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This is really interesting . . .
I'm close to 2 people w/severe migraine problems and they both have something very similar happen, and it begins just prior to their worst attacks. The one who had/has this the most often spirals into a panic attack when this happens. (Does this part sound familiar to anyone? I ask because my daughter had the panic thing ramp up in association w/the worst IBS attacks.) This migraine sufferer also got the advice (from a therapist advising her re: the panic) to stand in a cold shower when things started to go this way for her. So, the fight/flight/freeze response has been triggered inappropriately in these cases . . . (I suppose it could be something associated w/severe pain or the repetition of incidents of severe pain, rather than a commonality more specific to migraine and IBS?)
kem (daughter w/ibs-d)
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This is really interesting . . .
I'm close to 2 people w/severe migraine problems and they both have something very similar happen, and it begins just prior to their worst attacks. The one who had/has this the most often spirals into a panic attack when this happens. (Does this part sound familiar to anyone? I ask because my daughter had the panic thing ramp up in association w/the worst IBS attacks.) This migraine sufferer also got the advice (from a therapist advising her re: the panic) to stand in a cold shower when things started to go this way for her. So, the fight/flight/freeze response has been triggered inappropriately in these cases . . . (I suppose it could be something associated w/severe pain or the repetition of incidents of severe pain, rather than a commonality more specific to migraine and IBS?)
kem (daughter w/ibs-d)
YES. When I start to feel an attack coming on, or when I start to get that sweaty/flushed feeling, I get panicky. This is probably because I've had two "accidents" now in a store and I start freaking out thinking it's going to happen again. Or that I will not be able to find a bathroom, or that I'll be gassy and I'll gross out the people around me (either strangers or friends/family). The freaked-out feeling makes the gut cramps and sweating/flushing worse. That makes the panicky feeling worse. Which makes the gut and sweating worse. It's a vicious cycle.
I also think it has something to do with my OCD. It's awful to have OCD and IBS. Can you imagine the struggle I have to keep "clean"???  I can laugh about it when I'm not in the middle of an attack. My OCD kicks in about the time the panicky feeling kicks in. For me, even mild gas is not acceptable. I start to feel even slightly "unfresh" (to quote every pantyliner commercial ever) and I freak, thinking I'm leaking poo. My OCD just goes into overdrive, which I think helps fuel the panic and, in turn, the gut.
But to be clear...I've had the flushed/hot feeling come totally out of the blue and I've noticed that it precedes an attack. The OCD doesn't really kick in until AFTER the initial flushed/hot feeling. I think maybe the flushed/hot feeling is my body's way of warning me that something bad is about to happen.
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IBS-D since...well, a long time
(probiotic acidophilous, SF supplements, IBS eating plan)
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sometimes severe attacks/pain can cause someone's temperature to drop, and they can get very cold and shaky. Blood pressure can drop with severe attacks, too.
Even after the pain subsides you can still feel very cold, lethargic, and exhausted to the point that you just have to go to sleep.
It's all connected.
- H
So...would someone's BP rise due to an attack? To the point where they are sweaty and flushed and hot?
I've never felt my BP drop in conjunction with an attack (and I have had a severe drop in BP so I know what it feels like; it was unrelated to IBS). I have felt hot, sweaty, nauseous, dizzy, and had bad gut cramps with major D when I've had attacks. I do feel exhausted after, though, and have often slept 10-12 hours after a serious attack, although I've just attributed this to being a side-effect of the meds I will take to stop a serious attack.
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IBS-D since...well, a long time
(probiotic acidophilous, SF supplements, IBS eating plan)
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considering that your body can react in all kinds of alarming ways to severe pain.
As long as you've had other possibilities ruled out, so you know you're "just" dealing with IBS, I'd assume any scary BP and related isues in the midst of an attack are stemming from the attack itself.
XXOO
H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I get the sweats and the chills with D- when it is bad the sweats and chills are much worse.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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considering that your body can react in all kinds of alarming ways to severe pain.
As long as you've had other possibilities ruled out, so you know you're "just" dealing with IBS, I'd assume any scary BP and related isues in the midst of an attack are stemming from the attack itself.
XXOO
H
Excluding pregnancy and birth (last time was fifteen years ago), both my blood sugar and my BP has always been well within the normal range. It tends to stay around the 120/60 range. I do get hypoglycemic attacks but only when my sugar gets dangerously low. I've always been hot-natured so for me I guess that's "normal". According to the doctor, my heart is healthy. I do take thyroid medicine...crap, maybe I should have mentioned the wonky thyroid earlier. I'm old, so I forget stuff.  But even having been on synthroid for a year now, I still get hot. That may have to do with hormones...IDK. I'm a mess, I guess.
