I find that intense emotions really send me into a tailspin and I find that I hold most of them inside because once I let them out, my MG flares. I avoid confrontation, bite my tongue when I'm angry and do everything I can to keep from crying. I know keeping everything inside is also detrimental, but letting it out seems to be much worse. Sometimes my poor husband wants nothing better than a good argument, but I always back away. Any suggestions?

I've been thinking about this, too. My last big crash was after a visit from a friend--she had some news about her grown daughter that was devastating to me.

But you seem to be saying that it's not so much the emotions themselves that sets off your MG, but the expressing of them (like crying). I wonder if the reason that this is the case is that you hold back so much that by the time you do express them, they've really built up, so the expression is intense? Is there a way to let it out in small ways before it builds up--I mean, if you cry a little over some small thing, would that set off your symptoms? Or is it only a big emotional melt-down that does it?

What a tricky disease this is! One of the ways people recommend processing emotions is to do something physically tiring, but of course we can't do that, either.

Thanks for asking. This is the right kind of question to ask. Understanding what's going on is more than half the battle! As you figure this out, share it with us, OK?

Abby

Its better to allow your emotions out and have the arguement and get angry, as the more you bottle it up the worse your illness will get.
I know for me that stress and stressful situations including confrontations will have me feeling very fatigued, but its something that you need to work through.

I think that with this illness you have to learn how to do things differently. This includes the way you deal with your emotions. I realize that this is a bit of a vague answer. To be a bit more specific- I think you can learn how to argue with your husband without having intense emotions, but without fully avoiding the argument either.

I never knew why extremely stressful situations would just make me feel like a "wet dishrag" was what I would say. Now I know. But there is so much more to find out. I try to just walk away from bad situations. I will tell the person who is in a conflict with, thatif we are not going to sovle this with all this yelling, then I am walking away and I do.

Emotions are one of my biggest troubles...I cry a lot now, because if I don't the MG punishes me later, I have to let the emotions out right away. If I am angry or upset I express it (I don't yell at people, but I do express myself a lot)...I run away from arguments and I have trouble making decisions at times, because just thinking about a decision can trigger the MG...hearing someone yell, even if it is not at me, makes me weak and I have to find a place to sit down quickly. I feel so weak emotionally...but, if I let the emotions out it does help.

As far as arguments go...I think we have to find new ways to argue...I haven't figured it out yet, seems I have surrounded myself by people who enjoy heated arguements and I can't deal with it.

I wish you the best.

So far my response has been sarcasm, humor and more sarcasm when no one gets my sense of humor....when I get angry now, I let more of it out (sarcastically) and it helps.....

Now granted I'm newly dx with MG but I've been dealing with the nightmare of clusterheadaches for 2+ years and finally realized I was allowing the pain of those nightmares to kill my sense of humor and it was changing / depressing me- the ability to look at the funny /ironic side of life always been an integral part of me... so I actively fought back and reclaimed my sense of humor instead of letting the clusters kill it and leave me with nothing but pain - I plan on doing the same with MG....

My advice:

if it helps to let it out and keeps you healthy (ier) and sane -find creative ways to do it (that don't get you arrested )

if it helps to keep it in and "piece meal" it out in smaller tolerable increments - do that and tell those around you to the point : "This is the way I have to handle emotions for MY health - mental and physical. You may not understand it, but please accept I know what is best for ME in this respect...."

I've always had a bit of an emotional "wall" around me that I thought was caused by my parent's divorce, but now I'm thinking that it may be some sort of inherent defense mechanism against MG.