Abdominal Epilepsy Symtoms?

[missee]

I have been having severe abdominal pain for the past four years, following a fall down some stairs which i landed on my back.  I spent several years being tested for GI issues and all of my tests came back normal.  I recently went to see a neurologist and she says it may be abdominal seizures and scheduled an eeg.  My symtoms: nausea followed by an intense squeezing pain that starts near my sternum and wraps around to my back.  My stomach bloats and my entire abdominal area hurts with soft touches feeling like extreme pain.  I start to feel extremely hot and break out in sweat so much so that beads of sweat start to drip down my body.  At the end of this, I feel an intense need to vomit but I never do-this vomit feeling signals the end of my "attack" and my body returns to normal although I feel wiped out as if I just ran a marathon.  All of this lasts for minutes to 1/2 an hour. This can happen anytime of the day or night and is more likely to ocur if I am really mad or nervous although many times it wakes me up at night or occurs  during unstressful times.  I have been looking for more information on abdominal seizures but it is hard to find.  Any ideas?

[missee]

Thank you, Dr Newey.  I had an EEG that came back normal and an MRI which I'm still waiting for the results.  My GI and my second opinion GI both told me that I have "had every test and tried every drug" and both told me there was nothing more they could do for me.  The second opinion doctor said that my slow gastric emptying was negligable and probably not the cause of my pain.  I stumbled across a nuerology article and decided to explore that route.  Your answer supports my idea that perhaps I am on the right track to getting some answers to my pain.
To follow up what you said, I do experience a rapid heart rate during attacks.  I also have "sweat changes"... and never thought to mention it to any doctor.  Thank you again for taking the time to answer my question.  I see my neuro for a follow up after testing in a couple days.

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Seizures arising from the temporal lobes, for example, can have auras of abdominal cramping/nausea.

Another possibility could be cyclic vomiting syndrome. This condition is recurring attacks of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, with/without headache. It typically occurs in children but can occur in adults. The symptoms may last up to several hours at a time.

Also, as you mentioned, gastroparesis can also cause the symptoms you describe. This is best treated by a gastroenterologist. Treatment options include reglan (as you mentioned) and others such as erythromycin.

Do you have any additional autonomic symptoms such as sweating changes, cardiac arrhythmias, etc? I would encourage you to continue following up with your neurologist.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

[missee]

I forgot to mention that my original lab results right after the fall were an elevated ALT score that returned to normal range about 8 months after the fall and bilirubin in my urine (I was urinated florescent yellow) which cleared up pretty quickly.  My gallbladder was removed after 3 months but that was not the problem. I also took the stomach emptying test and was told it was slightly abnormal and I was labeled and treated for gastroparesis. Reglan did not help my symtoms.