Stomach Cramp, Diarrhea, sweating , light headedness and fainting

[tomski]

I have experienced on 4 occasions in the last 6 years a rather weird Diarrhoea attack which really is painful and scary. Here is a description of what occurs.

1. Sudden abdominal pain which increases in intensity over a short time. The same sensation one might get when they are about to get Diarrhoea.

2. I go to the toilet and try excreting whatever wants to come out. However after about a minute of sitting there with nothing coming out I suddenly few light headed and am starting to get a dizzy spell like I am about to faint and my breathing weakens.

3. This borderline fainting sensation lasts for about another minute before I break out into a sudden sweat all over my body. Within a few seconds I have sweat literally pouring out of me, my clothes are wet as if I ran a marathon or something.

4. After a minute of sweating I suddenly feel something coming out of my rear end. I try to squeeze it out and only a hard stool comes out.

5. The sweating stops and the stomach cramp subsides. I think everything is over and I clean up. I walk out of the toilet and in about 2 minutes time the stomach cramp and the fainting sensation comes back (I've fainted only once to date from this and was out for about 15-20 minutes).

6. When I get back to the toilet I have a really violent Diarrhoea episode in pure liquid state. It takes a few minutes to subside and once I

[Natski34]

Over the last 6years, I am now 31 I have had a very similar issue.
I always assumed it might be my heart, and only because I get dizzy and it forces me to get low, I literally find myself face down to get some relief, and if I try to get up I feel like fainting.
I sweat, get very dizzy, nauseas and very bad cramps that will 9/10 end without me defecating.
However last night for the first time I did pass stool and then quite a large amount of soft stool. This happened whilst I was face down on the floor, and I couldn't get up!
I will mention that every time this has happened I always feel the need to get low, and I get cramps.

[Di042282]

Ok, so this happened to me just this past week & I actually was hospitalized for dehydration, a CT Scan wE done & the CT Scan showed Colitis & my white count was nearly 20,000. Dr's put me on I.V Antibiotics & I feel much better. Dr's said that temporary episodes can be brought on by an infection or virus. This was my second experience. I recommend getting into see a gastro doctor, as I was advised to do, for an upper & lower G.I

[Ba79]

II'm sorry we are all suffering from this. I'm a 36 year old female and I just experienced this too. Sudden painful cramps, BM, sudden heat rushing over me, excessive sweating, dizzy can't stand up to wipe, feeling scared like I'm gonna die, put my head down & concentrate on my breathing. The heat is unbearable, kick my shoes off, pull my pants off. Sweat dropping off my head, wipe my head & face with toilet paper - saturated. Pass a few more BM (firm) feel nauseous at the same time, scared to vomit all over myself. Just keep breathing, smell is putrid & making me even more nauseous. Legs too weak, can't stand up. Just keep flushing & sitting there. After a few minutes, I can get up. I have a little water & then cramps start again, this time it's diarrhea, so bad it needs to be flushed twice. This happens a couple more times. I'm laying in bed now writing this, freezing cold now, can't warm up. Have a pile of blankets and 2 hot packs and still cold & weak.
I've suffered IBS for 15 years. I've had these episodes a handful of times, usually waking me at night but this episode started about 4pm. I ate fried sardines and salad for lunch. I know I have had diarrohea after sardines in the past (salmon too) but not an episode like this.
Years ago I had a colonoscopy, blood tests etc, everything clear.
My period is due today so could be linked to a hormonal shift. I'm going to go see a chiropractor & see if they can help me. I feel stupid telling a GP, as they just brush it off & say IBS. Good luck everyone

[goldenpons]

sardines sounds like a trigger for histamine intolerance...research this and you will find your symptoms

[bessjos]

Dont have an answer. Wish i did. I experience the same exact thing. Still looking for answers.

[goldenpons]

histamine intolerance

[Sickofittoo]

I too am glad that I found this site and these posts.  I had my worst episode, by far, this morning.  It was the first time though that I felt like I was going to  pass out.  Deep breathing really helped.  Oddly enough, I didn't have a lot of cramping like I usually do, and, I realized that I didn't have a firm bowel movement before I had diarrhea either. Don't get me wrong, I had some cramping, but not as severe as usual.  I did had the tingling in my hands and feet, shaking in my arms and legs, ringing in my ears with some loss of hearing, and sweat just rolling down my face and body.  You know the drill.  It was horrible!

