am going to see my Dr soon. Anything else anyone can add on here would be greatly appreciated. Tks. Al
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9197017 tn?1429016816
Hi there,
I've had similar issues. I've had to give up gluten and all other grains, plus corn and dairy. Taking Lactaid doesn't help me consume dairy, so I'm guessing it's the casein.

Determining food sensitivities is a LOT of work, but it definitely can help.

I'm right now trying to get back to giving up sugar. I've been on a sugar binge for a few weeks and my body is screaming!
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Avatar universal
The best probiotic I could get my hands on is raw milk.  I know it's controversial but if you know your farmer, or live in a state where it's legal to buy in stores then you really cannot beat it for probiotics.  I've been drinking it for over 10 years and it completely healed my gut issues and don't get lactose intolerance from it at all. Not to mention is cures those pesky bladder infections! (UTI)

Anyway, besides having a glorious gut, I STILL get headaches and feel foggy after eating.  I've eliminated gluten and even processed "gluten-free" products. But I have a hunch that it might not be gluten at all but MSG! I've been reading lots and lots of labels and apparently MSG is in almost everything!  After watching this much closer I've had good results and seem to only get a headache when I "splurge" and go out to eat at a restaurant.

Good luck all! hope you find your answer. :)  
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Avatar universal
yes! eliminating has been my key of survival! I am starting to figure this out too... Somewhat :)
Turned away from all dairy products... started taking essential flora 7. Not sure if it's too soon to come to conclusion yet.. It could be either the probiotic change or the elimination of dairy products...I've noticed my inflammation subsided quite a bit!! Any suggestions on best types of probiotics?
thanks for the advice ^
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Avatar universal
IGNORE EVERYONE ELSES ANSWER. Figuring this out now and am about 99% sure it is inflamation, possibly in the hypothalamus, because of leaky gut which is caused from gut dysbiosis/IBS or intestinal harm from food sensitivities. Leaky gut can bring other problems such as fatigue after eating, and autoimmune reactions to every food. So any type of diet, antibiotics, probiotics you can take to heal your gut for your specific underlying cause, mine being SIBO, should be the solution. I am going with either SCD or GAPS diet, after learning more about foods that feed the bad bacteria for me and eliminating those as well.
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Avatar universal
Am i not the only one? ugh! Lord help us all out there. I've been trying and researching things for years. Stress Is not the problem here. Neither is gluten or hundred other types of diets and food alterations. It's something else. But What? What's the latest update?
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Avatar universal
I have similar symptoms that you describe AND I feel like I am hungover every morning when I wake up.  I also was told I have reactive hypoglycemia from a single test like you described where my insulin shot up and sugar went down.  but I recently wore a continuous glucose monitor and I really dont think that is the right diagnosis.  The symptoms are MUCh worse when I eat sugar but I can't figure out why.  Any new info?
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Avatar universal
Hi I suffer from the very same symptoms you listed. Can you please send me the link you discussed in your post?

Also, have been able to overcome what the problem? If so how did you do it?

My email is ***@****.

Thanks, Lindsay
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Avatar universal
i get this and it is related to the heart pumping during the digestion process. there is some kind of malfunction there that makes the whole digestion process a nightmare. i find when i have an empty stomach am full of vigour yet then i have to eat to avoid collapsing yet dread eating beause i get all dizzy and foggy.. it is a cirulation issue... also you need to do a massive parasite cleanse as parasites effect this malfunction of digestion as well and no dr ever wants to admit or discuss.. get a good herbal liquid cleanse tonic that has the right mix to kill all parasites. it is either parasites or heart/circulation . try coezyme Q10 too and take vitamin c daily.
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Avatar universal
Are any of your doctors ENT's if not I recommend that you try and find a good one and bring you CT and the results with you.

I hope you get what you need,

achilles2
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Avatar universal
So, I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. I have my doubts about this. But it does check out to an extent. I'm told if i alter my diet i can "beat this". However, after restricting myself to lean meats, veggys and water for a weekend, I still felt the effects. I did feel better, but only slightly. The diagnosis resulted in part from a blood test they did on me, a few weeks back. They tested my levels (ie. blood sugar, insulin, vitamins, etc.) after fasting, and compared it to my tested levels immediately after eating. I had a really sugary meal right before the "eating test". The results came back to show an ironically low blood sugar, and vey intense spike in insulin.

I'm still going to do further research on the sinus thing.
email is ajrust1 {at} gmail, if you have any questions.

It's just frustrating to hear they think I have something, that doesn't seem fixable. Not only that, but following the recommended diet still doesn't seem to solve the problem. It doesn't seem to add up.
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Avatar universal
I guess we can't put e-mails on here. You can shoot me a message on this thing if you have any questions.
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Avatar universal
Hi. Thank you for responding to my post. Sometimes, I feel that I get more ideas from other people on these boards than I do from actual doctors.
I've read some people's comments on this board (maybe i can send you the link once I find it) of people saying they had swelling in their sinuses. One person, (I think his user name was "Adam") said he had the same symptoms I described. He had CT Scans of his sinuses, where he was found to have a badly deviated septum and polyps in his maxillary sinuses. He said he had surgery to fix his sinus issues, with no guarantee he would feel better. After the surgery, he felt completely back to normal.
It was only because of what this guy posted, that I had a CT scan done of my sinuses. The doctors didn't suggest this possibility. As it turns out, I had cysts (although not polyps) in my maxillaries and a significantly deviated septum. Similar symptoms to Adam. My doctors seem skeptical of this issue causing my symptoms, so they are having me meet with all these other specialists (Gastro, Blood specialists) to rule out all other possibilities, before I have surgery that may be pointless.

My E-mail is ***@****. I would be interested in hearing about your predicament, as it may help me to figure out mine. Feel free to message me. I would be happy to help someone else figure this out. It is such a pain.
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Avatar universal
I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR OVER 7 YEARS NOW, AND GLUTEN FREE DIETS HELP BUT DON'T REMEDY THE PROBLEM.  i HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE FOOD ALLERGIES TESTED, AND I TRY TO AVOID THOSE FOODS; BUT AGAIN THE FOGGY HEAEDED SYMPTOMS PERSIST.  THE HARDEST THING FOR ME IS NOT KNOWING FOR SURE WHAT I'M DEALING WITH--DESPITE SEEING SEVERAL LOCAL SPECIALISTS AND GOING TO MAYO CLINIC.  I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU FIND A REMEDY OR WHAT THE CAUSE OF THIS MIGHT BE.    SHARING YOUR FRUSTRATIONS,  JM
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