Thursday & Friday in the Hospital
Inappropriate Tears & Laughter
by Terry Light
While I was still in the Emergency Room, one important thing did come up and I have touched on it, but Junko and I did not recognize its full importance until later. People who have strokes experience inappropriate emotions. They laugh and cry for no apparent reason at the most unfortunate time.
A man who
used to be stoic during movies may suddenly laugh and cry like a baby.
I bust my nut with laughter when medical personnel asked personal
questions. The doctor said
it was perfectly natural.
I did not understand what was going on.
In the emergency room, I guess doctors don’t have a
lot of time to make certain you comprehend what is said.
They have many things to do.
One of those things is saving lives, including yours.
And mine.
Part of the reason Junko stayed with me was because I was crying so often. Then I would laugh. I would apologize to everyone, saying, “I don’t know why I’m like this.” I didn’t. Maybe that’s why I was so exhausted. That and one after-affect of stroke is being overly tired.
Laughing and crying to medical individuals
contributes to the feeling. They kept asking if I knew who I was, and
that was funny, too. It
ended up being not light-hearted, but heavy emotional stuff.
Maybe I got used to it.
I know I kept apologizing and saying, “I don’t know why!”
Then I would laugh and cry some more.
Just remember me shaking the bed rails.
A giant toddler.
© 2009 by T. J. Light