Mal's Gherkin Pram: MS Speech Problems

MS Speech Problems

No, I am not stupid or retarded. If I sometimes seem to stumble or pause my words mid-sentence, or perhaps say things in the wrong order (I seem to be a master of random 'spoonerisms' - see some examples here!), or even stutter... just give me a second to sometimes get the right words out, as sometimes they just don't come.

Sometimes, a thought just... fades out, mid-sentence! I have to quickly apologise and say, "Just give me a second... stoopid MS!"

Nothing's changed or worsened - nothing like that. Tis another form of MS symptom I'm discovering.

It usually works hand-in-hand with the "MS Brain Fog", but sometimes not. It's the whole randomness of it...

It makes me feel like a complete idiot!

It's the little things like this that I am discovering on my MS Journey. I used to have a speech impediment as a young child (more lazy/slurred speech), but nothing like this.

Thanks, MS...

Dysphasia, also known as aphasia, is the difficulty in understanding and producing language.

People living with MS might notice dysphasia as difficulty working out what someone is saying, or trouble recalling the right words at a particular moment. (Source: MS Trust)

💥 I know I am not alone! Some MS Twitters have said about this very thing:

Whenever we can’t remember a word, just say “I’m not sure what the English word is”. They’ll think you’re a genius and bilingual - @BrianRippett

The looks get really weird when you have an absence seizure mid-conversation - @ChantelSoumis

Haha! That my superpower now - @hockeymom1965

Some of the things I say are hilarious if I didn't laugh I would cry. its frustrating at times though you know in your head what you want to say but the words don't come out that way - @Mechems

I lose words randomly all the time and sometimes I will fight to find it but often I will not replace it with a word but elaborate the meaning with several words - @Duck2Lightning

After I use the wrong word once, I keep doing it for years. They’re usually phonologically close, but not always. Fertilizer instead of insulation is the worst one - @willson_janice

A few months ago I was reading an article to my wife, when absolute nonsense, not even actual words, just sounds started coming out. I stopped, my wife commented about it & then I resumed speaking normally - @AlexKindred