Cindy, I, too, have a speech impediment.  I know exactly how you feel.

Christina

Cindy C Curtis wrote:

> I have a speech impairment.  I often thought if I could change one thing
> about my CP, it would be my speech.  My speech impairment is one of the
> gifts the Lord has sovereignly decided to bestow upon me.  It's sometimes
> hard when I'm out on my own, but I usually get my point across.
> Sometimes it's funny when people think they know what you said.  They
> come up with the funniest things, LOL!
>
> Cindy C.
>
> On Thu, 27 Apr 2000 23:32:45 EDT Betty Alfred <[log in to unmask]> writes:
> > In a message dated 04/27/2000 8:56:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> > [log in to unmask] writes:
> >
> > << I think if I allowed myself to wallow in my problems, I'd be a
> > basket case.
> >  Betty, I have FMS and I know how it feels to be exhausted after a
> > shower. If
> >  I could change anything about the CP, I'd want clear speech.
> >   >>
> >
> > Me too Mag -- in fact I have wallowed in my problems from time to
> > time in my
> > life, and it just makes me feel worse.  It isn't worth it.  I think
> > if you've
> > had a serious bout with depression and are starting to get better,
> > it's so
> > very important to make sure you are directing your thoughts properly
> > or the
> > wallowing thing can happen.  I know this sounds trite, but it really
> > does
> > make a difference if you force yourself to smile.  Smiling and
> > laughing are
> > supposed to cause a release of endorphins or some chemical that
> > affects the
> > mood.
> >
> > I'm smiling right now and I feel pretty good.  I feel pretty dorkey
> > too,
> > sitting here smiling at my monitor.
> >
> > Since the disability, I've discovered that a lot of "feel good"
> > sayings I
> > previously thought were trite really do have an application.
> > Perhaps it's
> > the way they are applied, or the sincerity of the person who is
> > dishing them
> > out to you.
> >
> > When I had the kick off meeting for my children's program in '98, I
> > had
> > prepared a lecture presentation and folders of handouts for
> > everyone.  In the
> > folders I included two pencils and one pen that had this saying:
> > "Success is
> > a journey, not a destination."  Man, that statement really meant
> > something to
> > me, and it does still.
> >
> > I understand that FMS can be very hard to cope with.  I don't really
> > understand it but I've read that it can really interrupt your life.
> > I'm very
> > sorry you're having to deal with that.  There doesn't seem to be
> > much
> > knowledge in the medical community about how to help people with FMS
> > either,
> > unless I'm reading the wrong stuff.  Is it as misunderstood as I
> > keep hearing
> > Mag?
> >
> > I started having speech problems last fall, and it's taken me
> > several months
> > to get used to it.  I used to be able to talk very fast, and this
> > was a bit
> > of a hassle to get used to.  My tongue feels so thick, it's like the
> > muscles
> > that control the back of it don't want to work -- it's hard to
> > explain.  It's
> > not bad by any stretch until I get very tired or have been talking
> > too long.
> > Basically, I just had to slow down my speech to compensate.  When
> > this first
> > started I was biting the back of my tongue a lot when I talked, and
> > it was
> > sore all the time.  Now I've learned how to talk without doing that,
> > but
> > sometimes it still happens.
> >
> > For the most part, I doubt if anyone can even tell now unless I'm
> > really
> > tired.  I've noticed that when I take pain medication it gets worse
> > too and
> > I'm taking more of that these days (between me and my Mom, we've had
> > to
> > reestablish the baseline for "loopy" around here).  But when it's
> > been
> > noticeably difficult for me to talk, I've found myself apologizing
> > to the
> > person I'm talking with.  Then they say they don't notice that
> > anything is
> > wrong.  I don't know if they are being polite or if it really isn't
> > noticeable.  At times I'm sure it isn't, but other times I know
> > darned well
> > it is.  It's all related to the fatigue factor.  The more tired I
> > am, the
> > more difficult it is to talk without biting my tongue.
> >
> > If anything, it's given me a little more appreciation for people who
> > have
> > speech problems.  It's not enough to give me a terribly hard time,
> > but enough
> > to make me more empathetic.
> >
> > Are people patient if they don't understand something you've said?
> > I guess
> > I'm just wondering what the worst thing is about having speech
> > difficulties
> > -- if it's the speech itself, or the people you interact with during
> > the
> > course of the day.  I guess this question is for anyone who wants to
> > answer.
> >
> > Betty (I'm changing my name to curious George.  At least nobody will
> > call me
> > boobs anymore).