Difficulty controlling emotions with large A.N.?

[Eturnit]

I am now 1 1/2 years post craniotomy to remove the bulk of my acoustic neuroma.  FINALLY I am feeling more like myself, and indeed have much more peace in my life.  For the 2 years before my diagnosis of a large a.n., I had very erratic emotions, found myself not able to control what was coming out of my mouth, and lived always angry at myself for lack of control.  This was very abnormal for me and caused much havoc on my family and ability to maintain consistency in my personality.  I felt guilty all the time, for getting angry so easily but could not find the source.  Is it possible that the large acoustic neuroma could have produced enough pressure on the areas of my brain that control my emotions?    I am not looking for justification for my lack of control, just answers.  I have reached a great place in my post-op healing and for the first time am only experiencing headaches 1 to 2 times a week, where previously they had been 5 - 9 times a week.  So I have truly been able to enjoy my new found peace and have had time to think about it and the huge difference I feel now. 
Please, ANYONE who can give input on this would be helpful!

Thank you for your time!   

[Kaybo]

Hi Eturnit and WELCOME to the Forum!

While I can't say EXACTLY what caused your emotions, I will say that I think that anything is possible.  Since every one of these little boogers are different, you very well could have experienced something that caused your emotions and reactions to be in overdrive.  Goodness, just finding out that you have a brain tumor is really enough, isn't it?? 

I am glad that things are better now for you and hope that your family has been understanding - they probably realized that this was not the "you" that they knew!

K   

[Jim Scott]

Hi ~

I'm glad to learn that most of your post-op problems are dissipating.  I'm not a doctor but I'll venture the observation that the emotional issues you describe might have been caused by the stress and disappointment you had to deal with immediately following your operation.  Much of our emotional responses are generated from the frontal lobe of our brain, which is not really affected by an acoustic neuroma, although ANs can and do affect the brain stem, which, among other things, controls our central nervous system, so there could be a connection.   You'll probably never know for certain so I would simply enjoy your new-found tranquility and try to move forward, forgetting the past and concentrating on the future, which looks pretty good! 

Jim

[Tod]

Eturnit,

Welcome to the forum. I can't remember where it was, but I did in fact read about the possibility of large tumors causing behavioral changes. As I understand things, and I am not a doctor, such changes depend on location of the tumor and the amount of pressure on the brain.

Personally, I believe my tumor was responsible for a number of things about my personality that are now, thankfully, absent.

I would follow Jim's advice to the letter:

simply enjoy your new-found tranquility and try to move forward, forgetting the past and concentrating on the future, which looks pretty good! 

It is a good advice.

-Tod

[Mark241]

Hello Eturnit, and welcome.

I really dint' know if the AN can cause behavioral changes physically, however I do know that dealing with this medical condition most certainly can. My wife has calls' me the worst patient. I have a hard time being waited on, and constantly fielding questions on my health. I was able to change a lot of that. However, I recently had a lumbar shunt surgery, and on the discharge/care paper work, one of the conditions to be aware of was emotional/behavior changes. I dint' know if this sheds any light on your situation, but you may wish to ask your physician.   

[MARAKI]

Hi!
Personally I believe that it is quite possible to face emotional problems or other simiral when you have an A.N. but every case is different!
I unfortunately faced the problems you described before the diagnosis and I destroyed some relationships in my life because of that! Now even I have facial paralysis I feel the peace!  Sometimes I wonder if is the tumer's removal or this strong experience which change my emotions and the way I react and feel now?
So I believe that only a research may give answres!

[briansmome]

I had so much emotional upheaval in the year or so before my diagnosis that I thought I would truly go crazy. Felt much the same way for the first year or so after my surgery, but things are getting much better now. I hope you continue to gain more tranquility and am happy to hear that your physical symptoms seem to be improving as well.