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had a pacemaker after heart stopping. Tried for the past 3 years to recover, but it seems like I fell in a hole and I can't get back up. weakness, tremors, fatigue, started using walker and wheel chair. lots of PT and OT but I still have problems with balance and strength and energy. slurred speech which got worse when I tried a natural supplement while on antidepressant, 15 minutes after the drink I sort of lost my senses and when I came to I was speaking gibberish that sounded like italian. It progressed to where I spoke English in a French accent and my mother tongue is now spoken in a completely different accent. This has been going on for over 2 years. Have not been able to find a Dr. who can treat me. They blame it on anxiety but I don't believe that because it is permanent now and I am also having difficulty swallowing solid food.
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paced2live27 - I'm sorry to hear that you've had these complications that have affected your ability to get the type of care and support you need. I'm guessing this has been a long haul and you're pretty frustrated. I would still encourage you to not give up. FAS is a very rare disorder and it's typically difficult for patients with rare disorders to get the type of attention they need in a cookie-cutter medicine with short appointments world. Having two languages involved isn't an issue. Getting the right specialist is. Please do not take these words as criticism, what I'm saying is that while it is hard to do this, if you can muster up your courage and pull together your medical history and test data and so forth in a very precise, factual manner and get to a specialist who has the training and interest in treating you it could make a world of difference. If there is a local stroke or brain injury association they make be able to help you in researching specialists in your area. You may have to go outside of your local area. It takes extra work when you have a rare condition.
Two years is a long time to have had to deal with this, try to get help, not get help, and be told that you have "anxiety." You deserve better and a good life. I hope you will go after it!
All the best, Pat
May 14, 2010 - 4:19pmThis Comment
Thanks Pat for your care, I am researching the net and getting some feedbacks but I still am trying to find the right place to get the help I need. I am a fighter I don't give up too easily, even though I get frustrated sometimes.
May 14, 2010 - 5:00pmHave a great weekend. God Bless.
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Paced2live - Is it possible that you had a stroke in the past? There's a rare and acquired speech disorder known as Foreign accent syndrome or FAS that in many cases is caused by a stroke. The brain damage from the stroke affects a person's speech rhythm and melody. People with FAS adopt what sounds like a foreign accent, even though they may have never traveled to a foreign country before or learned a foreign language.
Patients have found support for this through speech therapy and counseling. You may want to consider seeing a specialist who can provide the right type of exam and diagnostic workup such as a speech-language pathologist, neurologist, neuropsychologist or psychologist. Some of the diagnostic tools used are:
* Psychological evaluation
* Language skills assessment, such as:
* Examination of muscles used in speech
* Electroencephalogram (EEG) -a test that records the brain's activity by measuring electrical currents through the brain
* MRI scan -a test that uses magnetic waves to make pictures of structures inside the brain
* CT scan -a type of x-ray that uses a computer to make pictures of structures inside the brain
It would also be a good idea to make sure that your pacemaker is working properly and is not causing any issues for you.
Will you let us know how you plan to follow up on this? Good luck! Pat
May 13, 2010 - 6:46pmThis Comment
Thank for the reply, Pat. I had problems with my PM but it took a while to listen to my complaint, now I finally feel that it is working properly. As for the speech they did all the test but no MRI and no contrast because I have allergies. They think that something neurological happened but it is not showing on the tests. I am still searching. As for the FAS I feel that is what I have but the doctors don't agree with me. When I speak with my family and friends they either cry or hang up thinking that they dialed the wrong number. It is very stressful because my two languages have been affected and I don't know if there is any other case of FAS that affected both languages. I am a stranger in my own body.
May 13, 2010 - 6:59pmI am still searching.
Thanks for the info. God Bless.
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Did you say that the doctors did "all the tests" meaning they did all of the tests Pat mentioned, except for the MRI? Did the CT scan, EEG or other tests all come out OK (meaning, no sign of stroke)?
I'm curious..I'm not sure I understand how your allergies are related to this, and how allergies would effect the ability for a contrast to be shown on tests?
May 13, 2010 - 7:52pmThis Comment
Hi Alison
May 14, 2010 - 7:11amThanks for the response. I had all tests done but the head scans were done without the dye or contrast because I had a severe reaction and they warned me never to have the contrast dye again. So the scan shows the brain but if it was a tiny stroke deep inside the brain sometimes the c-scan without contrast can miss it. As for the MRI not allowed if u have a PM unless they turn the PM of.
I hope that cleared the answer to your questions.
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