# Cold Sweats, Dizziness, Crazy Diarrhea, Cramps...



## NoNameAtAll (Jul 13, 2007)

Periodically I have these "episodes" which I can feel coming on beforehand (very shortly beforehand). I get disoriented, cold, hot, sweatty, dizzy, my sight grows dim and then I get these terrible stomach cramps followed by waves of voilent diarrhea. This usually goes on for 2-3 hours and just leaves me absolutely drained. I have a sore stomach and rectal region for 2-3 days afterwards and just feel like I was rode hard and put away wet for the next 24 hrs or so.This first happened in October of 2006. My wife rushed me to the ER, where they did EKG's, CT scans, bloodwork, rectal digital exams, etc and everything was fine. They concluded that I had a vasovegal syncope reflex which made my blood pressure drop to 50/30 which caused the passing out part. The Doctor says that the cramps can cause that to happen.I am starting to wonder if this is all IBS - I have two sister in laws that have the EXACT thing and their doctors have told them that it is panic attacks. I does not seem to matter what I eat, I cannot connect a common food to the episodes. It has happened 4-5 times now since last October with no firm diagnosis.Any like experiences or knowledge thereof?Thanks.


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Have you had your thyroid checked. These are some symptoms for that also.Linda


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

A few people with IBS have vasovagal syncope symptoms (the passing out, nearly passing out, light-headed, etc.)IBS symptoms like cramps or even just a regular BM can set it off.It is not part of IBS (most IBSers do not have this), but IBS symptoms can set the vaso-vagal fainting off in those prone to those episodes.K.


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## NoNameAtAll (Jul 13, 2007)

LNAPE said:


> Have you had your thyroid checked. These are some symptoms for that also.Linda


Not sure, but I think they checked that. My mother and her brother both had to have their tyroids removed in their early 20's though, is that hereditary?


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## NoNameAtAll (Jul 13, 2007)

Kathleen M. said:


> A few people with IBS have vasovagal syncope symptoms (the passing out, nearly passing out, light-headed, etc.)IBS symptoms like cramps or even just a regular BM can set it off.It is not part of IBS (most IBSers do not have this), but IBS symptoms can set the vaso-vagal fainting off in those prone to those episodes.K.


Are my other symptoms typical of IBS (cold sweats, terrible cramps and diarrhea)? It usually happens at night. I also wake up dreaming that I am choking although I am not, usually a drink of water takes care of that (panic attacks perhaps)?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Bad cramps and diarrhea are IBS symptoms.At night is unusual for IBS. It tends to act up when the colon is more active (wake up time and after meals)Now if you are having a panic attack from a nightmare that could over-ride the colon's normal more relaxed at night thing.K


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## RPM (Jul 13, 2007)

My husband had something similar, though the symptoms would end up being more like an anaphylactic reaction, or even asthma, but he would recover too quickly for asthma. He did have bowel symptoms in conjunction with it though which totally confused the doctors. Never could connect any specific food to it, although we had started eliminating certain things, one main one caffeine/carbonation. Over ten years we were in the ER probably 10 times. The second time it ever happened he had to have paramedic intervention and was "circling the drain" as they say... almost died from it.Well turns out we were on the right track with some of the foods we were eliminating, but we didn't know why -- it was acid reflux. He never had heartburn of any kind, so we never thought of it. In the months before we finally got it diagnosed he was constantly clearing his throat, which is a classic acid reflux symptom. Anyway for him it was causing a laryngeal spasm which causes the larynx to constrict, feeling like asthma. Which we were treating all wrong with him taking an inhaler and worsening the spasm. At night and early morning is common for reflux because the prone position causes the acid to back up into the throat.Anyway, your symptoms seem different but it wouldn't hurt to check your throat for signs of acid damage. The fact that you said drinking water seemed to help at night made me wonder about it, and the odd GI symptoms. My husband heard the "panic" thing from many doctors, and stress, etc... same as you said. Of course after several times of ending up in the ER, there does come to be a panic aspect to it, but that's secondary to an actual physical problem.Good luck.


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## maybe ibs (Jul 17, 2007)

I have the same symptoms for a couple of years now. i haven 't gone to the dr, but yours found nothing wrong. I have to wonder if it has something to do with the fact my gall bladder was removed almost 11 yrs ago. I have found that when I get an episode, after using the bathroom I sleep for a few hours, then I'm fine. There is also no rhyme or reason why the attacks occur. ASomeone once told me it's my stomach acid reacting to wheat flour.


