slurred speech

Can anybody help me I have had slurred speech on and off   since last september  it's not only my speech that is affected but my ability to walk and I have weakness in my right arm too?

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. These could be due a transient ischemic attack.  This is a transient stroke lasting a few minutes when the blood supply to part of brain is briefly interrupted. Numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg on one side of body, confusion or difficulty in talking or understanding speech, difficulty walking, dizziness or loss of balance and coordination.
Also to be considered in differential diagnosis is amyotropic lateral sclerosis. Symptoms of ALS are weakness and / or muscle atrophy. Other symptoms are muscle fasciculation, cramping or stiffness of affected muscles, muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg, and/ or slurred and nasal speech. The parts to be affected first depend on which motor neurons are damaged first. Most of the affected get limb symptoms first.   Do you have difficulty with tasks requiring manual coordination like shirt buttoning, writing etc. since symptoms appeared in the upper limb first for you? Since these can be similar to so many other conditions diagnosis would require certain tests like EMG, nerve conduction velocity NCV to pin down a peripheral neuropathy or a myopathy.  MRI can reveal other mimicking problems like herniated disc in the neck, syringomyelia and cervical spondylosis.
               Hope this helps. Consult your neurologist at the earliest. Take care.

[p0rtzer0]

you could have been suffering from Mini-stroke episode.. or epilepsy .. please get yourself checked by a professional MD as soon as possible.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. These could be due a transient ischemic attack.  This is a transient stroke lasting a few minutes when the blood supply to part of brain is briefly interrupted. Numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg on one side of body, confusion or difficulty in talking or understanding speech, difficulty walking, dizziness or loss of balance and coordination.
Also to be considered in differential diagnosis is amyotropic lateral sclerosis. Symptoms of ALS are weakness and / or muscle atrophy. Other symptoms are muscle fasciculation, cramping or stiffness of affected muscles, muscle weakness affecting an arm or a leg, and/ or slurred and nasal speech. The parts to be affected first depend on which motor neurons are damaged first. Most of the affected get limb symptoms first.   Do you have difficulty with tasks requiring manual coordination like shirt buttoning, writing etc. since symptoms appeared in the upper limb first for you? Since these can be similar to so many other conditions diagnosis would require certain tests like EMG, nerve conduction velocity NCV to pin down a peripheral neuropathy or a myopathy.  MRI can reveal other mimicking problems like herniated disc in the neck, syringomyelia and cervical spondylosis.
               Hope this helps. Consult your neurologist at the earliest. Take care.

[tracergurl67]

I had slurred speech 2 yrs ago and sometimes still to this day have trouble talking sometimes i stutter. I also have a syrinx in my cervical spine (cyst) along with other symptoms. Have you had MRI? What have the found? How long has this been going on and how often? I was rushed to the ER  2 yrs ago because what too had "stroke like" symptoms. Its very scary. I still have some symptoms but hoping to get more answers soon myself. Good Luck and if you havent already done so, see a neurologist ASAP

[curly71]

Thank you very much for your comment I am seeing a neurologist at the moment, this has been going on and off since last september , I have had mri scan last oct apparently it was fine , I have had EMG .Recently I had two ct scans but they were normal.Last year I was told that it is phychological which i'm sorry is wrong I even went to see a cognitive behaviour specialist and he says that it is not , all I want is some answers even the neurolgist he thinks  some of it is but i'm not convinced .My auntie has lupus and it took them 2 years to dignose her  she has had this for 25 years   she thinks that I could have lupus or ataxia  I also have afro caribbean background. I am unable to do little buttons up and cannot write at all I feel as though nobody wants to know and because my speech is so poor  I cannot get everything I want to say .

[hava]

Help your body to get better.This pranayam will send extra oxygen to your left and right brain and start to get your nervous system better.Do it for 30 minutes twice a day and continue for 15 minutes daily, after you are better.Let me know how you feel after 21 days and then again when you are 80 per cent better.This works gradually, so allow a few months.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom pranayam –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

[curly71]

Hi,
I am very unhappy with the neurologist as he now says that I don't need to see him anymore I only saw him once  for less than 15 minutes , he says that I will be better in a couple of months yet he doesn't know what is causing my problems .I still can't walk far and still can't speak properly, I cant do  buttons up,I can't even write with a pen , my right side of my face keeps drooping  to one side , do you think I should ask for a second opinon .Somebody says I should look into M e .

[caregiver222]

You need both an MRI and a dye contrast MRA.

Preferably from a 3T machine.

Such symptoms can also occur with Parkinson's disease, especially in the early stages. The interesting thing about Parkinsons is that at times the person may be able to walk normally and at other times there is great degradation.

There is another possibility. There is a virus activated by exposure to Herpes that causes degradation of the nerve sheaths by activating the immune system. There is a test developed for this virus and a recent treatment. One means of diagnosing this is by a prednisone challenge. The prednisone weakens the immune response and the virus goes into remission. Within two weeks the patient will be able to walk and talk normally if this is in fact an immune system inflammatory disorder.

[curly71]

Thank you for your advice I will discuss this with my gp as the neurologist who only saw me once says he doesn't need to see me again.I had two mri scans last year  I haven't had any this year  only two ct scans and a blood test for lupus and my hypothyroidism.

[caregiver222]

A possible cause are the organisms known as HERV's. They are a retrovirus. The name stands for Human Endogenous Retrovirus. They are activated by herpes, x-rays and a number of other stimuli. The relationship between these life-forms and degenerative neurological disease has only recently been investigated. The short of it is they hyper-stimulate the immune system, which then attacks the nerve sheaths. This causes a problem in convering information and may result in a faulty gait, slurring of speech and a variety of neuro9logical symptoms.

Now this etiology may not apply, but it is something to be considered. Damping down the immune system is one method of differential diagnosis. In one case I know a patient who could hardly walk or hold a pencil was given a prednisone challenge and within two weeks was playing the piano and walking normally. Unfortunately this was only a remission. Recently, however they are experimenting with drug treatments as well as a definitive blood test.

I do not think you have had TIA'a.

Parkinson's is characterized by periods of normality and periods of degradation. Times of slurred speech and times when speech is normal.

[curly71]

Thank you for your advice Unfortunately my neurologist thinks it's psychogenic origin which I have to say is a load of rubbish .I'm going to see my g p next thursday Is there anything that you think I should say to my gp as I feel that no one is listening to me .How can I go from being a fit and well person to being like this .I think my speech is improving but the walking  and motor fine gross skills are not getting any better .Do you think I need to get a 2nd opinon from someone.