A Sob Story

Ten years ago, on our first journey through cancer, I had called Rich from work to check that he’d taken meds and make sure he was comfortable. His voice sounded off…

“What’s wrong” “Nothing”

“Your voice sounds odd, what’s going on” “Nothing, I’m fine” “But….” “I’m just watching TV” By this time, his voice was all choked up. “What are you watching?” “Just a home makeover show” “And…” (sob) “They really liked it.”

Now, I get teary over heart tugging commercials, sappy as they may be. Chickflix and a good cry are high on my list of a good time. Nothing is as cleansing as bawling your eyes out over some ridiculous romcom. Not for everyone tho’… not for my partner. The conversation above was our first indication that there was a chemical reaction going on. As we’ve discussed before, prednisone is usually the culprit. It’s known to either depress the adrenals as Rich has experienced, or will stimulate them and give the gift of energy coupled with a soupcon of restlessness. Sometimes a maddening combo… a little bit of both.

The medications in our current arsenal also include some culprits. But it’s not always about the medication. Our Stem Cell guru likened it to a post-partum depression…. Not too far- fetched since Rich has effectively given birth to himself. Whether these short term depressions come on because of medications, hormones, medications or sudden health incidents like a stroke or heart attack, the accompanying weepiness can be disconcerting at the least and devastating at the most. Patients report that there is no despair or feeling depressed when this weepiness comes on. These same people say that they are so thankful to be given another chance at life. So why? Where does the need to weep come from following a health change?

It’s said that there are three types of tears… basal tears are those that keep our eyes healthy by blocking out bacteria that could be harmful, reflexive tears are those that protect our eyes from irritants like dust or the fumes from cutting onions, and emotional tears … these are the ones we’re dealing with today. Emotional tears are known to have higher levels of adrenocorticotrophic (ACTH)than basal tears. This is a chemical that is also associated with stress hormones… it actually triggers cortisol in the adrenals. So by ridding your body of ACTH, you are lowering the stress hormones which are known to affect blood pressure, immune system, nervous system and food metabolism.

It would seem that the body knows what it is doing initiating these weeping episodes. What a marvelous machine the body is that senses an overload of stress hormones before we even know it’s there!

Like all side effects, in small bits they are manageable. But when it interferes with getting on with life, then it’s time to take back control. Thankfully, again there is an array of solutions to choose from.

Our Stem Cell Guru prescribes a counterattack and in time we’ll find that our family dynamic will be back to normal. That normal would be me sobbing on the couch while Rich says “hmmm, sad” as we watch an entire ship of passengers sinking once more to the bottom of the North Atlantic.