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).