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

[LisaFromLouisville]

I have been dealing with all of these same symptoms and have been tested for all sorts of GI and Heart Related causes.  Finally I decided to go to an Allergist.  I've been diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.  Another possibility that it could have been was Alpha-Gal.  CHECK THESE OUT ONLINE AND CHECK WITH AN ALLERGIST!!!!

[birdbath63]

Have been suffering from the same kind of attacks for about two years.  Last March, I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and put on a low fodmap diet.  It has changed my life.  Following the diet is extremely hard, at first, but then becomes the norm.  I hadn't had an attack in almost a year, until the other night.  But I've been trying to reintroduce certain foods back into my diet and, I guess, I'm just not ready yet.  But definitely check into the low FODMAP diet.  It will totally help.  I also started taking citrucel caplets, a digestive enzyme, a probiotic, and Heather's tummy tamers regularly, and they have all helped immensely.  Good luck.

[fabmoolah]

I could have cried when I read your post, I have yet to meet or get some one to understand what I am going through! I Have had colonoscopys done eeg's ekg's ect and its always "fine". I feel like people, my dr included think I am just not tough or have no tolerance to pain. This is not the case! I agree with everything you said including the feel like your dying part, and to be honest when it's happening part me wishes I would. It sounds awful to say but the pain is so horrible! I recently went to a homeopathic dr and she instantly suggested I be tested for abdominal epilepsy (along with other tests and blood work) with the research I have done on it thus far it seems like this could potentially be what I have...you may want to see about testing that for yourself!

[RememberRonni]

This also happens to me.  I understood it was a vasovagal reflex faint.  I seem to recall the vagus nerve is in the stomach/abdomen.  I think when I get the symptoms it stimulates the vagus nerve and causes a faint.

I notice it happens when I eat certain foods - fried eggs are a real culprit.  I get all the same symptoms - feels like constipation but I can hear this growling in my instestines.  Then comes the stomach cramps.  And terrible diarreah.  Cold, sweating profusely and then I pass out.  

Worst thing you can do is panic about it because the anxiety makes it worse. It's scary so you panic. I found when I stopped fearing it, didn't panic, slowed down my breathing I didn't actually faint.  

If I think I am going to faint I just lie down on the cold bathroom floor with my feet balanced on the loo and eventually it passes.  If worse comes to worse and you are going to faint just get as low to the floor as you can - that way if you pass out you haven't got far to fall.

As soon as you've passed the diarrhea I find the whole thing passes.  I feel shaky but if I go and sleep for a while I wake up feeling fine.

Horrible thing to go through and first few times it really scared me because I thought something terrible was happening.  But once I realised it wasn't life or death and stopped being scared its nowhere near as bad and I haven't actually passed out since.  

[hellbrunn]

Well I don't get hives or red spots. If you went to an allergist he'd probably be able to check you out.  Unfortunately for me, the allergist couldn't find anything really wrong with me.  I don't have the normal symptoms that come with allergies.  He thought I had an intolerance to some things, but the fainting and purging of fluid didn't fit the definition for intolerance. Nikki it sounds like what you have is a variation from what I have.  

I failed to mention in my previous posts that the first three times it happened to me it was at night-time.  For some of the people on this list they get it at night.  The last two times were in the afternoon, soon after I ate lunch.  I'd feel like I could be more in control if I was at home and not in a public bathroom.  So if this happens to people at night when you are at home, chances are you prevent yourselves from passing out completely because you can lay on your bed.  For the rest of us, we have to just lay down on the gross bathroom floor until someone comes.

A friend of mine had many of the same symptoms and as a result she had her gall bladder removed.  However, now she is having terrible effects from that surgery.  I doubt the gall bladder was really the problem.

I am pretty sure for most people this attack is caused by something we are eating that our bodies cannot process.  The allergist told me that mine could be caused by yeast interacting with a certain preservative.  Preservatives cannot be tested for allergies.  So it is just trial by error, find out what preservatives were in your food right after you get the attack.

With so many posts on here, why isn't there a doctor who can just give this attack a name or something?  It needs to go in the books.

As far as people dying from this... well, dead men tell no tales.

[bisabuela]

Having the same symptoms, I had a endoscopy yesterday to see if there was a physical problem. One of the questions that the physician who performed the procedure asked me if I had had my gall bladder taken out and I answered in the affirmative. He said he has experienced this in many patients who have their gall bladders removed. I am curious to know how many of the community have had this surgery. I am anxious to talk with my Dr. to see what he prescribes. I will post if I think it will help others.