Crying for no reason!!

[vicmid1]

Hi All
Just wanted to pick your brains really...
I get the mind fog and mood swings which I am coming to terms with, but more recently I am wanting to cry for absolutely no reason! I am actually feeling happy today and relatively pain free (thank goodness) but 3 times today alone I have felt that welling up feeling you get when your about to cry and have actually had to fight back tears! This is totally bizarre and I can't link it to anything specific. I've been through worse times without a tear in sight!
Has anybody else had this strange involuntary need to cry?
I bet you're all going to come back now and say that I'm absolutely mad!! hahaha!!
Thanks
Vic xxx

[GalDriver]

Oh blimey, a lot of these comments are so familiar to me, not least yours. I write poetry and it is far more emotional in recent years, I just put it down to menopause and becoming softer in me 50s. I can't read my own poetry out loud, it just makes me blub!

[Louby70]

I am so glad you posted this as I really thought I was loosing my grip on life..

Like you for reason's, I at times could not explain why I feel so sad & wanting to cry, I was one of those where I would not cry at soppy films, it took alot for me to ever cry but now it's a different story, even my friend was shocked how quickly I started to cry when I was talking about my children the other week, when she is the one who is very sensative, but again I can quickly switch to being very hyper happy mood & can really have fits of laughter.

The one I do not like is how angry I can feel again for no reason, I can feel the anger in my stomach. I feel so quilty when I feel so angry as I really can take it out especially towards my family. This morning I had a big row with my daughter just over nail polish & I was nasty, I said my sorry's to her, she forgave me bless her!!! I had a go at my husband all because I said he has to many clothes the other day, how silly did I feel afterwards.

I have not been too my doctors to inform them of this or told anyone as I am afraid they will say yea it's your female hormones or depression. I am in limboland & I already feel I am being dismissed even though I had a positive MRI brain scan with other things, but that's the NHS for you!!!!

Big Hugs
Louby

[essdipity]

Thanks for all these comments and contributions and experiences. I think Lulu's post gets to the heart of the matter, and is the explanation for these emotional jags.

It is not at all unusual for people who suffer brain trauma to be left with inappropriate laughing and crying. Think of James Bready, Reagaon's press secretary, after being shot with Reagan. Injury from the inside can do the same thing. Montel Williams cried through most of his appearance with Oprah.

I hope criers are helped by the knowledge that it's a manifestation of MS, and does not mean you are losing your mind or your grip.

ess

[Rena705]

I would like to bring up the topic of meds and our emotions as well if I may.  Some of the meds we take such as Tegretol can cause us to have wild mood swings as well and they can cause you to have feelings of suicide as well so they are not to be taken haphazardly.  You might want to look into any meds that you are on that might cause these mood swings as well.

I am diagnosed with MS and am on anti-depressants and what a difference in my outlook on life!  I can feel very clearly when I need to increase them because it is like I have PMS all over again and I haven't had PMS in years!

I hope you start to feel better soon and are able to get your emotions in check but if you can't, please talk to your doctor because there are things that they can give you to help.

Lots of Hugs,
Rena

[diemyn]

Okay, last night I was giddy, hyper, and a total spaz. My boyfriend accused me of fake laughing just to be obnoxious, but I COULD NOT control it. He was right; that was not anything like how my laugh normally sounds. All day yesterday I felt hollow and empty and my eyes were bone dry so I wanted to cry, but trying to get an emotion going inside me triggered this strange behavior. Not only was I laughing at nothing, but I was also chattering to myself non-stop. When I did try hard to suppress the laughter the urge changed to needing to scream, which was REALLY weird. Considering how I usually feel last nights spaz-out was awesome. I felt like I had the energy of a 16 year old for about hour and half, then just went to bed and was out like a light. I slept so well, too.

Has that happened to any of you? Did I have a happy seizure or etwas, LOL? His family must think I'm nutso.

