bad stuttering episodes

[Silent]

11 months ago I went out with friends and had 2 beers.
After that we split, but me and this guy I hadn't known before went on the same train.
During the train ride, we engaged in a "small talk"... and it took me 10 minutes to ask him where he was from, and perhaps another 10 minutes of hesitating whether to even try and ask him that. Actually I didn't manage to say the question, but he guessed what I meant one word at a time from the beginnings of the words I spoke and I got the answer anyway.

It went like:
- wwwwwwwww
- ???
- wwwwwwwww
- ???
- wwwwwwwww
- what?
- wwwwwwwwww
[...]
- wwwwwwwww
- where?
- Yes. Where! aaaaaaaaaaaa
- ???
- aaaaaaaaaa
- ???
[...]
- aaaaaaaa
- are? Where are?
- Yes. Yyyyyyyyyy
- ???
- yyyyyyyyy
- you? Where am I? Where am I living?
- fffffffffffff
- Where am I from? I'm from Madrid.


It's usually not that bad, it's only when I drink alcohol.

Please share your stories :)

[DKoz]

I stutter like that once in a while and afterwords I'm like "WTF just happned". Alcohol brings the worse out in my stuttering especially when it's wearing off.

[Jamus]

Oh boy, I've got more than a few horror stories. But one of them that stands out would have to be this one night I was at a bar with some friends. It was late, about 1:30 am (the bar closed at 2am), and I went to the bathroom and then stopped at the bar for a beer. As I was waiting to order this attractive girl walked up to me and gave me a y smile, then asked me to buy her a drink. It was obvious that she was a bit drunk but I didn't care b/c so was I to an extent. I then said 'sure!' and proceeded to tell her my name, and she gave me hers. We both told each other where we were from and a couple other things before I stumbled on a couple words. She gave me this distorted facial grimace, and then her eyes turned away and I could tell she was getting ready to walk away. I touched her arm and tried to diffuse the moment by saying 'hey I thought you wanted a drink?'

At that point she stayed and I asked her what she wanted. It was a long named shot, in which she repeated it to me several times and I didn't understand her once.. of course this had nothing to do with stuttering. I told her to tell the bartender - and he understood right away - bleh go figure. Which probably made me look even worse in her eyes. We did our shots, then she spilled my beer and I walked a couple steps away from her to get a napkin. When I came back, she was gone. Totally just bolted on me. I couldn't help but stand there and laugh. At that point it was quite amusing. I ordered another beer and went back to my group of friends.

[DKoz]

Last weekend I got a voicemail from my local video store saying I have an overdue dvd that needs to come back. What they didn't know is that I returned it the evening before so without thinking (I don't really like making calls) I call them to sort it out. So when I called they were like "Good morning Rogers Video David speaking, how can I help you?" and I said "Hi' it's D (Huge block)...it's (another block)". So then after about 15 long seconds of trying I just hung up on the poor guy. I felt bad, but I thought I'll just call them back in the afternoon, after I've played some XBox. However, they ended up calling about 3 hours later saying ignore the previous message about they found the video. Lately I seem to be getting more or two really bad situations.

[Box of Clocks]

This past Saturday I went on a date with a girl and I stuttered really badly. Perhaps the worst I have done it with someone one on one for a couple of years. I was getting very frequent blocks coupled withy facial contortions.

To the woman's credit she didn't seem to be too phased by it and didn't seem to mind. We ended up talking for a little over two hours and I was stuttering pretty much for the duration. One good thing though was that the woman was quite a talkative person so she was doing the lions share of the talking so as a result there were periods where I didn't have to talk very much.

I find it to be harder if you are with someone who is quite shy as then you have to carry the conversation despite stuttering.

[Imperfection]

I can remember two horrible stuttering episodes.

One in the fall of 2005, when I was in the 8th grade. It was the first day or so in my math class, and guess what? ICE-BREAKER DAY! :eek: The teacher, for some stupid reason, started on the opposite side of the room, and we had to go around the room stating a noun/verb that shared the same first letter as our first name. So, examples: "Hamburger Holly," "Jaguar Jade," etc.

Worst thing? You didn't JUST have to say your own name, you had to say ALL the ones BEFORE yours. :mad:

And I was the LAST FREAKING KID, so I had to recite around 30 other name combos that I could not change around. And that's when my stutter gets bad, when I can't substitute words. Before I even started, some kids around me were saying stuff like, "Hey, look, she's shaking..." and crap like that. I was so scared, I almost ran out of the room (I was right next to the door). In the end, I had to show my teacher my own name 'cause I couldn't say it, and she suggested I use "Relieved Rebecca" which I said sure to. That was probably the most embarrassing moment so far in my life.

