Adults On The Autism Spectrum

Posted by Mamacita, Alumna Mentor @mamacita, Apr 29, 2018

Maybe you were really shy as a child. Perhaps you took home a huge stack of books from the school library, read them, and returned them the next day. Or did your best friend find you crying in your closet, unable to answer the question "Why?" At any rate, your life could be traced to the Self-Help section of the local bookstore. Unfortunately, most of the books were not much help. ADHD seemed to fit, at times. Your shrink said you might be Bi-Polar, although she wasn't really certain. All you knew was that you rarely fit in, anywhere. One day at work, it hit you square in the face: I don't speak these people's language! Really, it was like you were all playing this game, and everyone knew the rules but you. You couldn't tell a joke, and you never "got" any joke your co-worker tried to tell you. People started getting annoyed with you, because you had a memory like a steel trap. They didn't appreciate it when you called them on the carpet. Who knew? This was my life, and worse. I finally aced several tests that pointed me to the answer to my questions. The Autism Spectrum. Guess what? Little kids with Autism grow up to be Adults with Autism. Diagnosed late in life? This is the place for you!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autism (ASD) Support Group.

@mamacita

Hello, @Chris Trout, @gingerw ....It seems like every time I turn around it's Arthritis pain in all my joints, pain from discs that have seen better days, or allergy issues. I'm on Lyrica, Aspirin, Turmeric, Flaxseed Oil Capsules, Magnesium tablets, Garlic and Parsley capsules, Xyzal, Viibrid, and soon to be Deplin. It will take a week to get here.

Viibrid is for Depression. Deplin is to help my body and brain function without the enzyme necessary to process Dopamine and Seratonin. Genetic testing by a reputable company was done to see which medicines would work the best for me. And which ones would not work very well at all . The test results were an answer to prayer.

All these years I was enduring side effects from medicines that did little to alleve my many symptoms of "high functioning" depression. Depression is not just being sad, lonely, or in pain. It is that, but there is so much more to it. In my case, I have always been lacking that enzyme that is important to the body's ability to manufacture the "happiness" hormones. Cymbalta worked, to an extent, for years. But I always had what some refer to as "breakthrough" depression.

Fortunately, I had a determined investigator in my corner who listened closely to me. I even shared with her that I was on the Spectrum. But, that I didn't feel like that was the whole story. I had been prescribed Buspar previously, for anxiety. That was working really well, with no apparent side effects. With off the charts hearing, superior observational skills, and extreme sensitivity, not treating the anxiety was simply not an option.

Cymbalta was raising my blood pressure, so I was put on Adelaide . I stop breathing and get very close to not breathing, 58 times. I will have another sleep study done to see if I have improved enough to where I can use the mouth piece instead of a C Pap machine. My old one finally gave up the ghost .

I'm not perfect about eating exactly what I should. I had some things recently that undoubtedly put me in this situation with my throat and coughing. Allergic to dairy, supposed to be on a gluten free diet, allergic to fish, waternelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe. The list goes on and on.

As one of my medical team so aptly put it, I am a "train wreck."

But I'm my tribe's train wreck. @colleenyoung, @sirgalahad, and all of you smart, funny, sweet, lovely people, you put up with me, along with all my others "irl." Perhaps we can all learn a lesson here. When the Allergist tells you not to eat certain food items because you are severely allergic to them, you had better pay attention.

Because if you eat enough of the foods that bother you , you might end up in the emergency room.

Thank you for allowing me to vent and explain my "train wreck" of a situation.

I will check in with you guys in the various groups where we meet. I promise I won't be so long winded next time. And no more forbidden foods that trigger an anaphylactic response. It's a deal.

Love and light,

Mamacita Jane

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@mamacita

As I read about all of the medications you have tried I see that you have worked hard as your own patient advocate! I really admire that. I'm sorry to hear of your "train wreck" days and I hope that they will end as you follow your dietary restrictions. You've given us a good reminder to pay attention to those foods that we know we should avoid!

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@sirgalahad

to see your grandbabies grow up and that the family will continue on after our passing .except in my case i was unable to have children impotent and the goldings finish with me

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@sirgalahad While you may not have biological children, I feel that your words have helped many people (both on and off the Spectrum) and you have created a family of choice! I'm glad that you are part of the Connect family. I've learned a lot from you!!

