Hello fellow Msa carers, I have a question. How do you cope with your loved ones outbursts of uncontrollable laughter?? My wife laughs when she's having an emotional moment and instead of crying she bursts out laughing, so for example we went out for a meal and she struggles to cut up her food I offers to help and she initially bursts out laughing but this causes food to be spat out onto me...... she apologises and then becomes upset. Another example is that when I'm helping her to goto use the toilet she starts to wee and wets the pad and pants, she again laughs out uncontrollably and then becomes upset. These are 2 examples but there are more. I get frustrated and sometimes can't hide it from her, but my frustration is with the condition not her (and i try and tell her I'm frustrated at the condition but she's thinking I'm gonna get fed up of this happening and leave her which of course i won't. Please help with advice.
Emotional laughing/outbursts - Multiple System A...
Emotional laughing/outbursts
Hello Derek. I so understand when you say you get frustrated with MSA rather than your wife. I often say MSA has a sixth sense and when we are in a hurry or trying to get somewhere it plays silly buggers!!
As far as uncontrolled laughter is concerned, there’s a very good MSA Trust factsheet about it here: msatrust.org.uk/wp-content/...
I hope this helps.
Take care, Ian
Derek
Luckily my Sue doesn't suffer with this and after reading the fact sheet from MSA trust that Ian has provided I understand more why.
We are very accepting of the way MSA has and continues to change our lives and sue has accepted that she is what what it is and doesn't worry about what others think so she is emotionally stable.
I do get frustrated with everything but learned to say to myself it's not Sue it's the bloody MSA.
Hope it helps
Paul
I feel and I say that it's the condition but I feel that my Jackie doesn't believe that/me when i say it, I've read the fact sheet that Ian has linked us too, I'm glad your Sue is stable and I hope that my Jackie will be stable some day? Thanks for the reply
Hi Derek
I can understand your well understand your frustration. My husband sometimes laughs when I am getting frustrated and stressed when dealing with him, which of course distresses me greatly. He also gets very emotional when watching TV, if something comes on that is a bit emotional, tears will stream down his face.
He also gets very agitated and stressed when we are going out socially, he needs to be reassured that everything is ok. He has twice told me that I need to put him in a care home, he thinks caring for him will get too much for me. I have tried to reassure him that I will always care for him. I try so hard not to show my frustrations with the condition but to be honest it is so hard.
I am sorry I cannot offer you any practical advice, I can only reassure you that you are trying your best in dealing with the most challenging condition which is MSA, it robs us of our loved ones in so many ways.
Take care.
Judith
Hello Derek,
This used too be a problem, my wife would laugh for no reason. She would laugh if she had an accident, laugh if we had a mishap or dropped something and laugh if I got annoyed with the MSA.
We've tried discussing it but it makes no difference, a doctor said to us a while ago. " What cannot be cured must be endured "
That's the approach I've taken, I've adjusted to it now and take no notice anymore, we've got bigger problems than laughing.
Take care and smile when you can.
Regards
Derek
Hi Derek
Between my wife and I, I have MSA and wife has the responsibility of coping with me. I’m autistic and I’ve never really done emotion. Although, over the past months we’ve noticed I’m becoming more and more emotional. For example : I was being taken out my house into an ambulance which for half the journey I thought this was hysterical and could not stop laughing then started to cry uncontrollably. I find my emotional state swinging between doom and happiness more often than not!
Combined with my autism, this makes trips out and about an experience indeed!
I become rather irate and uncomfortable in crowds and have now developed the awkward habit of telling other strangers what I think of them and why they annoy me!
I feel for careers as they ate constantly tidying up everything we leave in our wake.
What is considered the latter stages of MSA?
