16 replies to this topic

[TVgirl]

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I am totally serious. I thought this morning I was dying. I have had a horrid bout of IBS for the past month or so it was mostly diarhsea and cramps and heartburn. I went back to taking my nexium as I said in another post. This past week I have been a bit more on the constipated side with harder stools. So yesterday I thought I would take a single dose of metamucil in the morning. then in the afternoon I had a bowl of raisin bran (I have eaten raisin bran before without problems). Then we watched a movie later and I had popcorn. Oh yeah talk about some serious stimulating stuff. Well last night I started getting crampy. I just went to bed. I woke up at 5am with severe abdominal cramping and nausea coming in waves. The pain took my breath away. All down my left abdomen but worse across the lower abdomen. I felt like I seriously had to go have a BM but when I went to the toilet I couldn't. all this pressure and cramps were there but I was unable to push anything out.Then I felt so nauseated and I felt like the blood drain from my head. I got the chills. I felt very faint and light headed. I was swaying a bit with weakness on the toilet. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack. I got off the toilet and just layed on the floor, still with urgency cramps. I thought I was going to defecate on the floor but I had to get my blood pressure back and blood back to my head to get rid of this horrid feeling. It seemed to pass mostly so got back on the toilet. Continued with these horrid waves of pain and finally after about 40 minutes. The weird thing was that when I went to push it felt like it wasn't pushing downward but instead I was pushing my colon into my abdomen (kind of like a hernia or a rectocele) and my colon felt uncomfortable stretched inside when I pushed so I stopped incase I was going to blow my intestine open.then I took my 2 hands and pushed into my lower abdomen as hard as I could while I pushed and then I was able to push the stool down and out. It was a large amount of formed stool. Still crampy but it was easing the more I got out. Then near the end it was soft diarrhea like. And now today I just feel so sick. My tummy is sore from all the stress, my body is exhausted.When I layed on that floor and thought I would die, I was so scared, but now I think back I wish I had !! I can't live like this anymore. My whole life is ruined. I am supposed to do a 4 week residency for graduate studies in nursing this summer. I am not able to work. i am not able to be any fun for my kids. They always ask me why I am so sick. I am not able to make plans. Doctors don't care and they don't listen.Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent. I don't know what to do anymore. I realize it was probably the food I ate yesterday.

[em_t]

Hi TV Girl,I get symptoms like this too at times and even though I know what is happening it doesn't make it any less scary. It sounds like a vasovagal response. I sometimes get this when I need to go to the toilet. The nausea is usually my first symptom, followed by fever and light headedness. I find the best thing to do if I'm on the toilet is to get a bucket in front of me in case I'm sick and a cold flannel on my head. Having to push on your lower abdomen in order to pass stool isn't something I've heard of though. I would avoid eating anymore Raisin Bran or rough fibre over the next few days and maybe concentrate more on getting your fibre from fruit and vegetables. It may be a few days before your stomach dies down but hopefully the cramps will settle. I don't think that its that doctors don't care - they don't really understand how IBS works so their treatment choices are fairly limited. They can only treat the symptoms since they don't know how the disease originates. Its not like Crohn's disease or Colitis where you can see the inflammation - with IBS all tests come back normal, so it is difficult for them to treat or come up with a cure. I understand how hopeless you feel, I have had to give up my job as a teacher because of all this, I don't have any kids but I feel at 24 my life has ended before its even really begun. But you've gotta find hope that one day you'll find something that works or that helps you manage your symptoms so you can achieve in life what you really want to.

[Gin]

