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Unable to find the right word or saying the wrong word - I'm losing my mind!

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    #16
    This is one of the symptoms that sent me to the hospital last August.

    I was having trouble word finding along with a host of other problems. I was not following simple directions and would answer my family several minutes after they would ask me a question.

    Now I notice that this problem is worse when my other symptoms are present. It took me weeks to recover from my initial flair. I couldn't do simple things such as pay bills or balance my check book.

    I also notice when I try to multi task I have more trouble with my words. Such as while I was cooking my children asked me where something was at and I said "In the oven" when I meant in the dishwasher. I usually catch that I was wrong and can correct it but my children notice!

    I also notice I have trouble recognizing simple words when typing they look like they are spelled wrong but are in fact right. I wonder if this is all part of this as well.

    Currently I am undx I am with a MS specialist who says I am suspicous for MS.

    And for reference I am 43

    I find this thread very interesting.
    Limbolander.... Lori
    This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice in it!

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      #17
      I try very hard to find the humor in this word loss/substitution problem.

      I am a blogger and I spend (spent) much of my job instructing people and being the lead speaker at meetings. I have been a public speaking coach as well.

      When I first learned about the lesions on my brain my first words were "but my brain is my favorite thing about me!"

      So I'm trying to make this fun and I've found ways to hide it at work. I recently was doing a training and couldn't remember the term "sales office". I was completely and totally blank. So I turned it into a pop quiz. I looked at the group and said "who can tell me what we call the room where we start the tour?" Someone yelled "Sales Office!" I was so proud.

      When I completely blank out on a name I look at the person and say "what are we calling you this week?" They laugh.

      What's sad is that before my leave my team thought that my lapses were because I am overly stressed at work as they recently doubled my number of properties. While that is probably somewhat true, the reality was worse!

      Yesterday my daughter and mom and I were headed to see Spy Kids and hubby called my cell. He asked what we were up to and I explained that we were on our way to the airport. I wonder if my mom and daughter hadn't started cracking up if I would have even noticed that I used the wrong word!

      Well, as you can see I love to write as well as speak. I do now have to go back and re-read everything I write to look for the "odd" words, but it gives me a chance to edit and refine my craft, right????
      Melissa Goerke
      [I]DX 7/2/10, Copaxone then Avonex, started Ty 9/13/11, JCV+ ended Ty 9/13, started Gilenya 12/13 Blood Pressure skyrocketed, started Tecifdera 4/5/14 - fatigue beyond bearable and symptoms became worse. Rituximab 8/8/14.....waiting for the miracle. I WANT MY TYSABRI BACK!!!

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        #18
        This is a major sx for me (cognition in general). My neuro-psych recommended re-training my brain by playing games such those found at luminosity.com

        His research has proven that by playing these types of games 3-5X/wk for 45 min/day can improve overall cognition. In the short amount of time I have been doing this I have noticed an improvement. I also notice a (negative) difference if I take more than a couple days off of playing.
        DX 10/2008
        Beta Babe 12/2008-07/2013
        Tecfidera 07/2013-01/2018
        Aubagio 01/18-09/20

        Ocrevus 09/20-present

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          #19
          Pausing for words

          I am 41 and have been having these issues for the last two years for sure. Sometimes when I try to say something, I would say for instance drivers license instead of license plates. Keep calling my kids by my dogs's names, not remembering my dog name who is 6 and calling her by the old dog's name. Cannot follow directions, can't learn new card games. If i have to play some board game with my kids I have to read the instructions 100 times and still ask my 15 year old what it meant. The following story happened 5 years ago before diagnosis when in a new job I was supposed to call clients for quality control. I called someone and just by getting voice mail I didn't know what to say on a phone and how to leave a message, I was trying to find my words and couldn't so I told the answering machine that I had a bad connection and I'd call back. I was shattered. Needless to say I lost my job soon after. I just read abook on this subject that i downloaded for my kindle, it was something like facing the cognitive challenges in MS. Of course I can't remember if somebody gives me a list of 3-4 things i can't remember more than two...
          RRMS Diagnosed December 2009,
          on Copaxone December 2009-October 2011 -
          Starting interferons hopefully soon.

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            #20
            My worst symptom

            I absolutely hate this symptom. It so embarassing, especially at work. I work in a customer service/ office asst position and some days it's horrible. I can honestly say that my cognitive issues are worse than any of my other symptoms. This whole problem started about 2 years ago and has since gotten worse. Some days i can't even string more than 3 sentences together.

            I know that this is MS related because of the location of one of my largest lesions on/in my brain. I always thought before i was dx that i just had a speech problem that developed in my late teens. (is that even possible) As well as a very bad memory. Now i at least know why i have the problem. It doesn't make it any less frustrating. I think the worse part is i'm only 22 and i can't bear to think how bad it could get.

            My worse speech issue is not forgetting the word but replacing it with another and not realizing it. My bf gets really annoyed with that sometimes. Another obnoxious problem is jumbling the words in a sentence. (ie I have legs in my tingling) I also when writing (not typing) jumble the letters in a word. (that just started a couple months ago)

            I've noticed since i had my flare in April that got me a dx all of these issues including memory has gotten even worse. I literally will get up to get something and by the time i stand up i can't remember what i was going to get. I cannot remember anything short term somedays. I will write a note to remember something and then i pretty much lose the note. It's so unbelievably frustrating.

            I'm so sorry to hear that so many others have to deal with this symptom.

