Mad Emotions!
 

Hey, I'm not sure if this has been posted before, sorry if it has, I just couldn't find it..

Recently, I've noticed that I've been crying more often, before my accident, I never cried and people often referred to me as the 'ice queen'! But now, I feel like I want to cry all the time, nothing has happened to me other than me injury, nearly 6 months ago...
I'm not sure why this is happening! I feel like I'm starting to lose who I am... who I was.. I'm not sure what to do any more. I don't want to go to the doctors because I am scared that they'll tell me something like I have depression and would want me to take a cocktail of drugs...

Is this normal? Or.. do I have a problem? Thanks..

Yes, this is a common symptom of PCS. It is called emotional lability.

Count your blessings. You could be dealing with the opposite and get raging mad at the slightest trigger.

Don't worry Charlie - I was crying a lot more and had a lot of varying emotions for a long time after the accident I was in and it's just recently been getting better. And I used to have a LOT of emotional control. I still don't have the emotional control I did before the accident I was in, but I expect to someday. Just yesterday I got so frustrated at work that I sent my boss an email begging her to make a formal complaint about the printer cartridges we are provided with. Printer cartridges! Lucky for me, everyone is super patient with me as I heal. I wish I could be as patient with myself and them. :D

You'll most likely get better in time. I'm not going to tell you to be patient because I hate it when people tell me that. :wink:

Maybe you are depressed - but I think crying a lot doesn't make a person depressed and I'll bet your Dr.'s know that too. I would cry just watching a "sad" story on a commercial! But I'm not doing that now. Thank God! I felt so silly doing that!

But you do NOT have to take any drugs if you don't want to - even if your Dr.'s recommend them. You have every right to refuse to take any drugs that you feel uncomfortable taking. That's something I forgot when I was doing really poorly cognitively and it would scare me a lot - but my family would always reassure me that I didn't have to take anything I didn't want to. I eventually became so desperate that I ended up taking a LOT of different drugs and experienced a LOT of awful side effects until my neuro realized I had a rare complication of the concussion - but that's a whole 'nother story.

Just ride the waves as best you can. You'll end up on dry land someday. :hug:

I have both (I don't break into tears, but I do feel like dying. Every day). I don't know which is worse. As Mark says, count your blessings, although I know you probably didn't want to hear that (who does?).

I have the rage part...my trigger is always set to go off these days and I have to make an exceptional effort to control my anger now. It's hard to do, the slightest frustrations can boil over in a moment and I'm gritting my teeth and looking for something to smash. It's hard to deal with, and of course my neuro discounts it along with half of my symptoms.

Omg! I went through the same thing. I sustained a concussion 5 weeks ago in a rugby match. The first two weeks especially I was super emotional. I'm usually VERY in control, rational, cool as a cucumber type of personality.

After the concussion though I found I was super expressive of my emotions and felt very loving and compassionate all of the time--just way more than normal. I'd also just start to tear up or cry for no reason. It would feel like I'd get a sudden surge of emotion and just cry. I wasn't sobbing. I didn't feel depressed or sad. It was just a pool of heightened emotion.

I'm pretty sure it was all symptomatic of my brain just being impaired after sustaining the trauma/concussion--though it was a fascinating thing to experience. Now the hyper emotionalism is wearing off and I am just finding I am WAY more irritable.

I just look at all of this as symptoms of the concussion--just like the headaches, dizzyness and nausea. It will get better eventually. Don't worry!

Some people will continue to experience the emotional lability for a long time.

It sounds like LisaGH may be entering the irritable and prone to outburst phase of personality change common to PCS.

The personality changes can be permanent with some people. My personality changed after my concussion in 1965 and never returned to my previous personality. There is no explanation as to why this happens.

Hi Charlie,

Yes I experienced this too. Every time I went the doctor's or had to talk about the concussion to anyone I seemed to just cry. It was not like me, it was like my younger self, but not my adult self. It is very weird feeling like you have no control of your emotions eh. Now although I am defo still suffering from PCS I seem to have taken control of my emotions so I am sure it won't always be like that and you won't need to go on drugs to combat it.

I had the same worrying thoughts about like losing myself or not knowing who I had been. I found talking to my friends who had known me for years helped with that particular aspect. If I was ever like "Did I used to be like that? What was I like? Have I changed?" they could always reassure me and remind me that I had always been a particular way, just this post concussion thing makes you over-think everything I think.

Hope things get better for ya.

Rosie :)

Hi Charlie,

Don't worry I had this too. I used to cry when I was at the doc's or had to discuss the concussion with anyone, I couldn't help it, tears just were suddenly there! It was very odd, and it made me feel quite immature, but I know it wasn't my fault. I am not still a bit different emotionally I think, but I can discuss it without crying and overall have a much better control over my emotions even though I am still suffering from PCS, so I am sure you'll get there too.

With regard to feeling like you aren't sure who you are and who you were, can totally relate! I had these exact thoughts, it is very odd and very unpleasant. I found talking to friends who had known me for years helped. If I ever was having a moment of "who am I? was I always like this?!" they were there to reassure me that I had always been like that or whatever. I think with PCS you over think everything!

I really hope things get better for ya!

Rosie :)

The first few weeks I was home from the hospital I would start crying for no real reason. If I felt lonely I would cry. If I felt grateful I would cry. If I felt happy I would cry. This would happen several times a day. A year later, interestingly I now have the opposite problem. I can get sad but seems like nothing can make me cry now. Sometimes I want to in order get emotional stuff out but I just can’t do it.