I think that acro impacts all kinds of hormones which in turn impact our emotions......

Well.. my expirience is of a bit more emotional, but as an anger mangment consultant and working on the subject with many... =
It is up to no 1 to think before thinking and pick the choise in what to say/do=
toe power of thought is my own... acro or no acro.
But yes!! our emotional body is more tender.

What Mctrjt and Orit have said I agree.My emotions oh boy talk emotional rollercoaster

I think we should always be accountable for our actions, no matter what their motivation. However, I think that acro affects all our emotions, including the "fight or flight" response which can make it a short trip to trouble. Maybe our sense that our body has "betrayed" us plays into it. (The whole idea of being a victim seems to bring out the "fight" in us.) Since your question is rather vague, I don't know if this really addresses it. Also, it seems to me that when women's emotions are altered they are more likely to become depressed and withdrawn. Men are more likely to become angry and aggressive. Neither are healthy, but men's may be more obvious to the public. Just my unqualified opinion...

Hormones influence a lot on mood and emotions. We have the hormonal levels of a teen ager... can expect same reactions. Only advantage is our life experience to help control it, sometimes well, sometimes less.
Personal experience : when acro symptoms are up, I feel angry, or want to cry more frenquently. When symptoms "forget me", am very stable emotionaly.

I have wondered that, too, as I have made some really off-the-wall decisions sometimes, especially before the diagnosis, that later made me wonder "what was I THINKING??!!!" But outside of palpitations and seriously low potassium levels on one occasion, it's hard for me to "blame" anything or anyone except my own lame-brain-ness, as it can't be proven scientifically, as far as I know. My son-in-law actually sat down with me at the table when I stayed with my daughter's family after the surgery. He very seriously asked me if, since I had a reputation as being an "airhead", (or some word meaning something like that), would the surgery help it? I'm afraid I laughed at that and said I had actually asked the doctors the same thing. They told me they really didn't know! And I can't tell if it has or not yet. This sounds humorous, but it is actually a very serious question. And I would agree with mctrjt. The one incident mentioned above cost me dearly on my job. Can I go back now and claim that the tumor affected my potassium levels, my heart rate and rhythm, and therefore my thinking? I've certainly considered it, but I don't know if I'd have a physician's backing or not. And Berthe's comment about having the hormones of a teenager...I really do believe that.

ooops I did not mean to imply with my response any displacement of responsibilty for our actions and emotional states, on the contrary when we have a good understanding of how our brain chemistry is impacting us physically and emotionally we can take proactive steps to avoid those situations that could cause us to respond in less then productive ways!!!....intersting discussion thanks!

Hi GG:

There were times before my diagnosis that I actually thought I was mentally ill. Honestly, I could not understand why I cried all of the time, and why I had no patience with anyone.My moods changed faster than the weather. My sister once told me that she thought I was bipolar. I have to say that since the surgery and the medication, I feel somewhat normal, and in retrospect have a lot of guilt for the way I acted. I am sure I was not easy to live with. All I can do now is to try to be the best person I can. On those days that I do feel emotional, I make it a point to go to the gym, or listen to my relaxation CD's. We have to forgive ourselves, as we have a rare disease that most people (even ourselves)do not fully understand. Take care, Mishxx

Boy, I debated about this discussion and if I should jump in here. One doctor did explain there may be a reason for poor decisions. This can be attributed to hypercalcemia. Explained to me this way, excess calcium leached from bones is later deposited onto the skull and sometimes the brain. A very old term you may have heard I would never use is "bonehead" this is where that term derived from. In extreme cases may contribute to insanity. ok... I'll go back to my corner I hate delivering yuck news.

thanks for adding to the discussion...you comments about "bonehead are so intersting adn thye brought a smile to my face..."my husband who passed away use to say bone head...all the time..

I think it absolutely changed my personality, and I definitely made some big mistakes because of these personality changes. It was like I was another person. I felt like someone on the outside looking in on myself. Almost like my own body and actions were foreign to me. I couldn't explain why I'd do certain things, I had trouble making decisions. I still have that feeling at times even 3 years later with a successful surgery. I'm not going to hold myself unaccountable for my actions, but I definitely feel acro has changed me for the worse. I also feel like I've become a completely impatient person since developing acro. I have moments where I act out in public and am embarrassed later. I try to avoid going to crowded places knowing how I'll react, because I know I get tired and frustrated easily. I try to really think decisions through now, to really research things before making an impulsive decision. I wonder if to some extent my hormones being out of whack contributed to me having some sort of disorder. I seem to have symptoms of depression and anxiety. And I also just read about "depersonalization," which I'd never heard of before, but is a symptom that can come with depression and anxiety.

Hello Sbuxaddict,
A great autobiographic documentary about depersonalization is "Tarnation" by Jonathan Caouette [american movie]. If you can find it on the Net, interesting.

Almost as long as acromegaly was defined by Pierre Marie in 1886 a definate association of acromegaly and depression, anxiety, mood disorders and insanity. One issue may be hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia can occur for other reasons but when it's associated with acro it is believed the bones are leached of calcium in order to produce more bone. In adults and some children the excess calcium has no where to go. The ephyses is closed, this excess calcium then deposits on the skull and brain. This produces the facial deformaties that can occur. The more insidious effects may occur when the calcium deposits interfere with electrical and blood systems in the brain. I've been told by several professionals hypercalcemia can and will cause insanity if left untreated. Yikes!!! I do not know what levels are considered to cause this. This is a known risk written about as early as 1900.
There are solutions for hypercalcemia either medically and/or surgically. This is also known as hyperparathyroidism. Parathyroid glands produce or control the hormone to produce calcium.
Yes, your depression may be in your head literally. Get your calcium checked and explore options presented if it is too high.
As always, we all know Prayers are answered. Your in mine.

I know I have a hard time making decisions. I always figured it was just some sort of shortcoming in my early upbringing or some sort of mental lapse. I think, just as sbuxaddict said, I just don't seem to "feel" things, and I always wondered about that, too. Never occurred to me that that it might be related to acromegaly! I figured it was just my temperament! I'm going to check this out further! Thank you for bringing it up.