Pseudobulbar affect (PBA)

To follow up on what @hopeful33250 posted on pseudobulbar affect (PBA), which can affect people with neurologic disorders like stroke, closed-head injury, MS, etc., and can cause uncontrollable crying or laughing (sometimes at an inappropriate time), I'd like to invite some others into this conversation to talk about whether they have experienced this, like @lakelifelady @dawnpereda @ian7811 @hammondm99 @brightwings @leslon @grammadoro @becsbuddy.

Have you met anyone who's experienced PBA, @hopeful33250?

@lisalucier Hi, Lisa, I have what you might call a head injury but I’ve never experienced PBA. A friend, who has MS, also has not experienced PBA

Hello @lisalucier,

I have never personally known anyone with this disorder but I have seen a lot mentions of it in the media in the form of public service announcements. I would hope that any Members of Connect who have been affected by this personally or in their family might post.

I had to look up what PBA is and I have not been told I have it. I have fibromyalgia (2009) and had a stroke (may 17, 2015). I had noticed that I would get tears and hard to talk when someone was talking about an illness or I was not able to do something and asked for help. Now recently I have been upset more. I said no to a job offered to work in another location earlier this year got upset with tears unlike me. I am now having other medical problems related to fibromyalgia believe and have been crying in car, at home, in bed. Thanks for bring this to my attention I may need to talk to doctor about it.

I, too, had severe fibromyalgia, which ended a successful career before I was ready to retire. However, in 2015, I stopped eating all grains and sugar, and my fibro was gone.

@mcwoodham761 Good for you! Sugar and grains cause inflammation, so you got healthier and your pain left, and you'll stay healthier as you age. It's hard to get others to understand that connection, It's like inflammation rusts out our bodies, and kind of literally this is what is happening as oxidation takes place. Antioxidants found in vegetables slows this process down.

I suffered a TBI after a catastrophic car accident. Afterward while struggling to recover I found that in heavy traffic, pounding rain , having a quick stop or close call,or coming upon an accident put me into uncontrollable sobbing or wailing. My arms often flew up too. It has been four years now since the accident but my startle response is still quite active and loud noises enrage me. I often have to go in the house and close the windows when neighbors mow their lawns.
It is all getting more normal with time but I still cry very easily with emotional situations or family tensions.

I also lost 51 l lbs.

Hugs

@mcwoodham761 You really turned your life around. That's wonderful.