My episodes started happening after I had my gallbladder removed. They usually happen during the day and always occur minutes to a few hours after I eat.  What I eat doesn't seem to matter, but here is what I have discovered, my episodes usually occur after I have not eaten for several hours and then eat something with a lot of fat or sugar and/or drink something with caffeine in it, like coffee or sodas.  So, here are my conclusions from my research and personal experimentation...When you eat a meal heavy in fat or sugars, the gallbladder releases bile to help digest the food.  When you do not have a gallbladder, or if your gallbladder isn't functioning properly, the bile starts collecting in your stomach instead of staying in the gallbladder to be released when needed.  So, when you have stomach with bile in it, and then you eat a meal heavy in fat, the bile immediately does what it is supposed to do and grabs the fats and sugars and takes them on down the intestines.  Now, if you are dehydrated or if your bowels don't work like they normally should your stool does not move through your intestines like it should (or maybe you haven't had your bowel movement for the day). So when the bile and fat mixture hits the stool that has been in your intestines, it gets stopped in its tracks.  This liquid mixture of bile has to get out of your intestines so your intestines kick in high gear to get the other stool out in order to get the bile mixture out.  Because of this, your body starts diverting all the blood and fluid to your intestines to help get the stool out, hence the light-headed feeling and fainting, and then your intestines start contracting, i.e. bubbling/cramping, and hence the VV symptoms. Know why the pain is on the left side?  That's where your stomach is and that is where the bile is mixing with the food and starting the whole episode...  Well, that's it... I am not a doctor but I do have the internet and personal experience, right? Ha!

I have found that if I drink more fluids during the day, to encourage regular bowel movements, and if I don't let my stomach get very empty, i.e. small meals and snacks during the day instead of waiting and eating larger meals, I do not have these episodes.  It is when I haven't been having regular bowel movements (for whatever reason - stress, dehydration, hormones, not eating enough fiber) AND I go a long time before eating, I have one of these episodes.   When I really pay attention to those two things - regular bowel movements, so there are no "road blocks" and healthy snacking in between meals, so that bile doesn't collect in my stomach, I have no problems.  (As for episodes that happen in the middle of the night, perhaps your food is staying in your stomach longer and your body produces more bile to help with digestion and that is why it hits at night.  I don't eat past 8:00 p.m. so that may be why I don't have episodes in the middle of the night.)

I hope this insight helps some of you.  It is truly a horrible and scary experience!  I'm glad to see that I am not alone! I just need to be better at following my own rules!

[rockersrevenge]

That makes sense to me. I am just recovering from my first ever episode of this scary incident. I skipped breakfast for the first time in ages, and went for a run and thought I'd hold off on eating till the evening, baring in mind, I get up late and have breakfast around 1pm normally. I couldn't wait for the evening to eat, so I had a spicy chicken wrap at around 4 pm. Spicy never sits well with me. The next time I ate was about 9 pm and that consisted of some fairly high quality chocolate covered peanuts. I eat these on a weekly basis. The variant was not eating till much later in the day, spicy, then the chocolate. Bile build up sounds promising. Its not vvs. Vvs is just part of it.

[dsier3]

I just had an episode like this today. I was in a meeting when I felt a cramp on the left side of my abdomen. It hurt so bad that I doubled over (I was sitting at the time). I then felt intensely hot/cold and clammy and slight dizzy. I felt pins and needles in my arms. It suddenly subsided and returned a few minutes later. I got up thinking I just needed to stretch out my abdomen and nearly fainted. I went to the bathroom right after and felt better but still weak and the pins and needles in my arms lingered. I also developed a horrible headache. I saw my doctor and she diagnosed me with gerd and started me on medication and stool softeners. The thing is im not usually constipated but I have been the past few days. Im happy I found this forum. I wasnt satisfied with the doctors prognosis because I dont have heart burn or reflux. Thanks to all of you fir sharing!