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              #21
              I am 40 and female and have been having this problem for 6 years now. The memory problems have had me scared to death and I constantly voiced my concerns to my mother as I had a great aunt that had alzheimers so I was scared it was happening to me.
              The speech problems just started a couple of weeks ago, at least I hadn't noticed them before
              DX 10/26/11

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                #22
                Sooner or later many of us experience atleast some of the above. I have...most of of the above mentioned. I just say "I guess I'm having an MS moment" lol
                Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth. Unknown

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                  #23
                  FWIW, I'm 37...so it isn't an age thing with me.

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                    #24
                    wow...I have this too.

                    As a matter of fact I said the same thing to my neuro at my last follow up appt. I told him that I don't know if anyone would even notice in normal conversation, but I often find myself, mid sentence, searching in my mind for the right word...

                    and its really getting more frequent and worrisome for me. So, my neuro has ordered a "memory test" called neuro trax, I'm having it tomorrow.
                    Christie ~ RN, Married with 2 beautiful daughters and a beautiful granddaughter
                    Dx: Ulcerative Colitis ~ 2004, Diabetes ~ 2005, Fibromyalgia ~2011, and now in MS limbo-land since April 2011

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                      #25
                      Yep, me too...

                      I'm 40/female and have been having this problem for about 4 years (pre-MS dx). I remember complaining to my PCP that my vocabulary was fading. At the time, that's what it felt like to me. I had worked as an executive for 10 years, and considered myself fairly well written/spoken. I began thinking I was getting, well, dumb. My PCP said it was anxiety... Oh, the lovely anxiety dx.

                      I'm not working now, so my husband and kids hear most of my flub ups. Most recently, I told my daughter open your mouth so I can brush your tooth. Sounds normal right? Uh, no... It was nowhere near teeth brushing time! We were out on the patio with company, and she was showing off her first loose tooth. What I meant to say open your mouth so I can "wiggle" your tooth. I say things like that all the time, and it seems my 6 year old daughter is always the first to catch it!!! "mommy, you just said... ".

                      I try to play a lot of games to help brain function. I definitely think it helps (it helps people with no lesions on their brains). But, there are times that I'm having such bad cog fog, that I can't deal with the games, it causes anxiety to attempt to play them.

                      I'd like to find something that helps, as I'm considering entering the job market again. I think I may be interested in trying some suppliments.
                      , T2B

                      "I have a lot of pain in my microwave".

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                        #26
                        I do the same thing all the time. The worst part is when I'm in my French 112 class (college student). It's hard enough when you forget the word in english, but in french you don't have those backup words when you begin to describe the word you mean.

                        I do a lot of things with my family and friends when I forget a word. The favorite on days I go walk around at the zoo is "Get the... uhmm..." and my boyfriend will look at me questioningly before I grumble.. "Picture.. thingie.. click click.. ooooooh.." Then he just says, "Camera. Got it." and we go on our merry way.

                        Word drop issues tend to be the hardest for anyone in a field that requires interaction with clients/the public/etc. from what I've heard. Inject some humor into it though and 99% of the time people will forget about it. Just say your circuits are fried today or your brain apparently isn't wanting to cooperate and laugh it off. Those are the only suggestions I have unfortunately. Hopefully it leaves you alone as much as possible. Good luck!
                        Dx RR MS - April 1st, 2010. (19 yrs old)
                        Words To Live By: "Fall Seven Times; Stand Up Eight."

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                          #27
                          Memory, Word dropping, etc = Cognitive Issues

                          My neuro sent me for a neuro-psych exam to do a baseline for cognitive evaluation that measures memory, logical function, etc. Mine is all due to the MS, even though I am getting older. Good luck - it is frustrating - a pad of paper and taking notes helps me alot.

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                            #28
                            I have had this problem for the past five years. It gets really embarrassing, especially when I'm teaching a class and either totally forget the word I was going to say or I say a word I didn't mean to say. I try to compensate by immediately going on to something else. I've also tried to make a game of it by telling my students I'll give them extra credit if anyone can tell me the correct word I was trying to say. Sometimes that works (with the ones that really know me.) And sometimes they just stare at me like I have two heads or something. Whatever.
                            Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.
                            Cut aspartame from my diet in 2012 and my symptoms have slowly disappeared. Interesting!
                            Alpha Lipoic Acid (200 mg) + Acetyl L-carnitine (1,000 mg) = No more fatigue for me!

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                              #29
                              I have to yuck it up

                              I would really hate to give up & lay in the floor crying all the time.

                              Yes, I sooo have trouble finding the right word, after years of being in management, administration & motivational speaking.

                              Recently I was on the phone with a great friend who I had lost contact with for the last several years---my info to him that I am trying to deal with MS for the last few years lead to him sharing his diagnosis & experience with a very unusual form of RA. After several back & forth comments on the IV's we get monthly & the problems we are struggling to deal with, I gigglingly announced, "Yeah, but I bet you don't have any trouble with FROG BRAIN ???!!!

                              He quickly replied, What in the heck is FROG BRAIN??? I had to laugh & admit that I had merely shared an example of Brain Fog or Cog Fog. (Sure, I planned it, as surely as I plan for & welcome the lovely Spasticity each & every day) Now Frog Brain is my standard for a mental hiccup or temporary fried brain circuit.

                              Gotta Laugh & Thank Heaven I still can. Even Frog Brain has not halted my yuck yucks in life. Long live the Curly Shuffle, too.

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                                #30
                                I am 27 and I have this problem. I use the wrong words in a sentence, especially if the word is similar but has a completely different meaning, making me look foolish.

                                I forget what I was talking about mid sentence, etc. I can watch a movie with my husband and a few days later I won't even remember what the movie was about until he refreshes my memory. It's there, I just can't find it until I'm given clues.

                                But as for the speech, I know the word I just blurt out the wrong one, but I'm able to correct myself right after I realize that I did it.
                                Dx'd RRMS 5/27/11 · Started Betaseron 6/13/11

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