Does anyone find it hard to form words while talking almost as if your muscles in your mouth aren't working correctly to say the works and keep up with your brain???? Also the ability to figure things out are becoming very difficult to me. I use to work for law firm as a paralegal as well as court clerk. I did so many cases and it was a breeze to me.. Now, it's like I never did any of it and worse yet can't seem to do the basic paper work within my home. Is it an attention thing or is it from the chiari??? It's so frustrating! I cry often.
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I had this whole long post written out and lost it dang it!!! Yes happens all the time. I don’t absorb when reading or when some people talk to me and my husband will tell me he never makes me feel stupid but it sometimes makes me feels like the eighty year old in the room. But what can you do? It is what it is, I just smile at the people I don’t understand. I love to read and don’t read at all anymore because I can’t absorb the words. My life has changed but I’m trying to make it work otherwise it would drive me infreakinsane 
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One more example last week my husband brought home a stupid lotto scratch off (btw I think they’re a huge waste I think that’s why he brings them home to me it’s really funny) but I tried to read the directions but couldn’t absorb it. A stupid lotto ticket a five year old could read but I can read the words but they don’t absorb that’s how mine work
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I had this kind of thing happening before surgery. I'd start telling someone something and then I'd just lose it. In the middle of the story I would have no idea what I was talking about. They could even prompt me with the last things I said and I still wouldn't recall it. Then randomly like an hour later I would pick up the story where I left off leaving my friends and family confused. lol
Lol I know that totally happens also for me the mind stuff is worse than the pain a lot of the time. The pain can be faked, the mind stuff cannot. 
Yep! All the time. It does seem to be worse on my bad days. I even took off school for a semester after reading a chapter 5 times and not remembering a word of it! I used to be a multi-tasking, organized pro...but not so much lately. So I try and take advantage of the better days! I have a pretty demanding job, so it can be an issue. Luckily my boss is really understanding and gives me a helper when I need it. As for the school work, I just started back this week, so we'll see how it goes!
Yes, it happens to me all the time. Probably more than I care to admit. I used to work in an office and did a lot of multi-tasking. I don' know how I did it. Now I can't handle more than one thing at a time and if someone is trying to talk while I'm on the phone or trying to read or fill out paperwork, it drives me crazy. I notice I'm having more trouble with it as time goes on. Even the simple things like making out a grocery list for the week, planning meals, or working on our family budget has become nearly impossible for me. I find myself avoiding conversation with people I don't know especially in public because I start talking and can't find my words or say them backwards, and it's so embarrasing to me. My worst days are when I'm having a bad head pressure day. Thank you for posting this. I was wondering if othrs experience this also, now I know. I'm not crazy:) lol Take Care.
I find it difficult to find the right words to say or find comprehending something either in written word or with someone saying something to me. My short-term memory is getting worse and it is frustrating when I take a bath, then forget I did, for example. I am 50 years old, but I do know that these things are not from age, but from Chiari. Best wishes for you. Keep your chin up and have faith. God will be with you in all of this.
In Christ,
Sabrina
yes it happends to me all the time to. my husband will say I do not know what you just said you made no sence. Also i have horrible organization skills I forget where i put basic things. And my attention span is worse when someone is speaking I have to ask again and again to get what the are staying sometime. When i get discouraged i realize that the Lord is with me through all of this and he is will you as weill.
i had my sugery back in april of last year and still have same problems but was told it takes time for different people.
Ok, week one of class down, and all I have to say is thank goodness my text book has pictures...lots of them. And spell check is a god send. I used to be a spelling pro...the one everyone would ask how to spell things..and it just took me 6 tries to spell "occasion" Grrr.....but I got this!
I’m having the same difficulty. I couldn’t understand why the surgery is deemed a success and I’m struggling to hold a conversation a yr later. I’ve felt like I’m failing. Thank God for guiding me here tonight! Wait- this morning.
Brandi,
Man that sounds so much like me. I have The Hunger Games on my Nook but I don't want to read them because I'll just forget.
what I read. Do you watch movies for the first time like three times? I keep losing stuff too, I'l have a bunch of paragraphs and then I lose them. Difference is my husband loves to make fun of me! I also just smile and nod because I don't have a clue.
Sarah
Brandi said:
I had this whole long post written out and lost it dang it!!! Yes happens all the time. I don't absorb when reading or when some people talk to me and my husband will tell me he never makes me feel stupid but it sometimes makes me feels like the eighty year old in the room. But what can you do? It is what it is, I just smile at the people I don't understand. I love to read and don't read at all anymore because I can't absorb the words. My life has changed but I'm trying to make it work otherwise it would drive me infreakinsane :)
What I call "my lack of" ability, has played a great part of coming back to posts even, due to this problem with "my mind slipping" .... I'm sorry i haven't replied earlier, but that seems to be part of this whole attention thing I've got going on. It's so frustrating sometimes I just want to cry. It's knowing how smart we are and wanting to tell people "HEY I could do so much at one time and was REALLY ontop of things!" , and then saying "what's the sense, it's like i'm getting dementia or something!" .... We all want soo much to be able to be known for who we were . sad.
Yes I think this is a Chiari thing as it is one of my issues too. My main concern is forgetting things and brain fog.
In the middle of a conversation I go completely blank and my mind is frantically searching around for the end of the conversation so I can select the right word and carry on.
I know people notice this and I find it very embarrassing.
I work as an Office Manager/Administrator and have dealt with forms all my working life. Now I struggle to fill in a form.
At the hospital My husband had to do this for me as I was unable to remember dates, time frames and even some of the symptoms I have been having.
I even asked my boss yesterday if he had notice if I was forgetting things at work. I can still remember most things, but have to look up a lot more to refresh my memory.
Steph
I know this is an old post, but I just had to reply & say thank you to everyone who shared here! I’ve been having so many of the same speech troubles. My daughter & husband both say they have a hard time understanding me sometimes, & even our Amazon Alexa doesn’t always catch what I’m saying. And sometimes when I’m talking I just have to stop, like my mouth & brain aren’t at the same speed. And then my husband will ask me what I’m trying to say, & that makes it even harder for my brain! It reminds me of when a friend of mine had a stroke. It’s so frustrating, I’ve just accepted that this is how I am now. I’m wondering if decompression would help this.
I have had memory problems and word problems for years. I had to stop working the job I loved of 14 years. Now I am on disability and I am 44. Thank God that I was able to get approval. There are times I am talking and can’t get the word out of my mouth even though I can see it in my head. I hate it when people give me words as examples because that just makes it worse. I always joke with my dad because he does it because of his age and I tell him it’s not age related I’m 44 and I do it.
I always wondered why this happened…Good to hear I’m not alone but it’d be great if the brain fog would go away for good especially after surgery.
I agree. Without the brain fog and central fatigue that goes along with it, my life would look surprisingly different. I still mourn what I do not have anymore.
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Most definetly! I feel the same way,there’s soo many things I should still be able to do but cant.There are very few people who wont interact with me because of this too.Im still positive but its tough some days.Im not sure whats worse…the fatigue or the pain.Ive found after surgery that I forget more and I know the words I want to say but it just wont come out properly.