The other one was in the fall of 2007, during the first week of 10th grade. The speech therapist had not yet informed all of my teachers about my stutter, so my English teacher decided to go around the room and have each of us read a sentence/paragraph each on a short story out of our textbook. I was the third person, I believe, which I thought might help, but then I scanned down to where I'd have to read, and the paragraph started with something like "Decide," and I'm not good with D words, unless they're like, say, "dog." I blocked on it, came close to crying, but managed to say, "I have a speech problem," so she went on to the next person.

[Bobby]

Two spring to mind.

8 years old in class teacher made everyone read out loud the 2 times table. The worst part is that he made it a competition, who could say it the fastest. When it came to my turn it was a disaster. When you are doing the 2 times tables you have to say the number 2 I think 13 times, I think I stuttered on every single 2 and a random assortment of other numbers.

Lucky for me everyone was cool about it, I was never bullied about my stutter at school, but none the less, still hurt inside.

The other one.

I was 17 and in History class and I had to go to a music lesson. I put my hand up to excuse myself.

"Sir, I have mmmmmm, I have a mmmm, sorry, I have mmmmusic lesson"

then someone decided to mimic the stutter. I went bright red in the face and just left.

[Violet]

I can remember two horrible stuttering episodes.

One in the fall of 2005, when I was in the 8th grade. It was the first day or so in my math class, and guess what? ICE-BREAKER DAY! The teacher, for some stupid reason, started on the opposite side of the room, and we had to go around the room stating a noun/verb that shared the same first letter as our first name. So, examples: "Hamburger Holly," "Jaguar Jade," etc.

Worst thing? You didn't JUST have to say your own name, you had to say ALL the ones BEFORE yours.

And I was the LAST FREAKING KID, so I had to recite around 30 other name combos that I could not change around. And that's when my stutter gets bad, when I can't substitute words. Before I even started, some kids around me were saying stuff like, "Hey, look, she's shaking..." and crap like that. I was so scared, I almost ran out of the room (I was right next to the door). In the end, I had to show my teacher my own name 'cause I couldn't say it, and she suggested I use "Relieved Rebecca" which I said sure to. That was probably the most embarrassing moment so far in my life.

The other one was in the fall of 2007, during the first week of 10th grade. The speech therapist had not yet informed all of my teachers about my stutter, so my English teacher decided to go around the room and have each of us read a sentence/paragraph each on a short story out of our textbook. I was the third person, I believe, which I thought might help, but then I scanned down to where I'd have to read, and the paragraph started with something like "Decide," and I'm not good with D words, unless they're like, say, "dog." I blocked on it, came close to crying, but managed to say, "I have a speech problem," so she went on to the next person.


OMG ing icebreakers!! In my homeroom we have kids from year 8-12 and every year a couple new kids come so we do all that over and over again.. *hides* I'm in year 12 so we have already been introduced to all the new kids, and i was so relieved to think that that was the last time i would have to do it.. and then my homeroom teacher is being transferred to a freaking middle school homeroom... so i'll be getting a new homeroom teacher when we go back to school.. and holy i am praying that i already know her and that she's a good one... The one i last had for the past two years was awesome she was kinda quiet so homeroom was very laid back and like we practically ran it ourselves.. so icebreakers involved everyone sitting round eating cake hahaha

and omg reading in class! i silently skip my turn :p I have five classes right (haha i love yr 12) and out of all of them there is only one class that gives me hell.. I am ing scared of my religion teacher, even though she's really nice.. she's just into the random picking of students to read and stuff.. so i sit there constantly freaking out.. and on top of that, even though i've never really been bullied, half the class are all the people who would give me hell so i'm just like :eek: And this one time she randomly called on me to tell her keywords from the paragraph someone else had just read and i was already feeling really crap and had my periods and was close to tears anyway and i tottally freak out and block on everything and burst into tears and she's there encouraging me to speak and won't let me go and by this stage the whole class has twisted in their seats to watch me.. and after whats like forever she gives up and asks a new person... and then HOLY she returns to me and i'm still trying to stop myself crying (i have never cried that hard in public in my entire life haha talk about hormones) and the whole thing starts again. and its like WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN!?! LEAVE ME ALONE!!! and i'm like pointing to my sheet at the words so it isnt even like she thinks that i wasnt listening i had the ing words in front of me!
omg *fumes* I am never going to get over that.. that is like the first time something to that level has ever happened in my entire life...
I'm gonna send her an email when i get back to school and make her feel guilty so she gets it in her stupid brain never to do that again. :mad:

haha i normally hate talking about my stutter to people.. but the past year i have started to take a stand against reading in class and stuff and speeches in front of the class by privately talking to my teacher.. Its like telling your male pe teacher that you have your periods (even if you don't) and can therefore not participate in the lesson.. he would go all awkward and let us off the hook haha funniest thing ever. :D

[Count]

When I was 12 my teacher told the class that there will be a reading competition soon and she has to choose the best one of us. Now this gave me a scary feeling deep inside because I knew I'm gonna suck. When it was my turn I sat down in front of the class and started reading this text. I remember that the name Conrad appeared very often in my reading part and every time I read "C-C-C-C-C-Conrad". It was the probably most stuttered reading I gave in front of my class. After I'd finished I felt like crap and I remember this one girl sitting next to me giving me that weird look that says: "What is your home planet, freak?"

