Writing Gibberish??? Scary Stuff! Input?

[jenglynn]

I had an incident happen last week or so that I'm still trying to decipher. Lately, my writing skills have suffered quite a bit- not just from autonomic issues but Post Concussion Syndrome DX after 7 or 8 (not quite sure) concussions. I sent an email to a friend, ( I should say I sent it kinda late and I as starting to get a little tired... But STILL) just a short paragraph email confirming I'd be home for a visit the next evening. I re-read it, twice as always because I make so many errors, which I unfortunately never detect. Everything appears to me as I mean to type or say them and I am not able to see errors. After making several errors sending emails to people I usually have my hubby read them before I send them. This time I didn't,

Anyway, I wrote the email, re-read it, thought it was fine. The next morning, I get a call asking what the email meant and I'd it was 'code' for something? Ummm.... No. Just telling you to come over. She forwarded it back (and I checked sent- just to make sure she wasn't screwing with me because that is something she might do).. And sure enough... Every "word" was complete gibberish. Short example below

Hjiugd,

Figgtyhjjggf kiuhfr Esther kit shjikfd eeaadfth hottkjjuk gresfjhythjjj fhhgfswdjuij.....

You get the point. The WHOLE thing- was written like that!!!! Including her name and mine at the end. When I saw it after she pointed it out it appeared as the gibberish it was but when I sent it, it appeared completely fine! I wasn't falling asleep tired or anything.,. Just getting ready for bed. It was only 8:30 or 9:00 and due to my friendly adrenal surges, I'm rarely asleep before 4am.

Has anyone ever had this happen, or HEARD of it? I mentioned today at my neuro appt and he said it does happen but he would attribute it more to the concussions than autonomic issues... But to call him if it happened again. Just so ODD!!!!! I just can't make sense of it (literally AND figuratively). Anyone have input or have I scared all of you away from speaking to me ever again?

Thanks, Jen

[puppylove]

Hmmm so it couldn't have been a mess up on your computer? I did hear about a news reporter who started talking gibberish from a stroke but that's probably different... Sorry I don't really know of anything, but you didn't scare me away!!

[jenglynn]

I never thought of a computer malfunction.... That is a much preferable idea than I'm losing my mind And I'm glad I didn't scare you away. You' have rebel spirit...

[Lemons2lemonade]

Jen, this has happened to me before verbally. I couldn't speak and was really disoriented. I went to the e.r. and by the time I checked in it had resolved. Also, it could have been a computer problem. What is unusual are the multiple strikings of the same characters. If you were typing gibberish it might look something more like: ky waddes poul do madty. <-- coming up with that was harder than I thought it would be. also, nothing to be embarrassed about, during my 1st pots.attack I thought the er doctor worked for a secret government agency that was trying to kill me. In reality I was hallucinating

[we_don't_look_sick]

migraine perhaps

[jenglynn]

The example I used was just one I made up for the purpose of the thread- it was not a sample of the actual email. The that I sent out was much more like a "real" email would look. Not a lot of repeated letters, which could happen from sticky keys or something. And the words were all about the same length as the words were that I was actually trying to say.

I would LOVE to blame the computer, I am not sure that it is plausible in this case, as MUCH as I would like to hope. I have had many times when I have sent out emails that make NO sense at all but at least the words were real. Or I have sent another to someone when I was writing the email and my husband was talking to me, and I ended up typing my husband's words verbatim vs. what I was trying to say to the person in the email. Or another time I did the same thing but I was typing words that were being said on the TV in the background instead of what I was trying to say to the person- this time the manager of my HR deartment. Nice! That was slightly embarrassing to say the least. She ended up sending it right back asking if I meant to send it and I had my husband read it for me, and to be safe I just dictated to him for the reply and apologized. There has been a few times that I have also send something with one or two words were gibberish but never the whole email.

I should mention that I have dyslexia and I am wondering if that episode had something to do with that? Dyslexia is not something that I typically struggle with anymore but it is possible that dealing with the autonomic problems as well as all the concussions... some part of that area of my brain was triggered and agitated? I guess there is no way to know but it is scary and I am really troubled by the amount of cognitive dysfunction that I've had. It is just ONE more thing that I feel I have lost to go along with everything else: health, energy, independence, walking, driving..... the list goes on now... but adding the cognitive loss is devastating. I am just praying that much is temporary and I can regain that part of me that really define me.

Thanks for listening, as always... You are truly the best!!

Jen

[jangle]

Probably a computer error, if you were writing jibberish, you wouldn't be able to write these messages.

[Elfie]

I've had this happen before. I have no history of signifigant head injury (no concussions) and no dyslexia. Just lovely POTS. I was working on my thesis this past year and had a prof. that required all the candidates to attend a weekly "writing session" where we were forced to sit in those stupid little desks for 4-5 hours. For me, these sessions occurred after a full day of classes and in a building that was hot enough to make my classmates sweat (they had a flooding emergency and appeared to be trying to dry out the problem with the heat! stupid). I wasn't a complete mess physically (although I had issues with chest pain and SOB which aren't usually things I deal with except at night)-- after all, I was still good to drive home after this--- I was a complete mess mentally. This prof had her heart in the right place, but she never got that she was wasting 5 hours of my week.

Anyway, I'd be writing away thinking I was brilliant or at least thinking that I was puzzling things out and that there would be some useable work. Then I would get home and wouldn't be able to understand pretty much anything I typed. Sometimes there wouldn't be recognizable words, sometimes they would be peppered in.

[kclynn]

Were your hands slightly off placement on the keyboard? I have done that and it looks like gibberish. But still, you could mention it to your Drs. or see if it happens again.

[juliegee]

Jen-

SCARY. It also reminded me of the young woman reporter who began speaking gibberish. I believe that ended up being a migraine aura- not stroke- although stroke was surmised early on.

INSIST on a full neurological work-up if it happens again.

Both my son and my grandmother have written complete sentences in "mirror writing" that look like complete gibberish. (SAMPLE-"gnitirw rorrim.") Check to see if that was the case in your episode. It happens to my grandmother when we play scrabble. She will write "ylferif" and be convinced- NO MATTER WHAT I SAY- that she has written "firefly." This is a one time ocurrence for Mack & intermittent (but rare) for Grandma. Bizarre.

My son was ultimately DXed with dyslexia, but (you know, having the DX yourself) it is much more complex than backward writing. True dyslexia involves problems with pheonemic awareness, working memory, speed processing, visual & audio impairments, etc. (Interestingly, MANY of these characteristics overlap with dysautonomia.) You are dealing with something quite different here.

You are right to be concerned. Keep a close check on your SENT box & make your doc pay attention if it happens again.

eiluj

[Katybug]

Hi Jen,

Sorry, you're just not scary enough yet!

I do find I type the letters of many words shuffled out of order these days and i often don't catch it when I proof read...like my mind sees what I have typed as correct for that period of time. When I go back the next day or hours later, I will see mistakes. I have not had it nearly to the extent you describe. I also have words pop out when I'm talking, in place of the correct word that I am thinking, that make nooo sense in the sentence. I will also pronounce words incorrectly that have been a part of my vocablulary forever. I can hear myself saying it wrong and in my head I can say the word correctly but I can't make my mouth and my head join forces in either of these scenarios. All of it is really scary stuff. I was convinced that I was having strokes or I had a brain tumor, but, I have had thorough neuro testing and its all negative. (But, it's still scarry! )

Are the docs going to be doing periodic neuro testing on you due to the post-concussion syndrome? If not, I think I'd ask for an MRI and MRA now just to make sure nothing has changed since this is a new symptom/behavior.

Hope this is a once in a life time event!

Katie