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Stomach Cramp, Diarrhea, sweating , light headedness and fainting
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
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
Hi everyone! I'm glad that i'm not alone in this boat, but after reading a few of the comments i am only getting more afraid as it seems like there's no specific name or cause of these kind of incident.
I'm 18 now and have had about 5 of these incidents in the past 2 years. The first time i had it was when i was 17 and it happened in a shopping mall and i was alone. First was the stomach cramps, which i just thought was normal so i went to the toilet. Then came the immense sharp pain at my abdominal area, and then the cold sweat. I was texting my mom at that time because i didn't know what to do. After everything came out, the pain didn't subside and i just sat on the toilet floor and wailed while i spoke to my mom. Miraculously i managed to get up and met my mother who picked me up to bring me to the hospital. Unfortunately the hospital was too crowded and by then the pain has subsided. The next few times that this happened was when i was with my friends, and it was really not pretty. I'd just sit with my head down while i wait for the pain to subside, either that or i'd just go to the toilet to suffer alone. But however, the worst of which happened during my A levels where after my paper i went home ate my dinner, and then the same pain came -- very suddenly this time. I knew it was going to be bad but oh boy i wasn't prepared for it. Same sequence of which the sharp pain came, and then diarrhoea and cold sweat, but this time a surge from within my stomach came and i vomited all over the floor. And then i pooped the kind of watery poop. I went to the doctor after that, and he was pretty much useless because he said it'd be hard to determine if it was food poisoning or any problem, so i just got the usual anti biotics and pills for cramping. Initially i thought that this happened to me because i am 2 year into my eating disorder recovery so my body may still be weak or not used to food, but i see it's not just me who is experiencing this.
Honestly, up till now, whenever i am out or even at home, i still fear that this would happen again. And it kind of saddens me how nobody can still pin point this occurrences. Though i am glad that i am not alone in this, i'm still really fearful for the next event. if there are any tips on foods i should stay away from or how to handle the situation if it does occur again please do let me know. Thanks!
I'm 18 now and have had about 5 of these incidents in the past 2 years. The first time i had it was when i was 17 and it happened in a shopping mall and i was alone. First was the stomach cramps, which i just thought was normal so i went to the toilet. Then came the immense sharp pain at my abdominal area, and then the cold sweat. I was texting my mom at that time because i didn't know what to do. After everything came out, the pain didn't subside and i just sat on the toilet floor and wailed while i spoke to my mom. Miraculously i managed to get up and met my mother who picked me up to bring me to the hospital. Unfortunately the hospital was too crowded and by then the pain has subsided. The next few times that this happened was when i was with my friends, and it was really not pretty. I'd just sit with my head down while i wait for the pain to subside, either that or i'd just go to the toilet to suffer alone. But however, the worst of which happened during my A levels where after my paper i went home ate my dinner, and then the same pain came -- very suddenly this time. I knew it was going to be bad but oh boy i wasn't prepared for it. Same sequence of which the sharp pain came, and then diarrhoea and cold sweat, but this time a surge from within my stomach came and i vomited all over the floor. And then i pooped the kind of watery poop. I went to the doctor after that, and he was pretty much useless because he said it'd be hard to determine if it was food poisoning or any problem, so i just got the usual anti biotics and pills for cramping. Initially i thought that this happened to me because i am 2 year into my eating disorder recovery so my body may still be weak or not used to food, but i see it's not just me who is experiencing this.
Honestly, up till now, whenever i am out or even at home, i still fear that this would happen again. And it kind of saddens me how nobody can still pin point this occurrences. Though i am glad that i am not alone in this, i'm still really fearful for the next event. if there are any tips on foods i should stay away from or how to handle the situation if it does occur again please do let me know. Thanks!
I have exactly the same experience. What is it? I have the cramps, diarrhea, sweating, vomiting. I have been to three doctors, that can't tell me anything. Always has happened at night. It's awful and so painful, I don't know what to do.
2 Comments
Just like you I am so relieved to discover these Posts. I am a 72 yr old Female who had my first "attack" in my mid 20's. that one was triggered by Homemade Ice Cream, it was the mildest episode. Subsequent events are triggered by watermelon....spent
Several MISERABLE hours on the floor in Mexico not sure I could get on the plane to fly home. Over the last 30 yrs. each episode is worse than the last. I do have IBS and encourage everyone to add Probiotics to their daily diets....tremendous improvement
In the IBS symptoms. I avoid Lactose
Chinese food ( which I Love) Italian
Foods heavy in red OR creamy sauces. Pretty much eliminated red meat too. I eat small meals 2-3 times a day. The enzymes in spicy foods are triggers for me. Sigmoid Volulus diagnosis sounds spot on for me.
