Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome

S

shesjustoff

Newcomer
Hello to all TMS community and thank you in advance if you read this.

I'm 34 yo female. Two years ago, after having my second daughter (totally hassle-free pregnancy and labor), I started experiencing some weird symptoms.
Ok... maybe I had them before from time to time, but they were never that severe and persistent. Anyway, first I started to be constantly hungry. Like I had days when no matter what and how much I've eaten, I still felt this stubborn emptiness in my stomach. I was breastfeeding back then so I wasn't very concerned. In the meantime second problem started - lightheadness and brain fog after meals. At the beginning it was only after breakfast, but with time it extended to all of the meals (yet the worst are still breakfasts).
After half a year I stopped breastfeeding and decided to take some care of myself. I asked for help with my baby daughter to get more sleep, took some vitamins, introduced mild exercises. All in hope that I only need to rest a bit to be back on track. But... symptoms persisted and actually got worse. I started to get hypoglycemia symptoms 2-3 hours after meal. Yet, meals weren't giving me 100% relief, I was just replacing hunger with lightheadness. Sometimes it even was that eating a meal made my emptiness feeling worse. I could feel empty and full at the same time, it by no means was increased appetite, usually i had to force myself to eat. There were often also some additional symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, mild nausea... but still the worse was panicky hunger and feeling so off after the meal.
I started my trips to doctors offices. First thing that was suspected was hypoglycemia, but my sugar and insulin was normal. I was testing with glucometer like crazy (my poor sore fingertips) and it was never too low (or too high). Also, I experienced one hypo episode in the past and when Im comparing it with what I feel now its not the same. Similar but not the same, I can go for hours without eating and except for those symptoms, Im fine, I mean Im not collapsing or anything. Its like my body believes that sugar is low when its not. Anyway, I also ruled out bunch of other health issues (stomach, food sensitivities, parasites, SIBO etc)
I tried sooo maaany things. Diets, medicines, supplements, antianxiety pills, doctors, altmed specialists, psychotherapy. Nothing helps. not a bit. In the meantime I've found a name for it over the internet - Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome. Depending on the definition it can mean symptoms of hypoglycemia without actual low sugar or feeling bad after meal. And I have both, so I believe this is what I have. I also probably meet criteria for mild POTS (HR rises about 30 beats when standing).
The information on IPS is very sparse, sources just say that its probably due to inadequate adrenal reaction and its not life threatening like real hypoglycemia. Treatment is to it balanced, small, frequent meals, reduce carbs. Well... its not working for me at all.
When googling and googling I finally read about TMS approaches.
Part of me believes that this is a solution to my problems. I had shitty childhood, I was always anxious, perfectionist, sensitive. My current relationship also issn't very satisfying (and my symptoms has made it a lot worse).
But there is another part that poisons my mind every time I try to introduce for example meditation routine. It gives me doubts and doubts and doubts to the point when I no longer believe that this will help, I want to cry and die.
Its really hard for me to believe in this because this its so rare. There are so many stories of pain or conditions like fibromyalgia, CFS, MCS and nothing applies to what I have.
It not "just hunger" like everyone around is telling me. Its hunger, its hypoglycemia-like panic mode, its weakness, nausea its basically feeling off 100% time. This is ruining my life. Im not bedridden, Im capable of doing most of my duties, so noone is taking me seriously. But I'm doing this only because I constantly struggle with symptoms, they've taken all the pleasure from my life. But ok, enough of this self-pity. Im thankful to all who was able to read this wall of text.
What do you think? Can it be TMS? How to find motivation and strength to work on that?
 
I've had stomach sensations like this but it passes when I acknowledge the anxiety causing it. Hot water and exercise can help. You could also be tired from worrying. Since all your tests came out normal, this is due to repressed emotions. The only thing that stopped the pain was acknowledging it and getting involved in something else that took my attention off it. Definitely take care of you and your relationships (they are the first thing to get affected by mental health), and you don't need to meditate if it makes you feel stuck.
 
Thank you for your response. My symptoms persist even if I don't worry or distract my attention. I know it can be like that, but that makes it sooo hard to accept TMS possibility. Also, meditation is not a problem ifselt, its just that every time I try to really work on that, my brain just floods me with thoughts that its pointless, wont fix me and getting sad and panicked and unable to do any work.
 
Hi shesjustoff! I first have to say my heart really goes out to you I’m dealing with the exact same issue with no and/or solution insight please let me know if you found anything that helps or would just like to chat for support as it can definitely feel very isolating
 
Thank you Ltorza92, you're not alone in this. Unfortunately I'm still struggling with this, but I haven't really dive into TMS techniques to be honest. I wrote you private message.
 