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@mamacita

Hello, @Chris Trout, @gingerw ....It seems like every time I turn around it's Arthritis pain in all my joints, pain from discs that have seen better days, or allergy issues. I'm on Lyrica, Aspirin, Turmeric, Flaxseed Oil Capsules, Magnesium tablets, Garlic and Parsley capsules, Xyzal, Viibrid, and soon to be Deplin. It will take a week to get here.

Viibrid is for Depression. Deplin is to help my body and brain function without the enzyme necessary to process Dopamine and Seratonin. Genetic testing by a reputable company was done to see which medicines would work the best for me. And which ones would not work very well at all . The test results were an answer to prayer.

All these years I was enduring side effects from medicines that did little to alleve my many symptoms of "high functioning" depression. Depression is not just being sad, lonely, or in pain. It is that, but there is so much more to it. In my case, I have always been lacking that enzyme that is important to the body's ability to manufacture the "happiness" hormones. Cymbalta worked, to an extent, for years. But I always had what some refer to as "breakthrough" depression.

Fortunately, I had a determined investigator in my corner who listened closely to me. I even shared with her that I was on the Spectrum. But, that I didn't feel like that was the whole story. I had been prescribed Buspar previously, for anxiety. That was working really well, with no apparent side effects. With off the charts hearing, superior observational skills, and extreme sensitivity, not treating the anxiety was simply not an option.

Cymbalta was raising my blood pressure, so I was put on Adelaide . I stop breathing and get very close to not breathing, 58 times. I will have another sleep study done to see if I have improved enough to where I can use the mouth piece instead of a C Pap machine. My old one finally gave up the ghost .

I'm not perfect about eating exactly what I should. I had some things recently that undoubtedly put me in this situation with my throat and coughing. Allergic to dairy, supposed to be on a gluten free diet, allergic to fish, waternelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe. The list goes on and on.

As one of my medical team so aptly put it, I am a "train wreck."

But I'm my tribe's train wreck. @colleenyoung, @sirgalahad, and all of you smart, funny, sweet, lovely people, you put up with me, along with all my others "irl." Perhaps we can all learn a lesson here. When the Allergist tells you not to eat certain food items because you are severely allergic to them, you had better pay attention.

Because if you eat enough of the foods that bother you , you might end up in the emergency room.

Thank you for allowing me to vent and explain my "train wreck" of a situation.

I will check in with you guys in the various groups where we meet. I promise I won't be so long winded next time. And no more forbidden foods that trigger an anaphylactic response. It's a deal.

Love and light,

Mamacita Jane

Jump to this post

@mamacita Wow Wow you had a lot of meds. I know I cant eat the nightshade plants as it triggers my allergy,s and fibromyalgia. I'm to be on gluten free but am trying to not eat bread but I love it the gluten free bread is so expensive and taste isn't the greatest. Havent found a recipe for one or Id try baking myself. We all have our train wrecks don't we and learn from each other which is so great on this forum Take care of yourself. I'm going to try to go back on Lyrica the other 2 didn't help at all and I thought I was losing my mind on Cymbalta.

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@lioness

@mamacita Wow Wow you had a lot of meds. I know I cant eat the nightshade plants as it triggers my allergy,s and fibromyalgia. I'm to be on gluten free but am trying to not eat bread but I love it the gluten free bread is so expensive and taste isn't the greatest. Havent found a recipe for one or Id try baking myself. We all have our train wrecks don't we and learn from each other which is so great on this forum Take care of yourself. I'm going to try to go back on Lyrica the other 2 didn't help at all and I thought I was losing my mind on Cymbalta.

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@lioness Take care of yourself as well. It sounds like you have a lot of dietary restrictions as well. Did an allergist determine your allergies or did you discover it yourself by trial and error?

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@hopeful33250

@lioness Take care of yourself as well. It sounds like you have a lot of dietary restrictions as well. Did an allergist determine your allergies or did you discover it yourself by trial and error?

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@hopeful33250 I discovered these by trial and error . Also wheat doesn't settle with me to well so I stay away from this as much as I can . I usually go for Rye or Pumpernickle bread . I found also with my Tinnitus and dairy starts the ears to ring louder so I use Almond milk and almond yogurt that has extra calcium in them

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@lioness

@hopeful33250 I discovered these by trial and error . Also wheat doesn't settle with me to well so I stay away from this as much as I can . I usually go for Rye or Pumpernickle bread . I found also with my Tinnitus and dairy starts the ears to ring louder so I use Almond milk and almond yogurt that has extra calcium in them

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That is great that you are so tuned in to your body, @lioness. Are Rye and Pumpernickle bread gluten-free or do they just have less gluten?

