Speech/Cognitive problems: Matt Allen G... - My MSAA Community

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Speech/Cognitive problems

greaterexp profile image
24 Replies

Matt Allen G has a great way of summing up what most of us feel about MS. In this post, he talks about his frustration with others trying to help him by finishing his sentences for him while he searches for a word or concept.

I'm guilty of often finishing sentences for others in the past. I still do that with my husband, but it's because we know one another so well that we can do that without offending.

Do you experience this frustration with word finding?

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greaterexp profile image
greaterexp
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24 Replies

Hi greaterexp😊Answer to your question , Most definitely a resounding YES !!! All I need is the 1st letter of the word I was looking for. Thank God , my roommates understand!

🙏❤Lisa💕

greaterexp profile image
greaterexp in reply to Sweetheartonvdayl

Having people around us who are patient and understanding is such a blessing!

Sweetheartonvdayl profile image
Sweetheartonvdayl in reply to greaterexp

It's a God sent🙏🙏🙏

Ruadh profile image
Ruadh in reply to Sweetheartonvdayl

I stammer and stutter, get frustrated - though can 'usually' remember the first letter of the word, so have to state : 'can't remember the word but think it begins with ... ' Then start laughing. There is usually one person who can come up with the answer. but, when I have *completely wrapped it round my left ear, I just begin again, saying, that as there is this word mountain to climb, I shall take a different route. We all end up having a good laugh ! Heigh. it's fun. Keeps my chums on their toes... <LOL>

hairbrain4 profile image
hairbrain4

Oh, every time I try to talk to someone. It's so frustrating when you can't hold a conversation with someone without stammering for a word. Now that I am getting older I have age and MS working against me.

greaterexp profile image
greaterexp in reply to hairbrain4

I can sure relate!

Sweetheartonvdayl profile image
Sweetheartonvdayl in reply to hairbrain4

I know exactly what you Mean! Everyttime , I try to talk to( someone that doesn't know I have MS) I ALWAYS lose my "train" of thought , or I just can't think of the word I was just gonna say....

RoyceNewton profile image
RoyceNewton

Easy answer YES and having a numb face, speech is often garbled slurred unintelligible. Most difficult but you learn to cope.

Turtlepie profile image
Turtlepie

Yes not as bad as it was years ago

falalalala profile image
falalalala

Sometimes. The worst thing for me however is losing my train of thought.

My friend calls it "Seeing Chickens".

Sweetheartonvdayl profile image
Sweetheartonvdayl in reply to falalalala

Especially , in between a sentence...- I aways ask " what was I talking about?_"

falalalala profile image
falalalala in reply to Sweetheartonvdayl

Yep! :)

twooldcrows profile image
twooldcrows

yes we do it and don't think anything about it and it does get frustrating for we do want to try and think what we want to say and if they say to many words trying to help can make it even harder to think of what we were going to say...i know we are just trying to help but like my husband can make me really mad for if he tries to much then i forget what i was going to say and the fact that i just want to think of what i was about to say....sometimes i don't mind but other times it infuriates me ...we just have to be patient ...love and happiness to all of you...

kwhompus profile image
kwhompus

Yes, but for me it is when I'm in a social situation where I'm uncomfortable (nervous). Once it starts to happen and I'm aware of it things just snowball from there. Thus I become introverted. MS society had a great article on this recently.

greaterexp profile image
greaterexp in reply to kwhompus

It's so helpful for me to read things like this because I feel less alone and "strange," though I'll always be at least a little strange!

Sweetheartonvdayl profile image
Sweetheartonvdayl in reply to greaterexp

Aren't we ALL!🤣🤣😂

greaterexp profile image
greaterexp in reply to Sweetheartonvdayl

Thanks for being in my club!

goatgal profile image
goatgal

In my case, as an elder. I guess word slippage is to be expected sometimes, but it is very frustrating. Since adolescence, I have often struggled for the right word, as if my brain were shuffling through a thesaurus, often (to my extreme embarrassment) coming up with a word that began with the same syllable or consonant but was wildly wrong. That doesn't happen now, but what does happen is that the word escapes me though I can explain what I want to say. I don't speak with many people in my solitary existence, but those I do are kind and patient,; they don't rush to fill in, explain, or humiliate me, but either ignore my gaps and gaffes, or wait for the word to float up to the top of my consciousness.

goatgal profile image
goatgal

Falalalala's comment about seeing chickens reminds me of another long standing speech (recall?) problem I experience. When I was working and sometimes in conversation with friends, I express a thought and am asked to repeat it, but I never can. It's gone. I have no idea what I just said, and even when prompted, I can't retrieve it. It's as if my thoughts were caged birds, and once set free, off they fly.

greaterexp profile image
greaterexp in reply to goatgal

I can surely relate to that! Getting older doesn't help matters much, but it's strange how the speech problems can change over time.

palomino27 profile image
palomino27

It's funny in a way my situation is almost the opposite. I had a terrible speech impediment growing up. Did speech therapy for years. It persisted for years into my teens and 20s. In my 30s it started really going away. At age 35 I was diagnose with MS. I'm 43 now can barely walk anymore and am getting my first motorized wheelchair next month. My MS has heavy spinal cord involvement and apparently is more focused on the left side of my brain. But now, I can speak clear as day confounding my neurologists. The only theory is that the right side of my brain has to do more now or something. The right side of one's brain handles speech and creativity. I feel I'm much better at picking out paint colors then I was before!☺

greaterexp profile image
greaterexp in reply to palomino27

Who would have guessed that MS may be credited for something! I'm sorry your legs aren't working well, but happy to hear your speech is great!

mrsmike9 profile image
mrsmike9

YES, and I hate it! It makes me feel so stupid!!!

Oceandream profile image
Oceandream

This has been a struggle for me. In the beginning it wasn’t so bad but I would feel like a flake and forget things a lot that I should know and lose my thoughts. I would get so frustrated because it was bad for me and people would always say it was just mom brain cuz I was a new mom but I knew it was something more. I had cognitive testing and they said I was fine but I didn’t have the baseline of the before and...It’s much worse now. If I don’t have it on a list or calendar in my face I can’t remember it. If I get interrupted by anything - gone. When I’m tired it’s really bad. And I’m forgetting names of even family members and lately even stuff like my address are tricky. It’s kind of scary.

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