Speech problems

[Sarahloudobby]

Hello everyone. I’ve been suffering badly recently with literally saying completely the wrong word. Like I’ll say window instead of floor! It’s much worse when I’m tired. Sometimes i stutter too and it can make me look so silly. Brain fog seems worse too at the moment. I know I’m anxious (more so than normal) because this year has been especially difficult I work in care so I was on the front line, and we sadly lost my brother in law to cancer in the middle of the lockdown. My children went back to school today and I’ve just found it all very overwhelming. Does anyone else experience speech problems when they’re especially tired or stressed out?
Sarah x

 

[Hufsamor]

I'm so sorry for all the stress you've had this year.
I really hope the next months will be more peaceful for you.

To your question: yes, indeed.
To me, that is one of the most frustrating problems with this illness.
I seem to remember there where a whole thread, with all the silly things people have said...

 

[Sarahloudobby]

Thank you x

 

[Wolfcub]

@Sarahloudobby I'm sorry about how difficult things have been, and sorry for your family loss during lockdown.

The past few months have been so intense and stressful for everyone I think, but must have been much harder for you with your work, as well as ME/CFS !

You are allowed to get words mixed up! So long as you don't forget where you live, you're doing okay

I can hardly type a sentence without getting the words all scrambled up, and they look as if they've been typed by a dyslexic with bananas for fingers (everything I write has to be edited sentence by sentence). I go into a room, and then forget what I went in there for and have to come back again. I have to write post-it notes to myself to remember to pay bills....phone people....etc.

My brain is tired.

I am not usually that bad. It's only because I haven't been feeling very well. Being unwell, and being stressed is so exhausting. I understand.

 

[Prefect]

Have you been taking a new med or supplement lately? e.g. Gabapentin can cause some of these problems.

 

[Sarahloudobby]

Have you been taking a new med or supplement lately? e.g. Gabapentin can cause some of these problems.

Not at the moment no. I only take a magnesium supplement x

 

[PatJ]

Word finding problems are a common symptom in ME/CFS. It often gets worse as fatigue increases. ME-Pedia has an entry for it.

I often have problems remembering certain words at all, or I'll get words mixed up in certain categories. e.g. I might be trying to think of the word cherry (a roundish, red, edible, fruit) but will say strawberry (also a roundish, red, edible, fruit). It's like my brain chooses a word that's in the right categories of roundish, red, edible, and fruit but isn't precise enough to pick the specific word I want to use.

My vocabulary also declines as I become more tired.

 

[Rebeccare]

I have this problem often. Often I can't remember words, and sometimes I end up saying the wrong words so that whatever I'm saying comes out sounding like 'word salad.' I find I get in the most trouble when my brain is multitasking, even in a small way. For example, if I'm looking out the window and see a squirrel while I'm talking to my husband about something completely unrelated the word 'squirrel' will unexpectedly replace a word I mean to say (as in: "Would you mind taking the leftovers out of the squirrel to thaw?"). I've even ordered the incorrect food at restaurants because I wasn't focused enough on the words I meant to say, and accidentally said something else!

 

[stefanosstef]

This is neuroinflammation probably, this is my worst symptom.I've mostly solved mine with pramipexole, you can find the details in my journal.You can also try antiinflammation supplements.If I get relapses I hit it with a mix of turmeric + black pepper (a bioavailable supplement like longvida should be better), creatine, d-ribose, 600-800mg q10, bcaa 6gr and 15mg ibudilast.Before or after a while I take 2gr baking soda.It usually gets me when I have PEM and this mix fixes most of it.

 

[Sarahloudobby]

Thank you everyone. I’ve had a much more relaxing couple of days. I really need to look at how to relieve some of my stress as everything gets so much worse when I’m over tired. I feel burnt out and I don’t want to slide back down the slippery slope into my worst ME months/year again x