blank dialogue boxes especially when using Excel

When i try to use a spreadsheet to annotate information from Lightroom (usually videos but could be photos), both programs will work for a while, but then i start getting slowdowns.  the effect is that the dialogue boxes in lightroom will be blank for a long time until finally showing the message.  Additionally, if i try to edit a smart collection, i am not able to select or delete information (for example if the smart collection says Keyword Contains clothing  i will not able to delete clothing and change it to food).  in excel, i will not be able to save my file with a new name, although i can still save the file with the same name.  the only solution is to close everything and restart the computer and it will then work for a while until failing again.

This problem seems to be specifically related to lightroom and perhaps to some interaction between lightroom and MS office products, because i have no problem with having many different programs running - it is only when i add lightroom to the mix that this happens.

This is a windows 10 system with all software being auto updated.

here is an example of an empty dialogue box:

after a long wait, the box usually fills, but it will then continue to be slower and slower at filling/responding: