Sudden Speech Issues

[polopuppy]

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year! I am having a sudden onset of mixing up the word I want to say with a completely unrelated word. I have never had anything like this before and of course, my MS Clinic has been closed all week. In each instance, I knew the word I that came out of my mouth was not the intended word so I am aware of it when it happens.

My son counted about 14 episodes yesterday alone but it first started on Monday. For example, last night when we were out for dinner, I told my family and friends that people at work had been stealing the I-Phone cases because they are spaghetti! I was trying to say it was because they are expensive. The entire table looked quite surprised and then started to laugh because they thought I was being funny.

Another example was I asked my younger son to get the buffalo out of the car when I meant groceries, etc. Is this a MS thing? How worried do I need to be? I could try to contact my PCP but I won't reach a neurologist. Do I need to go to an ER or no need? Has anyone else experienced this?

For reference, I just had MRI's 12/16 and Rituximab 12/17. I also had a three day course of IV Solumedrol 1218-12/20.

Thanks so much!

[NoraS]

I had a bad spell of this back in 2007. It lasted for several months and then pretty much went away. I still have issues finding the right words sometimes, but it's not a constant communication issue like it was back then. I've always assumed it was an MS thing, because I was having a lot of other problems at the time.

[MS TOO]

I have also experienced using the wrong word and I think it is MS related. Of course I never know for sure if it is MS or just getting older! I find this distinction to be true with all of my issues lately, is the numbness in my foot MS or my contracted Achilles tendon? This is part of the adventure we are on with this disease. At least my family understands when this past summer I was telling them about canning lemons when I meant to say canning tomatoes!

[KoKo]

My son counted about 14 episodes yesterday alone but it first started on Monday.

Hi polopuppy ~

It will help your doctor if you continue to document when this speech issue started, how often it is happening, and examples of the word substitutions.

I've had unintentional word substitutions (only rarely), but they were either related to the word that I really wanted, or was similar to the word that I really wanted.

For example, saying noon rather than midnight.

In any case, maybe it is a temporary, MS nerve signal short-circuit thing.

Take Care

[Boudreaux]

Comes and goes with me. Same as the slurring. I find both get worse when I'm excited about whatever it is I'm talking about or under pressure for whatever reason.

[kittysmith]

One of my earliest symptoms

I started slurring my words and forgetting what I was trying to say before I was diagnosed, back in 2004. Those symptoms have never gone away. I rarely say the right thing 1st. I hesitate while talking because I forget what I was going to say, can't find the words. I even have an issue when writing. I will write the wrong word, or mix up b's and p's. Just this year, I had to have my MS doc put a letter in my work file saying that MS can cause one to slur their words. It's annoying and terrifying all at once.

When I'm at work, I keep a sheet of paper next to me and write down everything the person says on a phone call. It's tedious, but it seems to work for me.

Sorry this is happening to you. Wishing you the best.

[Jennaly16]

Hello!

I have noticed that whenever i am really tired/exhausted is when my speech becomes a problem. I will mix up words, say the wrong word or just use the wrong word in a sentence.

I noticed this a few months ago and thought i had a new lesion but had a recent MRI which shows no change in my lesions and no activity.

I'm chalking it up to fatigue and just an off day. It bothers me and when i get really tired i tend to stay quiet as i'm afraid of saying the wrong words. However people tend to understand or joke with me about it

Hope it is nothing further than maybe tiredness or stress where you are speaking faster than your brain wants to work right now! Especially given holiday time! Good luck!

[REG53]

Yes polopuppy, it happens to me often.

[polopuppy]

Thanks to all of you for sharing the speech issues you have experienced. It makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one to have this weird symptom.

My PCP got back to me yesterday and wanted me to go to the ER. I ended up being admitted as they found my new neuro symptoms concerning. I had to undergo a 13 hour pre-treatment regiment for my gadolinium allergy. I had full brain,cervical and thoracic spine MRI's this morning. It was a difficult MRI since I was in the scanner for 2 hours and 20 minutes. My back and legs went into spasm the last 30 minutes.

They did not find a new lesion but there is an old large lesion in the left frontal lobe where the speech center is located. The neurologists think that this could be the cause or from seizures originating from a large temporal lobe I have. Apparently, my speech issue is a form of aphasia called Verbal Paraphasia. They also tried to blame it on a migraine but I didn't have a migraine. I just want it to go away.

The weirdest thing is that I have chronic spinal cord lesions that were present on the 12/12/19 MRI. They have been there since June of 2018. This MRI today was read as no spinal lesions anywhere which seems incredulous that 8 lesions have disappeared in three weeks. This MRI was done at a different hospital than my regular facility. Any thoughts? I still have not from my MS specialist and my PCP was unable to reach anyone in the office either.

Now I am 26 hours later with no real understanding of what is causing the issue and what can be done about. I am scared how this speech issue can affect my employment.

Thanks and a Happy New Year to all of you!

[pennstater]

The weirdest thing is that I have chronic spinal cord lesions that were present on the 12/12/19 MRI. They have been there since June of 2018. This MRI today was read as no spinal lesions anywhere which seems incredulous that 8 lesions have disappeared in three weeks. This MRI was done at a different hospital than my regular facility. Any thoughts? I still have not from my MS specialist and my PCP was unable to reach anyone in the office either.

Now I am 26 hours later with no real understanding of what is causing the issue and what can be done about. I am scared how this speech issue can affect my employment.

Thanks and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Hopefully you hear from your MS specialist soon. I am sure you have lots of questions. If you haven't already, you may want to write them down and keep the list with you. I would always forget something if I didn't do that.

It does seem strange that all 8 lesions have disappeared in 3 weeks. Was the machine strength the same? I know that when people went from a 1.5T to a 3T MRI, new lesions sometimes showed that the 1.5T just couldn't see. Maybe the machine was less powerful?

Did you know you had seizures or is that a guess on the hospital's part? If definitive seizures, are you being treated for them? Will your neuro be able to access the hospital's MRIs?

I really hope you get some answers soon.
I can understand your fears. If a relapse, hopefully it remits quickly.

[KoKo]

Now I am 26 hours later with no real understanding of what is causing the issue and what can be done about. I am scared how this speech issue can affect my employment.

Hi polopuppy

Just want to say that I'm sorry for what you are going through, and understand how this can cause you to feel scared.

I hope you get answers, and that the speech issue resolves soon.

Wishing you the best.

Take Care

[polopuppy]

Hi Pennstater,

I hope I hear from him soon too. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be today before the weekend comes.

I did ask about the strength of the scanner and it was a 3T scanner. The MRI was done in a large teaching hospital but not the large teaching hospital my neuro-immunologist is based out of. They did not have the last access to any of the last 11 MRI's I had done at the other hospital, only the reports. I have the CD and will mail it up to my neurologist today. He should have it in office by Monday.

I do not think I had a seizure and if they thought I could have, they didn't do any testing or provide any medication. They said that the fact I had such a large lesion in the temporal region puts me at risk for a seizure disorder and that should be kept as a possible differential. I did have a moment on Tuesday, driving back from the airport, where I went 7 freeway exits past the one I need to go home. Very odd and I have no idea why I did that. I just kind of spaced out. I did tell the neurologists about this.

I also do not think this was from a migraine. I wasn't having a migraine when this started and only got a headache after being in the hospital and getting the steroids and benadryl.

I will let you know when I hear anything. They took me off work until the 8th so I am going to lie low and rest.

Thanks!