Thank you everyone for all your input. I saw the dr yesterday (new doc for me, so boy was this a test for her). I still have had no more symptoms (and still no symptoms from the crouton I ate on Sunday, either).

She says that it sounds very much like a reaction to *something* but she really has no idea what and that it has left my system now which is why I'm not having any more symptoms. This is what my feeling is, too.

She ran a lot of blood tests and said I can leave off Mr Monitor on Monday if I have no more symptoms by then. Yay!

To answer a few questions:

I don't know if MSG is an issue for me. I don't completely avoid it, but I do as much as I can. I have eaten this dish from this place before without a problem and only a couple of weeks previously.

Sure it's possible there's a food additive reaction. I do avoid them as a whole but who knows what was in this. I had Miang Kum--maybe the dried shrimp was a different brand than they've used before and had some preservative on it.

I'm pretty sure it's not low blood sugar related--I used to faint a fair amount as an adolescent from low blood sugar stuff and it was not like this at all. Also, after the first episode I did eat some nuts and yet still had episodes for like 4 hours afterward.

My thyroid was tested in early August and was normal.

I take blood pressure meds and my blood pressure has been steadily normal throughout this.

I don't drink much caffeine (about 2-3 cups worth of green tea a day).

The heart racing and blackout feeling came first and was followed about 6 hours later by the diarrhea.

My potassium levels tend to be a little high (because of my kidney disease), so I doubt that low potassium is an issue.

The most intense cold med I take is Benadryl and I haven't taken any recently.

I don't think I was dehydrated (esp since the diarrhea came after the initial episodes).

I do have some orthostatic hypotension but the blackout feeling has occurred both while standing and while already seated.

No fume exposure that I know of. I'm pretty sensitive to chemicals and stuff, so I think I'd know.

Thanks so much everyone!

Hugs,

Rachel