Hi everyone, I had an attack about 15 months ago, lost the use of my wrist & hand & my speech was affected. Didn’t get diagnosed with ms but transverse myelitis. I didn’t receive steroids to help speed up the recovery, neuro left me for a month by which time my hand was functional again & my speech was back to normal. Since may last year my speech has been affected again, sometimes ok sometimes not. I hate it so much, I really struggle to have a conversation & to tell a story. Could it still get better or is it only gonna get worse? Is 15 months too long now for it to get better? I don’t understand how it was ok & now it’s not?
It’s not uncommon for old symptoms to come back again, especially when we’re tired, got a virus, are too hot, etc. They can also come back when we’re having a new attack with completely different symptoms and it’s also possible for MS to attack the same place in the nervous system so that a relapse might be similar to a previous one.
It’s unlikely for residual symptoms to get significantly worse unless there’s a new attack and it’s probably equally unlikely for something to get much better after more than a year. I know it can happen though, especially with therapy.
Have you had speech therapy? It can be really effective.
Karen x
Hi Karen, Thank you for your reply. To be honest I don’t get enough sleep I know that (& that’s everynight I don’t get enough) hot could be a possibility. Maybe it is down to sleep/temperature because it it most of the time but not all the time. Because im not diagnosed I don’t know if speech therapy could be an option for me? In what ways could it help? I’m seeing the neuro again on the 25th so I will see what he says. It’s taken a wait of about 3 months to see him, I expect it will be for a whole 5minutes! X
CIS and probable MS are proper diagnoses and anyone with residual symptoms from these is definitely eligible for therapy, but people are eligible without a diagnosis too because it’s the symptom that’s important, not the diagnosis.
I don’t have a clue what speech therapists do with neurological problems, but I do know that they can help. They work with all sorts of problems, everything from lisps to slurring to swallowing problems. I’m pretty sure that your GP will be able to refer you and there is bound to be a long waiting list so it’s probably better not to wait till you see the neuro - just see your GP. If you don’t get an appointment through before you see the neuro, you can always ask him too and then cancel the appointment that comes in later.
Fatigue is a real issue for neurological symptoms - everything gets weaker and slower and worse in general. Can you do something about getting a better night’s sleep? Maybe ask your GP?
Kx