Intermitant speech problems

[Stonecold]

Thank you for have me in this forum .. About a month ago my speech started to go funky on me .. Slurred and slow .. Sounds like I'm drunk .. This only happens like 20-30 % of the time .. My swallowing is ok but have noticed I have swallowed liquid down the wrong pipe about 4 times in the last month .. I never do this . I have had a MIR cat scan and chest X-ray and blood tests .. They don't know much yet .. The cat scan did show some ad normal activity in the centre of my brain .. But they are not sure of what this is .. I see the noroligest again soon ... I guess my main question is would the speech problems related to ALS come and go .. It also gets worse if I'm upset or stressed anyways I'm sure I will find out sooner or later what is causing this ... It's just bothersome when you have no clue why this is happening ? Thanks again for listening !

 

[Stonecold]

Oh also my voice is become more raspy and nasally .. I am also seeing a ENT in a week

 

[ottawa girl]

It is cold @ Portage & Main!

You seem to be getting appropriate & timely care from specialists. My symptoms do not come and go. I may have days where they are more intense, but they're not gone.

Please try to stay off the net, self diagnosing. You have doctors working on this for you; let them earn the big bucks. Your web browsing will only exacerbate your symptoms and it is not at all helpful to your state of mind.

 

[cypress]

It can begin this way. Mine did. At this point, you cannot hurt anything by suspecting ALS , you either do or don't have it. If you think you do, and find out that you don't,HURRAY! I went back and forth to an ENT before he checked my upper palate reflex and suspected ALS. Anyway, knowledge, not worry, is your friend.

 

[Stonecold]

I'm not worried ... Even if it was ALS .. I just want to educated myself and even if I don't have it ... I will have learned more about people that do .. And that is a good thing

 

[momap53]

There are a few tips to aid in swallowing until you can find out what's going on.

Eliminate distractions while eating or drinking.
Sit fully upright.
Tuck your chin to your chest as you swallow.
There are thickening agents available for thin liquids. Check the pharmacy sections at your local drug store or super store. They can also be ordered on line.
Have family members learn to do the Heimlich Maneuver (back slapping is inappropriate and can make things worse)
It's possible for you to learn to perform this maneuver on your own.
Don't eat alone.
Some report carbonated or lemon flavored beverages go down more easily initially.

Good luck with your appointments. Please let us know what's up.

 

[momap53]

Swallowing tips to follow after moderation.
Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[jellis86]

Hi Stonecold,

I have speech problems and have for over a year now, swallowing is a sometimes issue too but I have lessened that by following others suggestions on here.
My tongue moves very slowly which makes eating quite difficult and has changed the type and consistency of the foods I eat.

My neurologist said he sees slight atrophy and fasciculations on/in my tongue. (My ENT said he saw the same 8 months ago and my neurologist blew it off) I also told him last summer that I saw the fasciculations and he said it's too difficult to hold the tongue still, even at rest to know for sure. So why all of a sudden he sees them and before he claimed he didn't is beyond me.

Anyway, he says it's possibly ALS, but so many other things are possible too. So I have an appointment at The Mayo Clinic this Thursday to either confirm his prognosis or figure out another cause.

If you check out my earlier posts I explain in more detail how my speech was and is now.

Good luck and God Bless!