Feel like I'm getting stupider and losing my ability to think and talk

December 18, 2018 1:01 PM

Since I was learned to read, a part of my identity has been based around 'being a reader', having a relatively wide and even slightly esoteric vocabulary (meaning I enjoy words!) and talking in well constructed sentences.

Now, I've been in the same job for seven years where I realise I'm basically using the same smaller vocabulary set every day and I'm not going home and reading.
In addition, I've realised I'm probably suffering from some kind of social anxiety and maybe even depression. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to speak clearly, cogently and coherently and where I once loved a verbal 'debate' I now find I haven't the energy or skill to take on my wife who I was once on an equal footing with.
I find I'm skim reading articles online and have an astonishing level of surface level detail of what's going on in the world but if pressed (either if I press myself or if someone else probes a bit) I don't have much understanding of the deeper situation.
Take last night's news about Corbyn challenging May with a vote of no confidence. My wife was asking me for key information - what happens next? Who votes? What happens if the vote succeeds? I found whereas once I would be well briefed on the whole story, now I seem to have only managed to take in the headline.

A few years ago I developed what I think is a yeast infection which causes my tongue to swell and makes speaking very difficult. I'm minded to think a lot of my problems are traceable to this: it's made me doubt myself and it's made me question and second guess myself: if I open my mouth now around this table - am I actually going to be able to speak clearly or am I going to embarrass myself by lisping and talking AROUND my tongue? I've had to develop different ways of talking; different cadences and I can feel my mouth is having to actually move differently to get the words out.

In short: I'm having a sort of crisis and I don't know what to do. The NHS can't pinpoint what's going on in my mouth. The dentist and an ENT consultant have both tried. The latter tried mid Summer when I wasn't currently experiencing symptoms. Natural probiotic Yoghurt seems to help and sugar seems to cause a flare up. It seems yeast related. I'd never suffered at all until my initial big "attack" a few years ago which caused geographic tongue, lesions all over the inside of my mouth and pain swallowing etc etc etc.

HELP!!

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

I've realised I'm probably suffering from some kind of social anxiety and maybe even depression

I think this is worth looking into more. I don't know how it works on the NHS, but I also live somewhere with a national healthcare system, and we are supposed to ask our GP about mental health concerns like anxiety and depression--they may be able to deal with it themselves, or refer us to specialists if necessary. Would your GP be helpful if you brought up this possibility with them?

I have found that aging, hormone fluctuations, and lack of sleep have all affected my thinking and ability to be articulate at various periods recently. Don't know if any of those things apply to you, but they do have a real effect on me.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:20 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

Have you talked to an internist? I'm not your doc but I can give you a few suggestions on what to ask your doctor about - feel free to drop me a MeMail. .
posted by M. at 1:42 PM on December 18, 2018

If you suspect it's yeast, can your doctor prescribe an oral anti-fungal? I had a similar weird mouth issue a while back and got pills as well as a mouth rinse that took care of it. If that isn't an option, you might have to do a candida fast, which is a keto diet for at least 30 days with intermittent fasting, will eventually starve the yeast out. (I and several people I know have done this in the past, it does work)

Serious yeast infections can absolutely have an effect on mood, energy levels, and cognition, so I would continue to pursue a solution to that situation and see if things improve. I felt SO much more clearheaded and less anxious and depressed after I got my candida under control.
posted by ananci at 1:43 PM on December 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Have you been evaluated for food sensitivities? I mean, there's a bunch of stuff we are barely beginning to scratch the surface on understanding so there may be no real help in that quarter, but we are starting to understand that gut health is incredibly important - I just found out two weeks ago that 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain, from the researcher who did the linked study, on the awesome podcast Ologies - to brain function and maybe even behavior. It's worth getting a basic GI workup if you can.

(I'm not exactly recommending this book because I have just started it, but I will just say there is a book called The Mood Cure that I've had recommended to me by several people I respect as being not super woo.)
posted by Lyn Never at 1:52 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

Have they checked your Vitamin B12 levels (via blood test)?
posted by gudrun at 3:09 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

I'll suggest lots of Vitamin D because it's that time of year when people in northern latitudes simply do not get enough sun even if they work outside (and if you work inside you're probably not getting enough sun anyway) and thus are at an enormous deficit. Lack of D definitely makes me depressed and dopey. And just a week on like 3000-5000IU a day can make quite a difference. And it's cheap too. Anyway, worth a shot.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:12 PM on December 18, 2018

My generalized anxiety has gotten worse over the last few years and it has definitely made me feel dumber and less articulate. (I bet I have a similar brain to yours, based on what you've said here.) When you feel a constant low-level dread it's hard to get yourself psyched up and ready to spar. (When I have a reason to come out of that [some project that overwhelms my usual nerves, whatever] I absolutely feel like my old self again.)

I don't really have advice, since I'm in the same position you are—just definitely don't discount your mental state making you feel like you're thinking in jello.
posted by Polycarp at 4:36 PM on December 18, 2018 [4 favorites]

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to speak clearly, cogently and coherently and where I once loved a verbal 'debate' I now find I haven't the energy or skill to take on my wife who I was once on an equal footing with.

A speech therapist may be able to provide feedback and support for these kinds of issues, because speech therapy can be more than just lisps or swallowing issues - your description of feeling unable to participate in previously-enjoyed debates sounds a bit like an attention issue, but a speech therapist or other occupational rehabilitation specialist may be able to help, and perhaps help encourage your GP to send you to a neurologist.
posted by Little Dawn at 5:00 PM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

How much sleep are you getting? How high a quality is your sleep?
posted by tooloudinhere at 6:22 PM on December 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

Aside from your tongue/mouth issues, could it be what you are reading? I have the same problems with not being able to debate in-depth anymore, and I blame it on reading twitter, blog posts, etc. online and not reading books very often anymore.

It sounds like you have good suggestions for your mouth and I hope it gets better for you.
posted by marguerite at 7:45 PM on December 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

I find I'm skim reading articles online and have an astonishing level of surface level detail of what's going on in the world but if pressed (either if I press myself or if someone else probes a bit) I don't have much understanding of the deeper situation.

This is true for most people for most subjects. Please don't feel it is just you.

As far your speech impediment goes. The only thing that will help is practice. Learn a speech and recite it whenever you have downtime. Some of the most articulate people I have ever met had speech impediments. The most articulate was mute and spoke with one of those vibrator voice instruments. To a degree, I think it helps to be comfortable with your impediment. Own it.

I am worried that you are suffering from a real physical ailment. The oral anti-fungal sounds like a very good idea. On the other hand, I suffer too from what I call occasional brain fog. Most people do. Maybe take on a reading project of some kind? Some book you've always wanted to read as a challenge?
posted by xammerboy at 10:52 PM on December 18, 2018

Has your wife been tested for yeast, either oral or vaginal? Last time I had a recurring vaginal yeast infection, my doctor prescribed the same pill for me and for my husband. Not sure if this is helpful to you, but it might be worth asking.
posted by CathyG at 10:54 AM on December 19, 2018

You might want to give Toastmasters a try - sit through a meeting of three. It can be socially stimulating, and it’s a warm place to integrate a lot of what you’d like to get back into. Delivering a speech with a friendly audience in a similar environment might help you saddle up & ride. The yeast thing is beyond my ken, though other answers seem helpful.
posted by childofTethys at 7:14 PM on December 19, 2018