The holidays are a stressful time. Combine the stress of the holidays with a Multiple Sclerosis relapse and the result can be overwhelming on a person and/or family. During Thanksgiving in 2010, I experienced a devastating relapse with a symptom that I had never experienced before: severe mood swings and emotional outbursts. Here is an excerpt from my MSAA blog,  “2010 – An MS Relapse for the Holidays Part One – Relapse“:

“…As the calendar approached Thanksgiving, I started to become symptomatic. I hadn’t been on any MS treatment for ninety days and was noticing increased fatigue and weakness. At the time, I attributed my symptoms to working fulltime while enrolled in a Master’s program along with raising two boys, ages three and one, who weren’t exactly allowing for a full night’s sleep.

While the weakness and fatigue were troubling, I also started experiencing uncontrollable mood swings. I would break into hysterical laughter at inappropriate times and then break down and start crying and become inconsolable. I am not a person who typically shows intense emotion, so these kinds of outbursts were completely out of character for me…”

For the rest of the story, click the following links:

Part One

http://blog.mymsaa.org/2010-an-ms-relapse-for-the-holidays-part-one-relapse/

Part Two

http://blog.mymsaa.org/2010-an-ms-relapse-for-the-holidays-part-two-recovery/