With every stage of decline, you somehow teach yourself to cope and adjust, but now my voice has started to be affected and I just feel this is the worst yet. I sound slurred and tired and also as if I’m speaking through my nose. Every symptom listed in the MS leaflet about the voice is happening. I rely on Skype to keep up with my son and grandchildren in Australia, and phone calls with scattered friends to keep me sane. Nothing yet has put me in such fear and panic about the future as this development. I feel like it’s an assault on my identity, who I am. I haven’t spoken to the GP or neuro nurse because they will refer me to speech therapy which will be a total waste of time. Is anyone else affected like this?
Hi Lynda,
I had always put the emphasis on the five senses and how MS affected them. Now you have put your finger on another source of wonder; our inability to coordinate the muscles that form our speech. Muscles of the face, around the mouth as well as the tongue.
I’d noticed I haven’t been as articulate as I used to be, mainly with slurring of words. Although Gill says she hadn’t noticed I’m sure that we can feel the minutest of changes long before it becomes noticeable to others.
Some time ago I wrote, “We might as well take a great big dose of LSD and strap us onto the sails of a windmill for a week, for all the good our senses are now. How are we going to retain our sanity?”
This is just a guess about how LSD works as I’ve never tried it, but from what I’ve read MS comes fairly close.
Are you sure that speech therapy would be a waste of time? I’m using Tai Chi to retrain how I move and it’s quite effective. Rather like a stammerer who gets around the problem by singing their words; singing uses a different part of the brain.
I’m determined not to get despondent, it just makes me all the more motivated to teach other people about MS.
Anthony
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My journey with PPMS started 34yrs ago. First symptoms were incontinence - loss of use of left leg/ankle and weakness in left arm,my face also looked as if l had suffered a stroke. My speech was slurred - as if l had been drinking. All very alarming and distressing especially as l was pregnant at the time.
When my daughter was 2yrs old - l had read about mercury in fillings could be the start of MS. So l contacted -through a dentist friend -the head dentist at Birmingham Dental Hospital. Long way for me to travel - but he did arrange for me to go straightaway. They carefully removed my old fillings and replaced them with white ones. That was 31yrs ago - my normal speech returned - and l have never had problems with it since. Also my face and left side improved. But l am still left with incontinence and dropped left foot.
Lots of people poo poo the idea of mercury poisoning - but the use of amalgum fillings has been nearly phazed out. And the use of mercury in vaccinations is also being changed. Now the childrens MMR injection are mercury free. l will not have a flu-jab if it contains mercury - it is used as a preservative.
Nobody takes responsibility anymore - so we are not going to see the nhs admit anything. Can you imagine the outcome. But slowly slowly they creep in the changes.
Bit different with wildlife - the anglers were stopped from using lead weights, years ago, because of damage to swans etc. They lost use of there spinal core - could not hold there heads up after swallowing lead. Lead paint was banned from paint on childrens toys and cots. Lead not so toxic as mercury.
Hope you get your speech back soon - and l will try to stumble off my soap-box.
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Hi Lynda, I’m wondering why you think a speech therapist will be a waste of time? I think it’s well worth giving it a go. Might be a waste of time but I also think it might be very helpful.
A lot of speech problems can be helped by muscle exercises and breathing exercises…something that a speech therapist could help you with.
Pat xx
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…and for those (like me) that had no vocal issues until MS worked its magic, been to a speech therapist who recommended ‘stock’ exercising of muscles - even though they no longer worked correctly because the appropriate signal from the brain never reached its intended destination??
I’m afraid I’m with LyndaT …I have no doubt that speech therapists can be wonderful in certain circumstances, but I’m not convinced they’re of help to those of us afflicted in this way ?
Dom
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Perhaps you’re all right about the speech therapy. I think my resistance to it is pure arrogance, not proud of that. I spent my working life teaching English and Drama and always had such a clear voice and diction. So my voice seems to represent the ‘old me’ and losing it is like losing touch with this ‘other person’ whom I much rather be than the person I am now. How interesting about the fillings! I go to the dentist every 6 months but haven’t had a filling for 35 years, so maybe mine are the old type. Nasty thought.
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Amalgum fillings are the silver looking ones - that contain mercury. Since l had mine changed 32yrs ago - l have never needed another filling! So l think, back then, dentist were a bit heavy handed with the fillings. l know the dentist who removed mine said l had a ‘mercury mine’ in my mouth. And whilst pregnant - l had several fillings added. Then ,you did not pay for dental treatment whilst pregnant. Do some research - you will of course get conflicting views - nobody is going to put their head on the line. Just think of the outcome if we all ‘sued’ our dentists.
I had my Mercury fillings changed about 25 years ago whilst we were living abroad, it was an English dentist but sadly he didn’t know how to do it correctly, consequently I swallowed a huge amount of the Mercury. It was around this time that I became much worse, coincidence, or not, I will never know but I would advise anyone thinking about it to ensure their dentist is qualified to do it.
Nina x
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My voice goes sometimes. It sounds like I have a sore throat. I can’t raise my voice even if I try. It’s really frustrating.
I get a build up of saliva which makes me slur my words, especially when tired. I use over the counter travel sickness tablets “Kwells” which dry up the saliva. Make sure any travel pills contain Hyoscene as that’s what does it.