[JDRow]

The first two I thought of:

One I had posted about her a while back. I was at work, I was headed back from my break, and a customer asked me a question. I just could not get started, and this guy was really impatient, and after maybe just 10 seconds or so, he walked away and complained to my manager. My manager was cool about it but it still sucked.

Probably the worst episode I can remember was five or six years ago, when my sister-in-law met our family for the first time. She came over for dinner with everybody, so there must have been at least ten people there, and for some reason my father insisted I say grace. I don't think I managed to finish a single word. It was like Silent described: I'd block on the first sound and finally somebody would finish the word for me, and then I'd go on to the next one. My father was in a particularly ish mood that day and wouldn't let me stop until I was done, and it was completely humiliating.

When I was first talking to Hana there were some conversations where I would block on pretty much every syllable, but she was cool about it and she's very talkative, so it was okay.

[sst]

Does anyone else here have too many stories to tell, and not enough space to put them in? Lots of school ones, lots of food ordering ones. Not many bar ones or club ones. A few "introduction" ones.

At restaurants I still order the "easiest" thing to say. Which is stupid and cowardly of me. I should just get over it and order what I want. I've had waiters look at me funny, and one time at a Burger King when I was a kid, this guy looked at me like I had mutation or something when I stuttered. Oh well, I'm sure he's still working there 11 or more years later. :D

In high school, in order to graduate you had to take a "communications" class, which involved giving oral presentations 3 different times throughout the class that were graded by the entire class. I completely blocked on every single ing word in all 3 presentations. It was pretty humiliating. On reflection, I guess I would've passed regardless since everyone felt bad for me, so why did I both to do any work? Hehe. This was the lowest point in my life, self-esteem wise, so I'm not surprised I stuttered so badly.

For some reason, even though I'm socially very shy and quiet, I don't have many embarrassing bar or club moments. I suppose it's the one chance where a person can pretend to be someone else for one night. It doesn't help that I only go to bars and men only want you for your body, and not your stutter. :) That is the one aspect of my life where my stutter is perhaps an advantage, it makes me stand out.

Doesn't anyone else hate when their name starts with the letters that are the letters that you always seem to stutter on? I always stutter my name.

[Mullen]

I've always found it worse when I embarrass others than when I embarrass myself. I can live with making a fool of myself every now and then, but to shame the group that I'm with troubles me every time.

[DKoz]

I went to Wendy's for lunch today while I was at work. I went to the drive-thru and just as I was about to order my combo, I had a block. If I had a stopwatch out it would have said it took me almost 20 seconds to say "combo 8 with sprite, please". When I got to the window, the guy was like "did you have trouble hearing me?" and I said "nah, it was all me". Lately, whenever I have an incident I just shrug or laugh it off, it's more therapeutic that way.

[eva]

I've always found it worse when I embarrass others than when I embarrass myself. I can live with making a fool of myself every now and then, but to shame the group that I'm with troubles me every time.

I expect people around me not to get embarrassed because of my stutter. One friend of mine admitted it used to be embarrassing for him if I stuttered in public and people were staring. I got upset hearing that, not because I had embarrassed him, but because he was such a childish moron to think my stutter is embarrassing. And he admitted being a childish moron too haha.


Bad stuttering episodes...aah too many. It usually happens when I'm too tired to talk but still have to. A couple of months ago I was in one office and after I had explained why I was there the girl behind the desk asked what is my name. I blocked and just sat there opening my mouth like a fish on dry land. The girl was very nice to me and patient and waited for some time but I couldn't make a sound so finally she asked "would you like to write it?" I almost started crying when I took the pen and paper she gave me and wrote my name, it was just sad.

[claragazza]

I expect people around me not to get embarrassed because of my stutter.

I'd like so much that people can listen to me withou being embarassed. I don't know if is is because of the severity of my stutter or for another reason, but it's clear that 90% of the people I talk too are embarassed. They don't know how to react, where to look, what to do (complete my words or not), whether to stop the conversation, etc.. Of course all the more as they don't know me.


The girl was very nice to me and patient and waited for some time but I couldn't make a sound so finally she asked "would you like to write it?" I almost started crying when I took the pen and paper she gave me and wrote my name, it was just sad.

I relate entirely to you. Having to write down my name is always heart breaking. But I prefer this than to have to repeat it several times before they understand. All the more as each time I have to repeat I stutter more.
Do you prefer to repeat?

