Excessive Crying, My Newest Symptom, Not A Real Depression !

[hyperpots]

My 3rd post here in two days. So glad I found this forum and thanks to everyone that has written to me. I did a search and couldn't find this, so I"m putting it out there.

I am having Emotional Lability up the Wazoo. I've been sick a few years with all of this now, no progress, no light at the end of the tunnel, lots of Hospitalizations, ignorant Dr.'s, etc.

I see an ANS on Monday for a 3hr appt. I have everything to take him, including my Tilt test, Ansar test, tons of labs showing high Norepi, etc.

So, my Emotions have been running wild and I can't seem to get them under control. I am crying at things like someone died. It's not a little sob, it's all out crying, several times per day. I gets real bad right out of bed, while I'm trying to catch my breath, deal with the chest pains, freezing cold, head pains, etc.

To me, it feels like chemicals are all whacked out in the brain. If I didn't feel the decrease in blood flow in the Brain, I'd say I am truly depressed and need Electro Convulsive Therapy. Heck, maybe I should look into this anyway. Would probably make me worse with my luck.

The only thing that settles me down is Benadryl and Percocet. Even then, I'm struggling, but I'm not crying all over the place, or at least not as much. My kids see me like this and I think I'm scaring them, and thats the last thing I would ever want to do. I'm raising them by myself and they are both around 10 years old. They have been great support to me as I explain to them as best as I can what it going on and that all of this is caused by inadequate blood flow to the brain and chemicals out of whack.

So, the 10,000 question. Is this Normal ? And what do you do about it ?

I have alot of issues, alot of losses, but nothing that I couldn't deal with if I didn't have this condition. Who else has this ? Will the ANS Dr. be able to help me with this ?

Steven

[lieze]

It's been my automatic response when I feel bad and so out of control to break down and cry and I actually think it helps.

Yes I would love to spare my family all the drama-I realize it's not fair to them.

I try not to talk openly about my darkest fears and feelings I can shelter them from that but

they know when I'm not feeling good.

My kids are 12, 10, 7 and 5.

I actually think they have a pretty good handle

on all if this.

There are times when I'm alone with them and they are acting up and I ask them to stop and

they won't quit the hyper that I wish that they could follow direction better and be more sensitive but I realize they are kids.

I think the crying is normal and a therapeutic coping mechanism and as you start to feel better it will happen less and less.

[HopeSprings]

I already mentioned this was a symptom for me early on. It did settle down on its own after a while. I think it definitely has to do with brain chemistry or hormones - I don't know the exact mechanism. Maybe it will just STOP on its own - I hope so.

[tinkerbella]

I'm so sorry you are feeling this way....I know how you feel and I just told another potsie the other night who was crying out of control that we have a harder time with our feelings and deepest emotions like crying. I have been told if I didn't stop crying so hard I couldn't go to my aunt's funeral by a sister. When my dad, died my ex husband now told me then that I cried too long and to get over it. Tears were made to release pain from our body and make us feel better. Our potsie bodies can't regulate all of that properly.That is why so many of us got mis dxed with anxiety and depression first. When we get situationally stressed out our bodies may overly cry, sob, uncontrollably and people mislabel us If it goes on too long it becomes a problem. Could there be something else going on?

The other thing we do is laugh, we laugh long and hard. Look up laughter therapy and try to make your body slip into that. When you listen to laughing people you almost can't help but start laughing. Give it a try....There are some videos on the web and I used to have a tape of people just laughing that I would listen to. Get a series of the funniest tv shows and watch them this weekend or watch comedy movies. Stay away from doctors talking you into psych meds you don't need, psych treatments that could harm you. My cardio told me that many people have been mis dx and even doctors have been given these treatments when it was POTS. How sad, that this world has to educate all doctors about POTS and to STOP psych docs to learn the difference between depression, anxiety, and POTS. STOP giving pills and Treatments that can hurt them. Also, I don't want to brush off your feelings, but it you really can't stop crying I would go and talk to someone and see if there's something you need to talk out. I think all Psych docs, social workers, and therapists should screen all patients with anxiety that does not resolve with meds for POTS. There needs to be more education in all areas of the health field.

Sending you Big Hugs to feel better soon. YOU will have lots of love and support here. love, bellamia ~

[brethor9]

not sure in your case.....but this happens to me from overspill of adrenaline......If you have issues getting rid of adrenaline emotional outbursts like that I think come with the territory.....I know when I had my catecholamine testing and they gave me epinephrine or whatever it was I hit the roof and started sobbing within seconds....the specialist said its a normal reaction......fight or flight......over time mine has settled down or maybe I have just learned how to cope with it better.....and that helps.....maybe the crying is just part of your system's way of burning off the adrenaline......just my theory

Bren

[Katybug]

I went through a period of uncontrollable crying over the summer when my symptoms were really bad. It was definitely POTS related, not depression related. Even now, a commercial or greeting card that I would have once deemed "cheesy", now brings tears to my eyes. The weirdest part of th cryig is that for about 10 years before was diagnosed with POTS, I couldn't cry...my body would want to and no tears would come out. I think that must have been part of the low lying dysautonomia that's been there for years.

Good for you that you are talking to your kids and keeping them informed. My mom had some chronic, debilitating health issues when I was in grade school, and the times I was scared were when no one would tell me what was happening. (She is relatively fine now, btw.)

Keep your chin up. There is hope.

[hyperpots]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Katybug and Bren, I think you guys are 100% correct. I was in a bad Adrenaline Crisis for the last week and all that Crying has been going on daily. I'm seeing an ANS specialist on Monday and hope to get on the correct treatment.

After tons and tons of reading today, I realized that I was just sitting in my office chair doing nothing, as in not getting exercise. I also had not been hydrating myself correctly.

I took 2gm of Sea Salt, drank 2 Liters of Water and Walked a Mile on my treadmill. The treadmill was tough, but when I got off, they Crying was GONE, my mood came back a good bit and I was able to take my Kids out to dinner.

Even more, I was reading about the Cerebral Hypoperfusion and shunting of Blood away from the brain and I think that Shunting in itself can actually cause many of the Symptoms that I have always associated with "Head Symptoms" and Lyme die off as well. I know I do have Lyme and it's causing all of this, but I also know that I have to get the Hyper POTS and most probably MCAD under control before I can really go after the Lyme effectively.

BellaMia, just a quick comment to your post. The Crying and Laughter you talk about is known as the "Pseudo Bulbar Affect". If you look it up, again, you will see it has to do with Injury to the brain, which in our case can be the Shunting of blood away from the brain.

Lots more to research on my end so I can understand and get on the proper medications.

Thanks to all,

Steven