Fainted in a restaurant after sailing in the heat and drinking Mrgaritas...landed me in ambulance trip to the Hospital......did cardio work up that was clear. So, no one likes to faint in public or in your own Bathroom,
Pay attention to your diet. Stay hydrated and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. The gas gurgling in the lower left quadrant of my gut tells me I have 30 seconds to find a toilet. Repercussions of ignoring this signal
Will send me to the cool tikes of the bathroom floor.
Several MISERABLE hours on the floor in Mexico not sure I could get on the plane to fly home. Over the last 30 yrs. each episode is worse than the last. I do have IBS and encourage everyone to add Probiotics to their daily diets....tremendous improvement
In the IBS symptoms. I avoid Lactose
Chinese food ( which I Love) Italian
Foods heavy in red OR creamy sauces. Pretty much eliminated red meat too. I eat small meals 2-3 times a day. The enzymes in spicy foods are triggers for me. Sigmoid Volulus diagnosis sounds spot on for me.
Fainted in a restaurant after sailing in the heat and drinking Mrgaritas...landed me in ambulance trip to the Hospital......did cardio work up that was clear. So, no one likes to faint in public or in your own Bathroom,
Pay attention to your diet. Stay hydrated and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. The gas gurgling in the lower left quadrant of my gut tells me I have 30 seconds to find a toilet. Repercussions of ignoring this signal
Will send me to the cool tikes of the bathroom floor.
I am laying in bed now after just going through this nightmare :( it's happened to me quite a few times now. My biggest fear tho is passing out from the pain whilst I'm alone! I am 26
Well, I'm on the other side of my surgery. Was in the hospital for about 6 days, and recovery is about 6 weeks. Thought to check in here and see there are some questions. I'll answer to the best of my ability because I am learning little by little with each doc appt. I go to.
Armyof4: Honestly, I have no idea whether the Barium Anema test with air can be done while you are pregnant. My *guess* would be no - but ask your dr to be sure. Reason I think this is because they will pump your large intestines and colon with the barium and the air and they purposefully make it swell up (super painful!) so that they get clear images of what the intestinal tract looks like on the X-ray. Also, they make you move around in many positions as they take the images, and that alone, as a pregnant person, is challenging enough. Don't take my word for it, though - please ask your doctor. Oh - and there's also prep involved before taking the test - clearing your GI system out. That alone may be risky - but again, not sure in your case.
hellbrunn: I learned from my last appt that volvulus can happen in 3 areas: 1) at the bottom of the ascending colon 2) somewhere near/at the transverse colon or 3) in my case, sigmoid area - which is towards the end of the tract - hence, SIGMOID volvulus (in my case). If one has volvulus issues, it happens in one of these three places. Most likely, I, and many I suspect on here, were born with 'extra' colon or large intestine. Because this condition mainly hits either really young people (ages 3 - teen) or the elderly, people like me who first started seeing a doc about this in my 20's (I'm now 40) was not considered for volvulus. Although I started having them in my teens, I'd blow it off as 'something I ate/went down wrong' and by the time I started seriously seeing docs about it, I was already well into my 20's - and that's a ripe age for IBS diagnoses.
I convinced myself for the longest time that it was certain ingredients that was causing this. I went dairy free and gluten free for the longest times. Still having attacks in the midst of those dietary changes convinced me otherwise. I had to accept that everything I was eating was going down wrong - because outside of a worse case scenario of volvulus, I'd always have intestinal pain - especially at night after dinners.
From what I understand, volvulus happens because one of those three areas I mentioned become 'loose' - they are not fixed in place. When it's loose like that, it has the freedom to twist whenever it feels like it.
To anyone else reading: One scary thing that I learned...is that because, in my case, the twists and turns had formed a ball in me (I had a friend who thought that mass on the X-ray was a baby!), the intestinal walls had thinned so much. This, in my case, is the result of 25 years - your individual cases will be different. Surgeon said had we not caught this, because the intestinal walls are so thin, over time, blood supply/circulation would eventually stop going to those parts - resulting in partial to whole colon dying WITHIN my body. THIS IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO PRESS, PRESS, PRESS the doctors to get to the bottom of your issue.
