Epi pen brings blood pressure back to normal (so you don't feel so lousy) and also affects the intestinal lining so the gastro symptoms also disappear. I take two benadryl for the itching. but again I take two otc antihistamines daily so I don't get much itching.
I'm a 30 woman who has the exact symptoms. I was fine until 2 months after I had my baby (april 09) From april 09 to nov 09 I had 4 episodes. They would happen like this:
1.horrible stomach cramping then diarrhea
2. itchy palms and souls of my feet
3. vomiting
4. red ring around my mouth
5. welts all over my arms and legs
Once I take benadryl everything stops. I have gone to an allergist, got an epi pen, but all tests came back negative. I had a ct scan - negative. I took many many blood tests with normal results. Last month I repeated the 24 hr urine and my hi55 came back 6.6 (normal is anything less than 6). BEcause of this number Dr is sending me to an endochronologist to check for carcinoid tumors. HAs anyone had positive results for the hi55 24 urine test?
1.horrible stomach cramping then diarrhea
2. itchy palms and souls of my feet
3. vomiting
4. red ring around my mouth
5. welts all over my arms and legs
Once I take benadryl everything stops. I have gone to an allergist, got an epi pen, but all tests came back negative. I had a ct scan - negative. I took many many blood tests with normal results. Last month I repeated the 24 hr urine and my hi55 came back 6.6 (normal is anything less than 6). BEcause of this number Dr is sending me to an endochronologist to check for carcinoid tumors. HAs anyone had positive results for the hi55 24 urine test?
I had two 5-hiaa urine tests, as well as numerous other tests for carcinoid, all came back negative. A result of 6.6 is barely over normal and the test can easily give false positives if you eat any of the numerous prohibited foods within 3 days before the urine collection. Typically people with carcinoid tumors have levels much much higher than that, so I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
You know I am so thankful that I found your posts. I have been dealing with this since 3 months after my son was born in 1986. I went through the it's IBS...ulcerative colitis...now ischemic colitis and had a horrible attack this past Saturday. Every time I tried to explain this to my doctors they just don't get it. This past time though my doctor spoke to another Dr. and she said you know it sounds like she could be having a mild case of an allergic reaction. I have on an average of 3 to 4 bad ones every year. When I called him at 2 am on Saturday morning and then explained to him what I had found on the internet. He was like I think you found it. Because it is everything that I go through. It's an auto immune offset. The only thing is for years we have tried to tie it with foods, but nothing ever matched. So now we can only go with maybe an ingredient in something. I truly thought I was the only one...because ever doctor hadn't a clue. It can only be tested as a stain. Meaning they will have to take some of the lining in your intestine and look at it through a slide. Look at Mastocytic Enterocolitis. Thank god there is finally a name for it. Hope everyone will check on this. Have also seen that celiac's has something to do with this. Well I wish all of you the best of luck. Colonoscopy for me Thursday. Maybe we can definitely pin this down now!!!
I suspect there are literally thousands of people going through the mis-diagnosis of IBS etc. As I said earlier I've dealt with this for over 25 years. From what I have read about Mastocytic Enterocolitis it doesn't sound like what I have. Most of the descriptions talk about ongoing bouts of diahrea. I don't have that. Mine are always part of the anaphylactic reaction.
This area of medicine appears to be really new and knowledge is expanding quite rapidly. If you start following links potentially associated with mast cell degranulation it leads in lots of directions, one very unfortuante potential link is to multiple myeloma. My father suffers from that. All the literature says there's no genetic link but he suffered from the same gut/allergy/anaphylaxis syptoms for years.
I'm curious for those of you who have had blood tests done, what was your eosinophils count? Mine was over 2000. From the literature I should have died years ago from multiple major organ failures. Fortunately still healthy and kicking at 54. So again there are other things happening that the docs haven't figured out.
This area of medicine appears to be really new and knowledge is expanding quite rapidly. If you start following links potentially associated with mast cell degranulation it leads in lots of directions, one very unfortuante potential link is to multiple myeloma. My father suffers from that. All the literature says there's no genetic link but he suffered from the same gut/allergy/anaphylaxis syptoms for years.
I'm curious for those of you who have had blood tests done, what was your eosinophils count? Mine was over 2000. From the literature I should have died years ago from multiple major organ failures. Fortunately still healthy and kicking at 54. So again there are other things happening that the docs haven't figured out.
