Does too much Laughter Symptoms of Als
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BethU
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kmadw, it does sound like bulbar symptoms, but that doesn't necessarily point only to ALS. The bulbar area can be affected by other conditions, too. If I were you, I'd see your doctor and ask if he thinks you need to see a neurologist to find out what's going on.
Good luck!
Good luck!
planningguy
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Beth - I hope I'm not reading too much into either of your posts, but Kmadw indicates in his/her profile that he/she has already been diagnosed with ALS.
Kmadw - you might get some better or more specific answers if you post this in the "General Discussion About ALS/MND," section of the forums along with the type of ALS (limb onset, bulbar onset etc.) you have been diagnosed with.
Take care,
Robert
Kmadw - you might get some better or more specific answers if you post this in the "General Discussion About ALS/MND," section of the forums along with the type of ALS (limb onset, bulbar onset etc.) you have been diagnosed with.
Take care,
Robert
GlenBrittle
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Both my Neuro and my ALS Rehab doctors asked me about abnormal crying or laughing .
When I said yes , they just wrote it down in the notes. When I asked about it , they told me it was normal for these outbursts, dont worry about it.
I used to hate watching chick-flicks with my wife , but now , OMG , I really hate it . I cry through them.
When I said yes , they just wrote it down in the notes. When I asked about it , they told me it was normal for these outbursts, dont worry about it.
I used to hate watching chick-flicks with my wife , but now , OMG , I really hate it . I cry through them.
Zaphoon
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Laughter is one thing that I wouldn't let bother me (unless I'm at a funeral or being written a ticket by a traffic cop). Oooh, that reminds me, a lady traffic cop did write me a ticket the other day when I was at someone's house tuning their piano. The guy gave me a heads up and I went out to speak with her before she had the chance to paste the thing to my car (not a good time for laughter here, folks). Anyway, I told her I would move my car but she said it was too late, she had already written the ticket.
I told her she was being very mean. Wow! That really upset her! She did not like the idea that someone thought she was being mean and wound up not giving me the ticket. The ticket was going to cost more than I would have made tuning the piano!
Anyway, my last tour of duty in the navy was in Scotland and in one of our command training sessions, a nurse from the clinic stressed the important health benefits of laughter (you can't do enough of it). She proceeded to instruct us on the art of forced laughter and then demonstrated it. She started to laugh in front of a crowd of several hundred of us; laughed for a good 5 minutes while we all just sat there dumbfounded, asking ourselves, "What the heck is this all about?"
All I'm saying is, this nurse had to work at laughing. I say its better when you don't have to work for it! If there is one benefit to ALS, it has to be the brighter side of emotional lability!
Zaphoon
I told her she was being very mean. Wow! That really upset her! She did not like the idea that someone thought she was being mean and wound up not giving me the ticket. The ticket was going to cost more than I would have made tuning the piano!
Anyway, my last tour of duty in the navy was in Scotland and in one of our command training sessions, a nurse from the clinic stressed the important health benefits of laughter (you can't do enough of it). She proceeded to instruct us on the art of forced laughter and then demonstrated it. She started to laugh in front of a crowd of several hundred of us; laughed for a good 5 minutes while we all just sat there dumbfounded, asking ourselves, "What the heck is this all about?"
All I'm saying is, this nurse had to work at laughing. I say its better when you don't have to work for it! If there is one benefit to ALS, it has to be the brighter side of emotional lability!
Zaphoon
kmadw
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I thank Bethu for his useful reply and I also thank GlenBrittle for the reply and special thanks for Zaphoon for his useful story made me laugh and I also thank Robert and I'm Mr. and she said that I have said in my profile that I was diagnosed already with als, and I say this is true but according to neurologist but didn’t believe him. because I don’t have the same symptoms normally patient with als have such as weakness in my arms not steady but from time to time , feet's are ok I can move hand freely and walk normally except slightly weakness in my r/arm and I believe the Dr depended on the history of my family because I told him the story, when he saw the symptoms I have almost the same as my father and brothers had, he said directly its "Mnd" because my father and old brother has died of als,and my younger brother now is Suffering from als , Medication in Saudi Arabia is not as advanced as its in the West with regard to this disease,als is not a famous disease in Saudi Arabia as its in the West because the rate of patients Suffering from als in Saudi Arabia is a few and we knew that this disease is called "Mnd or als" by searching in web by chance.
