Stuttering or Stammering

Belinda
Belindaon Wednesday, May 31 2017
12 Comments

I suffered a left-sided stroke in early October 2016.  Physically I am fine, but I do have aphasia, difficulties with short term memory, cognitive fatigue and some panic and/or anxiety issues(a few other things, but can't think of them at the moment).  I am just wondering if anyone had any issue with stuttering/stammering or cessation of speech mid-conversation...?   I find myself trying to say a word and getting caught mid-word and either stopping mid-speech or stuttering my way through it.  I've never had issues with speech before and whilst it isn't affecting me greatly, I'm just curious to see whether others have had similar difficulties.  My friends and family are used to me struggling a little (usually when I'm fatigued, overly excited or anxious) and have managed to restrain themselves from completing any sentences or words (usually anyway) which is good of them and hard to do sometimes.  I've heard of dysfluency but haven't really delved too deeply into it as of yet.  Any thoughts..?   Thank you.  Belinda

12 Responses
Nina Wilde avatar
Nina Wilde

Hi Belinda

Nice to meet you, thanks for sharing.

The communication struggles you talk of , yes communication is sooo important to be raised.

Many years of recovery later and I would say constant persistence, patience and searching. Slowing down my communication came  about as I was very slurry in my speech once I started to talk again.

It's a long road , helpful to have people on here who get it and are really willing to give of themselves to help us through the tough times

Keep smiling sue

Belinda avatar
Belinda

Thanks Sue, I must admit slurring was a bit of a thing for me initially.  I noticed too, that when or if I was on the phone, either my pauses in speech or slurring of words would usually come about as a result of trying to comprehend the information I was receiving and then hopefully responding  with an appropriate  response in a timely fashion.  So many thoughts combined with the physical attempts at vocalising speech was quite challenging really.  Even now, I still find that if it feels too hard to "connect all the dots" I can get fatigued quite easily.  Definitely improved over the last six months, but still easily recognised as well even now.  Thank you for your response Sue - very nice to meet you as well.  Belinda

Nina Wilde avatar
Nina Wilde

And dysfluency, I've not heard of that one - however it sounds like I should look into it!

Kerry avatar
Kerry

I have similar  problem, where finding the word I want, when I should know that word, is frustrating 

Belinda avatar
Belinda

Hey Kerry..., yes I find it quite frustrating as well.  I also tend to find too many words with similar meanings which sometimes leaves me stammering through a simple sentence as I can't decide which word to use.  I literally find myself stopping mid-word because I've thought of one which may be better suited to the conversation (drives me mad).  My friends and family understand when I'm doing this, particularly when I end up taking a deep breath and either start again or come up with something along the lines of "you know what I mean."  It is getting better I think, now I get caught up more in my jungle of words when I'm fatigued, anxious or stressed.  Yepp.., it's a challenge alright, but I reckon I'll get there soon - just keep on trying.  Take care, Belinda

Philippa avatar
Philippa

I survived a basilar arterial occlusion on 19 May this year with - miraculously - no physical deficits on my right side (the affected side). I have a tiny bit of damage in my cerebellum, but I too now lose words or struggle to find the right word sometimes when I am speaking. I was a VERY articulate and verbal person before the stroke, so I find this disconcerting, as it only affects me when speaking, not writing.

 

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