Hello all…chiari malformation type 1 here,
So lately I’ve really been struggling to find words & its getting worse. When I’m talking I can visualize what I want to say but find it hard to pull the word from my brain. It’s getting frustrating cuz I feel dumb when speaking to people of importance. Is anyone else having this problem.
Hey Erica,
I’m a male so I don’t know if I’m allowed to use this expression now or not 
but “Me Too”. It was one of the reasons I had to quit working. Often I had to be very alert and ready to act to diffuse a confrontation using words, not force, then when you can’t find the words, ohh the frustration. In trying to get the ‘right words’ the ‘wrong words’ often spring to mind much easier and on occasions even get said DOH.
The brain fog just gets so heavy sometimes it fogs everything including my sensitivity gene. Forget ‘diplomatic’, I went ‘Direct’ and in doing so I offended. It wasn’t that I was trying to offend but by the time I’d said it and then my mind processed it, it was too late, those words were out there and rather than diffuse the situation I’d just added 1/2 a ton of dynamite to the mix AND lit the fuse. BOOM!!!
I knew what select language I should use, but in stumbling to find the words I felt foolish and lacked confidence. Some people saw that as an opportunity to take advantage of which only added to my feeling of foolishness and I seemed to be going around in circles. I had to get out of that environment and ended up resigning my position. And that’s frustrating in itself.
So yea, I’ve been there too.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
Isn’t it awful. I tend to also use the wrong word & sometimes words that make no sense. It’s so embarrassing 
I’m just tired of going to drs & getting no answers or well there’s something going on but not enough to diagnose. Ugh
Ohh yes, yes, yes… or the response being “There’s nothing wrong…It’s just you”. I think part of the problem with the brain is that because we are all wired differently and no 2 brain injuries are ever the same, so obtaining an exact answer is near on impossible. What may cause minimal effect on you could cause a catastrophic effect me. Often the medicos just don’t know, but very few are willing to admit that they simply don’t have all of the answers.
I have a disease I call ‘foot-in-mouth’ disease. I can often say the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time and, without even trying, offend everyone (can only imagine how bad it could be if I’d tried to offend 
) I can often stick my foot so far in my mouth I can almost kick my own butt sometimes 
So I now ‘try’ to stop myself and process my answers prior but it can be so exhausting. Here, online I can type it out, read it, alter it, then post it. Edited. Can’t do that face to face though
Merl from the Modsupport Team