for example my father and my old brother doctors said to us that its probably brain Stroke although it didn’t appear in emg as well as my aunt died because of this disease, and her three sons now have same disease one of them died one month ago.
that’s the whole story why I asked about Laughter and said I was diagnosed already with als . Sorry for lengthiness.
for example my father and my old brother doctors said to us that its probably brain Stroke although it didn’t appear in emg as well as my aunt died because of this disease, and her three sons now have same disease one of them died one month ago.
that’s the whole story why I asked about Laughter and said I was diagnosed already with als . Sorry for lengthiness.
kmadw
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Correction,sorry
I thank Bethu for his useful reply and I also thank GlenBrittle for the reply and special thanks for Zaphoon for his useful story made me laugh and I also thank Robert and I'm Mr. and she said that I have said in my profile that I was diagnosed already with als, and I say this is true but according to neurologist but didn’t believe him. because I don’t have the same symptoms normally patient with als have such as, weakness in arms & feet's I can move hand freely and walk normally except slightly weakness in my r/arm and I believe the Dr depended on the history of my family because I told him the story, when he saw the symptoms I have almost the same as my father and brothers had, he said directly its "Mnd" because my father and old brother has died of als,and my younger brother now is Suffering from als , Medication in Saudi Arabia is not as advanced as its in the West with regard to this disease,als is not a famous disease in Saudi Arabia as its in the West because the rate of patients Suffering from als in Saudi Arabia is a few and we knew that this disease is called "Mnd or als" by searching in web by chance.
for example my father and my old brother doctors said to us that its probably brain Stroke although it didn’t appear in emg as well as my aunt died because of this disease, and her three sons now have same disease one of them died one month ago.
that’s the whole story why I asked about Laughter and said I was diagnosed already with als . Sorry for lengthiness.
I thank Bethu for his useful reply and I also thank GlenBrittle for the reply and special thanks for Zaphoon for his useful story made me laugh and I also thank Robert and I'm Mr. and she said that I have said in my profile that I was diagnosed already with als, and I say this is true but according to neurologist but didn’t believe him. because I don’t have the same symptoms normally patient with als have such as, weakness in arms & feet's I can move hand freely and walk normally except slightly weakness in my r/arm and I believe the Dr depended on the history of my family because I told him the story, when he saw the symptoms I have almost the same as my father and brothers had, he said directly its "Mnd" because my father and old brother has died of als,and my younger brother now is Suffering from als , Medication in Saudi Arabia is not as advanced as its in the West with regard to this disease,als is not a famous disease in Saudi Arabia as its in the West because the rate of patients Suffering from als in Saudi Arabia is a few and we knew that this disease is called "Mnd or als" by searching in web by chance.
for example my father and my old brother doctors said to us that its probably brain Stroke although it didn’t appear in emg as well as my aunt died because of this disease, and her three sons now have same disease one of them died one month ago.
that’s the whole story why I asked about Laughter and said I was diagnosed already with als . Sorry for lengthiness.
Sammantha
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Well i say the emotional liability brings out the child and the pre adoloscent..... Remember when stupid things would make you laugh? Well i was at lunch, two months ago with a very smart man, who spoke with an abudant vocabulary. He had married his first girlfriend, and was very religous.. yadda yadda, and very naive in some ways.... Well at this table were other people that were younger than myself, when he had asked if anyone had read the book Red October... I said no, but i have seen the movie. Some snickers came from the others, as they dont watch t.v. they are readers... Well this man then proceeded to help me out in saying the movie was better than the book, and i said really, usually it is the other way around. He then said, well in the book there are two climaxes, and it is never good to have two climaxes.... My 12 year old inner self, was refraining from laughter, as i looked at the others, they looked at me like i was being disrespectful.. My mouth was quivering, and i was hoping he would stop, but oh no, he then had to say, the reason two climaxes are bad is that you want a really big one at the end, its so much better.... I said, oh i did not know having two climaxes was bad, i just couldn't help it, and as i looked around for fellow faces to be holding back the laughter also they just looked at me with contempt. I am laughing about it as i type! Except now i dont have to try and hold it back, i must have looked like a twitching half crocked smile fool!
