Is anyone else suffering with major mood swings ...I have no reason to scream and shout but feel I need to?? ...

[kel80]

Has any seen a counsellor from meningitis trust.. .? I not sure if I am being silly or not .... But I seriously am not the person I used to be nor want to be xxx still getting such pain in lower back/spine ... Back of head left side of neck as well as back of neck .. Eyes .. Still magnified hearing .. I am driving myself insane ...

[Mypain]

How long have you been recovering?

[Canada3]

Hi, you dont mention how long you have been recovering from VM or BM and I think it ay be something that happens as you are recovering. I certainly had some anxiety problems and definitely wasnt behaving like myself. I did see a counseller thanks to the Trust, it was so very helpful. She explained to me that it isnt unusual, afterall it is a brain injury. Children often suffer from behavioural problems and adults from anxiety or other related problems. I have to confess that I still get "scared" and am not sure why sometimes. Often it hits me in the middle of the night, I imagine that it is all related to my health and I am scared of being sick again, but I feel it happens less, and my mood swings are rare now. I am almost 4 years down the road, so I hope this gives you some hope. Please contact the Meningitis Trust as they are very helpful with this and most understanding of your predicament.

[Dene]

my Mrs is like this 2 years on from BM and it has recently got worse Mood swings stressed irate and lots more etc doc says its common and can be linked to her frontal lobe brain injury she has been diagnosed with and part of how she feels is because she needs to try and accept her condition she cant do many thing what she could do before and will come to that acceptance one day

[Tiga]

OH honey you are not been silly the first 6 months, i could have pulled a chicken head off, with a slight look fro someone, i rememebver i was in subway and ask for a chiles portion (was not that hungry) and asked i think for steak ,the girl said YOU CANNOT HAVE THAT, well i was like the omen, i kicked off, to the point the poor girl did not know what had happened, the anger in me just took over (went back a week later to say sorry and explained why and we had a good laugh) but yes my mood swings where all over the place, i just could not control them, my mother got most of it, the problem with VM and and other M, is that your brain has been cooked and your moods went with them. so i went on multi vit and b6-b12 this helped so much, and when i new i was going into a mood i used a code word FROG! which people knew then i was on one, or if i new it was going to be one of those days just stayed in . Canada comments are so true. the things is you have been ill, there are no scares people can see, they forget how ill you have been, just take one day at a time, find something that you like to smell i use vanilla this helps calms, other people use lavender which is fab, i just cannot stand the smell. go to someone like Holland and Barrett, ask about Vits to help moods swings, there is also rescue remedy you can use a couple of drops.

back pain will be normal, its been over a good year for me, thou my spine pain has come from the 12 needles they put in my spine to try and do a spinal tap (and crap at it) so has caused a bit of a problem, but a tennes machine from llyods chemist (cheapest) is a great way to control pain, i use it at work and no one knows i have it on. also LOl Vic is also great, rub some on you back b 4 u go to bed, sounds mad, but this helps

you say " But I seriously am not the person I used to be " that is true, you are not, you had an illness that was so BAD!!! BUT!!! you are getting threw it, and that is what counts

your comment " Eyes .. Still magnified hearing .. I am driving myself insane ..." just think of yourself as a BAT, you will hear more, see more and smell more, you are not going insane, its just the brain is hyper at the moment, ok on anther planted they will say you have new super powers like super man, just with out the flying and strength LOL, sorry just pulling your leg, but the fact is, your mind and brain has been rebooted like a computer and will take time for you to get used to it, take each day as it comes, thou it is hard i KNOW this and may of us on this site know this, but we are the lucky ones (will not feel like it thou) we are still walking and talking, many lost their lives and limbs, thou i know this statement will not help, but its a cruel fact, Honey take each day, learn to find things around your illness, things will get better, your not insane, you will get there <)

[bevcarlydave in reply to Tiga]

get to say im not alone ive three sixes on my head i feel like ave got the devil inside me just can`t seem to shake this terriable vm off ,headache all the time and back pain isn`t much better ,surely june 2012 has been six months for the light at the end of the tunnel x