I have been having similar epidsodes now since Jan. 2010... I am 35 yrs old, female. My first episode happened at my daughter's dr appt so vitals were able to be done right in the middle of the episode, my vitals were fabulous-100/60. I had diarrhea, heart palpatations, my face/chest turned beat red, my hands and feet itched like crazy, I was very sweaty, and faint. I layed down and about 30-40 min later I was completely fine, like nothing had happended. I have had multiple epidsodes since then ranging from throat swelling, diarrhea, heart palpatations, sweaty, faint, swelling of my hands and face, eyes being blood shot, horrible gut ache, itchy hands and feet. I have seen the dr. They originally sent me to an allergist and they put me on Zrytec and Zantac and they both have helped me tremendously-very few episodes now. It's something I have to take everyday. I also carry an epi-pen. The drs have done all sorts of blood work and nothing shows up. The only thing that shows up is that my WBC that deal with allergies is high. The allergist did a skin test on me and found that I have no allergies. He said for some reason my body is releasing a histamine, but what's causing it is unknown. I also saw a endocrinologist and nothing was found there either. It's frustrating because it'd be nice to know what the cause is, I keep worrrying that their missing something and I have something terribly wrong with me. The good news is that the zrytec/zantac do help me.
I had my first "episode" in April. I now get one every month around the same time. It starts with diarrhea and severe stomach pains. I then get the itchy palms and feet and sometimes I experience a full body flush. Twice I have gone to the ER because the pain was so bad. I have had an endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound of the gallbaldder, and Cat scan of the appendix. Everything came back fine. The next test I am scheduled for is the camera in the capsule endoscopy. Hopefully, this will give me a diagnosis. I will report back if the test provides any useful information.
Just wondering if anyone knows what this is....i have the same thing happening...bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, then the horrible itchy hands and feet. Sometimes I have a fast heartrate and sometimes I feel faint. This has happened 5 times in last 6 months.
My diagnosis is idiopathic anaphylaxsis. Meaning allergic anaphylaxsis of unknown cause. I've done all the allergy tests and while I do have some allergies they do not seem to be associated with the attacks. Anaphylaxsis can be life threatening. You should see a competent allergist who will most likely prescribe an epi pen and direct you to take Benadryl when the attacks start.
Mine seems under control with one Zyrtec and one Pepsid daily. Most people don't know that Pepsid is also an antihistamine.
Mine seems under control with one Zyrtec and one Pepsid daily. Most people don't know that Pepsid is also an antihistamine.
I've had some luck with a supplement called quercetin, it is a bioflavanoid which naturally occurs in small amounts in some foods. Since I've started taking this, the attacks have become less frequent, but they still do occur on occasion. The supplement is cheap and can be found on any number of online sites.
If you want to learn more, google quercetin and anaphylaxis.
If you want to learn more, google quercetin and anaphylaxis.
Wow! I am so glad I found this forum. I have been dealing with these same issues for about two years now. I'm a healthy 30yo male. It starts with itchy soles of my feet, then the palms of my hands, stomach cramps, then diarrhea, vomitting, hot flashes, sweats, etc. The last episode was after I forgot to take my Zantac for the whole day. No food allergies, etc. I'm seeing an allergist now and can hope to report back.
I've had the same symptoms describe in all of these posts for about 4 years now. I know many of the posts here are over a year old but I found something that's really helped. I started taking a liquid pro-biotic every day along with a cup of Aloe Vera juice. Its made all the difference. I was getting to where I had an attack every week or two. It was awful. I had one around 5pm at work and it was horrible. I was in the bathroom so sick I couldn't even drive myself home. I stayed in the bathroom for about an hour until it subsided enough to go home. Its been a couple of months since I started on the Pro-biotic and Aloe juice. I haven't had any more full blown attacks. If I start to feel symptoms I drink a little more Aloe Vera juice and the symptoms subside. I know everyone is different but I hope this helps. Its made a huge difference for me.
This thread is a Godsend! Here's my (lengthy) story:
I'm a 30 year old male and I started getting episodic attacks back in July. Since then, I've had five total. Each episode lasts about 20 minutes and then I feel fine. Here's how it's broken down for me, symptoms roughly occurring in the order listed:
Episode 1 (early July) - one short bout of diarrhea, painful bloating, tingly and somewhat itchy hands, gas (I would walk around my apartment burping to relieve the pressure in my stomach)
Episode 2 (mid July) - one short bout of diarrhea, painful bloating, itchy and pink palms and soles, gas (again, walked around burping to relieve pain)
Episode 3 (early August) - one short bout of diarrhea, stomach cramps, itchy and red palms and soles, vomiting
Episode 4 (late August) - one short bout of diarrhea, stomach cramps, itchy and red palms and soles, vomiting, rapid heart beat, fast and shallow breathing, sweaty forehead
Episode 5 (early September) - one short bout of diarrhea, stomach cramps, itchy and red palms and soles, nausea (but no vomiting, though it was very close)
In each instance, it began with the sudden onset of diarrhea, which is not unusual for me. I've had irritable bowels all my life (which have been better in the past year, actually). However, it's bad enough that it will wake me up at night which never happens with my usual irritable bowels. Once I'm on the toilet, the other symptoms begin to present. Redness and itchy is ONLY present on palms and soles, nowhere else.
