My husband's speech patterns have changed -- What's going on
here? A stroke? Originally Published: April 16, 2004 Re: My
husband's speech He is 61-years-old and for the last few days,
has a hard time saying words. He seems to stutter and just can't
get the words out right. I'm worried about maybe a slight
stroke. I am going to call the Doc. Monday morning. What else
should I do? Your next step needs to be a visit to the emergency
room now, instead of waiting until Monday, to discuss this
recent development with a health care provider. Any time someone
loses any kind of functioning, especially suddenly, or when a
stroke attack is suspected, this needs to be treated as an
urgent situation. That way, his or her health care provider is
contacted immediately to weigh in on possible causes and
treatments. The medical term for loss of the ability to use or
understand language is "aphasia." Aphasia is usually caused by
damage to the brain due to head injury, stroke, brain tumor,
brain infection, or dementia (such as