patterns of severe abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea

I am 30 and I have been experiencing problems with severe abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.  This problem seems to be occurring every other month, although recently it was only three weeks between my last and most current illness (last-06/02/01, most recent-06-27-01).  I have been to my family doctor on several occasions and was told it was simply a stomach virus.  I am concerned, however, because I seem to develop the same pattern of symptoms each time.  It is to the point that once the pattern begins, I know what will happen next and in what type of time frame.
     It always starts out as severe abdominal pain in the lower abdomen.  This becomes so bad I can hardly stand or sit still.  This is followed by increasing nausea and severe itching of the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet.  It then leads to profuse sweating, but I am cold and shaking.  Then I have severe diarrhea.  On half of the occasions I have had diarrhea while vomitting simultaneously.  After the diarrhea and vomitting, I still am in pain.  Also, the symptoms of profuse sweating, shaking and itching continue for up to twenty minutes.  Typically, the nausea is also still severe and although I try to lie as still as possible, I am in so much pain and itching to such an extent it is impossible.  Once the twenty minutes is up, it seems to slowly calm down.  At this point I just want to sleep.  The symptoms are always in this order.  The only symptom that does not occur every time is the vomitting.  Can you please offer any advise for me?
     I have had a sonagram, which revealed nothing.  I have also had blood tests and a urine specimen was taken.  I would appreciate any advise you can offer.

[DeeA]

Well, and Ultrasound and blood test are not going to help in making a dx of a GI disorder. The type of s/s you are having warrent further evaluation by a GI doctor. You better start monitoring everything you eat your diet, write it down and take it with you to the doctor office. You may be experiencing some type of allergic reaction to food, a toxic effect, or you may suffer from IBS nevertheless you must be seen by a doctor  and test need to be done to r/o and dx your present condition. It is most definally a factor that the GI system is involve with the s/s given. I am not saying this is your case, but it probably needs to be ruled out! See a doctor.
  

Food Allergy and Intolerances


Food allergies or food intolerances affect nearly everyone at some point. People often have an unpleasant reaction to something they ate and wonder if they have a food allergy. One out of three people either say that they have a food allergy or that they modify the family diet because a family member is suspected of having a food allergy. But only about three percent of children have clinically proven allergic reactions to foods. In adults, the prevalence of food allergy drops to about one percent of the total population.

This difference between the clinically proven prevalence of food allergy and the public perception of the problem is in part due to reactions called "food intolerances" rather than food allergies. A food allergy, or hypersensitivity, is an abnormal response to a food that is triggered by the immune system. The immune system is not responsible for the symptoms of a food intolerance, even though these symptoms can resemble those of a food allergy.

It is extremely important for people who have true food allergies to identify them and prevent allergic reactions to food because these reactions can cause devastating illness and, in some cases, be fatal.


How Allergic Reactions Work

An allergic reaction involves two features of the human immune response. One is the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE), a type of protein called an antibody that circulates through the blood. The other is the mast cell, a specific cell that occurs in all body tissues but is especially common in areas of the body that are typical sites of allergic reactions, including the nose and throat, lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal tract.

The ability of a given individual to form IgE against something as benign as food is an inherited predisposition. Generally, such people come from families in which allergies are common