Hi,

I have been enjoying the posts on quality of life and alternative therapies. After reading about continuum movement therapy and Bob's post where he describes talking super fast when we want to be slow dancing, I was especially struck by the seeming polarities of movement that seem to take over in us; it seems we are either consigned to moving too slowly or having dyskinetic herky-jerkies; interesting how fluid the idea of "normal" has become...

I wonder how is the quality of speech out there. Interestingly, prior to my PD diagnosis, in fact long before, I was known as a fast talker; not out of control, but a bit hasty, especially when nervous or stressed. Now that PD is in the picture, my rate of speech generally mirrors my physical status quo. If I am moving slow, my speech slows down too. I still talk fast when provoked, but I have way too many others noticing this of late, including my neurologist. He has noted that I have "pressured speech". I know this can be a PD symptom, but for me it seems to emerge either when extremely anxious or when dyskinetic. What is frustrating is that I can't tell it is happening until someone reacts; I can then slow it down no problem.

Anyone else have this just as a common PD thing? My hypertalk generally seems to take hold, when I have a little too much medication in my system. The problem is I teach, so I want to try and get this under control. I know there are strategies to help with volume of speech like LBT. Is there anything we can do for pressured speech?

Thanks!

Laura

[QUOTE=Conductor71;683175]Hi,

I have been enjoying the posts on quality of life and alternative therapies. After reading about continuum movement therapy and Bob's post where he describes talking super fast when we want to be slow dancing, I was especially struck by the seeming polarities of movement that seem to take over in us; it seems we are either consigned to moving too slowly or having dyskinetic herky-jerkies; interesting how fluid the idea of "normal" has become..

Laura,

maybe you just have a lot to say ...you hhave a GIFT! I really like your passion and enthusiasm....relax girlfriend seems to me that words that flow from you are anything but pressured!

listening in Oregon,
sharilyn

:Hi Laura,

When I was overmedicated (16 mg agonist + addition/titration of L-dopa), I also began to speak quickly and "enthusiastically" for a couple of days (or was it weeks?) That was more like a PD beniemoon than a PD honeymoon and, although my gown collection increased exponentially during that time, my doctor described me as pseudo-manic and I began feeling a little too close to the edge of a strange, new cliffside. (Anyway, I've also read that there are all sorts of speech changes that can result from the disease itself, as well as with hearing, vision, touch.)

Check out the Lee Silverman Voice Technique site to learn about their Big and Loud training. I've taken it and it really could be named Big, Loud and Carefully Articulated, which usually translates as slow. This seems to make a difference. The trick is awareness. Good luck!

Your Rose

Never heard it called pressured speech before! I speed talk, remarkably fast talking, and it does seem to be as the posters above state: too many drugs, and too much excitement. I often notice it and slow down; because I have to communicate with other people. As said above, the key is awareness.
I add one comment: when I am speed talking, I am not saying everything. I would say more if I could talk faster. The ideas are coming at me; sometimes I can visualize their speed as they come at me through the air; I catch a few and speak them; most go zooming past my head and I don't even know what ideas they were.
This does not happen when I am saying "I love you" or "where are my shoes?"
It does not happen in poetry or country music. My deepest self does not speak fast like that.
But I am not sure of the complete list, if there is one, when the speed talk starts. Sometimes it is when there is a challenge from other people in the room. They want me to explain something, or I think they are wrong about something; and it often has a component of intellectual wrestling or trying to explain how the life rafts work as the boat is sinking. There is some sort of urgent reason why everybody in the room needs to absorb a million words at ultra-fast forward.
At that speed, I dominate the airwaves in the room, but comprehension suffers because when I really wind up and let it go, even people who know me very well lose the thread and don't know what I am talking about; especially, sometimes they understand a lot of the words I am saying but cannot identify the topic, or see any connection, which frustrates me because it all seems clear to me.
I practice going slo-mo a lot and I can pretty much control it if I am aware of it (that's continuum's job)
But you know the thing about PWP becoming isolated from other people? It's one trick the Beast has - give you an audience, get you up to speak, and then you find out no one understands what you are talking about. That's a different way of being all alone in the room.

Now hear this: there are times now when my hearing is better than it has ever been in my life. I pick up sounds from far away; sounds are much more acute and precise; I hear things that others don't hear -- and I am not referring to auditory hallucinations -- I am referring for example to hearing the fox move toward the barn long before anyone else hears it. Perhaps if I work at it I can grow big ears and become a werewolf.

