Speaking difficulties

[annie756]

Hi all - new here.  Just curious if anyone else has serious speaking problems (along with everything else?).  I stutter and get confused on my words...

[annie756]

Wow!  That is amazing!  Good for him! Thank you for sharing the story!:-)

[debgen]

Hi Annie,

Welcome to our forum :)

I am sorry that you are having so much trouble.Although I have had MS for 30 years, I am fortunate to not have any speech problems. I mostly have to deal with mobility problems. I did want to share a story with you:

Our local TV meteorologist has difficulty with articulation. He sounds like someone who has had a stroke. Last year he bravely came forward and announced that he has MS. He joked that speech was probably not an ideal area for a broadcaster to be afflicted with! He announced this on a Monday and followed it up with short informational segments on MS awareness all week.
There was an outpouring of support from the community and the network which has kept him in his prime time slot.

Good luck to you and please keep in touch

(((hugs)))
Deb

[annie756]

Good luck to you - I hope that helps! Please keep me posted:-)

[Rena705]

I have speech issues with stuttering, losing train of thought and gibberish spewing from my lips that only my hubby understands.  I find it very upsetting and embarrassing to be out in public when this happens.

I am being set up to see a speech therapist in the near future and will let you know how much it helps!

Rena705

[Rena705]

I have speech issues with stuttering, losing train of thought and gibberish spewing from my lips that only my hubby understands.  I find it very upsetting and embarrassing to be out in public when this happens.

I am being set up to see a speech therapist in the near future and will let you know how much it helps!

Rena705

[annie756]

Very interesting aspentoo- same thing happened to me and unfortunately, at the ER - (I'm new to this area so I travel about 50 miles back to my medical team), but that night I went to the local hospital - my daughter tried telling them I had MS and she needed to help me explain.  Instead, even though I could hear what they were saying - they kept telling the other nurses and the student nurse 'Oh - she's asking for something else now'.....well - I wanted to write what I was trying to say and they wouldn't let me.  Nor would they let my daughter back with me at that point.  I was really frustrated. But what you said aspentoo, sounds exactly like what happens to me.  So sorry.

[aspen2]

It happens when things go very south.  I actually go form having trouble word finding, to using wrong words in sentences, to confusion, to trouble articulating much of anything.  It presents like a stroke by the end.  Ended up with a trip to the ER several weeks ago because of the similarities ... funnily enough, the more I tried to explain that it wasn't a stroke, the less they believed me :-P.

[annie756]

Thank you.  Yes, I was diagnosed initially about  10 years ago (with MS) when I lost my eye sight and then in the past few years is when I had the relapse with rest of the issues.  I have had the swallowing issues for about the same length of time - 10 years or so.  It really wasn't until I had an injection about 2 years ago that my speech and communication became worse. (aside from the other issues i.e. walking, seeing, pain, etc...)  

Thank you again for your response:-)

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome to our little MS community, because your question has posted in the MS community forum, and even though you haven't mentioned it, there will most likely be an assumption that you are dx with MS and your speech issues are one of your sx's of MS.......but you should be aware that mental health issues such as anxiety, (along with a few other none mental health issues) can be the cause of speech issues too.

I personally have communication issues that effects my ability to speak but there is no emotional component to it, it is purely physical and my chewing and swallowing control are similarly affected.

Honestly the only way to stay on top of the stutter, is by understanding the why of it and trying to maintaining control. I highly recommend pausing as soon as you recognise the stutter, purposely stopping, thinking of the word you want to say, taking a breath even can all give your brain a long enough break, so you can resume speaking normally again. The interruption acts like a reboot in its a way, helps to keep you centred and with practice you can do this well enough for it not to be as noticeable to others.

I am no longer at the point where its unnoticeable but I still stop, think and re-say and it still gives me some level of control, that other wise i dont have. Its worth trying but i would also recommend seeing a speech therapist and reading what tips and tricks the stutter organisations have on their web pages, it all helps.

Cheers............JJ
  

[annie756]

Oh my - thank you for your answer.  That's very much what was happening to me.  It seems that when I have a lot of anxiety - it gets worse. Of course the stuttering alone makes it worse then I start crying and lose my train of thought.  Thanks for your response. Much appreciated!  

[Poppy7402]

Hello annie and welcome to this forum.

Speech issues were one of my earlier symptoms and continue to plague me when I'm in the midst of a relapse or very tired.  

At the beginning of my first major relapse I can remember stuttering through a whole morning teaching a class.  I felt like an utter twit by the end of it but I then went (temporarily) deaf over the space of about an hour, so twigged that something was really wrong.    

I can also be in the midst of lecturing and suddenly forget what I was about to say, then I stare blankly at the class before I come up with something to say that isn't going to make me sound like a total idiot.  I just try to laugh it off - otherwise I'm sure I'd cry!!