CRPS and emotional flooding?
 

I was just officially diagnosed yesterday with CRPS though 2 previous doctors were fairly certain this was the case. It's only been about 2 months since the onset so I have every reason to be optimistic about treatment. . .

My CRPS began in my left hand. After 2 months I have less frequent episodes but they are getting to be a much faster onset and more severe each time.

Now before the CRPS I would say that I was a very emotionally healthy person with good boundaries, sense of humor, calm and extremely positive.

My question is this, whether I'm in significant pain or not, my emotional life has changed dramatically. My doctor says it's because of the pain but I can't make that connection. Even suffering a very mild embarrassment with a completely safe and loving person my knees start to shake and I feel like I'm going to fall down. Getting angry at my daughter (grown woman) generated horribly negative thinking and surges of adrenalin. The part of my brain that I still seem to have control over was horrified at the unhealthy thinking that sprung from . . . . where? These are just two examples of what seems to be some emotional operating system that is unrelated to my true feelings. Bouts of weeping that honestly don't seem to be related to my level of pain or any true emotion. (though the weeping usually lasts about three days following any episode or flareup)

What the heck? Is this part of the CRPS? It started at the same time. Does or did anyone else have similar symptoms? Physical reactions way beyond what one's emotional state warrants?

Thank you amigos, in advance, for your concern and sharing. I've read many posts here and you all seem extraordinarily kind and compassionate.

Andrea

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

What you describe could be this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudobulbar_affect

Please discuss with your doctor, as there is a medication out that may help.

Others here will be along soon, to discuss other possibilities.;)

Yep, I've been there. It's awesome they caught it early. You have a chance to go into remission. Your emotional state can be part of your CRPS. I have problems at times controlling my anger, and bouts of crying sadness. The pain never leaves us so our mental state is all over the place at times. If I'm in a flare I really try my hardest to stay away from people. That way I can't inadvertently hurt someone else emotionally. My children are young. 1 is 2 years, and the other almost 2 months. So me getting really angry can really hurt them. Also I become road rage queen from hades. I'm the person that will chase you down and beat you with my cane when I really hurt. That's when I wish someone would try to car jack me so I have a reason to beat them. We all go through some mental and emotional problems at some point with this horrible beast. The pain is the main cause, also our lack of control. I will pray that you go into remission, and that your emotions stabilize as much as they can with this beast. Keep smiling, and positive.

Hi Andrea! So sorry you are having to deal with CRPS and all its lovliness! I think all of us suffering from this have shared these symptoms/reactions/feelings...whatever you want to call them. I am struggling with some of that myself right now. RSD/CRPS affects the limbic system of the brain. See the link below for some explanation:

http://www.rsdhope.org/crps-symptoms.html

There is also more great info on that website www.rsdhope.org.

All the best,
Nanc
:hug:

Thank you. That didn't describe me but it was very interesting. Mine is more an exaggeration of emotional response accompanied by physical symptoms like shakiness in some cases or adrenalin in others or the weepy weeps in still others. I'm actually very interested in the topic in general - if only I could retain what I'm learning for more than a nano-second. My doctor told me that's very normal for CRPS (the memory problem).

Thanks again Super Moderator. Well named.

Thanks Nanc, the limbic involvement feels like a fit. That physical surge and overreaction has a very primal and crude feeling about it. It's interesting AND awful to realize how my "higher thinking" was ready to follow along with supporting terrible thoughts even though I wouldn't normally think the things I've been thinking. Like there's an attempt by my limbic brain to overwrite my real thoughts and feelings.

Oy va voy. It looks like my higher brain is going to have to pull rank over and over to stay in charge. This is where being stubborn and hardheaded might finally pay off. <wink>

I'm having a good day today so it was a good time to talk about this, gather information and develop some strategy.

My heart goes to you to be living this while raising children. I can scarcely imagine the endless stress. I snapped on one of my granddaughters while in the pain zone and we both felt worse than ever. Wishing you strength, a reprieve from pain and lots and lots and lots of love.

All good suggestions above......just another thought - unusual thoughts and amplified feelings can be a side effect of some medications. Please discuss with the prescriber. I wish you wellness (and welcome to the group) ~ lottie

We all do what we have to. If I start getting overwhelmed I step outside and scream. I live in the country so I won't get the police called on me lol. Just one of my neighbors calling to ask if I'm ok. Thanks for reminding me that it can also be a side effect of some meds. Darlin you're not alone in feeling like this. That's the wonderful thing about this site. You can get on here and vent, or whine and we don't judge.:hug:

Welcome Andrea, sorry for the reason you had to find us.
Yes, RSD/CRPS effects us all so differently. I've had my emotional bouts
with this disease as well. Not exactly as you've described but still irregular
for me.
I guess that's the reason so many of us are prescribed an antidepressant with
side effects of nerve pain suppression as soon as we're dx'd.

This is a great, understanding (we get it) group. I think we've all had our rants
on here and we see each other through.

Hi Andrea :)

You've had some fab advice here, so I just wanted to sys that yep, me too lol! With CRPS comes emotional and physical stress, hand in hand...it's exhausting.

(This started short, and then I got carried away. Sorry!!!)

