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What Causes Difficulty In Speaking?
Question: Am having difficulty speaking my words correctly-- feel ok otherwise, but hard to understand when I speak. do not have a XXXXXXX device-phone 0000
Brief Answer:
needs evaluation and possibly brain imaging
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Difficulty speaking, whether related to word finding and comprehension or due to difficulty articulating words, may be in the setting of a brain lesion, like a stroke, tumor, dementia etc.
If this issue has appeared abruptly then the first diagnosis to be considered is a stroke. Stroke is a medical emergency and as such you should be evaluated in the emergency room as soon as possible.
If on the other hand it has appeared over weeks or months then, while still it needs evaluation and possibly brain imaging, it is less urgent and it may be first discussed with your primary physician to see whether there are other symptoms which may orients towards the cause.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
needs evaluation and possibly brain imaging
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Difficulty speaking, whether related to word finding and comprehension or due to difficulty articulating words, may be in the setting of a brain lesion, like a stroke, tumor, dementia etc.
If this issue has appeared abruptly then the first diagnosis to be considered is a stroke. Stroke is a medical emergency and as such you should be evaluated in the emergency room as soon as possible.
If on the other hand it has appeared over weeks or months then, while still it needs evaluation and possibly brain imaging, it is less urgent and it may be first discussed with your primary physician to see whether there are other symptoms which may orients towards the cause.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Actually this did happen about a month ago while at work (still work) My Doctor ordered a test of my neck vessels (don't know how to spell the proper wording) and a cat scan. I did the first test and it was ok - 50% blockage on right side which had not changed since m last test 9 years ago. The ct scan I could not take. I have a sinus drip and could not breathe or remain still as I had to clear my throat- Was ok until today when a friend called me and I found my words blurring. I was told by a radiologist teck that sometimes, things like this can come from sinus. Maybe I need a good ear cleaning. Does this info make any difference?
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the additional information.
My primary hypothesis though remains a stroke, or at least a TIA (transient ischemic attack, while transitory is a subdivision of stroke). I am a little puzzled by that impossibility of having a CT scan, I would understand in the case of an MRI which takes time, but a CT scan with modern machines can be done in less than a minute.
As for the sinus issue, I do not find it that likely, some voice changes like hoarseness (not slurred speech as you seem to describe) may be present in throat infections, but there would be other symptoms like sore throat, difficulty swallowing etc should be easy to distinguish. I do not think ear cleaning will help. You can still be examined by your primary physician but in someone your age and given that 50% stenosis I would say with blood vessel involvement I would say a small stroke or TIA to be the likely cause.
In terms of treatment apart from Aspirin I would add a statin which apart from lowering cholesterol levels also stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques. However an evaluation is necessary not only for the possibility of CT scan or even better MRI, but also for a cardiac evaluation as heart arrhythmias are a common source of stroke, in that case Aspirin would not be enough.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the additional information.
My primary hypothesis though remains a stroke, or at least a TIA (transient ischemic attack, while transitory is a subdivision of stroke). I am a little puzzled by that impossibility of having a CT scan, I would understand in the case of an MRI which takes time, but a CT scan with modern machines can be done in less than a minute.
As for the sinus issue, I do not find it that likely, some voice changes like hoarseness (not slurred speech as you seem to describe) may be present in throat infections, but there would be other symptoms like sore throat, difficulty swallowing etc should be easy to distinguish. I do not think ear cleaning will help. You can still be examined by your primary physician but in someone your age and given that 50% stenosis I would say with blood vessel involvement I would say a small stroke or TIA to be the likely cause.
In terms of treatment apart from Aspirin I would add a statin which apart from lowering cholesterol levels also stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques. However an evaluation is necessary not only for the possibility of CT scan or even better MRI, but also for a cardiac evaluation as heart arrhythmias are a common source of stroke, in that case Aspirin would not be enough.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Surprised at the CT scan answer. They told me at least 15 minutes and because my head is lower than my body all I did was clearing my throat and coughing. Therefore
the tec said "no good for me".. I just had a physical three days ago along with an ekg- everything was ok. I do have some heart condition and take medication for it, also aa murmur. I am keeping a record as to when it comes. The first time it happened, I could not write correctly - today, I could. I do take medication for colitis, blood pressure, etc. Lipitor many years ago, I found myself not able to walk in a straight line, so it was stopped. My recent test showed 272. No change since last year. Thanks for your help/ PS- would a whole aspirin be better than the baby one. ?
the tec said "no good for me".. I just had a physical three days ago along with an ekg- everything was ok. I do have some heart condition and take medication for it, also aa murmur. I am keeping a record as to when it comes. The first time it happened, I could not write correctly - today, I could. I do take medication for colitis, blood pressure, etc. Lipitor many years ago, I found myself not able to walk in a straight line, so it was stopped. My recent test showed 272. No change since last year. Thanks for your help/ PS- would a whole aspirin be better than the baby one. ?
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
A simple CT scan is a pretty quick procedure, certainly doesn't last 15 minutes, in my line of work I see patients having CT scans every day, so I am confident in what I am saying. There might be slight differences between machines but not such a difference. So I am puzzled as well. Perhaps what was planned was an MRI, not a CT scan, that lasts longer. Another possibility is that they wanted to do an Angio CT, where contrast is injected and images of the vessels of the head and neck are obtained. That would take more time, haven't exactly timed those but still not 15 minutes (and even if that was the case still could have done a simple CT).
I am a little puzzled with what you say about Lipitor as well, balance issues are not a side effect which you commonly encounter, unless it was weakness instead of a balance problem (it can cause muscle damage). So you should verify with your doctor if indeed Lipitor was the drug in question and the cause of not being able to walk straight. It is important not only because of the level of cholesterol which at 272 is pretty high, but because its benefit as I said goes beyond lipid levels lowering, it also stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques preventing formation of clots which may cause strokes.
As for Aspirin the answer is no, raising the dose doesn't have much benefit. There used to be debates about that but studies have shown it to be equally effective for blood thinning at 75mg as well as 1g. Higher dosages simply start acting more quickly in new starters, but once you're regularly taking it the baby aspirin dosage is enough.
I hope to have been of help.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
A simple CT scan is a pretty quick procedure, certainly doesn't last 15 minutes, in my line of work I see patients having CT scans every day, so I am confident in what I am saying. There might be slight differences between machines but not such a difference. So I am puzzled as well. Perhaps what was planned was an MRI, not a CT scan, that lasts longer. Another possibility is that they wanted to do an Angio CT, where contrast is injected and images of the vessels of the head and neck are obtained. That would take more time, haven't exactly timed those but still not 15 minutes (and even if that was the case still could have done a simple CT).
I am a little puzzled with what you say about Lipitor as well, balance issues are not a side effect which you commonly encounter, unless it was weakness instead of a balance problem (it can cause muscle damage). So you should verify with your doctor if indeed Lipitor was the drug in question and the cause of not being able to walk straight. It is important not only because of the level of cholesterol which at 272 is pretty high, but because its benefit as I said goes beyond lipid levels lowering, it also stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques preventing formation of clots which may cause strokes.
As for Aspirin the answer is no, raising the dose doesn't have much benefit. There used to be debates about that but studies have shown it to be equally effective for blood thinning at 75mg as well as 1g. Higher dosages simply start acting more quickly in new starters, but once you're regularly taking it the baby aspirin dosage is enough.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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