Tears?

Hi Cathie
I can tell you as a grown man trained for decades not to cry that now I need to leave the room when a hallmark commercial comes on TV. A couple of times in the hospital I openly wept. So whether its the GBS or the knowledge of how fragile we are, we cry. Keep some tissues on hand and keep your chin up
Harry
My glass is not half empty nor half full: I am happy to have a glass.

I think you mean they just happen, right? The cranial nerves do get affected.
Not sure if it is a symptom of miller fisher variant, or if just vision is associated w/miller fish. but it is worth a look see

I think you mean they just happen, right? The cranial nerves do get affected.
Not sure if it is a symptom of miller fisher variant, or if just vision is associated w/miller fish. but it is worth a look see

Hi Cathie,

I was a resident at a rehab facility along with a couple other GBS’ers. At least two of them had the constant tearing up that you mentioned. It’s amazing how almost everything can be affected with this horrid illness.

Harry, I totally understand where you’re coming from regarding being a bit more emotional post GBS. Prior to being laid flat with GBS, I was a pretty tough customer and would go years between shedding tears. Well, yeah….not anymore. I rarely watch sad movies and have been known to turn the channel if certain commercials are on; especially ASPCA commercials. 🙁

Take care,

Tina

My eyes were badly affected when I got GBS. Darkened vision, extreme sensitivity to light, constant bobbing white spots in my vision, sometimes flickering vision (like being in a lit room where the lights suddenly go off, then on again); and though my vision has improved after 2 1/3 years, these things are still there. Lots of weeping: some emotional, and also because my eyes water verily easily now. A bit of a breeze outside, a ray of sunlight across my sunglasses, and tears are dripping off my face.

The onset makes us so weak and fragile. Fighting to live and recover is such a constant battle, it takes so much from us. Our very soul grieves its own loss. And the pain brings tears to our eyes over and over again. And the fear that we’re going to die from it, unless God grants us healing. It all takes a toll.

But there are also tears of gratitute to God for sparing us, and a new realization of all that we have to be thankful for, all that we still have, how precious our loved ones are to us. There’s a shifting in our priorities. We don’t have the time and strength to do some of the things that used to fill up our lives, to be some of the things we were. And now even a very little thing can be important and touch our deepest feelings.

I am still amazed that God brought me through the valley of the shadow of death to continue my life. I only wish I wasn’t so weak now, so damaged in my own spirit. How can I please and serve the Lord now, when I am so changed, so different, constantly feeling frustration, pain and exhaustion in just trying to do the simplest things. Anger, resentment, bitterness, at times overwhelmed by my inability to cope. I throw myself on His mercy, because I am so diminished and constantly stumbling in my damaged mind, as well as my damaged body. Re-learning the mental and emotional disciplines again like a baby…just as I am…”Just As I Am”.

Hi Cathie
I have a lot of experience with watering eyes. My Dr. said I have a “puny blink”. This causes the eyes to dry out rapidly so your tear ducts go to work in overtime to rehydraite them. Actually a good moisturizing eye drop is very helpful to keep them balanced & then the waterworks can rest. Also try to figure out if your eyes are coming open while asleep, This causes serious drying out, too and increases the water works to go into action later.
I am happy to hear of the progress you are making.
You’ve come a long way, baby!

I also had lots of tearing. I am now three years out from the start of this and do not remember tearing from the beginning, but 2-3 months into this and for about a year and a half to two years later, I would have tears just roll down my face whenever I was really tired. It was not emotional. I still have it happen sometimes, again when I am really tired, but not so much, maybe only every other month or less. It is kind of hard to explain to others; I would tell people I was not crying, just having water come from my eyes. I do not think that it was compensatory for eye dryness. I also still have frequent times in which my eyes fill with tears, but they do not happen long enough for the tears to run down my cheeks and be noticable.
The only things that helped were rest and tissues and time. I tried hydrating drops on the theory that it was a dry eye problem and these did nothing for me.
WithHope for a cure of these diseases

Cathie, kudos on your great attitude. I shed tears every day just because I am more emotional about my situation and I think that it has messed with my hormones. I was a pretty tough cookie and this has really thrown me for a loop! Glad to hear you were able to go to church and that your faith is helping you get through this.

Add me to this list (5 yrs ago today was hospitalized for GBS and there for 12 weeks, 6 of them in ICU).

Like some of you, I need a trigger, but it’s fairly low and then the water works start.

Mike

Hi Cathie,

You mentioned that you were almost totally paralyzed and I wonder if that also affected the muscles for closing your eyelids. I could not close mine all the way and the doctors were very worried about that since too much dryness could cause permanent damage. In my case I did not make enough tears on my own and so they had to put eye drops in very often.

Like all the others who have responded, I also became much more emotional as a result of GBS and have more tears than I used to (good ones though!).

Frank