I am totally serious. I thought this morning I was dying. I have had a horrid bout of IBS for the past month or so it was mostly diarhsea and cramps and heartburn. I went back to taking my nexium as I said in another post. This past week I have been a bit more on the constipated side with harder stools. So yesterday I thought I would take a single dose of metamucil in the morning. then in the afternoon I had a bowl of raisin bran (I have eaten raisin bran before without problems). Then we watched a movie later and I had popcorn. Oh yeah talk about some serious stimulating stuff. Well last night I started getting crampy. I just went to bed. I woke up at 5am with severe abdominal cramping and nausea coming in waves. The pain took my breath away. All down my left abdomen but worse across the lower abdomen. I felt like I seriously had to go have a BM but when I went to the toilet I couldn't. all this pressure and cramps were there but I was unable to push anything out.Then I felt so nauseated and I felt like the blood drain from my head. I got the chills. I felt very faint and light headed. I was swaying a bit with weakness on the toilet. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack. I got off the toilet and just layed on the floor, still with urgency cramps. I thought I was going to defecate on the floor but I had to get my blood pressure back and blood back to my head to get rid of this horrid feeling. It seemed to pass mostly so got back on the toilet. Continued with these horrid waves of pain and finally after about 40 minutes. The weird thing was that when I went to push it felt like it wasn't pushing downward but instead I was pushing my colon into my abdomen (kind of like a hernia or a rectocele) and my colon felt uncomfortable stretched inside when I pushed so I stopped incase I was going to blow my intestine open.then I took my 2 hands and pushed into my lower abdomen as hard as I could while I pushed and then I was able to push the stool down and out. It was a large amount of formed stool. Still crampy but it was easing the more I got out. Then near the end it was soft diarrhea like. And now today I just feel so sick. My tummy is sore from all the stress, my body is exhausted.When I layed on that floor and thought I would die, I was so scared, but now I think back I wish I had !! I can't live like this anymore. My whole life is ruined. I am supposed to do a 4 week residency for graduate studies in nursing this summer. I am not able to work. i am not able to be any fun for my kids. They always ask me why I am so sick. I am not able to make plans. Doctors don't care and they don't listen.Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent. I don't know what to do anymore. I realize it was probably the food I ate yesterday.

What a horrible experience. I'm thankful I am not that extreme. I just learned of my IBS, but it's nice to have a diagnosis instead of thinking there was a ball of cancer inside myself! I read once in a Yoga book that applying pressure on the right abdomen with the palm of one's hand and pushing towards the left, it helps pass stool and/or gas. I have tried it enough times to know that it works. Just passing along this info in case it helps next time.

[Kathleen M.]

I think way too much fiber all in one day (and many IBSers find popcorn sets the off even if it is by itself and not with other things) and maybe a stool that was on the large size or just a bit too firm that was hard to pass.Abdominal pain and even just passing a stool (any stool of any kind) can set off a vaso-vagal syncope reaction. It really is that the blood pressure drops and laying down is the best first aid treatment for that.If you have more episodes of that they may need to do a tilt-test or see if there is something in addition you need to do to prevent episodes. Some people wear compression hose to keep the blood coming back up the body as it should, and some people may need medication.

[cheweg]

Hi TVgirl. My GI once told me that nobody had died of IBS. That is fortunate or unfortunate depending on how you see it. I once hoped that I died straight away from IBS, but that never happened. I almost passed out a few times in my history of IBS. I quit my job as an engineer and now I am a shop assistant. Having IBS is not the end of everything. Make some changes in your life and you will still live your life with abundance. Take care. Eugene Chew

[em_t]

That's not necessarily true - there have been people who have committed suicide because of IBS because their symptoms became too severe. There are documented cases of it in the UK. That being said, most people do eventually find something that helps with their symptoms but if you are still suffering I would urge you to go back to your doctor, see if there's something you haven't tried. For many people a low fibre diet works better than a high fibre diet. So instead of Raisin Bran, maybe try some Rice Krispies for breakfast or low fat Greek yogurt with fresh berries and some nuts instead. On the low fibre diet you basically substitute anything brown for white - ie: white rice instead of brown rice, normal bread instead of wholegrain, etc. You still make sure to have your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day but peel them in order to reduce the fibre content if the skins irritate you. This is what my gastroenterologist recommended - he also said it was better to get your fibre from fruit and vegetables rather than cereal fibre. Hopefully you feel better soon.Em

[Kathleen M.]

From a doctor's perspective IBS doesn't do anything to directly kill you by itself without your help, it can be bad enough to make you wish you were dead.It is what they would call a quality of life issue rather than a quantity of life problem.Just because something isn't a potentially fatal illness doesn't mean it can't make you completely miserable. Reassuring a patient that no matter how bad it feels, you aren't actually dying usually is pretty standard practice for doctors. It is supposed to be helpful, but it isn't always.Typically in the cases of suicide they feel the depression or other issues like that was the cause of death rather than the reason you were depressed. I encourage anyone who is having depression or anxiety issues to make sure that is adequately treated. While you may have a darn good reason for the emotions, the emotional stuff can still be treated.

[TVgirl]

Thanks Kathleen. After that post and after this episode I was laying in bed and thought "okay the worst is over". I realized that it was the food I ate and I won't do that again. My husband put the phone beside me and told me to page him whenever I needed something. I was like, "okay, I have 2 choices, I stay in bed feeling miserable for myself and let my husband cater to me all day or I just get out of bed, crampy gut and all and take a shower and try and have a normal day at home" I took an advil actually and it helped the tummy and I ate light for the day. Today I feel 80% better and even went out shopping today on my own with no problems. I decided to eat really really healthy now and not cheat and drink water like I should and I am also cutting out gluten. So I am up and fighting again !!I am like an emotional roller coaster. When I have a bad day or a bad episode the world has crashed down on my shoulders and I feel like not living any more. but then as I recover I have goals and plans again and try new things. UGH this sucks !!"