My basic advice to the both of you here who have responded, and to anyone else reading, is to have this discussion of volvulus being your case, and take the barium enema with air x ray exam to rule it out/in - and take it from there.
My surgery resulted in the removal of one and a half feet of damaged colon, but still have about 3 ft of good intestine left. Type of surgery performed was called "laparoscopic assisted colectomy" - but don't let the laparoscopic name fool you - this definitely was major surgery. My tract is now re-designed, and has a more upside down 'U' shape. There is no chance of a sigmoid volvulus to happen now, as that portion of the tract was made to give it a more 'straight' passage.
Hope this info is helpful to anyone reading. Again, take my basic advice: discuss volvulus with your doc (make sure your doc has enough knowledge/experience with this condition), then take the Barium enema with air test to rule it in - or out.
Good luck to all!
Armyof4: Honestly, I have no idea whether the Barium Anema test with air can be done while you are pregnant. My *guess* would be no - but ask your dr to be sure. Reason I think this is because they will pump your large intestines and colon with the barium and the air and they purposefully make it swell up (super painful!) so that they get clear images of what the intestinal tract looks like on the X-ray. Also, they make you move around in many positions as they take the images, and that alone, as a pregnant person, is challenging enough. Don't take my word for it, though - please ask your doctor. Oh - and there's also prep involved before taking the test - clearing your GI system out. That alone may be risky - but again, not sure in your case.
hellbrunn: I learned from my last appt that volvulus can happen in 3 areas: 1) at the bottom of the ascending colon 2) somewhere near/at the transverse colon or 3) in my case, sigmoid area - which is towards the end of the tract - hence, SIGMOID volvulus (in my case). If one has volvulus issues, it happens in one of these three places. Most likely, I, and many I suspect on here, were born with 'extra' colon or large intestine. Because this condition mainly hits either really young people (ages 3 - teen) or the elderly, people like me who first started seeing a doc about this in my 20's (I'm now 40) was not considered for volvulus. Although I started having them in my teens, I'd blow it off as 'something I ate/went down wrong' and by the time I started seriously seeing docs about it, I was already well into my 20's - and that's a ripe age for IBS diagnoses.
I convinced myself for the longest time that it was certain ingredients that was causing this. I went dairy free and gluten free for the longest times. Still having attacks in the midst of those dietary changes convinced me otherwise. I had to accept that everything I was eating was going down wrong - because outside of a worse case scenario of volvulus, I'd always have intestinal pain - especially at night after dinners.
From what I understand, volvulus happens because one of those three areas I mentioned become 'loose' - they are not fixed in place. When it's loose like that, it has the freedom to twist whenever it feels like it.
To anyone else reading: One scary thing that I learned...is that because, in my case, the twists and turns had formed a ball in me (I had a friend who thought that mass on the X-ray was a baby!), the intestinal walls had thinned so much. This, in my case, is the result of 25 years - your individual cases will be different. Surgeon said had we not caught this, because the intestinal walls are so thin, over time, blood supply/circulation would eventually stop going to those parts - resulting in partial to whole colon dying WITHIN my body. THIS IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO PRESS, PRESS, PRESS the doctors to get to the bottom of your issue.
My basic advice to the both of you here who have responded, and to anyone else reading, is to have this discussion of volvulus being your case, and take the barium enema with air x ray exam to rule it out/in - and take it from there.
My surgery resulted in the removal of one and a half feet of damaged colon, but still have about 3 ft of good intestine left. Type of surgery performed was called "laparoscopic assisted colectomy" - but don't let the laparoscopic name fool you - this definitely was major surgery. My tract is now re-designed, and has a more upside down 'U' shape. There is no chance of a sigmoid volvulus to happen now, as that portion of the tract was made to give it a more 'straight' passage.
Hope this info is helpful to anyone reading. Again, take my basic advice: discuss volvulus with your doc (make sure your doc has enough knowledge/experience with this condition), then take the Barium enema with air test to rule it in - or out.
Good luck to all!