BarryG
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Sammantha, I would be with you trying to hold back from laughing. It sounds like your friends have misplaced their sense of humour. Hooray for 12 year olds!
As far as I'm concerned the more climaxes the better, in books, movies or whatever...:wink:
As far as I'm concerned the more climaxes the better, in books, movies or whatever...:wink:
Yes, laughing or crying uncontrollably is a symptom of ALS. It is called "emotional lability," and the reaction is connected to the bulbar region in the back of the brain. British doctors tend to label ALS as MND (Motor Neurone Disease), and I think this label is more accurate in that it encompasses the wide range of upper/lower motor neuron symptoms. It really does vary from person to person.
My bigger concern, in your particular instance, has to do with the cultural norms of Saudi Arabia. Is there a way you can alert people that your laughter is not due to disrespect but because of your disease? I don't know how people react to laughter in general in SA.
My bigger concern, in your particular instance, has to do with the cultural norms of Saudi Arabia. Is there a way you can alert people that your laughter is not due to disrespect but because of your disease? I don't know how people react to laughter in general in SA.
BethU
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Sam ... that's pretty funny. The difference between that and emotional lability is that lability kicks in when things are NOT funny. Like laughing hysterically at a funeral, or when someone tells you they have cancer or you see a terrible traffic accident. The fact that you were able to keep from laughing because it would have been socially "incorrect" is also an indication that this is not lability ... just a good sense of humor and good social awareness.
With lability, you are out of control, no matter what the social situation. And the laughter is not "normal," just like the crying is not normal tears and sniffles. It is loud, shrieking, howling sometimes, and this is not an exaggeration. The extreme cases may be uncommon, but a number of PALS reported the same scary noise-making on a thread on PLM.
It is so incredibly embarrasing that people start avoiding being out in public, or socializing.
With lability, you are out of control, no matter what the social situation. And the laughter is not "normal," just like the crying is not normal tears and sniffles. It is loud, shrieking, howling sometimes, and this is not an exaggeration. The extreme cases may be uncommon, but a number of PALS reported the same scary noise-making on a thread on PLM.
It is so incredibly embarrasing that people start avoiding being out in public, or socializing.
Yes the laughter that comes out of nowhere can be bizarre! As well as the "goofy gaping mouth routine," as my husband calls it. He gets this smile on his face with a wide open mouth for no reason and feels that laughter is about to follow any moment. Sometimes it does. Laughing down the isles of Home Depot while all the manly men are looking for their tools can be embarrassing...
kmadw- good luck my friend. Hope you don't have ALS. Sorry about your family.
kmadw- good luck my friend. Hope you don't have ALS. Sorry about your family.
boblandstar1
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Emotional Incontinence
This condition is referred to as "Emotional Incontinence" and is not strictly associated with "Bulbar or bulbar onset ALS. Emotional Incontinence is a common condition in ALL forms of ALS with varying degrees of severity. Emotions are disproportianally exagerated in relation to the current situation. In my case even a small change in emotion can be disproportianally exagerated resulting in uncontrolable laughing or crying. As a result I avoid any situation that might cause an outburst. I cannot attend a funeral. As an example I am a 100% disabled US veteran service connected with ALS. At the end of a recent VA doctors appointment the receptionist thanked me for my military service. I immediatly began crying uncontrolably. It was very embarrasing. The worst consequence is the emotional bubble you must surround yourself with. You become perceived to be emotionally distant when in reality the exact opposite is true.