[Tiga in reply to bevcarlydave]

LOL 3 6's,, see you are getting there you are finding humor, and trust me that's the biggest way to heal, i had VM 14 months ago, i can go a hole week now with out pulling someones head off, there will be light at the end of tunnel, you will learn, that the little devil on your shoulder will not take you over. if you are taking pain killers for your headaches?? then you will have to stop, pain killers will bring on more headaches, thats why people get hooked on them, try you local Holland and Barret, talk to the, or ask your doc to send you for acupuncture. yes back pain a right pain in the ass, when i am doing shows (non of my clients know how ill i have been with VM & then 8 months later a heart opp) I should have been on stage telling you. i wear a tens machine (£20) and it controls it, also now and then i wear a back support, thou talk about hot flushes when i wear them LOL. the trick is to understand you are in pain, but to find tricks to help the pain, realx a lot, i paint when i am up tight, talk to someone.

BUT you will get threw it all, i hope some of this dribble helps you LOL

Tiga

[bevcarlydave in reply to Tiga]

thankyou so much Bev <3

[ignoreit]

When you're in pain, it's very hard to be "nice." I had to wear open sandals FOR YEARS after being released from the hospital...because of the extreme foot pain (especially the toes area.) I couldn't put on a pair of closed toe shoes for 6-7 YEARS...even when there was snow on the ground!

But you'll be happy to know that the pain DOES become bearable...over time. It's been 35 years for me...and if you met me now, you'd never know I have had this horrible BM illness!

I also think that "faking it" is helpful. The year was 1977 and women were just beginning to move up in the private sector corporate world. Wanting...no...DEMANDING to be "the first woman to ...", I hid my pain. When I came to the top of an escalator, I took that deep breath and forged ahead, knowing my post BM balance was unpredictable...but also knowing that my business superiors would not select ME for promotions...if I had a disability. I also didn't have the luxury of complaining...I had to fake that everything was fine...that I could be a healthy representative for my company.

I'm sure you don't want to hear this...but that would be my recommendation: fake it...don't complain and do resist that overwhelming urge to say, "Listen to what I'VE been thru and overcome..."

I learned that I lost friends who knew the truth...and kept ones who didn't. Yes, it's a cruel fact...but people aren't interested in your pain...they want to be around attractive healthy people. So fake it and be one again.

No, it's not easy...but in a few years you'll find yourself with BASICALLY the same life you had before BM. It really CAN happen!!!!!

[shuggy]

I am eight months post VM. I am just now noticing that my moods and ability to exercise have improved significantly. I am married to a physician and after researching his books, Internet, etc we found there is little western medication that helps. I turned to homeopathic treatments. Vitamins, oils, detoxifiers. Even my husband who has no training in eastern practices has started using some of my homeopathic products. My immune system has done a total turn around. I really had to listen to my husband and stop pushing myself so hard. Relax and keep reminding yourself that your brain had a serious injury. TIME and PATIENCE. I still have a small spot on my back that makes certain exercises difficult so I find other things to do that are less strenuous. Find a good support system and someone who will encourage you to be patient with your body and the healing process. I did have anxiety for a couple of months after VM. That is very normal. I was not one of those people who could "fake it." We are all different and all respond differently. Do what is best for you and most importantly listen to your body!

[tantanmics]

The best thing to do is talk about your experience to someone who has been in our situation, I waited. Nearly 4 years before I spoke openly about the struggle I went through with BM, I suffered severely with mood swings, I would be fine and just burst into tears. Please see someone I do think its better to talk to someone that's been through it. Xxx

[maineknitter]

I'm in the States, but I just got on disability and got insurance too. I am seeing a counselor for help dealing with the mood swings, the grief over lossing my sense of self, and comorbid depression. But, I would have taken advantage of service earlier if offered. We have all been through a traumatic brain injury from an infection. That's big stuff to go through on a good day and at full capacity, which we aren't at full capacity. We can choose our attitude, but that's hard even with training. Go to counseling, it can only do good.