Hi everyone just joined. I am newly diagnosed and it on any meds yet. Today a bad flare up. Nearly passed out on the toilet as blood pressure dropped and pain, bloated sweating and clammy. Bad stomach cramps and skipping heartbeat. Is this normal for Ibs? I'm nervous. Any good medication? Thank you.
Karen
Yes, those things can happen with IBS. They have happened to me. Now what causes those kinds of symptoms is something that can happen to the Vagus Nerve (a kind of spasm) I have found though, that incidents like that are quite rare. I don't know what triggers them but in 4 years I only had 2.
And whenever they happened they gave me a shock that I hated. I finished on the toilet, got cleaned nicely, even though I felt I might be on my last day in this life!....went straight downstairs and got a shot of brandy and a hot drink. Problem went away. I'll never forget though!
I do regularly get skipping heartbeat but I think that's connected with the Vagus Nerve too. But I'd say if you are scared about your heart, do go and get this checked with your doctor.
Hi Mermaid, Yes, this has happened to me too. As Luisa says, it is a vagus nerve thing. What has triggered it for me in the past has been an overdose of sugar, so I keep sugar intake to a minimum. I sometimes have slight palpitations if I have to strain to pass a motion (rare).
Yes, I've had a couple of turns like this too, it's horrible! I nearly passed out and only just made it to my bed. I've had skipped heart beats for years and I get fast heart beats during a flare up, sweating. A year ago I was so fed up I got it checked and had to wear a monitor around my waist for a full 24 hours. I was as nervous as hell, as is my nature and I was certain something would show up on it, but no.... Just a couple of extra beats they said that was nothing to be concerned about. I've had ECGs over the years, they too are normal. It's a mystery. I was getting this in my 40s and I'm still here in my 60s to tell the tale.
As Luisa22 says though, if you are at all worried, do get your heart checked out, it won't do any harm and put your mind at rest. Worry is the worst thing for IBS.
The thing that has been a game changer for me in terms of IBS has been Alflorex probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS. Others get on well with Symprove. Since many people's IBS is due to a gut bacterial imbalance, good probiotics are worth trying before anything else. I've tried many over the years and Alflorex worked best for me.
Yes it's happened to me twice and it's very scary! Second time I couldn't breath properly as well and felt like I was dying. My mum actually rang an ambulance but this extreme episode was over in about 20mins and I felt right as rain again 🤯 My mum cancelled the ambulance as obviously we didn't want to waste their time but she said my face was sheet white when I couldn't breath and my lips had gone blue. Sweating profusely, actually had to strip off. I hope I never experience it again. The first time it happened I remember my hands and feet were going tingly and my vision was blacking out. Not nice! I'm now on Colesevelam and a probiotic and touch wood it's worked amazing for me bar 1 or 2 occasions of a bad stomach from no where.
Sadly yes, this does happen with IBS, usually caused by the vagus nerve. I found that having a cold flannel ready helps (forehead or back of the neck), and there are good breathing techniques that can calm down the vagus nerve. Stress does make it worse and I can't recommend hypnotherapy enough, there are some good apps available online. If you're worried about the palpitations, please speak to your GP, hope you feel better soon.
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