• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Anyone else sometimes just can’t speak?

Kenshin

Senior Member
Messages
161
I get words mixed up in a sentence, and when I'm bad I slur a bit.
M.E's effect on cognition can be severe.
I have terrible memory recall for words, can only think on a narrow track of thought,
and cannot go on tangents or everything in my mind dissapears.
 

BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
There was a year where I could be speaking just fine and all of a sudden I'd start slurring my words like a drunk. The words were fine in my head, but not coming out of my mouth. Luckily I worked from home at the time. I'd make sure I wasn't slurring my words when I'd make a call, and I tried to use e-mail as much as possible to avoid speaking. There were several instances where I was speaking fine and all of a sudden I'd start to slur my words and I'd hang up on the person on the phone because I didn't want them thinking I was drunk. I'd immediately e-mail and say my phone went down and that I'd call back soon.

There are also periods when I'll know what I'm going to say and before it comes out of my mouth my brain will mix up letters in the word or it will be replaced with a completely different word.

Now that I pace myself better and the kids aren't in diapers anymore, that symptom only comes on now when I've overdone it and not paced my day well.

You are definitely not a fool. I made up a card that explained it to people. If it started and I needed to say something, I'd hand over the card that explained I was fine and not having a stroke, and that the doctors were looking into it. In the mean time, I had a pad of paper and could write out what I wanted to get across.

My grandmother who died of an "M.S. like disease" (which we now know was the family mitochondrial issue) had the slurring of the words too. A stranger came up to her one day when she was walking off kilter and slurring her words and told her she should not leave the house if she was going to be drinking. Ughhhh. Stupid people. My grandmother stopped going out after that.
 

hangininthere

Senior Member
Messages
101
Location
USA
Yes, I do it all the time for many years, ever since my CFS got way worse and I got cognitive problems and all. Can't get a word out when talking to someone, like a clerk at drive-thru I want to say my order to, or at home when having to make a business call or talking to hub or sons. Or else I stammer a word or two then hesitate with long silence til I can get the words out here and there.

At the drive-thru, when I can't get a word out right away, or get a word or two out then suddenly stop in mid-sentence, I raise my finger signalling "wait a second" then can blurt out "I stutter" so they'll know I'm trying to speak and will eventually say my order. On phone calls I have to make, such as to the utility company gas or electric or any business I must take care of, when I can't get a word out after a second or two, I'm able to blurt out "I stutter" so they'll know it's not a prank call. When talking to hub or sons, I flail gesturing what I mean, or give a clue of the noun I'm trying to think of, I appreciate when they help me with the words I want to say.

Interestingly enough, when I take Fish Oil Omega 3 capsules, I can talk perfectly fine. So this lets me know it's not a permanent condition, but some kind of nutritional deficiency for me. I keep forgetting to take the fish oil capsules, though, since I take so many pills already and get sick of taking pills. As miserable as not being able to speak is, you'd think I'd be sure to take the fish oil capsule daily.

Patti
 
Last edited:

jesse's mom

Senior Member
Messages
6,795
Location
Alabama USA
On bad days, when I have to do too much, I have tics in my left side. It has seemed to others that I am having a stroke. On the left side, my arm jumps and my left lip quivers. The words come very slow and mixed up, word salad. I will mean to say please open the door, and I will say the window is open... no the slur and correct myself. I try not to get tired anymore at all. I will not let anyone upset me. I also notice my blood pressure goes up at that time. If I lay down in the dark and quiet I will get better.

I can drive and type during these times... It's really weird.

CoQ10 gives me worse headaches. I smoked for years and the fish oil is supposed to mess with people who smoked even 10 years ago... so confusing! I am not sure I believe that.
 

hangininthere

Senior Member
Messages
101
Location
USA
That's what I go to the drive-thru for - cigs, haha. The fish oil works right away on my speech, oddly enough, like the same day.

Recently, there was some other supplement that made me talk right for a day right away, but I forget what it was. And I haven't taken it since that one day, so back to not talking right.