[vicmid1]

Ok this is weird now...had a real mad day of stress, sadness, mixed emotions....and could I cry?????? Could I hell!!!! I really need a good cry right now, just to get it out of my system, put the day behind me and move on...but I can't do it! I feel the need to let it go...the sensation to cry is almost there...but the 'let down' won't happen! Wednesday, I'm crying without trying when I'm happy as can be....today...not a tear in sight!
Grrrr
Vic xxx

[Sailorsong]

Wow! Thanks for that information. I had always figured that the logical side of my brain had stopped working so the emotional side took over as to why I cry so easily and now write such moving song lyrics. When I am composing music and get it just as I want it I will start crying like a baby. This started just after I first got symptoms and I do have some very small lesions in my right frontal lobe.

Dennis

[vicmid1]

Hi Pat
It's funny you should say about the diary confusion...I had just that on monday.
I received a letter to attend my consultant a few weeks ago on what I thought was the 14th Sept, I put the date in my diary and thought nothing more of it. I received a reminder, checked the date again in my diary and put the letter aside.
One the day of the appointment, I read the letter again to double check the clinic location and read the date as 14th...got there and they said my appointment was 15th! Well, I was totally convinced it was 14th and went back to my car to get the letter to show the receptionist..I still didn't see I was wrong! The receptionist had to point it out in basic terms....HOOOOWWW Embarrassing!!!!!! They still saw me thank goodness. I've never felt so dumb!
Vic xx

[diemyn]

Hello,
I'm sorry to hear you're going through that, but I think i can relate. I'm not diagnosed with MS, but what I'm experiencing is like a reversal of emotional responses. So when I'm really happy I bawl uncontrollably. And when I'm sad I feel like grinning like a mad hatter; it's so strange. And I just recently found out that I don't just cry when I'm happy, but when I'm being pleasured. THAT was embarrassing. I often find myself feeling some way without having any idea what could be making me feel that way. Like I'm really mad for some reason, but mostly just incredibly confused feeling.

I find it's best to just embrace any and all emotions. This applies to anyone and everyone, but I think you might find that the results of doing this are more immediate. Resistant creates an attachment. All the walls we build around ourselves are much more like giant magnets. So, just allow. Say to yourself, " I am REALLY _fill in the blank__ ." (allow some time to be in the moment and be what you're feeling) and then just say, " that's okay." It's so much better than asking yourself "WHY am I REALLY__fill in the blank__!?" esp cuz in most cases there isn't a logical explanation for it. Don't forget to breathe ;p

Be well everyone =]

Love and light,
Diemyn

[Eyesnlegs]

Me too, I have had this for some time now.

Yesterday I missed a meeting a work it was only for me and another woman but I had one time in my diary and another in my head. I even checked my diary before I left for the meeting and still misread it as I 'saw' something different. I spengt a good 20 mins in the ladies trying to fight back tears before I could go back to my office.

You are never alone around here.

Pat x

[jensequitur]

It's gotten to the point that I cry at the drop of a hat - I clamp my jaw and fight back the tears on a daily basis.  It's silly stuff too - very annoying!

[vicmid1]

Thanks everyone for your responses!! I was starting to think that I had finally lost the plot!!! Maybe in future (if not with strangers) I should just let it out and cry if it comes on rather than fight it.
It's crazy...all of the symptoms that can be linked with MS....!
Thanks again guys...
Hope you all had relatively good day
Vic xxx

[Wobbly]

Hi there... I too have such quick mood changes, I can cry over thinking on something or a song, movie, someone happy, anything.. then I can get irritated over anything as well, and my husband says it's not me...but it is now I guess...

My husband puts up with alot and I love him for it, but feel so bad that he deals with stuff like this.  He laughs sometimes when I'm crying...but he understands.  He doesn't laugh for long and gives me a hug.

but, yes, it seems like it's part of this Horrible Dx we deal with.

take care and keep the kleenex close by.

Hugs
wobbly
dx

[green924]

Hi! I'm so new to all this, but I feel like I've cried none stop for the last week, since I got my DX of MS, polyarthralgia, and fibromyalgia + other mental stuff assoiciated? with it all. My crying isn't really new to the last week though, just a lot more, I have had problems with just tearing up for no reason for the last 10 years, about as long as I've been having symptoms, just not a DX!

Hope this makes some sense...

Hope everybody has a good (huh?) day!

Live, Laugh, Love
Melanie

[Lulu54]

also check out our own health page on this topic at

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple%20Sclerosis/Emotions-and-MS/show/753?cid=36

[Lulu54]

These wide swings in emotions can definitely be linked to your MS.  If you google emotional lability or pseudobulbar affect you will find skads of information on this neurological problem.

Here is the overview from NMSS :

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/symptoms/emotional-changes/index.aspx

Emotional Lability

Emotional lability or “moodiness” may affect persons with MS and is manifest as rapid and generally unpredictable changes in emotions. Family members may complain about frequent bouts of anger or irritability. It is unclear if the emotional lability observed in MS stems from the distress related to the disease or if it is caused by some changes in the brain. Whatever the cause, emotional lability can be one of the most challenging aspects of MS from the standpoint of family life.

Family counseling may be very important in dealing with emotional lability since mood swings are likely to affect everyone in the family. Severe mood swings respond well to low doses of the anticonvulsant medication valproic acid (Depakote®).


Pseudobulbar Affect (uncontrollable laughing and/or crying)
A small percentage of persons with MS experience a more severe form of emotional lability in which there are uncontrollable episodes of laughing and/or crying that are unpredictable and seem to have little or no relationship to actual events or the individual’s actual feelings.

These changes are thought to result from lesions—damaged areas—in emotional pathways in the brain. It is important for family members and caregivers to know this, and realize that people with MS may not always be able to control their emotions.  

Several medications, including amitriptyline. levodopa, desipramine, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine, have shown benefit in small clinical trials. Avanir pharmaceuticals has recently completed a successful large-scale trial of Zenvia™, a patented, orally-administered combination of dextromethorphan and an enzyme inhibitor to sustain a therapeutic level of dextromethorphan in the body. Avanir applied to the FDA for approval of this medication as a treatment for people with MS and the FDA responded with a request for additional studies, which are currently recruiting participants."


There are medications that may help, so please discuss this with your MS neurologist.

feel better,
Lulu

[babyboy1016]

first of all your not alone.i have for several years had the problem of crying for no reason.and for years it was mis diagnosed as bi polar,depression,etc...maybe so but when diagnosed with ms in august it all made sense...it all fit.i had probably been walking through life for well over ten years with ms.i still to this day cry for no apparent reason not to say that depression doesnt have an impact.i had at periods and points checked into and comitted to various mental institutions due to my mind problems when all along it must have been the monster MS......

[wadeheather]

This happens to me as well, and once I start, I can't stop!  It can be embarassing. I haven't had an MRI in over two years, but hopefully will get one ordered next week, so if by chance there is a connection hopefully they will be able to see it.

[grannyhotwheels]

Trust me honey, your not mad, or if you was we would all be crazy.  lol  I also can cry at the drop of a hat.  If used right this can be very beneficial with the hubby. hahahehe  

I know this is no joking matter but what Suzy said makes perfectly good sense to me. Thank you Suzy, cause I didn't know why I could cry so easily myself.  I just chalked it up to another symptom of MS.

Hang in there Vic and let this wonderful group of people let you know that your not alone.

I'll be praying,
Carol

[suzymsgirl]

Hi Vic & Welcome to the Community.

You will find much support here, as well as a plethora of information.

Do you have lesions to the right temporal lobe and/or the frontal lobe?  I have both.  If you have either or both, crying is not unusual, at all.  You will find it happening frequently, if so, I can assure you.

If you ever need a thing, reach out, and you shall find support here.  Including me.  :)
May life and the MonSter be kind to you,

SuzyMSGirl