Struggling with speech - therapy is critical

I still remember struggling to speak in 1998, using wrong words, sometimes using gibberish, sometimes simply remaining silent. The problem is called aphasia, a common problem for stroke patients.

The article below describes it well:

"In aphasia, patients become virtually trapped in their bodies," said Melissa Moniz, a local speech pathologist in private practice. "This is often devastating for patients who were fully functional before having a stroke."

Does my aphasia problem persist today? Not to a large degree. To any degree? That, I'll never know. Everyone will occasionally stumble in speech. When I do it, I always - and I suppose always will - ask myself if I would have made that error before?

I will never forget the help that speech therapy gave me in my recovery. It's an incredible important job that, unless you need it, is often overlooked.

An article from Bermuda, of all places, tells why speech therapists are important to stroke victims:

Speech and language pathologists at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) ... are an integral part of rehabilitation for stroke victims.

Elwood Fox, chief of rehabilitation at KEMH, said stroke victims commonly experience problems understanding, communicating and/or swallowing. Speech and language pathologists can assess the extent to which stroke victims are affected in each of these areas, and can help them regain or improve their functionality.

Stroke patients often have their ability to communicate and understand impaired in a condition called aphasia. Most commonly, this manifests as either: 1) the patient’s physical inability to speak despite knowing what they want to say, or 2) the patient loses understanding of what is said.

"In aphasia, patients become virtually trapped in their bodies," said Melissa Moniz, a local speech pathologist in private practice. "This is often devastating for patients who were fully functional before having a stroke.

"It can be as simple as them wanting to have their hair combed and not being able to say it, or telling you that they don’t want to eat chicken, that they want a hamburger. It’s frustrating for them not be understood."