Help with strange array of migraine and hunger-related symproms

[Nettles79]

Hi,
For 20 years I have been having these strange symptoms I am hoping somebody in the forum can shed some light on them. The symptoms come in periods of weeks to months at a time but then go away for equally long periods of time.

I would characterize the feelings I get as: tired all the time, brain feels foggy or slowed, trouble with word finding, no energy, impaired speech, headachy, frequent urination, feel like I want to avoid stimulation (such as lights, noise, crowds of people, malls, etc). These feelings can be temporarily abated by eating something (even though I don't feel hungry), but in general they will return minutes to hours after eating.

I don't need to eat that much to get this effect and the relief occurs within seconds to minutes of eating, faster than my body should be able to get any nourishment from what I've eaten.

These symptoms are generally a prelude to a migraine headache, although not every time.

I am not overweight and eat fairly healthy but am concerned as I am thinking of starting a family but would like to have my health in order first. Anybody have similar symptoms or a possible explanation for this?

Other symptoms I have (that may or may not be related) include increased startle reflex, anxiety, and night sweats. I've seen tons of doctors over the years and most blow it off or think I'm a hypochondriac, which I'm definitely not. If anything I downplay my symptoms and the impact on my life.

Any help or insights people can give would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[Nettles79]

Thanks for your input. I am not a drinker so that is definitely not the cause. A few people have said it may be hypoglycemia; however, I went through a period where I was checking my blood sugar up to 10 times a day and it was almost always normal. Any other ideas? I have made an appointment with my doctor but am not too optimistic as I have gone that route many times before to no avail. Fingers crossed.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Since your symptoms come and go, there are two main possibilities. One is hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Excessive alcohol intake, hepatitis, kidney disease, certain medications, disorders of adrenal gland etc can all cause hypoglycemia. It can also be caused by poor eating patterns. Rarely is it caused by insulin secreting tumors called insulinomas. These can secrete huge amounts of insulin after food and a person can suffer from hypoglycemia despite eating.
The other is severe acidity. A gastric ulcer causing acidity is a periodic thing where the symptoms often subside as they come and then resurface.
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please discuss this with your doctor.
Hope this helps. Take care!