Q: I delivered a boy two months ago through elective C-section, as I had gestational diabetes mellitus and was on high insulin dosage of about 57 units every day. Ever since my delivery, I have started having a slur in my speech if I speak for more than 5 minutes at a stretch. It is difficult to roll my "R", "S" and "T". I have difficulty in spitting and rolling out my tongue. I am on I-max 100, GEmcal (twice a day) and B-Complex twice a day. I am also taking Lactonic for enhancing breast milk. I am a radio jockey by profession. Ironically, I can't talk because of this absurd problem. I have been advised to stop all medication, stop Lactonic, get an MRI cat scan done and meet a neurologist. Please advise.

A:A neurologist might (or might not) be able to say what the condition is. A diagnosis is one thing but for regaining speech fluency and clarity you need to follow a simple self-therapy schedule. 1. Once every week, record yourself reading the same matter about 20 minutes long and watch for when the deterioration in speech starts (after how many minutes of constant talk). Date each recording and keep each tape as a record of your progress. This is called charting your own progress. 2. Every day, talk into a tape-recorder and monitor your speech. 3. Some tongue exercises can be suggested by a speech therapist. 4. Do not drive yourself into fatigue from speech. Stop before that point is reached. 5. Continued monitoring by speech therapist.