After 20 minutes, it's all done and I feel fine. I mean absolutely perfect. During the fifth episode, I had just made my dinner when it hit (I hadn't eaten any of the food, though), but when I was finished, I still sat down and ate my dinner. Typically, when I feel like I'm going to throw up or I do throw up, I don't want to eat for hours, but felt fine and ate. In instances where it woke me up, I would just go right back to sleep.
Now, after the third episode, I started to think it was something I ate and documented everything I ate on the days that it occurred. (I tried to recall as best as I could what I ate on the first two episodes, as well.) Each episode would occur roughly three to four hours after I had eaten, too, and usually it was after I'd eaten a melange of things. On the the fifth episode, though, I had barely eaten anything that day. I had a few Timbits, a tea with 2 milk and 2 sugar (I have tea multiple times every day), water, and one solitary pickle given to me by a co-worker and eaten around six o'clock (it was homemade and she wanted my opinion as I loved pickles).
Well, I'd eaten pickles on each of the prior episodes. In some cases, I had some Bick's Tangy Dill Relish (which is merely diced pickles) on a few of the episodes as part of some snacks, a Bick's pickle on some other episodes, and then my co-worker's homemade pickle. The reason I had never linked it together before this is because I love pickles and I've eaten them all my life without problem. They're awesome!
In any event, I visited a clinic between episode four and five and the doc sent me to an allergist, whom I visited a last Wednesday. The allergist didn't think it was a food allergy because it didn't present textbook symptoms (IE: throat closing, hives, etc.). However, he tested me for fifty generic allergens and I only came back with dust-mites, which is not the cause (though it may explain my occasional running nose). He then suggested, like others here, that it could be Carcinoid Syndrome. He admitted, though, that it was a shot in the dark. I dropped off my urine sample and gave blood yesterday, so I'll find out in about 25 days. Until then, the allergist said to avoid pickles, though he really didn't seem to believe it was an allergy (a friend has informed me he can be arrogant, very set in his ways, and he's not interested in debating).
For the record, I don't think it's Carcinoid Syndrome. From the reading I have done, my symptoms (along with numerous people posting here) vaguely match those of Carcinoid Syndrome. Not to mention, symptoms usually don't present until the tumour(s) have metastasized to the liver (unless they're in the lungs). On top of that, Carcinoid Syndrome is extremely rare, as in 15 people in a 1,000,000 population. Nonetheless, it's a scary prospect and I'll take the test to be sure.
Anyway, long post short, I really think it's an allergy to something in pickles and reading this thread and the anaphylaxsis conclusions some people have arrived at, I'm inclined to think this even more. The fourth episode was enough to scare me into thinking this could be life threatening, too. So far, though, I know it's not white vinegar or garlic. I hate regular cucumbers, though, so that could be it. In any case, I've avoided pickles since my last episode and I've felt fine (I've had olives, though, without problem). While I'm waiting for my Carcinoid Syndrome results, I'll be visiting my family doctor early November (he's an hour and a half away) and get his opinion. I'll update on what I find.
I'm a 30 year old male and I started getting episodic attacks back in July. Since then, I've had five total. Each episode lasts about 20 minutes and then I feel fine. Here's how it's broken down for me, symptoms roughly occurring in the order listed:
Episode 1 (early July) - one short bout of diarrhea, painful bloating, tingly and somewhat itchy hands, gas (I would walk around my apartment burping to relieve the pressure in my stomach)
Episode 2 (mid July) - one short bout of diarrhea, painful bloating, itchy and pink palms and soles, gas (again, walked around burping to relieve pain)
Episode 3 (early August) - one short bout of diarrhea, stomach cramps, itchy and red palms and soles, vomiting
Episode 4 (late August) - one short bout of diarrhea, stomach cramps, itchy and red palms and soles, vomiting, rapid heart beat, fast and shallow breathing, sweaty forehead
Episode 5 (early September) - one short bout of diarrhea, stomach cramps, itchy and red palms and soles, nausea (but no vomiting, though it was very close)
In each instance, it began with the sudden onset of diarrhea, which is not unusual for me. I've had irritable bowels all my life (which have been better in the past year, actually). However, it's bad enough that it will wake me up at night which never happens with my usual irritable bowels. Once I'm on the toilet, the other symptoms begin to present. Redness and itchy is ONLY present on palms and soles, nowhere else.
After 20 minutes, it's all done and I feel fine. I mean absolutely perfect. During the fifth episode, I had just made my dinner when it hit (I hadn't eaten any of the food, though), but when I was finished, I still sat down and ate my dinner. Typically, when I feel like I'm going to throw up or I do throw up, I don't want to eat for hours, but felt fine and ate. In instances where it woke me up, I would just go right back to sleep.
