• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Unhealthy "Aspies"

AutistheFrog

AutistheFrog

Resident Paleontology Nerd
This thread may get graphic, so if you don't like TMI, stay away from this thread!

I'm going to start by saying I'm not too physically healthy for a 27 year old. I have a lot of invisible illnesses, that are sometimes life-altering. For example, I have a number of other psychological illnesses, like bipolar, generalized anxiety, ADHD, and of course, autism. I also have a number of physical issues, some yet unexplained. I have asthma, allergies, terrible acid reflux that frequently wakes me up at night and causes me to vomit (yet unexplained), I used to struggle with chronic diarrhea, I have mild osteoarthritis in my ankle, I'm a glaucoma suspect, I have pre-diabetes, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (which causes me to be obese, despite barely being able to eat, get pimples all the time, and grow facial hair that if I don't shave daily, actually becomes a full beard. I even get the 5 O'clock shadow.). I also have a yet unexplained condition...I have had my period non-stop, since December of last year. It's gotten better on birth control, much lighter, and I've had numerous tests done, including an endocrine work up, other blood work, an ultrasound, and even an in-office endometrial biopsy. Though the bleeding has lightened, it hasn't stopped. Doctors used to believe I was immune-deficient, because I got a lot of infections, and I still do, but my immune tests have all been fine.

I often feel ignored by doctors. I have trouble speaking up for myself properly, and so my health takes a long time to sort out, and I appear healthy on the outside, so doctors often assume I'm healthy before they see otherwise. This causes a lot of distress for me, and one doctor even mocked me when I brought up my DIAGNOSED arthritis. She didn't believe I had it, and thought what I had was obviously very minor strain (despite not injuring myself), most likely because I appear healthy on the outside.

So I was wondering, is bad health common among people on the autism spectrum? Is it harder for us to get good care?
 
Last edited:
I don't nesasalary(I know I butchered that sorry) think they go hand in hand, as far as the health thing. But the harder for us to get good care is I think.
For being 32 I pretty messed up too. I look healthy from the outside. But I eat just enough to kept from getting sick(blood sugar problems). I can only eat small amounts at one sitting. I throw up if I eat too much. I don't sleep well. Headaches ALOT. Almost always in pain from being in alot of car accidents. (oldest of 7 siblings. Lots if fun in my late teens-early20's......). All that despite smoking lots of cannabis It just takes the edge off....
 
I can't say I fall into this category, as I have always enjoyed very good health my entire life except for a bad case of boils on my back. My wife has PCOS and the weight control problems are enormous. I think there is a show called My big fat fabulous life that is about a woman named Whitney who is struggling with PCOS.
 
Crossbreed said:
AutistheFrog ,
Are you the first in your family to have any or all of these problems?
Click to expand...

I am the first, that I know of, to be autistic and have bipolar. I'm also the first to have polycystic ovarian syndrome.

I'm not the first when it comes to the others. My mother suffers from allergies and mild asthma. My dad has ADHD and my mom has anxiety. Also, both my parents have type 2 diabetes. Mom has arthritis, and my grandfather had glaucoma. The difference here is, I'm only 27, and my family developed issues later than I have. My mother wasn't pre-diabetic until she was in her 50's, she didn't get arthritis until her 60's, and my grandfather was old when he developed glaucoma. (Although I'm just a glaucoma suspect right now, and do not have full-blown glaucoma, so they are keeping an eye on me...no pun intended!)
 
AutistheFrog

This may sound like a really dim question.

Is your Profile information correct, regarding
your gender?
 
tree said:
AutistheFrog

This may sound like a really dim question.

Is your Profile information correct, regarding
your gender?
Click to expand...


Yes. I'm transgender. I just haven't been able to transition yet due to family issues and my bleeding issues. I'm also not entirely open about it offline yet.

Gender is different from sex. My gender is male. My sex is female.
 
I only wanted to verify that the Profile information
was correct. Because the symptoms you report
aren't likely for a male animal.

Sometimes people accidentally make an error
when they are doing their Profiles----and end up
have a 10 or one hundred year difference between
their posted and actual age, for instance.
 
tree said:
I only wanted to verify that the Profile information
was correct. Because the symptoms you report
aren't likely for a male animal.

Sometimes people accidentally make an error
when they are doing their Profiles----and end up
have a 10 or one hundred year difference between
their posted and actual age, for instance.
Click to expand...


I understood your intentions.

The problem is, while I'm well-aware that I hinted very strongly that I'm female-bodied here, it's still a bit impolite to ask someone in the middle of a thread if their gender is correct. Not only is it humiliating for someone who really did make a mistake, it's twice as humiliating for someone who is transgender to be asked, "Is your gender on your profile really correct?" Please, keep in mind for my sake and the sake of others, to PM the individual instead. One-on-one is generally a safer environment for this sort of discussion. I would have happily changed my initial post, if possible, in order to explain my situation better.

I know you didn't mean any harm by this, and that your intentions were good, but publicly asking a question like this can be either embarrassing or downright upsetting.

Now, because I don't want to derail the thread, back to the topic at hand.
 
My intentions were clerical.

As far as this 'derailing' the thread, I don't
believe it does.

It does illustrate the degree of complexity of
your medical issues, however.
 
You started a thread about health.
You detailed a number of issues.
 
I didn't say it was.

The dissonance you may experience is one of
the complications in your health.

The lack of alignment between who you are
and who people think you are....if I am describing
it at all adequately....

To experience oneself as other than what meets
the eye is a difficult situation. That seems like it
would be hard to convey to some doctors and
there is also the possibility of lack of familial support.
 
tree said:
I didn't say it was.

The dissonance you may experience is one of
the complications in your health.

The lack of alignment between who you are
and who people think you are....if I am describing
it at all adequately....

To experience oneself as other than what meets
the eye is a difficult situation. That seems like it
would be hard to convey to some doctors and
there is also the possibility of lack of familial support.
Click to expand...


Yes. It does complicate things. My family doesn't believe I'm male, and attributes me feeling male to my hormones being out of balance. (Studies have proven that current hormones do not change gender identity.) My mother thinks that me being male is a side-effect of bipolar disorder as does my aunt, but the problem is, it has nothing do with that.



Crossbreed said:
At the very least, you will need to acknowledge your female anatomy to receive relevant treatment for your PCOS and menstruation issues, if only temporarily...
Click to expand...

I have considered this, and that's why I haven't yet gone through with transition. I need to first speak with doctor and come out about who I am, and discuss options from there.
 
AutistheFrog said:
I have considered this, and that's why I haven't yet gone through with transition.
Click to expand...
Also (in your quest for transition), have you been adding testosterone into your system? If so, that could be exacerbating your stated conditions.
 
I'm an Aspie with multiple other physical and mental issues. Yes, I look fat but healthy on the outside, and find it impossible to get a doctor to actually LISTEN to me. I'm having to work with state doctors now, but I'm going in armed with Dx's and research so hopefully we can finally get SOMETHING taken care of! I also have all sorts of hormonal issues that no one knows how to deal with. I've been taking Pregnenolone to help with period irregularities, and I know the struggle of having to shave your face as a female...I have to do it 3x a week, or I'll look like my brother!
 
I don't know that autistic people necessarily have more health problems than other people, but I do know that polycystic ovaries are treatable. I don't know much about the condition, I read about it some years ago; if you have the cysts removed, it should sort out your facial hair and other issues; not sure about the permanent bleeding though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom