Speech Trouble - Brain Tumour

[DylanR]

Since yesterday night i seem to be slurring my words alot and since i have been worrying constantly about Brain Tumours . I am worrying this is a symptom of a Brain Tumour. Do you guys think there is a connection between brain tumours and slurred speech?

[panic12]

Hi I also worry the same. Firstly everyone slurs words, everyone says words wrong etc, it's normal. I notice when i'm worrying about things like speech I tend to concentrate on every word that I say which makes me slurr words more. How bad is it? is it just like every so often you slur a word or are you struggling to string a sentence together?

[DylanR]

Its not every sentence but when it happens it freaks me out. Do you think this is a sign of a Brain Tumour?

[panic12]

I have terrible fears of having a brain tumour, I'm just starting to accept that I don't have one, one thing that reassures me is that things like slurred speech alone are not a sign of a brain tumour, if you actually had one you would know about it. My grandad has one and he suffered from severe headaches, sickness, extreme dizzyness, he went blind a few times, seizers. If your slurring speech it's mostly likely because your thinking about it, try and take it off your mind. If it is really concerning you go and see your doctor :)

[DylanR]

I ave made an appointment but it's not till Friday :(

[ElectricAlice]

Yeah definitely focusing on speech makes it slurry. Sometimes when I have a panic attack my whole tongue gets pins and needles and I feel like I'm slurring my speech and other people are like '... no it sounds completely normal...!!!"

Here's a good list of all the things anxiety can cause:

http://cognitivetherapyonline.com/cbt4panic/anxiety-symptoms-list

[DylanR]

There was nothing about speech on there ... :(

[panic12]

please believe me that when you think about speech you WILL start to slur it, and everyone slurs words, everyone it's not an abnormal symptom, if you had a brain tumour you would know about it

[meche]

Hi Dylan - at the height of my anxiety I had an awful time with my speech and the more I worried about it, the worse it got. I convinced myself I had a tumour or had had a stroke. It is definitely anxiety. A month ago I was having the most horrendous symptoms but when I went on holiday for 2 weeks they all disappeared. I've been back for a week now and my symptoms haven't come back yet. If I sat and thought about it really hard I know I would start having problems again which goes to prove it is all psychological. All I can advise is to keep yourself as occupied as possible and try not to over-analyze it. Hope you feel better soon. xx

[ElectricAlice]

There's not slurring speech specifically - but there are the following things:

Tense, sore jaw
Tight clenching the jaw
Tongue, lips or jaw twitching – feels swollen

Which could all lead to you thinking you have slurred speech.
Believe me, half of my symptoms are not in that list either.

Anxiety can do almost ANYTHING I've learned. It's ridiculous!

I was talking to my CBT therapy helper person and he emailed me saying that an itchy scalp was a symptom of MS - I immediately starting feeling my scalp itching and FREAKING out!! THEN I scrolled down the email - and of course he was lying about the scalp thing. It most certainly isn't a symptom. He was trying to demonstrate that if we are scared of a symptom and obsess over it - it will happen!

The tongue is a muscle, like any other body part if can be affected.

I am still practically convinced there's something wrong with me because of how REAL the symptoms feel and are!

But there is always a simpler explanation.

You don't have a brain tumour - you'd know about it fo sho!!!

I got the same thing as you, I focused on my speech and it actually sounded blurry to me, because I started focusing on every word. If you focus on your breathing it feels laboured - if you focus on your vision it seems blurrier.

Just relax, stop thinking about it and you'll be fine :)

[DylanR]

Thanks guys , i will keep this thread updated