Now, after the third episode, I started to think it was something I ate and documented everything I ate on the days that it occurred. (I tried to recall as best as I could what I ate on the first two episodes, as well.) Each episode would occur roughly three to four hours after I had eaten, too, and usually it was after I'd eaten a melange of things. On the the fifth episode, though, I had barely eaten anything that day. I had a few Timbits, a tea with 2 milk and 2 sugar (I have tea multiple times every day), water, and one solitary pickle given to me by a co-worker and eaten around six o'clock (it was homemade and she wanted my opinion as I loved pickles).
Well, I'd eaten pickles on each of the prior episodes. In some cases, I had some Bick's Tangy Dill Relish (which is merely diced pickles) on a few of the episodes as part of some snacks, a Bick's pickle on some other episodes, and then my co-worker's homemade pickle. The reason I had never linked it together before this is because I love pickles and I've eaten them all my life without problem. They're awesome!
In any event, I visited a clinic between episode four and five and the doc sent me to an allergist, whom I visited a last Wednesday. The allergist didn't think it was a food allergy because it didn't present textbook symptoms (IE: throat closing, hives, etc.). However, he tested me for fifty generic allergens and I only came back with dust-mites, which is not the cause (though it may explain my occasional running nose). He then suggested, like others here, that it could be Carcinoid Syndrome. He admitted, though, that it was a shot in the dark. I dropped off my urine sample and gave blood yesterday, so I'll find out in about 25 days. Until then, the allergist said to avoid pickles, though he really didn't seem to believe it was an allergy (a friend has informed me he can be arrogant, very set in his ways, and he's not interested in debating).
For the record, I don't think it's Carcinoid Syndrome. From the reading I have done, my symptoms (along with numerous people posting here) vaguely match those of Carcinoid Syndrome. Not to mention, symptoms usually don't present until the tumour(s) have metastasized to the liver (unless they're in the lungs). On top of that, Carcinoid Syndrome is extremely rare, as in 15 people in a 1,000,000 population. Nonetheless, it's a scary prospect and I'll take the test to be sure.
Anyway, long post short, I really think it's an allergy to something in pickles and reading this thread and the anaphylaxsis conclusions some people have arrived at, I'm inclined to think this even more. The fourth episode was enough to scare me into thinking this could be life threatening, too. So far, though, I know it's not white vinegar or garlic. I hate regular cucumbers, though, so that could be it. In any case, I've avoided pickles since my last episode and I've felt fine (I've had olives, though, without problem). While I'm waiting for my Carcinoid Syndrome results, I'll be visiting my family doctor early November (he's an hour and a half away) and get his opinion. I'll update on what I find.
During my 25 years of dealing with this I've often felt that it's a combination of foods for me. While the allergen testing didn't show that I am allergic to peanuts, most of my reactions have occured after consuming them (I gave them up a couple of years ago). So I'm inclined to believe while we may not be specifically allergic to certain foods, when consumed in combination with other foods, an allergic reaction may occur.
Keep in mind that doctors, including allergists, are not gods. While some think they know everything and blow off any suggestion that doesn't match their training, experience and beliefs, good ones are always open minded to alternatives especially in these unusual cases.
If you are experiencing any of the anaphylactic symptoms, get a doc who will prescribe an epi pen for you and take in conjunction with Benydryl when needed. Laying on an er table with no, and I mean undetectable, blood pressure is not fun. Your major organs start to shut down. If the liver is one of them (no removal of lactic acid from the blood stream) you will feel like you've been run over by a truck.
Keep in mind that doctors, including allergists, are not gods. While some think they know everything and blow off any suggestion that doesn't match their training, experience and beliefs, good ones are always open minded to alternatives especially in these unusual cases.
If you are experiencing any of the anaphylactic symptoms, get a doc who will prescribe an epi pen for you and take in conjunction with Benydryl when needed. Laying on an er table with no, and I mean undetectable, blood pressure is not fun. Your major organs start to shut down. If the liver is one of them (no removal of lactic acid from the blood stream) you will feel like you've been run over by a truck.
Just wanted to give everyone another possible cause. I have been having the same episodes (itchy palms,vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, hives all over body, feeling faint, rapid heart beat, etc) for almost two years. I went to multiple doctors including an allergist & GI doctor. I've had all the tests you could think of, but none of the doctors had a solution. I finally did my own research & I believe that intestinal parasites are responsible for my reactions(mainly liver flukes). I completed a parasite cleanse over a month ago & during the cleanse I had several smaller scale reactions & I could actually see some of the flukes in my stool. I have been visiting a naturopathic doctor & she is on the same page as I am with parasites being a very likely cause. I would do some research & see what you can come up with. Also, the only thing that can stop my "attacks" in their tracks is Roman Chamomile, Blue Chamomile or Cape Chamomile Essential Oils. I put drops on the bottom of my feet, wrists & and stomach as soon as I feel a reaction coming on & they help me SO much.. Good Luck!