[peaches41]

Thanks Kathleen. After that post and after this episode I was laying in bed and thought "okay the worst is over". I realized that it was the food I ate and I won't do that again. My husband put the phone beside me and told me to page him whenever I needed something. I was like, "okay, I have 2 choices, I stay in bed feeling miserable for myself and let my husband cater to me all day or I just get out of bed, crampy gut and all and take a shower and try and have a normal day at home" I took an advil actually and it helped the tummy and I ate light for the day. Today I feel 80% better and even went out shopping today on my own with no problems. I decided to eat really really healthy now and not cheat and drink water like I should and I am also cutting out gluten. So I am up and fighting again !!I am like an emotional roller coaster. When I have a bad day or a bad episode the world has crashed down on my shoulders and I feel like not living any more. but then as I recover I have goals and plans again and try new things. UGH this sucks !!"

Well done tvgirl! You did just the right thing, and that is a little victory over the ibs, he didn't beat you. It's so easy to give in, I know, but you really will feel better if you decide enough is enough, I won't be dictated to by this stupid illness, and try very hard to divert yourself, just like you did. Excellent, keep it up!

[Kathleen M.]

That emotional roller coaster does seem to be common for IBSers. Sounds like you did a good job of managing that this time. Hopefully you can use this to help you through the next bad spell.

[MacZilla]

Sorry to hear what your going through it doesn't make sense to me at times and then I am told that this is part of life.I do know Popcorn is one of my triggers, yet what gets me I can keep going for weeks with the same food then all of a sudden I'm wiped out for a whole day.Sorry for the venting

Edited by MacZilla, 06 June 2011 - 09:07 PM.

[ldr]

I am totally serious. I thought this morning I was dying. I have had a horrid bout of IBS for the past month or so it was mostly diarhsea and cramps and heartburn. I went back to taking my nexium as I said in another post. This past week I have been a bit more on the constipated side with harder stools. So yesterday I thought I would take a single dose of metamucil in the morning. then in the afternoon I had a bowl of raisin bran (I have eaten raisin bran before without problems). Then we watched a movie later and I had popcorn. Oh yeah talk about some serious stimulating stuff. Well last night I started getting crampy. I just went to bed. I woke up at 5am with severe abdominal cramping and nausea coming in waves. The pain took my breath away. All down my left abdomen but worse across the lower abdomen. I felt like I seriously had to go have a BM but when I went to the toilet I couldn't. all this pressure and cramps were there but I was unable to push anything out.Then I felt so nauseated and I felt like the blood drain from my head. I got the chills. I felt very faint and light headed. I was swaying a bit with weakness on the toilet. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack. I got off the toilet and just layed on the floor, still with urgency cramps. I thought I was going to defecate on the floor but I had to get my blood pressure back and blood back to my head to get rid of this horrid feeling. It seemed to pass mostly so got back on the toilet. Continued with these horrid waves of pain and finally after about 40 minutes. The weird thing was that when I went to push it felt like it wasn't pushing downward but instead I was pushing my colon into my abdomen (kind of like a hernia or a rectocele) and my colon felt uncomfortable stretched inside when I pushed so I stopped incase I was going to blow my intestine open.then I took my 2 hands and pushed into my lower abdomen as hard as I could while I pushed and then I was able to push the stool down and out. It was a large amount of formed stool. Still crampy but it was easing the more I got out. Then near the end it was soft diarrhea like. And now today I just feel so sick. My tummy is sore from all the stress, my body is exhausted.When I layed on that floor and thought I would die, I was so scared, but now I think back I wish I had !! I can't live like this anymore. My whole life is ruined. I am supposed to do a 4 week residency for graduate studies in nursing this summer. I am not able to work. i am not able to be any fun for my kids. They always ask me why I am so sick. I am not able to make plans. Doctors don't care and they don't listen.Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent. I don't know what to do anymore. I realize it was probably the food I ate yesterday.