Now that you mention it, whenever I've had any situation that involves either severe pain or a severe body reaction of whatever kind, I get incredibly hot and sweaty and flushed. Guess that's just my body's reaction. I kinda wish it went the other direction!
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IBS-D since...well, a long time
(probiotic acidophilous, SF supplements, IBS eating plan)
my blog
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The body works kind of weird sometimes. I know people who get lightheaded or an anxiety attack when they have pain or some stressor. I get nauseated instantly when I hurt myself, like stub a toe or something. This started only about a year ago. My husband had back surgery but a little before it he would get almost like a high sensation from the intense pain.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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The freaked-out feeling makes the gut cramps and sweating/flushing worse. That makes the panicky feeling worse. Which makes the gut and sweating worse. It's a vicious cycle.
I have certainly witnessed that very scenario and I'm thinking it's one of the toughest aspects of IBS. I might add that it appears to me to be a key focus of the hypno program. (My daughter just did the kids' version of the program.)
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It's awful to have OCD and IBS.
Oh, my, I can really see that! And I've actually thought of that before: In my job, I've worked w/clients who have OCD so I have some insight into it, and now my daughter's IBS experience has caused me numerous times to comment on the potential for overlap between the 2 in many ways. . .
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I think maybe the flushed/hot feeling is my body's way of warning me that something bad is about to happen.
FWIW, that's exactly how I look at it, and I think it's possible to use that to advantage. My daughter's inclination was certainly to panic (and who could blame her or anyone!!). She also originally saw those sort of "pre-attack" signs as one more burden in her life, but she's come around to seeing them as more of a heads up which she can use. She's had positive results from acting quickly at the very first hint of her "pre-attack" signs (which she is apparently able to notice easily without hyper-vigilance or even thinking about it really). I bet you will be able to do the same - maybe you already are? . . . I'm gonna start a new thread to ask more about this . . .
[When I say "acting quickly" above I mean that she usually gets me or calls me first (well, she is only a kid!) and then takes whatever actions she can to help herself, based on where she is and what's possible at the time, e.g. relaxation techniques, yoga, Imodium, etc.]
One more thought on this: My daughter has on occasion had a sense of doom/fear/anxiety/panic AS an actual "pre-attack" sign! I mean to say, that was the first symptom of the impending physical attack, rather than having more physical sorts of hints first, and there was nothing else going on in the moment that she would normally be at all anxious about. She will say, "Something's wrong. I feel scared of something, but I don't know what it is." We've both learned (the hard way!) that that means an attack is likely soon and now we try to (calmly!) drop everything and start working on stabilizing things. I wonder if anyone can comment on how common of a situation that might be?
kem (daughter w/ibs-d)
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One more thought on this: My daughter has on occasion had a sense of doom/fear/anxiety/panic AS an actual "pre-attack" sign! I mean to say, that was the first symptom of the impending physical attack, rather than having more physical sorts of hints first, and there was nothing else going on in the moment that she would normally be at all anxious about.
Interesting. I've never really noticed that in myself, but it just could be that I just haven't been paying attention. Due to the OCD, I do have problems sometimes separating "normal" thoughts from the irrational thoughts that come with the OCD, such as irrationally worrying about a terrible thing happening to a family member or becoming obsessed with the thought that my butt-sweat is showing through my pants, to the point that I must go to the bathroom and check (yes, very strange thing to obsess about, but OCD is anything BUT rational, lol). So I think I'd have to really, really work and pray on filtering out obsessive thoughts from non-obsessive warnings.
There are times when I "know" things, and there are times when I obsess about things, and I do pray a lot that I will know the difference. Fortunately, most of the time I do recognize when something is totally irrational and OCD-related. Now that this panic attack precursor thing has been brought to my attention, I think I'll start monitoring it closer.
But yeah...it IS awful having OCD and IBS-D. You never, ever feel clean. Ever.  However, I manage to live a fairly productive life. I'm not nearly as crazy as I sound.
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IBS-D since...well, a long time
(probiotic acidophilous, SF supplements, IBS eating plan)
my blog
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OCD and IBS
#360780 - 09/05/10 11:02 PM
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kem
Reged: 06/09/10
Posts: 104
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I'm not nearly as crazy as I sound.
You don't sound crazy - FYI! 
BTW, one of the people I worked with who had/has OCD is very inspiring - she overcame other disabilities, plus OCD, and is now an MD. (She likes to joke that she had to become an MD because it's the only profession where nobody asks why you're washing your hands so much! )
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