Speech

[Rachel W]

Hi Guys,

I was on here a few months ago and was worried about ALS. I have twitches all over and some stiffness and buzzing in my arms, some slight weakness in some limbs at times, and also speech issues, like I jhave to speak slower to hit all of the consonants.

I went to a doctor that specialises in ALS and after explaining my symptoms, a clinical exam and an EMG he said that I do not have anything serious and thinks that it is stress of me worrying about my health (it started from noticing distortion in my eye which is not a sign of ALS, but thought perhaps MS and started noticing hand movements etc, and then started twitching and having speech issues also, hence my fear shifted).

I felt better after the exam (a month ago now) and hoped that with the release of anxiety my symptoms would get better as he said that as I was twitching it was NOT too early to get an EMG.

Now my speech is still bothering me alot and I am worrying again. I fear that the twitches in my body may be benign, but that my speech issues is not. I have heard that people with anxiety can have speech issues, but this is constant and it takes me longer to say words such as "Asked John" (the skd and then to the J takes longer. I was wondering whether other people may have similar problems here? Also, it would help perhaps if I knew what was normal... i.e. may be I am trying to be too precise? If I say assed John it is fine so wonder if it is normal to slack on the K if certain sounds are to follow... i.e. do normal speech patterns allow for this when someone speaks more quickly? If someone here tries to say "asked John", do they slack on the K? Or are there people who have the same issues due to anxiety.

I am also missing consonants if I speak normally.

I am really scared again and keep crying...

PLEASE HELP!!!

[Nechtan]

Hi,

I get speach problems sometimes too, just this morning in fact I had it. I don't know if it is the same as your own but I am convinced my own is down to tension from anxiety. Like yourself I get the weakness and stiffness in limbs- again I think this is down to being tensed up.

My main problem before I get speach problems is a tautness in my jaws and this is where the problem lies. I get real problems there and I am obviously tensing up those areas without realising it. Another reason can also be tiredness and exhaustion. With anxiety exhaustion can come very quickly and this also can make your speech a bit slurry.

Don't get me wrong it is a real worry and if you have any concerns that it is not anxiety related then I would seek further help. But if it rights itself then I think it is tension from anxiety. It is something I am sure other people on here will relate too. It can also cause numbness and tingling around the mouth and jaws too.

All the best

Nechtan

[aenglund234]

i have also been suffering from twitches, buzzing, slight weakness..etc. i noticed the speech problem as well. when i say "asked john" i almost have to stop and think about what i'm saying to get the K in there. if i say it normally its assed.. i worried about the speech problem for a while but eventually accepted that it was normal to slack on the consonants. i also think that the skd sound requires alot of tongue movement which is why we slack off on it.

i agree with nechtan. i only get it when my jaw is taut. i got into a habit of chewing gum so i'd stop concentrating on my tongue, which has helped so far.

hope it gets better!

[Rachel W]

Thank you for saying that you miss the 'k'. It would seem weird that I would have a serious disease that was the same (but a different version) of the one that the doctor said that I don't have.

I have been extremely tense, but the thing that scares me is that it is pretty constant, but then again, so is my anxiety about it. I dread speaking which is probably not helping as that means that I probably tense right before I open my mouth.

I am going to try that gum thing to see if it helps. If it does I will be indebted to you as I have tried stretching my jaws and tongue but it doesn't seem to help. To know that the normal is the release some consonants then perhaps the issue is that I am trying too hard to say every one which in itself is not normal. I also have tooth impressions in the front of my tongue which I don't normally have so that tells me I am pushing it into the front (again probably a sign of being tense).

I keep wishing that I could wake up in the morning and not remember my fears and then perhaps my speech would be normal.

I would love to hear about any other people with any ideas or similar experiences.

Thank you so much!!!

Rachel