Last post Fri, Jun 06 2008 5:17 AM by Collie. 41 replies.
I am new to this site and i have fibromyalgia that almost ruined my life, and did ruin my career. A few times i have been plagued by confusion and stuttering which is very embarrassing to me. I am wondering is this part of anyones side effects of this illness. I really have to concentrate before i speak.
I suffer from this too. I am normally quite articulate but there are days when I just can't pronounce anything. I attribute it to my fibro fog.
I have had Fibro for 5 years now, and I do have days where focusing on anything is very difficult. I also am usually very articulate, and this was one of my best assets in working in Social Services, so I have a very hard time with those days when I can't seem to remember anything and focusing is so difficult on just one thing at a time. I used to juggle 4 or 5 things at a time with my jobs, and that was an average day, so I feel like I have really lost that part of myself.
I don't have speech problem, per se, but I do have a lot of trouble finding the words I need a lot of the time. It is like I have to stop and try to "pull it out of the mental file", and I find people are "filling in the blanks" for me more and more. I constantly stop and say "oh, what is that word I'm looking for", and I feel like an idiot, but that is part of the illness and I guess we just have to be gentle with ourselves and not get down on ourselves for it. I find if I close my eyes and focus on being calm, that it helps me to remember things better. Still, very frustrating for someone who used to deal with more than one crisis at a time and be able to talk to clients and professionals with proficiency.
I would tell the dr about the stuttering, though, as it may be related to high anxiety or something they can give you something to help with. Otherwise, just slow down, do some deep breathing to relax, and then try again. That may help.
Gentle Hugs,
Maggie
probably not what you wanted to hear but I have terrible problems with my speech and especially concentration. I feel that when I am more anxious, nervous, or stressed out my fog gets bad. I get lost driving around, I loose my keys in odd places, I actually have found myself stopping mid-sentence and asking myself what I was talking about.I even had to install a navigation system into my car for when I get struck with confusion and find myself asking where I am. I have yet to find a way to over come this... but fear not ! You are not alone in this.
That's very true for me also. When I am nervous, even just a little, or feel "put on the spot", my head goes into an instant fog and I can't get a thought straight to save my life! I have to literally stop, close my eyes and make myself feel calmer, and then try to resume where I left off. People don't always have that much patience, though, when trying to have a conversation, and they look at you funny. Not that I care, I don't really, I've just noticed that they do. It has been the main reason for me staying alone and fairly isolated for so long also (2 years now). As long as I am quiet and at home, I can pretty much keep it together. I can also arrange things for how I feel that day...what movies to watch, or set the tv on the nature channel for awhile, or light the candles, that helps to soothe me and hopefully keep the pain levels down. My jaunts out into the community are as quick as possible, so I can come back home and hurt some more! LOL
My girlfriend forgets where she's going all the time when she's driving, and she's driven through two red lights the last two times I've been with her, but she doesn't even have Fibromyalgia, so you see, it's not just us, but it definitelly is us!
Hi Sonya, I have this problem and lately, not only can I not find words, I sometimes use one word when I mean another. That is very embarrassing. Reminds me of a joke: "A Freudian slip is when you say one word and you mean your mother."
Anyway, it helps to be as rested and relaxed as possible. Relaxed deep breathing, drinking plenty of water, all are things that can help you clear your head somewhat.
sorry I can't be of more help.
Katie
I forget words alot in mid sentence. Sometimes when I'm talking to strangers and I forget words I'm gonna say a few times in the conversation I will tell them to please forgive me but I tend to forget things because of fibro. I misplace things too, last week as a matter of fact after I put creamer in my coffee that morning I put the container into the pantry and that night I found it and realized what I had done THIS time. It was probably bad by then so I had to throw it away. I try not to heat anything on the stove when no ones home cause Ive forgot that I had a pan on the burnner more than once. Thank goodness we have a smart dog that lets us know when things bad happen! I also get into the confused state alot. I wouldent be embarassed about it. You have a perfectly exeptable reason for doing it. Just let the person your talking to know why.
That brings to mind a few weeks ago when I had cooked something in the oven, and then woke up the next morning to realize that the oven had been on all night! Good thing it was winter and helped to keep me warm! LOL
I have never done these things before Fibro, but they pop up all the time now!