[ldr]

I can totally relate to your experience. I have never come so close to calling 911. My attacks have been 6 months apart for the past two years until this week. I fainted on my way to the bathroom on Sunday night. Hit my head and shoulder. Fainted again while on the toilet and my son held me up. How humiliating that was. I kept reassuring him that I knew what was happening and it would be over soon. Told him to google vasovagal syncope and he could read all about it. He did and came upstairs with a couch cushion to raise my legs. The scary thing is that it all started again on Thursday night. So I didn't get my six months to recover before facing the cold hard bathroom floor again. And I too ate popcorn that night. I was trying to increase my salt like all the online articles advise. Now, I am a nervous wreck and feel like I don't need to be alone at night. If I had fallen down the stairs instead of hitting a door frame I wouldn't be here today. Not having control of your body is the scariest feeling. Thursday night I was alone and when it all started again with the tingling, numb lips and gums, sweating, cramping I freaked out. I called my son and asked him to come home. I raised my legs as high as possible and warded off the actual fainting and once I had the diarrhea I felt more like myself. Myself hit by a truck. Kind of like the flu-like aches all over just from the dehydration and weakness. I don't know what to eat - if I should eat at all. Certainly will not be popcorn. I would not wish this on my worst enemy but it is a comfort to know I am not alone. Thanks for sharing your story. Hope you have all good days.

[No one understands]

I know this is an old post but I couldn't resist joining this site after reading what you had been through as I thought I was alone! I am a 27 year old female who has suffered with varying degrees of IBS for roughly 10 years, initially suspected to have been triggered by using a particular contraceptive pill. I have had a lot of bad experiences over that time but over the last 6 months have had 2 episodes which relate almost identically to yours. I am a teacher and it tends to be that when I have a holiday is when I have a bad attack which unfortunately makes me not look forward to the rest as much as I should! Probably due to my body resting and stress emerging! I have been suffering with pains and nausea for almost 2 weeks but my diet has been irratic as I am out of the routine of my working days. When I was encouraged to eat regularly to ease my symptoms last Sunday I looked up a 'low irritant' diet and followed this, ensuring I was eating regularly throughout the day even if I wasn't hungry. I felt as though I had more energy and got progressively more hungry over the days, thinking it was helping me. This was until the Tuesday morning when I woke at 9.30am (the joy of the summer holidays!) and had a sudden intense cramping pain at the bottom of my stomach which resembled awful menstrual cramps. I knew I needed to go to the toilet but felt unsteady and was concerned with the amount of pain I was in. I got to the bathroom where the pain had also spread to my back and started making me feel very dizzy. I shouted out for my fiancee who came to the bathroom and literally had to hold me up as I was fainting onto him. I was sweating and couldn't gain concsiousness properly but also felt I could not move from the toilet in the fear I would defecate on the floor. I didn't have diarrhoea as such, only loose movement that I had to strain to get out and push on my stomach to help me. Once I thought I could stand I made my way back to bed where I lay down and gradually started to come around properly. I was meant to spend the rest of the day with my sister and niece who were determined to still come round to see me. I was wiped out on the sofa for the rest of the day and felt like I had been for a run each time I walked a few steps. I was unable to eat anything until the evening when I managed some soup but continued to have some cramps and particularly bad back ache for the rest of the day. To make matters worse everyone has been less than understanding about what has been a bad enough experience as it is! My sister was angry about me letting her down so I had to see her even though I needed to sleep and my fiancee was convinced that my fainting was because I can't deal with pain and that 'everyone has painful defecations sometimes!' implying I couldn't hack it! I also have a great fear of being sick which doesn't help the situation either. I went to the hairdressers yesterday as was determined not to let it win all week but needed to use the toilet and went a bit dizzy again, confirming my fears of going out! I need some reassurance that I am not just pathetic and that people should be more understanding?!

[Kathleen M.]

People should be more understanding, and if your fears and anxiety over what could happen is really limiting you more than the actual symptoms it may be worth getting treatment for that. Any additional fear or anxiety never seems to make anything better.Tell your fiance that if a President of the USA can faint from eating a pretzel the wrong way, then if you have the same nervous system glitch you might faint from a BM. Some people with the glitch can faint from NORMAL BM's, not just painful ones. It is the same thing that makes big strong men faint at the mere sight of blood. Some people have the glitch, some do not. You can't choose not to have it if you do.

[AmericanPatriot]

I've certainly never had an experience this severe, but I can sympathize with you wondering if you can go on like this.I am getting ready to start IUPUI in the Fall for Pre-nursing and I'm a nervous wreck.

Tell your fiance that if a President of the USA can faint from eating a pretzel the wrong way

He choked on it. Anyone can faint when they can't get enough air in their body.

[Kathleen M.]

It wasn't a lack of oxygen from what they reported at the time, but a vasovagal syncope episode which you can have while still completely able to breathe.http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/jan02/2002-01-13-bush-faint.htm