Understanding words

[quotefanatic]

Hello,

So I am not yet diagnosed, have symptoms daily, and see an ms specialist nuero every six months.

Recently, I have had trouble understanding words. It tends to go with my brain fog... but does happen in the classroom sometimes.

The issue is, the teacher will be talking, and I will suddenly just stop understanding what she is saying.. Almost as though she is speaking another language and I don't know what the words mean - it can be very frustrating.

Anyone experience this, any advice?? Thanks!

[nabean]

Hello Quotefantic,

I am not a teen, I am a teacher actually, but the title of thread caught my eye.

I don't have problems understanding words but I sometimes have problems finding words. I can be talking and then all of sudden can't remember a word...like I know I want to talk about the thing that is curved that you eat soup with...but I just can't get the word spoon out. Sometimes when a am teaching a lesson I have to play a game of ...(crap what is the game...you the one where you can't talk and you do actions???) ...to get a word out!

I was wondering if you had let any of your teachers know about the issues you are having with understanding them. They might be able to help by giving you a copy of the notes they are using to teach the lessons or by some other method, or allowing you to record them speaking so you can listen to a lesson at another time when your brain fog isn't so thick.

Anyways, when I read your post I was concerned and just wanted to let you know that if you are starting to feel out of the loop in your classes there are probably things that your teachers can do to help you.

Cheers!
nabean

[SingOut12]

Hey,
When I was first being diagnosed, and even now, I experienced the same thing. It was a pain, but I learned how to get around it.
When I first went back to school after I was diagnosed, I was sitting in my history class and I couldn't understand a word that my teacher was saying and nothing made sense. Then we went to the computer lab and I just sat there staring blankly at the screen. At the time, there was nothing I could really do because I didn't understand and I thought it was going to last forever. Thankfully, it didn't.
I still get the brain fog, and I actually call it my "gold fish period" since gold fish have short memories. It lasts for a little while, maybe a week or so, but I can never remember anything and get terrible brain fog.
Recently, I was talking to a fifth grade class (I am a senior in high school and I talk to kids about staying away from drugs and alcohol and stuff like that) and the officer I was working alongside asked me a question and I just stared at him like he was from another planet. He repeated the question 5 times, but eventually someone else had to answer for me. I just sat and laughed at myself. Nothing I could do about it, but it was there, front and center!
I found that playing word games and memory games online help a little, and are kind of fun. I always do word searches to train my eyes and my brain. If work was slow during the summer, I sat there for hours doing word searches and my boss would laugh at me. It was fun.
Maybe "mental stretches" would help? Just as a suggestion.

I have it sometimes where someone says something and while one part of my brain says. "Roger, loud and clear", the other part says "What was that? I heard some words, but what do they mean? Then I say "What" and by the time the person repeats it, i've finally filtered the words into meaning.

I do believe there are neuroplastic exercises for this and I'm still trying to locate them. In the meanwhile, as Singout says, it may pass. It may also come and go.

I do find that Ritalin helps with all things mental. Your GP may be reluctant to prescribe them. But they're worth trying. Just don't share with your friends and get busted.