I did,nt realise this was part of fms also! I thought it was just me! I,m so clumsie and i have alays struggled with my concentration, but it is worse theese days i drop plates,glasses, mugs food on the kitchen floor regually! I'm always bumping into things and i can't get out what i want to say fast enough or clearly enough! I work with 4 and 5year olds and they sometimes take the micky out of me as i often get confused on a bad day, i think im going to have to give my job up as i can only just manage looking after me and my family as i still have my viral infection which after 3 lots of antibiotics still hasnt completely disappeared ive had 2 weeks off work and it looks like its goin 2 b three! and to be honest with myself! i cant really cope with this part time job, but i need the money! I dont know what other parttime work i can phisically do ive tried lots!
I am also new to this site. My sweet hubby looks for sites in which he thinks I might find validation for some of the health issues that plague me. I am very fortunate in that the problems I encounter with speaking and also with concentration and memory are well understood by my caregivers and close friends. My hubby is my best friend (of 40 years) and we are a good team. He tells me to slow down and relax, which sometimes makes it easier to get my point across. I often speak rather slowly, thinking as I speak. Please feel free to contact me if you are in need of a friend. I have an immune system problem, besides RA, called hypogammaglobulinemia, for which I have monthly infusions at the cancer center. This causes me to isolate from the general public, as I cannot trust surgical masks to take care of all the bugs floating around, which make me extremely ill. Compare me to the boy in the bubble. Or, at 61, the Gramma in the bubble. I hope today will find you a little relief from your discomfort.
Soft and Gentle Hugs from me to you.
SanDee
I had to stop working due to concentration and speech problems. I sound fine when I speak, but I often can't find the words to finish a sentence or even to express myself. It is extremely frustrating and one of the many "invisible" symptoms of MS. I am one of the people that "looks fine" therefore, I must be fine. I don't look sick, but am actually getting sicker all the time. I can't respond to questions that come at me too fast or from a couple of people at the same time. Instead of being able to sort them out, I shut down and can't respond toanything. That probably isn't the kind of speech problem you are talking about, but it is the one i have. I used to be a great multi-tasker, but now I can't even attempt it.
I can relate to the difficulties with concentration and focus. Many times I feel fogged in the brain or just out there somewhere but even when I'm not in the Fibro fog I have problems focusing. I don't just lose words at times but my vocabulary has shrunk like I've lost words permanently. My speech gets slurred at times and it seems I talk somewhat monotone much of the time. I recently had an IQ and memory test in which the results showed a definite memory impairment and a drop of about 30 pts in the IQ from 10 years ago. I say it's Fibromyalgia progression and the psychologist likes to think it is the 2.5 mgs of oxycodone per day.
Well, I don't know how much the pain meds could be contributing to your memory loss, but it sounds like a pretty "standard answer" from a psychiatrist, if you ask me! Blame everything on the pain meds, that seems to be the norm these days, but the fact that we can't function without them doesn't seem to matter.
I wish just one of these drs would come down with Fibromyalgia, you would sure get a different response then!
You hang in there, dear, and just do the best you can. No one can ask anymore of that from you.
Maggie now don't go getting me started on the doctors...lol The thing here is I take such a tiny dose of Percocet twice a day with a huge dose of Neurontin. I have severe pain from other conditions as well as FM. The memory flew out the window years before I began taking Percocet so she was just another doc with the attitude, that "attitude" I've encountered far too much from docs concerning my health problems. Thanks and hugs to you Maggie.
This is where keeping a symptom diary helps out. My best times are mornings and late evenings if I had a nap. I have to organize my day if I need to do deep thinking for a project or paper. The fog really hit me last semester and I ahve to repeat two classes because it just kicked my tail. I have also discovered that I can only do one class a semester safely...
Power naps help too. I have a sign that I pit on my dashboard- "I'm taking a power nap" after some concerned citizens thought I was dead in my car. I thought it weas funy but they didn't. You can also talk to your supervisor to see if there is a spot to take a 20 minute nap on a lunch break. Being open is the best policy. Most supervisors want you to perform well.
