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.
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!
I have the answer.
Now that I have your attention, do as I did to verify that my cause, is indeed, your cause. Our issue is not a biological one - it's a MECHANICAL and ANATOMICAL one.
It's called VOLVULUS. I've suffered on and off with all the pains associated on this thread. Sudden urge to go to the bathroom (but can't), sweating, pain - only to end up on the floor, passed out, because my body can not endure or withstand the level of pain I experience in the moment.
I won't make this long, as I am actually scheduled to go into surgery tomorrow. But, I remembered this thread, and thought to come here and share my discoveries.
The reason colonoscopies, camera pills, endoscopies and all the other tests come back clean is because those are all tests that look on the INSIDE of your GI tract. They look for biological factors that may provide insight as to what's going on, but because there aren't any, they send us home with an IBS diagnosis that leaves us sufferers...nowhere.
I made it a point to see a doctor at Cedars-Sinai and thought if the doctors at Cedars don't know, I will accept this lifelong disability. Prior to seeing the GI specialist at Cedars, I had seen *at least* 15 other GI specialists in the past - with no answer other than IBS.
This time, the doctor said, we are going to stop looking in the INSIDE and, instead, start to look on the OUTSIDE of your GI tract. He had a suspicion that SIGMOID VOLVULUS was the culprit, and ordered me a test I had never done before: Barium enema test with air of the large intestine and colon.
He had the Chief Radiologist at Cedars perform the test, as he was searching for specifics, and was seeking confirmation on his suspicion. Sure enough, all the twisting and turning is right there in black and white on a series of 14 X-rays I took that day.
Over the years of events of volvulus (twisting of the intestines) it has stretched areas of the colon and forced it to lose its elasticity. Because of this, the colon grows longer after each attack, giving itself even more 'rope' for a higher risk of volvulus to happen again the next time.
Volvulus is quite common in elderly people, and almost every time, it can be caught and seen on an X-ray.
My disadvantages, as I suspect many of you out there also have, was my AGE (attacks started at 15 years old, I am now 40), and the NATURE of the volvulus itself.
The NATURE is defined as this: just as quickly as the sudden twist happens, it also, just as quickly, UNtwists itself, suddenly.
That's why by the time we see a doc at the ER after an attack, the twist is gone, the blockage is clear, and they send you home with an IBS diagnosis because, afterall, that's what's in your file backed up by alllllll the other GI docs you may have seen, legitimizing the diagnosis.
After so much pain, heartache and mystery, I am now scheduled for a colectomy. It's quite normal to have a redundant colon - but mine came up REDUNDANT, redundant from the many years of suffering.
Do yourself a favor, and insist on a barium enema (with air) test to rule out (or in!) sigmoid volvulus. The test itself is painful and was hard to endure - namely because they are poking around (with air and laxatives) in the exact area that is already sensitive. Knowing the test will be hard to handle may prepare you for being able to handle it. The first time I did it, I gave up. The second time, I was determined and was able to see it through.
As a side note, and for anyone thinking this, too, is your cause, the surgeon expressed to me how SMART my GI specialist is (whose volvulus theory came from) in not performing yet another colonoscopy. Surgeon said that because of the intestinal damage over the years as a result of these attacks, parts of the intestinal wall are so thin, that yet another colonoscopy could have easily punctured the wall, leaving me with a much, much bigger problem.
Please consider investigating that, like me, your problem is a MECHANICAL one, and not BIOLOGICAL. Look into volvulus. Even if you don't catch an active one on screen on an x ray (real-time twisting), have your doc, radiologist and/or surgeon (preferably all 3), look further into this for you. You have to be your own advocate.
I owe my life to that GI specialist I saw at Cedars. Take this idea and see if you can apply it onto yourself to verify that this, too, is your cause.
Good luck to all - and good luck to me on my surgery tomorrow!
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
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.