Emotional incontinence (EI) is a perturbing syndrome, characterized by uncontrollable outbursts of exaggerated, involuntary facial expressions, that results in pathological crying (PC) or pathological laughter (PL). Individuals with EI generally are not depressed or elated at the time of their emotional displays; if they do report such feelings, the motoric expression is out of proportion to the degree of sadness or delight. Although the association of PC and depression has been noted, it is believed that they represent two independent disorders with different clinical presentations and responses to treatment
This condition is referred to as "Emotional Incontinence" and is not strictly associated with "Bulbar or bulbar onset ALS. Emotional Incontinence is a common condition in ALL forms of ALS with varying degrees of severity. Emotions are disproportianally exagerated in relation to the current situation. In my case even a small change in emotion can be disproportianally exagerated resulting in uncontrolable laughing or crying. As a result I avoid any situation that might cause an outburst. I cannot attend a funeral. As an example I am a 100% disabled US veteran service connected with ALS. At the end of a recent VA doctors appointment the receptionist thanked me for my military service. I immediatly began crying uncontrolably. It was very embarrasing. The worst consequence is the emotional bubble you must surround yourself with. You become perceived to be emotionally distant when in reality the exact opposite is true.
Emotional incontinence (EI) is a perturbing syndrome, characterized by uncontrollable outbursts of exaggerated, involuntary facial expressions, that results in pathological crying (PC) or pathological laughter (PL). Individuals with EI generally are not depressed or elated at the time of their emotional displays; if they do report such feelings, the motoric expression is out of proportion to the degree of sadness or delight. Although the association of PC and depression has been noted, it is believed that they represent two independent disorders with different clinical presentations and responses to treatment
BethU
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Ei
Bobland ... a perfect description of the condition. Thank you. The thing that makes me the weepiest is unexpected kindness ... as you experienced. I started bawling once because the check-out guy in the grocery remembered that I took paper and plastic! (I have a low threshhold of gratitude) Of course, if you look like I do (with the droopy mouth and goofy smile) and sound like I do, and burst into great shrieking sobs when someone says "Hi" people are going to remember you!
One of the biggest problems with this is that people start to isolate themselves in fear of it happening again, just as people with panic attacks do. It's so unpredictable, and the outbursts have nothing to do with the "causes." The real "cause" of these outbursts seem to be some sort of storm in the bulbar area.
Fortunately there are meds to help. Many, many people on this forum have solved the problem with the proper medication. I strongly recommend that people talk to their neuros about this if they experience these symptoms. It is wonderful to get "yourself" and your confidence back, and feel in control of at least part of your life ...
CJ ... thanks for mentioning your husbands "goofy smile." I thought I was the only one. I think I look like an idiot, but what can you do. My ENT guy also does cosmetic surgery, and I asked him if there was ANY way to pull the right side of my face and mouth back up to match the left side again, and he said it was not possible.
I have considered walking around with a paper bag over my head.
Bobland ... a perfect description of the condition. Thank you. The thing that makes me the weepiest is unexpected kindness ... as you experienced. I started bawling once because the check-out guy in the grocery remembered that I took paper and plastic! (I have a low threshhold of gratitude) Of course, if you look like I do (with the droopy mouth and goofy smile) and sound like I do, and burst into great shrieking sobs when someone says "Hi" people are going to remember you!
One of the biggest problems with this is that people start to isolate themselves in fear of it happening again, just as people with panic attacks do. It's so unpredictable, and the outbursts have nothing to do with the "causes." The real "cause" of these outbursts seem to be some sort of storm in the bulbar area.
Fortunately there are meds to help. Many, many people on this forum have solved the problem with the proper medication. I strongly recommend that people talk to their neuros about this if they experience these symptoms. It is wonderful to get "yourself" and your confidence back, and feel in control of at least part of your life ...
CJ ... thanks for mentioning your husbands "goofy smile." I thought I was the only one. I think I look like an idiot, but what can you do. My ENT guy also does cosmetic surgery, and I asked him if there was ANY way to pull the right side of my face and mouth back up to match the left side again, and he said it was not possible.
I have considered walking around with a paper bag over my head.
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