What Causes Fatigue, Shakiness And Hunger After Meals?

Posted on Thu, 2 Apr 2015

Question: I had a gastric emptying study done last week. It showed I have dumping syndrome. The last test I had 8 yrs ago showed a moderate to severe gastro paresis. It took over 90 minutes to digest a egg. This problem is thought to be caused by my polyneuropathy. It's strange that I could go from one extreme to the other. I use to have problems with constipation nausea and feeling full. Now it's severe diarrhea a few minutes after eating. I all ready had orthostatic hypotension and headaches when I stood up. I've been having episodes of dizziness, shakiness, fatigue and hunger after meals but I didn't know what caused it. I also have gastric ulcers. I don't understand why I could have both problems since food isn't staying in my stomach very long. I have to avoid carbohydrates milk and sugars. My doctor says this may help the diarrhea or it may not help it. What should I expect with this diagnosis along with my other problems?

Answered by Dr. T Shobha Deepak (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
There should be improvement in symptoms

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to Healthcare-Magic
Greetings of the day
Dear Ms.

Autonomic Neuropathy very well explains your symptoms of hypotension and intestinal motility disorder. The other past problems have been very well taken care by surgery. As intestinal biopsy is normal ,the cause of symptoms is unlikely to be due to any significant cause.

The large alteration between. Constipation and diarrhoea is likely to be due to following factors

1. Decreased intake of fibre in diet

2. Decreased intake of water

3. Gastric distension caused by stasis of food sometimes leads to Gastrocolic reflex leading to colonic motility and passage of stools . This explains the urge to 0ass stools after food .

4. Stress and anxiety could be other major contributing factors

The long term outlook is good provided you religiously follow the advice

1. Eat small quantity of meals more frequently

2. Identify the food stuffs which precipitate your symptoms and avoid them

3. Avoid oily food

4. Avoid carbonated / caffeinated / alcoholic beverages

5. Ensure good intake of water

6. Avoiding milk will be helpful

6. Regular exercise : Exercising regularly especially brisk 30 minutes walk everyday is known to increase gastric motility

7. Vitamin B12 supplements will be helpful for management of neuropathy

Do get back to me if you need any further assistance, will be glad to assist you.

Take care

Best Regards
Dr T Shobha Deepak

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj