Hi everyone - I was looking back at some of the older Discussions that I posted and I realized that a few people mentioned their speech being affected? I have had this problem now for about 4 years. Sometimes my tongue gets totally twisted up and I have trouble either pronouncing the word - or trouble getting the word out. It's really embarrassing when I am talking to someone. When I am in a conversation with my son, whether over the phone or in person, he will just wait patiently, and smile at me and say, ''Take your time, Mama!!'' This is his nickname for me! LOL I have been checked out for this problem - and basically it's nothing to worry about. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it makes me feel 'not so intelligent!' Love, Laurie
Yes. I have been having problems with my speech. Either not finding the words, or I say sentences completely backwards quickly without meaning to. Now, I am starting to have stuttering and slurred speech. However, my dr thinks that the stuttering/slurred speech is not from the fibro and wants me to see a neurologist. Also, my hearing has been affected during flareups...
Yep. Quite often I can't find the right word or can't properly say a word I mean. I think it's something that goes along with the fibro. I hate it because I have a decent vocabulary, but I can't remember the darned word!
I sometimes have slurred speech too, Christina. My doctor was really concerned, because my mother had a stroke when she was only 32 years old. Her father died of a stroke as well at the age of 65. I had a complete workup by a great Neurologist and everything is fine. Over the years I have had MRI's as well, due to my Migraines. My Mother suffered Migraines from the time she was 16. Hers were obviously a sign of things to come in the future for her - sadly. But in those days, they didn't have the equipment that they have now, to check it out. To to be safe - I have been checked every few years. Laurie
LOL! Emma, I know what you are talking about. I will be talking very intelligently to someone and all of a sudden like you, can't remember the word or it's all jumbled up when it comes out of my mouth. Jeez! Thank God I don't give speeches! Can you imagine?? I also have the tendency to stop mid-sentence and have no idea what it was that I was talking about. About 2 months ago - on Christmas Day, I was visiting my son, Jason's Fiancee's family for dinner. During dinner everyone was toasting my son and his fiancee, Casey, for their upcoming wedding. So, leave it to me - I stood up and proposed a toast and what do I do??? I totally forget Casey's name!! Why did this have to happen THEN??? I was just mortified. But the family were hysterical. They know I have Fibro and that my memory isn't the greatest. LOL Laurie
Yes, I have had this problem. My tongue often seems swoollen and thick. The only thing that sometimes works is to speak slower.
Yep! Me too! I often can’t find the simplest of words and that’s what’s really frustrating!!
I also have problems with slurred speech. I am told that I do this often, or that I mumble! Weird thing is, I don’t really hear it, I sounded just fine to me.
Hi,
Yes I have problems at times getting words out....and I find I repeat myself. My sister has MS...MS is the sister disease to FM or so they say...she has really bad speech problems...we kill ourselves laughing when she can't get a certain word out..it takes her sometimes 4 tries before she gets the correct word said..lmao...I just laugh off any new symptoms I get with FM...cuz they never stick around..next mth will be another symptom. Anyways I hope that makes you feel better.
Jesse oxo
HI rattled - I love the poor girl dragging herself along! It's perfect for me because this is how I feel many times. I hope I never get that bad though! LOL The response I am getting about speech is amazing. I definitely don't feel so alone now. Love, Laurie
Wow, I have had this happen for quite a while. Explaining things from finish to start instead of start to finish. My speech becomes slurred at times, or things get jumbled in my head and i cant think. I related to every single reply.!!
I am afraid to meet new people especially women my own age. Unfortunately when I mess up around strangers they look at me as if am stupid , someone with no intelligence , they stop talking to me and I am mordified! With family and friends, I apologize and they say either “it’s okay” or they have a face like " what the heck are you trying to say!" Uhgg ! Thank god it isn’t constant so I am greatful for that. : ) I have noticed that the word I struggle with a lot of the time is " YESTERDAY" .
There are times when I post , talk or write that things come out very well. Infact, it was one of my strong points. There are times that no matter how much I try in posting or writing something, it’s jumbled , I can’t focus and I get frustrated and have to walk away. I could be doing office work for my husband and everything is going well with good flow and then all of a sudden I don’t know what I was working on or what I was just doing. Brain just can’t process anything and I have to stop and walk away knowing its got to get done. I get overwhelmed and get anxiety and cry. I wonder what it is about FMS that causes this…?? Thank you all for sharing this Topic. : ) xxxxoooo Lisa
Yes! The same thing happens to me. Its annoying and embarrassing.