The other thing that is more acute is visual beauty. The things that I always knew were beautiful become much more beautiful as the disease progresses. In whole and in detail the beauty becomes more intense; and the impact on me becomes close to overwhelming at times.
My friend Madman Marty complains that I have started writing about "The Joys of Parkinson's".
Well not much joy in it really but I sure learned a lot about the human race and stuff, and this beauty thing haunts me in a happy way. The door on my front porch is more beautiful than it was 3 months ago. And that does not seem to stop; I assume I will end up catatonic in a few years; because there may be a point of no return in how far into beauty you can get.
And it comes to me as revealed. The beauty was always there but it was not revealed to me before.

as one or two of you might have noticed..i can do a pretty good ramble. ha! this happens when i am on and overdosed on sinemet [generic] and not only does my speech speed up but so do my thoughts and i try to say two or more things at a time. so you stumble and kind of freeze trying to get it out. it reminds me of the shuffle walk, very similar type of short circuit.

you start to say somethiing then your thought is replaced by s rabbit trail and before you know it no one is listening to you and you realize this after you take 5 min to say something that should have taken one or two min and you've lost them. and it's all fast and so low that no one can hear me.

at this time my impulsivity is at a maximum and plenty of times i've dumped the energy right here in the forum.

i am thrilled that they are looking at other transmitters and they have to find something better than sinemet. it will kill - how may pwp do you know who have died of heart attacks in their 60s? the excitatory nature of this illness and meds is at full force for me now at age 60 and having pd for over 20 years. i am sincerely worried now for my children and grandchild. i have dystonia around my upper chest and a deterioriating spine. the writing is on the wall here....not trying to depress, but these trials and rip offs are not going to do it.

i am sorry to rick for expressing negativity about his article about l-dopa and learning but when you could go at anytime from this illness or complications thereof i don't care to have philosophical discussions. I can see years and years of preclinical money being thrown at "learning". and no treatment.

bob, i think you had better grow ears and become a werewolf if you are walking in the woods at 3 am. i can think of a couple of animals that might mistake you for dinner. i'm mixing up threads but want to limit myself to one ramble.
we are wound too tight and we need to know what part the other neurotransmitters are playing because we have medicine that could help. They say anticholinergics cause dementis through allergy meds or some such over the counter durg....i think it was on a link that soccertese posted about something else and i saw it on the page. but it was for 'normal' people, we need our transmitters balanced.

well how many thoughts did i express..and i'm speed typing and playing My Favorite things on the piano, newly returned to me from my daughter. myfingers are stretching and reaching and moving where they usually are curled. so i function motorically quite well at the dinner hour but i can't put two words together without a stammer and if i do it can be like the energizer bunny...it lkeeps going and going and i do something impulsive if i don't let some of it out.

i used to email mike fox...finally broke that habit but i'm grateful to understand why i did email him about stuff we were doing but he wasn't involved with. that was my punding...writing everywhere or talking up a storm. and it becomes difficult to break the habit and to slow down - now i'm seeing that this has been identified in one of the new pathways they have found - the ability to initiate and cease voluntary actions, not just movements. i have stated this before but to me it is the most important find ever. it ties cognition, emotion, movement to parkinsons - now lets fix it or at least don't drop this study.

then all my rambles will not have been in vain....lol

bob and steve be careful walking at night. its hallucination time and you could have an accident.

ok finished but don't remember which thread i am answering i'll just be surprised when i post it.

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses. Rose, I suspect that my neuro is thinking that the rapid speech correlates with me potentially being hypomanic; therefore, I get to spend three hours with a psychiatrist next week. I will tell him exactly what my mom has said of my speech for over twenty years "Laura, you're talking faster than a wet duck's *ss" I suspect for me it is medication with an overlay of anxiety induced fast jive talkin. Imagine if we were all made characters in Orwell's 1984, we could do doublespeak at hyperspeed- now that would be something to behold.

I am most aware of the speech velocity when I know I have frontloaded a little too much levodopa. I am sure most people simply think I am an addict of something and jonesin' which I guess given that I supplicate at the altar of Sinemet this is most likely true at some level.

Sharilyn- thank you for the kind words. Rose- thanks for having my back, as usual...I meant LSVT (not LBT, all I could think of was "Big"). I will look into it.

Laura