3 Comments
Hi everyone, so glad to have stumbled upon this site. Every so often I type my symptoms in and see what comes up. Looks like I hit the jackpot this time. I am a 60 year old female and I have been having these episodes since my 20s. I have had them wake me from a sound sleep and I have had them come on while I am out and about running errands. Both are equally horrendous, I assure you. The earliest symptoms are pressure in my abdomen and often I can hear gas bubbling on my left side. This is the point at which I start chewing Tums. I hate using public bathrooms, so if I am out running errands I immediately start thinking of where an acceptable public restroom is, or I begin calculating my distance home. I know I have approximately 15 minutes between spasms. The thing is, though, I do not know at which point the need to use the bathroom will come. Even though I feel like I have to defecate, I almost never do at this point. First, the sweat starts, copious amounts of it, then the urge to take my clothes off. Like others, my first bowel movement may be somewhat firm, but I know that is just the prelude. My breathing gets shallow, I become extremely weak to the point of being unable to lift my head. I begin to fear I am going to faint, though I never have. I do, sometimes, vomit. Now the sweat is pouring off me in sheets, yet I am cold. The cramping is ferocious. I am so exhausted. My head is throbbing and my lips are tingling. I have on occasion been so fearful of passing out that I have crawled onto the floor with a garbage bag beneath me, or if I am really hot, I will climb into the cool tub with the garbage bag. AT this point, my diarrhea is explosive and, as another poster mentioned smells ungodly. The line between sick and done is never ambiguous. I immediately feel better and all I want to do is curl up in bed. I make my way to the shower and wash the horror of the past few hours off of me and usually without drying off, crawl into bed. I can go months without an attack, or I can have three attacks in the same week. The severity of the attacks varies greatly also. Just an aside, I have discovered that Poo-pouri works great. I keep it at work and in my car and handbag because there is nothing worse than having an attack in the work bathroom and it smells to high heaven. Maybe with so many of us gathered here, we can put a name to this monster. Oh, a bit more information that might be relevant. In 2007, I had RNY gastric bypass surgery, so much of my intestine has been removed. I do not remember anymore if it was large or small intestine, but I am thinking small.
I recently posted. Check if you have the condition of 'volvulus'. You'll have to do a 'Barium enema with air' test. They will take a series of X-rays while the barium is in you, to see what the anatomical shape of your large intestine and colon is.
I;ve been having these issues as well but mine come along with paralysis of my hands,face and feet. They start tingling and then just cramp up and I can't move them. Does this or did this happen to you?
The same just happened to me about 15 min ago. I grilled some hot dogs and ate baked beans with chips and salsa and some onions on my hot dogs. Shared a small piece of cheesecake with my gf. About two hours later I was eating a small bowl of ice cream and felt like I had to pass gas which I was able to stand up and do successfully. Then after my ice cream I still felt like I really had to pass gas again so I went to the toilet and I sat there for a few seconds and nothing came so I lightly pushed a few times. I immediately started to feel dizzy like I was about to pass out. I felt like I couldnt take a good breath either. So I stood up and put my arms above my head and tried to take a few steps but was so dizzy I think I ended up just walking in a circle a few times lol. Then the cold sweats came. I was sweating head to toe. I managed to make it across the hall to my roommates room and asked him to call am ambulance for me because I honestly thought I was having a stroke or something. During our conversation I noticed I could barely hear anything. Like I had ear muffs on or something. Anyway I barely made it back to the toilet before having diarrhea. It was very watery and burned really bad. I slowly started to feel better after that. I feel kind of weak right now and my head hurts but other than that I'm fine. Hope this helps. I have not been able to find anything out but I'll be back to post any findings if there are any. God bless. I wish everyone the best.
The same just happened to me about 15 min ago. I grilled some hot dogs and ate baked beans with chips and salsa and some onions on my hot dogs. Shared a small piece of cheesecake with my gf. About two hours later I was eating a small bowl of ice cream and felt like I had to pass gas which I was able to stand up and do successfully. Then after my ice cream I still felt like I really had to pass gas again so I went to the toilet and I sat there for a few seconds and nothing came so I lightly pushed a few times. I immediately started to feel dizzy like I was about to pass out. I felt like I couldnt take a good breath either. So I stood up and put my arms above my head and tried to take a few steps but was so busy I think I ended up just walking in a circle a few times lol. Then the cold sweats came. I was sweating head to toe. I managed to make it across the hall to my roommates room and asked him to call am ambulance for me because I honestly thought I was having a stroke or something. During our conversation I noticed I could barely hear anything. Like I had ear muffs on or something. Anyway I barely made it back to the toilet before having diarrhea. It was very watery and burned really bad. I slowly started to feel better after that. I feel kind of weak right now and my head hurts but other than that I'm fine. Hope this helps find a diagnosis. I haven't been able to find anything out but I'll be back to post any findings if there are any. God bless. I wish everyone the best.
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