Oh yes, I have this Fibro problem. It's sometimes the most frustrating thing about it for me. I know some might say how could it be worse than the pain or exhaustion? Because of how it makes me feel.
I'm 42. For as long as I can remember, I've loved words. I started reading at a very early age. I've always been a writer and a poet, and even have published a book of poetry. I devour books like bonbons and spew forth words like the Bellagio fountains. I read on my Nook on the bus, I read on the computer, I read at home, a day just isn't a day without something to read. I also, ever since school, have been a singer. I'm a second soprano and have performed in Choruses, but I love almost any type of music and have relative perfect pitch. Words and the expression of them have been my way of interacting with the world for my life.
Fibro likes to steal that from me. I hate, despise, loathe, abhor, revile, eschew, and viscerally DETEST when I cannot think of the correct word, or know it and can't seem to get it out. It makes me feel so insanely clumsy and stupid. My chest burns with irritation and my eyes water with the effort to say what I'm trying to say. "I hate it" is an inadequate description. I make an extra effort these days to write even more, to force myself to keep what I can so it doesn't trickle away through an hourglass.
Um. So, yeah. I have that problem, apparently.
Meg
Yes, my husband and mother are constantly asking me to repeat myself, say I'm mumbling, I have never mumbled and still have well over 30 years before I'm 90! Don't know it's fibro, probably so, as it has to be muscular.
I get it too, Laurie, usually when I'm exhausted. It's kind of amazing how far off I can be on a word, for one thing. I'll say something like, "I have to get to my car," only I won't say "car," I'll say "tree" or something that is nearby or else some other word that I'm thinking of. Also, sometimes I kind of stutter but not really, it's more like I get half a word out then half of another word comes out, so it ends up sounding like jibberish. It's usually that I'm tired but my mind is racing.
Hope this helps to put your mind at ease. I think that a lot of us experience this, even though we all seem to be an educated and articulate bunch. So go figure!
PS: your son sounds like a real sweetie.
It's humbling isn't it, Seattlemeg.
Gentle hugs
Rachel
Hi Pet - I laughed when you said that instead of saying 'car' you would say 'tree.' That happens to me too. I posted a discussion about if anyone might know how this is connected to Fibro? It's so interesting to me because I had no idea that so many people were having speech problems. Love, Laurie
Wow, I didn't realize so many of us have the stuttering/slurred speech!
Yes, I have problems with words or talking at times. I insert a word that I wasn't even talking about. A couple of weeks ago we has a dinner here, the women were cleaning up the kitchen. I was talking about my friend living in a camper. I said " I hope she can handle living in the cancer". I about fell out right there. I was like NO thats not what I was going to say. I was so embarrassed. I lose thought in mid sentence, I used to be able to spell words really well. Now I have to ask how to spell some of the simplest words. This is very upsetting to me. Repeating myself is a known thing in my family. So I have told them to just stop me before I waste my breath repeating myself again and boring them. I still have a lot to learn with this fibro mess. At least I know I'm not alone. Thanks for posting this, helps me know I'm not crazy. Sue
Hi Sue - LOL the things that come out of our mouths. I just get mortified, especially when I just trip over my words and can't gain momentum. It's like I am on a roll and can't stop - although I am trying hard to! With all the amazing feedback I have gotten, I can't help but wonder if this really is a connection to Fibro. It has to be, because many of us are having speech problems along with the illness. My son often will tell me when I am repeating myself too. He is very sweet about it because he knows I am somewhat sensitive to it. I have noticed lately, too, that I have to stop and think about the way a word is spelled. This is coming form a woman who won a lot of spelling bees in school! LOL My typing on the keyboard isn't the greatest anymore either. What I THINK I am typing turns out to be just a bunch of jumbled words. We just can't win! Can we?? Love, Laurie
Exactly what I have had to do. I have slowed down and have to purposefully pronounce each word if I'm talking to a group or someone important. I've never been a fast talker or thinker so it's easier for me to slow it down a bit.
As far as talking with friends...sometimes we get a good laugh!