I’ve developed a speech problem, just in the last, say, 6 months or so. I don’t think it’s a typical stutter… I don’t stumble over syllables or sounds, it’s not a stress or anxiety-based thing, and I’ve never had a problem in the past. What it seems to be, rather, is an inability to bring up words. Even really common words. Which leads to a brief period of excess-vowel-sounds, before I can bring up the word I’m looking for (well, to be fair, sometimes I don’t even get that far… sometimes I have to use a descriptive phrase). While other people haven’t said anything, MamaKitty has noticed and commented on it, as has my therapist. Example… the other day I was looking for a hammer. Mr. Kitty asked me what I was doing.
“Looking for the…” At this point I could not remember the word ‘hammer.’ So I was stuck… “The… the… the… thing… that you hit nails with…” But just getting that phrase out was nearly painful.
What. The. Hell??? Any of the TMs have any idea what’s going on? Or thoughts on treating this? It seems typical stuttering therapies wouldn’t work, since it’s not a matter of nervousness or even of me getting ahead of myself.
I found this link here, along with its excellent references, and some other info through Google, but nothing seems to directly address my questions.
After I have been in an environment where my in-laws were speaking spanish for extended periods (i.e. the whole weekend) I find it’s much harder to recall words (in english or spanish) for simple things. I keep having brain farts, pretty much the same thing you’re describing above. Have you been taking a language class or been around another language lately?
I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but when I don’t get enough sleep for many days in a row I often find it difficult to come up with the right word.
I am wondering if you are on any medication, I was on clonazepam/klonopin for a long time without problems and then developed a wide range of serious neurological symptoms starting with the inability to find words. We thought brain tumour and I had scans, we thought MS so booked me in for a neurologist who demanded I be medication free before seeing him. I got better. We still thought maybe MS in remission (I had been unable to walk, control bladder and bowel etc) but one day I took a .5mg clonazepam and lost all my words again, it was a painfully obvious reaction to the drug.
One of those things, unfortuately I can no longer take the drug that works best for me but it is a heck of a lot better than being unable to speak. We still are not sure if I have an underlying problem that it exacerbates or if it just some strange rejection of the medication.
Worth looking at any drugs carefully, also don’t panic, but do get checked, it can be the first sign of something you would rather deal with early than late.
Mia… I tried several months ago to teach myself German, but decided that since I was having enough trouble with English perhaps it wasn’t the best of ideas.
Thylacine (incidentally, it took me FOREVER to remember where I’d heard your username before. Welcome to another kitty-kat!), I am on meds but have gone on and off them so many times over the years that we’ve ruled that out.
Rowrr seems to have hit it on the head… it does behave a good bit like anomic aphasia. The problem started prior to me seeing my therapist… I’m a counseling student myself and like to be on the other side of the couch, because I think it makes me a better therapist.
::sigh:: I may actually have to face the fact that it’s another symptom of MS (I’ve had relapsing-remitting MS for several years now). Since my symptoms have been, for lack of a better term, stable over the years, I didn’t associate this development with it… it came on so suddenly that I thought it was something temporary or treatable. No one else I’ve mentioned it to seemed to make the connection, including my docs. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