Patti
 
Last edited:

anne_likes_red

Senior Member
Messages
1,103
People doing the Nemechek protocol seem to be noticing expressive language fluency improving rapidly in their kids. (Have seen this repeatedly and reliably.) This is apparently occurring by lowering brain inflammation using omega 3 supplementation, oleic acid (as found in first cold press pure olive oil) vagal nerve stimulation and the lowering of proprionic acid.
...I think, very broadly speaking, that occurs when bifidobacteria go up and certain clostridia species get back in balance.

I had selective mutism as a child and my youngest child developed it (now recovered). We did auditory retraining which involves middle ear exercises to help auditory pathways but also vagal tone. Vagal tone and expressive fluency are correlated strongly I believe.
 

hangininthere

Senior Member
Messages
101
Location
USA
I've taken aspirin for real bad brain fog and it seemed to help. I keep forgetting to take it. I do believe the CFS theory that the spinal cord and brain (or brain covering?) are inflamed. Which I believe causes brain fog. I'm gonna try the aspirin for when I can't talk. Plus remember to take fish oil omega 3.

Yes, my smoking makes me sicker than I have to be. Pure poison. I don't have the patience to vape, and it wouldn't work for me anyway. The artificial nicotine makes me feel sick. So many supplements make me feel sick.

I have to buy the cheapest cigs that don't have the additives that make me way sicker than the tobacco alone. I have to tell the clerk at the drive-thru "Hi. Two cartons of Winston full-flavor 100's". Try saying that 5 times fast, haha.

Patti
 

Rebeccare

Moose Enthusiast
Messages
9,064
Location
Massachusetts
Often. When I'm tired or overloaded I often have to close my eyes (to block outside stimuli) and concentrate very very very hard in order to find words in my brain and then push them to my mouth, and even then my speech sound stilted. And sometimes when I'm not thinking I'll say something that's not the word I mean, and I don't even know that I've said something wrong.
 
Last edited:
Messages
89
Yep that's one of the ways I assess how I'm doing symptom wise, I read my little guy stories every night and sometimes it's easy and fun, sometimes it's very hard (like it takes everything I have to focus and not mix up all the words, and my voice is flat as a result, sometimes slurred).

@anne_likes_red That's so interesting about the Nemechek protocol, I'm going to look it up right now. Have you posted about it before? I'm thinking I might focus my treatments on brain inflammation, vagal tone, strengthening collagen, and getting rid of the pressure in my ears (possibly all related).
 

anne_likes_red

Senior Member
Messages
1,103
Yep that's one of the ways I assess how I'm doing symptom wise, I read my little guy stories every night and sometimes it's easy and fun, sometimes it's very hard (like it takes everything I have to focus and not mix up all the words, and my voice is flat as a result, sometimes slurred).

@anne_likes_red That's so interesting about the Nemechek protocol, I'm going to look it up right now. Have you posted about it before? I'm thinking I might focus my treatments on brain inflammation, vagal tone, strengthening collagen, and getting rid of the pressure in my ears (possibly all related).

I should mention though I've seen really positive and interesting initial responses to that protocol (in myself included!) but I'm not recommending the gut modification part of it as something I think should be managed at home on your own. Strengthening vagal tone seems to help a lot of people...the auditory work we did worked well towards that, but there are so many ways!! :)
 

jesse's mom

Senior Member
Messages
6,795
Location
Alabama USA
I took on too much, and got upset last night for a little while... very fatigued and slow today. Now the twitching and speech are really bad. Then I forget to take the BCAA and just have to take it really easy for a day. Low stimulus and I seem to recover in a day or two.
Word salad today. Always my blood pressure and heart rate go up.
I must be Zen to recover faster... That slow my pace.
Turtle.
 

BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
I took on too much, and got upset last night for a little while... very fatigued and slow today. Now the twitching and speech are really bad. Then I forget to take the BCAA and just have to take it really easy for a day. Low stimulus and I seem to recover in a day or two.
Word salad today. Always my blood pressure and heart rate go up.
I must be Zen to recover faster... That slow my pace.
Turtle.

@jesse's mom

"Word salad" describes what comes out of my mouth perfectly at times. :rofl: