Status
Not open for further replies.

edmar22

New member
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
2
Reason
Learn about ALS
Country
SW
State
Vaud
City
Geneva
Dear all, after having read a lot of the posts on these forums, I finally decided to post. I am very touched by all the comments and advice given by all suffering from this terrible disease.
I am a 40 year old male, and I have noticed especially in the last couple of weeks that sometimes I struggle to find the right words when talking, or that the words don't come out, or I really have to concentrate to say the words. Tbh I had noticed a similar occurence when I had consumed substantial amounts of alcohol. I speak 3 languages fluently of which English is my mother tongue, I notice it happens more often in the other 2 languages, but also happens in English. I asked my wife if she had noticed any change in my voice and she hadn't. I never really articulated my words so well, I tend to mumble sometimes. Here the issue is that I am talking and all of a sudden I am unable to properly pronounce a word or it doesn't enunciate properly. In terms of my tongue I can move it up down, around my lips without any issues. I had several meetings yesterday for work, and today I feel almost like my throat muscles are sore.
Another issue I noticed was i have the impression that sometimes a bit of saliva is dripping down my throat. I noticed this last summer then it seemed to have stopped. It could be that I have become worried with this speech issue and I am finding other things.
In terms of muscles I had a fasiculation last summer on my left arm, it lasted on and off for about a week and then stopped. I stopped coffee at this point and it seemed to have gone.
My main issue is my speech, of course I can maintain a conversation without having trouble finding words, but it is difficult sometimes. And sometimes my words get mixed up.
I understand Bulbar seems very improbable at my age, but nevertheless it is on my mind and making me worried. It may just be anxiousness causing all this, I certainly hope so. I have been under stress lately with work and other issues, I would hope I could attribute it to this. It is really denting my confidence when I speak, and because I am aware of it I am wondering if this makes me more prone to speaking like this.
I understand one Bulbar onset symptoms is slurring of words, now I do not really understand how that comes about and if it is consistent, and if what I have is considered slurring.

Any comments are appreciated, my heart goes out to all those PALS out there.
 
At the top of the do I have als forum there are some posts highlighted in yellow. The top one goes through common concerns and questions. It details all you need to know about bulbar symptoms and you should find it very reassuring.

If you are still concerned do go to your doctor to get things checked out.

Wendy
 
Dear Wendy, thank you for your prompt reply. I had in fact read the threads in yellow where it said "Generally speaking the first symptom of bulbar is slurred speech because the tongue does not work correctly". I am not sure what they mean by the tongue not working correctly. I then filtered by bulbar and read the threads related to this and there I noticed that many had in fact had their onset begin by speech issues, and there I began to get worried. Its almost like my throat muscles are not strong enough to properly pronounce the words, not to mention when I cant pronounce them properly, very disturbing to lose ability to speak properly.
I feel strongly for all those poor PALS out there.
 
There are so many reasons for experiencing speech difficulties. There are many components that all add up to intelligible speech. If any part is not working properly it can affect how you sound. From strictly mechanical things such as tension, to psychological, and right on up to neurological issues. The person to help you begin to hunt down what the issue is is your family doctor.

ALS is a specific combination of symptoms with neurological issues as the cause. However, many other issues also cause some of the same symptoms. Just like coughing can mean anything from irritation right on up to cancer. Again, best person to help you is a doctor.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top