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

[GoofyGalNC]

I am a 41 year old female who has been experiencing this very same unexplained nightmare anywhere from once to four times a year since I was 14. I've had x-rays with contrast, ultrasounds, referrals to gastroenterologists and OB/GYN's--all with no solid diagnosis. I have always had bouts of constipation and thought that this episodes seemed to be brought on by what felt like a blockage trying to pass. However, I was also born with a severe case of jaundice, so I wasn't sure if perhaps this was liver related. This is what happens: I feel fine other than feeling like I've not been passing enough stool for a few days. Then out of nowhere, an intense, hard pain begins building in my left side (between my last rib and my pelvic bone). I feel like I need to go to the bathroom, so I make my way there. In the time it takes me to get to the bathroom, I'm now nauseated from the pain, severely weak, and sweat is literally rolling off of my body quicker than I've ever had happen before. At this point, I've learned that I need a cold rag on the back of my neck and to get on the floor, knees to my stomach and my forehead on the floor, or I WILL faint. After I've fainted or saved myself from fainting, I still have the horribly intense abdominal pain and end up passing a very hard stool, followed by violent liquid diarrhea. (Whatever this is, it's not pretty, right?) I'm left weak, cold, sometimes nauseated, and exhausted for a few days. Sometimes the diarrhea lasts just that one day, or for a few days afterwards. I worked for an attorney and had an episode that resulted in fainting (at work--nearly breaking the copy machine as my body collapsed on me). I woke up to see my boss kneeling over me and the on staff RN (it was a medical legal law firm) examining me. She was shaking her head "no" as I came to. I was more embarrassed than worried, because I have lived with this almost my whole life. She was saying that my BP was dangerously low, and some other stuff about my vitals that I was too woozy to understand or remember. The attorney made me go to the ER. All the ER docs could tell me was that whatever happened had left free fluid in my abdomen. They referred me to a GI and OB/GYN. Both told me that it could have been a cyst rupturing. The problem with finding a diagnosis is that the episode has ended by the time a doctor actually sees you and runs any tests. So all they see is the aftermath--an exhausted, sweaty patient, with fluid in their abdomen. I understand the difficulty in diagnosing whatever this is. It happens so quickly that unless you are literally monitored for months like a hawk, how will the doctors actually catch a glimpse of the episode itself? While I understand their point of view, I still want answers. It's been 26 years of dealing with these scary episodes, and I really would like them to stop or be under some sort of manageable control. I've passed out while driving, because an episode hit me before I could get pull off to the side of the road. I woke up in a ditch on the opposite side of the road. It's terrifying to not understand your own body and to try to beat the clock to prevent fainting and injuring yourself. I had another episode last night and decided to list all of my symptoms in a Google search. It brought me to this forum. I. Am. THANKFUL! for finding this forum! I literally thought I was the only one whose ever had this happen to them. So...has anyone had any doctor positively identify the source of the onset and successfully manage their episodes long term?

[Tpug]

I've had 3 episodes exactly like you describe. This last one was today - I'm just now feeling about 80% better after about a total of three hour episode. The first two times were not identical to today, as today at one point just as I was about to pass out my one ear sounded like an emergency buzzer, very loud and scary.  The first time this happened was about 3 years ago, even though I remember much less severe episodes a little further back than that.  Today's was the worst yet, and I really have no clue what could have possibly triggered it.  I keep a pretty strict log of everything I eat and other than a pretty high natural fibre diet there's nothing odd about it at all.  Very little processed foods, and no weird diet products or anything like that. I'm going to see a doctor this week since this one really scared me.

[rockysox7]

I am sorry for your experience but I don't think that my episodes are vasovagal syndrome.  I have SEVERE stomach pain with nausea then you have diarrhea while vomitting then the sweating and light headiness begins.  It doesn't stop until bile is coming out.  The entire next I would run a fever and be completely exhausted.

[rockysox7]

I had my gallbladder out on January 6th.   As suspected it was inflamed and infected.  I strongly recommend that you try to find a doctor that will send you for a HIDA scan to test the functioning of the gallbladder.  

From what I am understanding, when these episodes happen as my doctor stated, you are very sick!

[Jojo23517]

So thankful to have found this group.

[LisaFromLouisville]

Check with an allergist.  It could be Alpha-Gal or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.