Hi! I have exactly the symptoms you are describing and have had this since I was 11. I am 31 now. No one has believed me and I’ve felt shaky and weak for over 20 years most days along with constant sweating, dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, extreme hunger, etc. I had no idea anyone else had this and felt like maybe I was the only one in the world with it. I’m considering making a Facebook or some type of group to connect with others who have this. I want to know how many of us are out there. We deserve answers and a treatment. I have suffered for many years. My blood sugar is always in the normal range so that’s why I believe it’s IPS.

This has ruined my life for 20 years. Everyday
 
Whew, this is a lot to unpack. I'll try!

@shesjustoff, almost two years ago you said you were planning to start the SEP, and you also got some great advice by our wonderful Andy Bayliss, but you never responded to him and that's the last time you posted. I expect that life (with two small children) intervened, and although you've come back with this self-diagnosis of "Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome" I would like to think that the reason you came back to THIS forum is that at least some part of you would like reassurance that this is likely to be TMS.

Since you've been medically checked out plenty of times, I'm more than happy to say, keeping in mind of course that none of us here is a medical professional, that this screams TMS to me.

Here's the thing: The very name that you found, IPS, means NOTHING. It is just as meaningless as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, complex regional pain syndrome, etc etc etc.

We often joke here that these acronyms have been created by members of the medical community in an attempt to offer a diagnosis for conditions that they can't explain and for which they have no treatment other than mitigation of symptoms. The thing is, these words only describe the symptoms. Seriously! Look at the actual words. Idiopathic just means random and unexplainable. Postprandial just means after eating. And Syndrome is the key word that tells us it's a mysterious condition. Dr Sarno's original acronym TMS also contains the word Syndrome, because it is a neurological/emotional condition, not a physical one.

THIS IS GOOD NEWS!

@shesjustoff, you know what you have to do. Reread Dr Sarno, then read Hope and Help for Your Nerves, by Claire Weekes, because you need reduce your anxiety. Then make a commitment to doing the SEP. Just one Day per day. Start the writing exercises and do them with complete self honesty and vulnerability. Do not keep what you write, although I think that the lists need to be kept long enough so that you can choose topics to write about from them or maybe you can find a way around that. I say that because you don't live alone and you're in a problematic relationship, which of course is probably one source of your physical distress, which came on after having a second child with the problem partner, yikes. But of course you should know enough about this work to understand that our responses to life stresses in adulthood stem from our childhoods, so it is absolutely worth it to go back that far and examine our emotional development as children. But I digress. Dispose of yourwriting exercises after you've done them, because they are not needed again. This is the same advice that many experts in the power of expressive writing tell us.

The other thing I would recommend for you is to start listening to the podcast show of Nicole Sachs, LCSW. Her website has a resources page which you can scroll down to find out where to listen to her podcast. Start with the very first one which is a long time ago, in the fall of 2018, but it's best to start at the beginning. Listen to one episode a day if you can, because listening to Nicole is like receiving personal therapy. She worked under Dr Sarno before starting her own practice, then she left private practice in order to spread the word and her work to a much wider audience, and she is awesome and she will help to heal you

Good luck!
 
@Carefree54321 and @Ltorza92, welcome to the forum. I urge you to read my response above to shesjustoff, then check out our main page at tmswiki.org.

The wiki and forum are dedicated to the brilliant work and the memory of Dr John Sarno MD, who developed the term Tension Myositis Syndrome, and in whose memory we still use the acronym TMS, although it is also referred to as MBS, mind-body syndrome, or PPD, psychophysiological disorder.

Our first recommendation is to always read at least one book by Dr Sarno. I would recommend his third book, The Mindbody Prescription, because his first two books were about back pain, but he eventually came to understand that there are many more emotionally based conditions than back pain.

On this forum, we often say that the more mysterious and untreatable the condition, the more likely it is to be a mind body condition. Neuroscience has come a long way since Dr Sarno's day (who retired in 2012 and died in 2017) and there are a few details of his theories which are a little bit out of date, but they are still the best introduction to this topic.

Once you've been introduced to these concepts, you can come back here for recommendations about other resources. Our two free programs are a great way to start, since there's no registration or sign up needed. The easiest one to access is the Structured Educational Program, which is accessed from the main tmswiki.org site. You also can't go wrong with Nicole Sachs. Her website is thecureforchronicpain.com . Let me know if you need help finding her earliest podcast episodes.

I have a lengthy list of favorite resources on my profile page after my story.
 
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