I think it is particularly a problem in the first few months after diagnosis. I went through hell emotionally, and with time between that period and now, I can see that I was in shock. Being told you have a diagnosis is initially a relief - at last you know what it is, and you feel more hopeful. But the problem is that very quickly you realise that it doesn't change the day to day worst thing of all - the pain. It's still there. Pain management and pacing becomes a big deal, trying to find ways to still do the things you need to, but without making that pain any worse. It's a hard lesson to learn, and takes a long time.

You are also grieving. We all lose things as part of this, even the strongest of us. We can lose independence, freedom, being adventurous, enjoying new things. Work too, and work is a major part of all our lives, whether we can still do it or not. We become more scared of new situations, and we hate that. We worry more about doing things, and have to think ahead before doing the things we used to just run out of the door to do... It's tiring and sobering, and it drags you down.

Plus let's not forget the fact that nobody really understands this :rolleyes:. From doctors to nurses to your own family and friends, people don't know about CRPS. They haven't heard of it. They think pain is a headache or a bad back, not what you are going through. It sounds incredible to them. People's initial sympathy can wane, friends can become distant, family forget to ask you how you are today... It's cruel and isolating. Hard not to feel bad about that kind of thing.

Guilt as well. Oh the guilt. There's whole threads on this site about guilt. We all feel it, even though we didn't ask for this, we don't enjoy the changes it makes in us, and we certainly wish it hadn't happened!

The problem is that everything takes time - doctors appointments, getting meds, getting to see a specialist, seeing a physio. And the medical profession works in weeks....6 weeks before you see this person, 2 weeks to see that one, 3 days to wait for your meds, etc, etc. But when you are in pain, every minute is a long time, and a week of pain takes a lot out of you to just get through it.

The result of all this is frustration and anger, and it's perfectly understandable. It is a grieving process, and you go through the stages of grief just the same. But because you are fighting to keep your life as it was, and not to let things affect you too much, you are struggling on. It's a good thing to do that - giving in and giving up is not an option! But of course all those emotions are still there...and they have to come out.

So your emotional turmoil at the moment is, in my really not as humble as it should be opinion :winky: completely normal for someone recently diagnosed with something as horrible, as misunderstood and as life-altering as this. Give yourself a bit of a break here, and trust in yourself that this will get easier to handle. You will find ways of coping with things, including your emotions. CRPS does indeed mess with your brain in a biological way that you can't change, but you do adjust to what is happening to you, and just find your feet again :)

If things get really bleak, or you feel you need some extra help, go to your doc and tell them you need to see a counsellor or psychologist, to talk about how you feel and how this is affecting you. I see a counsellor monthly at the moment, privately and off my own back, and it's great just to talk about how I feel, and have someone tell me I'm doing ok. I also do meditation exercises at home, and practice deep breathing exercises to gain control when I feel stressed. It all helps just a little bit...

Take care of yourself, and good luck with everything. I hope things settle down for you soon. Sorry about my all too usual wordiness :rolleyes:

Bram :grouphug:

Also, don't forget to get your thyroid checked. If it's off it can cause emotional havoc. Sometimes when our body is under a lot of stress or dealt with a giant injury the thyroid goes off balance.

Thank you Bram,

That gave me a lot to think about. I know that I'm having a hard time not talking endlessly about what's going on with me to anyone who gives me an opportunity and that has me feeling really awkward and embarrassed too. The grieving is part to be sure as my CRPS started with a left thumb injury and I've spent the better part of the last 23 years as a massage therapist working primarily in rehab/personal injury clinics. I don't know enough yet but my instincts tell me that part of my life is over because I can't ever see putting using my left hand in the same way without fear of re-injury. It's already spread up to my elbow in a very short time.

I can see how blessed I am at the same time. My primary physician is so caring and thorough and stands by me and my new PM/rehab doc is very knowledgeable and actually kind of funny, (which helps!). She compared the effect CRPS has on my memory and comprehension to that of having a small child tugging or pulling on me screaming, "Mom!, Mom!, Mom!" every half second day in and out. I cracked up! First good laugh in a while! The physical sensation is different but the near relentless distraction and wearing down of personal fortitude made it a pretty good analogy for me.

That's a very interesting point. My husband and I have a roommate who is a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner. Maybe he can offer some insight and suggestions into supporting my thyroid until my next doctor's appointment.

It is a beast! CRPS
 

Hi Andrea,

Don't dispair about having moods around RSD/CRPS! Give yourself time to sort it out, and be gentle around judging yourself. My RSD began when I was a teenager with a DVT in my arm. I was recovering when i friend hit me in the arm...and my oddysea began. I had multiple types of treatments and surgeries ...(for later) and I suffered a lot of depression- especially after a bier block with risirpine,but the point is that in that process:

I discovered that we are far greater than our pain;it is a gift to be able to feel it and know that in caring for ourselves we find true compassion for each other on this planet, and with that can share here...and not being alone.

I may not speak well( because of a TBI) but please know you are in my thoughts and prayers... caring that you can find relief for pain and peace with your beast. :hug::grouphug:

Extend that same thinking to the effects chronic pain, excruciating at times, has on our emotional states.

Don't forget about the stress of poor sleep quality. A human brain just can't functional optimally without sufficient GOOD sleep, which is so hard to achieve with chronic pain.