[Mullen]

I'd like so much that people can listen to me withou being embarassed. I don't know if is is because of the severity of my stutter or for another reason, but it's clear that 90% of the people I talk too are embarassed. They don't know how to react, where to look, what to do (complete my words or not), whether to stop the conversation, etc.. Of course all the more as they don't know me.

It seems to me that they're more uncomfortable than embarrassed.

My concern is that of being a social liability to others. When I go out with a group of people I tend to think of myself as being part of the group, and I imagine that others think of themselves the same way. If I'm embarrassed by my stutter, I can hardly fault others for being so, especially if they're willing to accept me as a part of the group.

[nate]

Does anyone else here have too many stories to tell, and not enough space to put them in? Lots of school ones, lots of food ordering ones. Not many bar ones or club ones. A few "introduction" ones.


yes too many stories to tell. everyday i have a really embarrasing couple of moments. of course some are more etched (in my mind) but really!
well perhaps not everyday. sometimes i get a day off!

a recent one was on christmas...the whole family went to the village (where the parents have retired to farm) and i took my family for the first time.
and the questions! BTW women are required (by culture) to be subservient in that role and so Niki was playing the part and not helping me out.

What is the tribe of the mother of the children?
mmmh...
What of her clan?
mmmh...
Her family?
mmmh...
What about her career?
mmmh...
How old is she?
i uhm...
What are her ambitions...you know these educated women?
ach...
Waht of your ambitions?
i aahh..B]
On what day were the children born...we must know so that we can prepare the sacrifice? [B]What uhm...
What are the childrens names?
H....
What is the reason for naming them muslim names, dont you know that the world is changing?
ehm...
Have you removed the witches milk (WTF???),
huh?
Have you made traditional sacrifices for them you know that twins are ominous?
huh?
Are u getting married?
ask her...
Are u intending to buy land?
n-n-n..
Where r u getting married?
*sigh*
when? what was the bride price? what was the dowry?
uhm...
what church or mosque?, why arent u married yet?

etc i had had it.
and when it started taking me a minute or more just to say yes or no, especially since everyone sort of leans over to listen in on the convo (and half the time i have to say it in dholuo and swahili as well for the elderly more english-impaired people) i knew it was time to leave.

Nate
this thing does suck alot.

[DKoz]

I'm gonna revive this thread! lol

A couple days ago I had to renew my gym membership because my credit card information changed so I had to give the gym my new card information. I called them up and I was talking to a lady in the accounting department and I had to stop and start reading her my name, phone number and credit card information three times before it came out somewhat fluently. At the end she was like "...okay". Three times a charm I guess.

[danalorenzana]

i have only one that comes to mind right now....
okay so i was in my frst period class last semester. and there's this kid named carson and he's very.......rude, lets just say. he likes bringing out the worst in people everytime he gets the chance. anyways.....about 30 minutes before class ended, our teacher told us what we were going to be doing for History Day this year and she passed out a huge two-sided paper with information on it. well.......she told one person to read the first paragraph, then when they were done to pick someone else, and they would read and pick someone else, etc etc.......well.....carson got picked on the shortest paragraph (about 3 sentences)....so when he was done, out of all people, he decided to horribly embarrass someone.......like me. unlucky for me though, i had to read the longest paragraph on the freakin paper (about 10 sentences). omg. it was horrible. i blocked on the first word and then got fluent for a few...overall i blocked really bad on about 80% of the paragraph.....the other 20 percent, well...i didn't finish. because the bell rang. i was about in tears trying to hurry and finish it. but it only caused more stress so i did worse. i started crying so i decided to give up. it took me about 20 minutes to get through about 6 sentences.

i cried the rest of the day on and off. it was horrible

[danalorenzana]

well....it's not THE worst, but one time in my spanish class towards the beginning of the year we had to say our name, where we live, where we are from, our age, and what we like to do. well....the whole class was all looking at me....and there was only one person who knew i stuttered and he started laughing before i even said anything. i suddenly got nervous and tensed up...and i could feel my throat tensing....then i tried saying all the info and i blocked on EVERYTHING. the class was trying to hide their laugh but i guess they were too freaking stupid to know i could see them. i wanted to cry and cry so bad but i stood my ground...welll...for the rest of the sdchool day. i cried at home. it was bad....

but i think the worst was when our teacher had us all read information about History Day....and this stupid kis named Carson loved making people feel stupid and he loves bringing out the worst in people. so he chose me to read the longest paragraph on the paper...about 10 sentences... i was so nervous and i started to read...but then i stuttered on almost every word. i didn't finish reading the paper though...because the bell rang for the next class. so i basically took like 20 minutes to read like 7 sentences...it really wasn't that great of a day for me....