Severe Attacks and Fainting
#35878 - 01/08/04 09:33 AM
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I am a new poster, but have been lurking for several months. I want to thank everyone here, especially Heather, for finally giving me answers I never found in any doctor's office. And the support you all give each other is astounding. One question I have is about severe attacks. I had one this week and nearly fainted from the non-stop D. This has happened a couple of times before, and I am so tired of the gastro and other doctors just saying I'm hyperventilating or panicking, nothing more. But I didn't feel panicked; in fact, I felt pretty calm. I know I'm having an IBS attack, I know it will eventually pass. I take the Levsin and/or Librax as prescribed. But when it gets really bad, I have actually fainted onto the bathroom floor. I don't know if it is the severe cramping pain or dehydration, but I can't believe these drs. who constantly pooh-pooh (no pun intended!) me that it's just an hysterical reaction and all in my head. Has anyone else experienced this and do you feel it is a physical reaction to the severe D?
SkyeDawn
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"It is impossible to step into the same river twice." --Heraclitus.
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Hi Dawn - welcome to posting on the boards! 
I also faint when I have a severe attack so you are definitely not alone. I know I'm not hyperventalating because I do that with needles and it definitely feels different.
My doctor says it's just my reaction to pain. She also told me that a lot of her IBS patients have a low-tolerance for pain and I'm one of them. When my body feels enough pain, it "shuts down" and causes me to faint. Not a good thing as I actually fainted while driving once.  Came on so quick that I didn't even have time to panic.
Whenever I feel an attack coming on now, I pull over if I'm driving or make sure I sit down or lay down if I'm not on the toliet. Then there's a less of a distance to fall. 
I know this might not be the answer you were looking for, but hopefully it helps!
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- Jennifer
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when the pain gets to a certain level (like a 50 on a scale of 1 to 10) the world goes gray, then black, and I pass out. I've fainted in mid-stride trying to make it to the bathroom and come to on the floor. Not often, but it's happened.
Docs just wrote this off as something associated with the pain. Uh, if the pain is that bad shouldn't they maybe be worried about helping me with it? That wasn't the case, unfortunately. But I guess it helps to know that it's "just" blacking out from the pain, as opposed to a brain tumor or some such.
- 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 have never fainted from an attack....although by the sounds of everyones stories I don't want to!!!! But I have been terribly weak before so much so that I thought I was going to collapse.
But I also read somewhere to be sure to drink tons of water when having an attack...and although it's super hard to do that - I make myself.
Vomitting or diarrhea causes dehydration so you have to keep your fluids up!
I don't know if you will be able to do this everytime...like in Heather's case (on the way to the bathroom - how scary) but maybe after your attack or something just sit there and sip water until you feel a little less weak.
Take care,
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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You don't want to be fainting from dehydration as a result of the diarrhea - and that can happen. Try to get little sips of water into you, or even better some very strong peppermint tea. That will give you the fluids you need and also act as a pain killer and anti-spasmodic.
- 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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Thanks to all for your replies and advice. It's so heartening to know there's a place to go and feel like you all really do understand (unlike talking to those drs. with plenty of medical degrees but not one real-life, practical idea among them!)
Dawn
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"It is impossible to step into the same river twice." --Heraclitus.
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I've come close to blacking out since I have severe IBS. It happens almost every week.I've had my share of stupid docs. I've been to 8! One doc said to go to a nut house!
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Hi Dawn, Fortunately this was one thing my favorite GI Dr. explained to me, (who of course is now retired) It's called a vaso-vagel reaction. When the colon is trying to process the bowel it is taking a lot of blood away from your heart, which causes you to get nauseated, dizzy and to black out or faint. I have had this happen to me. My Dr. told me that if I feel faint when I'm in pain to keep a brown paper bag to breat into to help, it does help keep you from actually blacking out. Hope this was a help
cjc
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IBS-D, extreme pain and cramping - GERD - lactose/dairy intolerant, OCD, Fibromyalgia
DX: w/ Multiple Sclerosis 3/10
I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me. Phil 4:13
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