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Anyone else go ballistic when touched by fingernails?

Fade2black

Well-Known Member
For my entire life, I’ve absolutely hated the sensation of being touched by fingernails or toenails. It’s like being hit with a bolt of electricity and I can still feel the sensation long after being touched. It literally sends into internal meltdown mode. I’ve ended many relationships, including marriages, because of this. My wife now, she understands and keeps her nails short. She touches me flat handed so that I don’t freak out and she doesn’t put her feet on me.

Going to the store and dealing with the loud talkers, the ignorant and the disrespectful is challenging enough. But having a clerk with long nails hand me change that I know is going to brush her nails against me is something that completely ruins my day.

As Aspies, we all have our one thing that sends us to the moon in .1 seconds or less. But, I’ve yet to meet anther Aspie that is as sensitive as I am with nails. Just curious if anyone else out there has this problem?
 
I think mine is being breathed on. I can't cope with feeling anyone's breathe anywhere on me. I'd try to sleep with my husband breathing on my head and would finally have to move away - to the couch if I needed to. I don't want to feel anyone's breathe anywhere against my skin. Dogs are bad for breathing in your face and I just have to hold them where their breathe is not touching me. I love dogs and have always had dogs, but just don't breathe on me. Even a dog breathing on my foot - one of us has to move. And it's not bad breathe, it's the airflow and it becomes like a hot tornado blowing against that one spot. Even the memory of feeling someone breathing on my head makes me quiver. (I'm short so someone standing behind me in a line is also apt to breathe on my head. Guess I need to start wearing hats all the time.)
 
I do not do well with skin-to-skin contact because of abuse. I hate nails, too, but not as much as you do. That must be so hard! You could just wear gloves and say screw it. No one who loves you will care and those who don't love you, well, their opinion is meaningless.

My mom had a friend who was a dear, sweet lady who had CREST. Because of it, her fingers would become gangrenous. As a result, she would wear those knit gloves all the time. No one thought anything about it. They just thought she was cold or, in summer, had a condition of some sort.

There has to be a way you can get around being touched when you don't want to.

@Pats Oh man, people who get in close to talk and spit and breathe on you! Arrg. You don't even have to be Aspie to hate that. I am short and small, so people DO lean in and if they begin to spit.......right onto OKRAD.

I back away and they inch closer. I am not kidding.

I do my best to put up with it because I like people and I would hate to be judged for something I could not help, so I will put up with it, but in the future, tend not to try to engage with that person as much!!
 
Mine is being touched on the back or shoulder, or my hair being touched. It feels like it's being ripped out, but maybe it's my own fault because I refuse to cut it. I feel like a hug at least I can see coming, but getting touched by someone unexpectedly feels kind of threatening.

I relate to your negative feelings about finger and toe nails, not to the same extent but it's definitely not a good time
 
Mine is being touched on the back or shoulder, or my hair being touched. It feels like it's being ripped out, but maybe it's my own fault because I refuse to cut it. I feel like a hug at least I can see coming, but getting touched by someone unexpectedly feels kind of threatening.

I relate to your negative feelings about finger and toe nails, not to the same extent but it's definitely not a good time
I am SOO glad you mentioned this. I CANNOT STAND to have my hair touched. I wear hats a lot. Hair, face, etc. Going to a neurologist is the worst. They touch you all over your head, face, neck.....serious manhandling going on there.
 
Mine is being poked. Like when people poke you to catch your attention - can't stand it.
 
I very much dislike when people touch my hair. Or my head. Makes me feel like this:

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