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@hopeful33250

That is great that you are so tuned in to your body, @lioness. Are Rye and Pumpernickle bread gluten-free or do they just have less gluten?

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@hopeful33250 Yes the Rye has less gluten in it and you can make a gluten free pumpernickel with different flours and no wheat flour at all in it .

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@teresa, my allergies got worse as I got older. Foods that did not ever bother me before reared their ugly heads and made life miserable. I did the blood testing for food allergies and environmental allergies as well. Trial and error works too.

Mamacita Jane

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@mamacita

Hello, @Chris Trout, @gingerw ....It seems like every time I turn around it's Arthritis pain in all my joints, pain from discs that have seen better days, or allergy issues. I'm on Lyrica, Aspirin, Turmeric, Flaxseed Oil Capsules, Magnesium tablets, Garlic and Parsley capsules, Xyzal, Viibrid, and soon to be Deplin. It will take a week to get here.

Viibrid is for Depression. Deplin is to help my body and brain function without the enzyme necessary to process Dopamine and Seratonin. Genetic testing by a reputable company was done to see which medicines would work the best for me. And which ones would not work very well at all . The test results were an answer to prayer.

All these years I was enduring side effects from medicines that did little to alleve my many symptoms of "high functioning" depression. Depression is not just being sad, lonely, or in pain. It is that, but there is so much more to it. In my case, I have always been lacking that enzyme that is important to the body's ability to manufacture the "happiness" hormones. Cymbalta worked, to an extent, for years. But I always had what some refer to as "breakthrough" depression.

Fortunately, I had a determined investigator in my corner who listened closely to me. I even shared with her that I was on the Spectrum. But, that I didn't feel like that was the whole story. I had been prescribed Buspar previously, for anxiety. That was working really well, with no apparent side effects. With off the charts hearing, superior observational skills, and extreme sensitivity, not treating the anxiety was simply not an option.

Cymbalta was raising my blood pressure, so I was put on Adelaide . I stop breathing and get very close to not breathing, 58 times. I will have another sleep study done to see if I have improved enough to where I can use the mouth piece instead of a C Pap machine. My old one finally gave up the ghost .

I'm not perfect about eating exactly what I should. I had some things recently that undoubtedly put me in this situation with my throat and coughing. Allergic to dairy, supposed to be on a gluten free diet, allergic to fish, waternelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe. The list goes on and on.

As one of my medical team so aptly put it, I am a "train wreck."

But I'm my tribe's train wreck. @colleenyoung, @sirgalahad, and all of you smart, funny, sweet, lovely people, you put up with me, along with all my others "irl." Perhaps we can all learn a lesson here. When the Allergist tells you not to eat certain food items because you are severely allergic to them, you had better pay attention.

Because if you eat enough of the foods that bother you , you might end up in the emergency room.

Thank you for allowing me to vent and explain my "train wreck" of a situation.

I will check in with you guys in the various groups where we meet. I promise I won't be so long winded next time. And no more forbidden foods that trigger an anaphylactic response. It's a deal.

Love and light,

Mamacita Jane

Jump to this post

wow don't the quacks read the meds contraindications crap crap crap

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Well, it's that time of the year again. Time to bring out the medium blue pumpkins. If anyone comes to my door dressed up for Halloween, they do not have to say "Trick or Treat. "

They do not have to say a word. Some of my brothers and sisters are nonverbal and do not communicate the way I attempt to. They might be on the Spectrum in some way. It is not my place to ask.. Or care.

What is important is that I make the effort to participate in a time honored event that allows little ones to have a bit of fun as they dress up in their favorite costumes. These events are memories that they will cherish forever. I want to encourage them to say whatever they want, if they are able to verbalize at all.

I am aware of these children who literally cannot speak for themselves. Extra encouragement on my part will not help them. Bur my smile, my offer of Halloween goodies, and my willingness to "ooh" and "ahh" over their costumes will help in ways only seen by the angels.

I love holidays. All of the Holidays. Let's think about ways we can help each other in large ways and small ways. To get through these times that arrive on time like clockwork, whether we are ready or not. If our health issues prevent us from engaging in things we used to do, perhaps we can enjoy a new tradition.

Love and light,

Mamacita Jane

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