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## softwareherman (Sep 16, 2007)

I have the exact same symptoms. It does not happen to me that frequently. Now that I watch my diet more carefully, it happens to me rarely. It used to happen maybe once a year. I now realize that the first time it happened to me was when I was a teenager (i am now 40). I assumed at the time that I had just eaten bad food. I believe that the primary initiator of the problem for me is cooked heavy cream. For example, I became violently ill with the exact same symptoms as yours after eating a lobster bisque. It took a long time to pin it down for me as eating ice cream, for example, does not cause the problem, just don't give me a sip of cooked cream, 45 minutes later, I'll be violently ill, don't ask why, I have no idea. I also stay away from desserts like chocolate mousse, which often times has cooked cream. Strangely enough, I used to eat creme brulee with no problem, but after having become ill from a very heavy chocolate mousse type of dessert I became much too fearful of eating any desserts that may have creme (usually creme brulee is a "light" dessert) so I have no idea whether I'd get sick from it if i tried it again. It is just not worth the risk (given the extreme pain involved). As I am very careful with my diet and actually almost totally avoid dairy as well, I have not had one of these intense attacks in a couple of years. However, more recently, I have woken up in the middle of the night with only upset stomach and dizziness, but none of the other exteme symptoms like cold sweats, waves of pain, wishing I could vomit to end the pain, or passing out which had happened multiple times. I did take 2 or 3 bites of my wives dessert on both occasions which may have just agitated my stomach. Just not sure why.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Your gut brain or enteric nervous system is connected to your brain via the vagus nerve where messages travel back and forth. Which is really important in IBS."Symptoms, such as pain, sweating, heart palpitations, and feeling faint are related to the exaggerated nervous system response to eating that occurs in people with IBS."http://www.webmd.com/content/article/65/79521.htmYou can also get an exaggerated nervous system responce with an IBS attack. So if you have it, it sure looks like IBS can set it off.MayoIntroductionSyncope (commonly referred to as fainting) is a loss of consciousness that occurs when you experience a significant reduction of blood flow to your brain. Fainting is often caused by a significant drop in blood pressure or from a very slow heart rate. The result is a sudden reduction of blood flow to your brain, causing you to lose consciousness.The most common cause of fainting is due to vasovagal syncope. Vasovagal syncope is triggered by a stimulus that results in an exaggerated and inappropriate response in the part of your nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions, including heart rate and blood flow (autonomic nervous system). When some sort of stimulus triggers this exaggerated response, both your heart rate and blood pressure drop, quickly reducing blood flow to your brain and leading to loss of consciousness. A person who has fainted due to vasovagal syncope recovers quickly, usually within seconds or a few minutes.Common triggers of vasovagal syncope include standing for long periods, dehydration, the sight of blood, coughing, urination, having a bowel movement and emotional distress. But in some cases, the cause of vasovagal syncope can't be determined.Fainting is common, and treatment is unnecessary in most cases. However, sometimes fainting can indicate an underlying disease for which you'll need treatment.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vasovagal-syncope/DS00806alsoSerotonin (5-HT) may be a key chemical in blood pressure regulation and vasovagal syncope.http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/409506_6andaltered serotonin signaling and ibs compilationhttp://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=80198Are you being seen by a primary care doctor or a gastroenterologist? You want to make sure you don't diagnose yourself, that is important.also Diagnosing IBS.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=65559Panick attacks, IBS and other conditions and issues can all effect the autonomic nervous system.


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## cindymfrick (Sep 16, 2007)

Off and on for 25 years I have had horrible bouts with diarrhea,sweats,cramps and dizziness. Always just attributed it to IBS caused by stress. About 5 years ago I started keeping a journal of everything I had eaten when I would have these attacks. It would happen 20-30 minutes after eating and the cramps would come on very hard and fast, diarrhea immediately and sometimes the pain would be so bad I would pass out. After many calls to restaurants, etc. to find out how they cooked their food, one dominant strain every time was Canola Oil. I started asking everywhere I went what oil they used and really got my attacks under control. I had not had an attack for over a year because of my being so careful, until this past Sunday. Went to eat with mother-in-law at her retirement home and they had fried chicken. Asked what oil was used and was told (by a very young server) vegetable oil. Twenty minutes later the worst attack ever and my husband went back to the kitchen and actually saw the bottle they used and sure enough it was Canola Oil. This time after my diarrhea I started bleeding which has never happened before and I continued bleeding through the night. Went to a Gastro doctor yesterday and he has scheduled a colonoscopy for Monday (it's time anyway because I have been putting it off) but he said the hard part is over because I know what the culprit is. He thinks because the blood is bright red that is because the attack was so hard on my intestines or I have a hemorroid. It really would be so wonderful if restaurants would print what kind of oil they use on the menu because everytime I ask, the server always looks at me like I am some kind of weirdo. My Mom went through bouts like these for years and she never found the reason. She has passed but I would bet that Canola was her culprit also. After doing research on this oil I know why restaurants use it. It fries at high temperatures without burning and it is cheap to buy. Hopes this helps someone with the same problem.


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