Noun Deficiency Syndrome

[spindrift]

Maria and I have been comparing brain (mal)function in verbal and written communication skills since becoming ill.
 
Before becoming severely ill, Maria had attended nursing school and had an eidetic memory. She was able to accurately recite pages of a book she had read or close her eyes and give a detailed description of every object in a room. I have always had severe problems memorizing anything and had to build my education and career on logic and creativity (math, physics, technical drafting and design). Although we come from totally different corners, we have the same problems when it comes to speaking and writing, since becoming ill.

We first noticed that both of us always forget to put the second m into the word remember (yes, I just had to correct that) and started comparing. We soon began to realize, that we pretty much make the same mistakes while writing, for example mixing up words that sound the same, but are spelled differently according to meaning, e.g. week and weak, although we know the difference.

The most amazing thing we discovered was, when we blank out on words while speaking, they are always nouns. No exceptions! The brain seems to have problems translating something we can visualize as a static picture, into a word.

It would be interesting to know what type of words others blank out on.

Hmm... maybe we should make a second poll for healthy controls, but then it would probably take them forever to figure out because they don't have our 'word blank out frequency'. On an exceptional day I can hit 10 Hz
 
 
 

 

[Maria]

word of note: the memory was one of the first things  to go when I first got sick...come to think of it that was probably the first cognitive loss of all at least 7 years before nursing school

[Ash]

+1 for verbal noun problem, I say "that thingy" & point a lot, forget things like fridge (big white thing with food in it) etc, it is funny I can describe whatever it is perfectly but just can't say the damn name!




(edited to finish what I was typing)

[Adam]

+1 for verbal noun problem, I say "that thingy" & point a lot, forget things like fridge (big white thing with food in it) etc, it is funny I can describe whatever it is perfectly but just can't say the damn name!




(edited to finish what I was typing)

Same here 

[Tango]

me too

[lulu]

Major noun blanker here. My need to describe things because I cannot remember the name is similar to how I communicated in France, when I lived there many moons ago: frequently not having the vocab, I would attempt to describe the object. I recommend David Sedaris for accounts of this:

Jesus Shaves (David Sedaris)

[spindrift]

Lulu, I make you personally responsible for the PEM I am going to have from laughing, while listening to that! Absolutely the funniest thing I have come across lately. 

[bluebell]

Me too.  "The..the...the" is one of my favorite phrases.  Like Maria, I had almost perfect recall of everything I read before I got ill, but had to drop out of grad school last year because I would read 40 pages and absorb absolutely nothing. 

Sad, but pride is something you have to drop if you want to survive with this illness.  I consider this one of the few blessings of being sick - just acknowledging to myself that I am a very low-functioning person at the moment and trying to be okay with that is an interesting challenge;-). 

That said, I find that the loss of brain function the worst part of the illness.  I am trying to apply for disability and can't seem to dial the right number, get the correct day, etc. etc.  It is all I can do to get my kids to the right school at the appointed hour. 

Although ME can keep my pride, I would very much like my brain back.  I like that recent Deckoff-Jones (sp?) post where she said her brain actually is recovering faster than her body.  That would be just fine with me!

[Khaly]

The brain seems to have problems translating something we can visualize as a static picture, into a word.

Huh.  I never really thought about it in that context, but yes, that describes it.  I think in pictures.   The thingy (lol!) that translates pictures into English is broken.  It takes effort to translate it in my head to myself, let alone verbalize it to others.  Some days it just doesn't happen.  It's definitely the nouns. 
 
Interestingly, over the last few years I've gone from beridden to mostly upright and even fairly active on some days.  But the brain thingy never recovered.  That seems permanent.  You can almost sense the rewiring that's had to occur in the brain.
 
 

[belcanto]

Very interesting observation, Spin!  Seems to fit the picture of selective areas of the brain being affected.

Lulu - that's truly funny.  Can you reference it over in the "funny" section? 

[Wildaisy]

I still remember years ago when Dr. Cheney was explaining about the ME/CFS cognitive problems to me.  He said his patients would not be able to remember words.  One might say, "That big thing at the side of the ski slope that you can hit.  It's brown and then green sometimes..."  And Dr. Cheney would say, "You mean a tree?"  And the person would say, "Yes, a tree."

I had never noticed that it was always nouns, but I think mine are always nouns.  And it sounds like Dr. Cheney's patients were having trouble with nouns too.

[lulu]

Lulu, I make you personally responsible for the PEM I am going to have from laughing, while listening to that! Absolutely the funniest thing I have come across lately. 

I am with you spin! I have read and listened to this I don't know how many times and I still cry with laughter. Bel, I will put some David Sedaris on the funny thread.

[Jaz]

Nouns and Homonym Dysfunction are my major problems.. and yes I often leave the 2nd "m" our of 'remember' when I'm typing too. 

Sounds like they should really be able to pinpoint exactly which parts of our brains are primarily affected by ME.

[Maria]

ok confess!!! who voted for pronouns?

[OverTheHills]

Thankyou so much Spin!!!!

I hadn't realised so many others had exactly the same issue.For some reason I find that cheering.

Its soooo long winded trying to describe the long stick-type thing with a brush on the end which you use to clear the floor. My partner has got very good at finishing my sentences for me.

I find that if I wait a few seconds the noun does usually arrive - its like my brain has some sneaky backroad route to find it.

OTH