What are your sensory issues?

[Soup]

Moving water has a hypnotic appeal to me: I get lost in it. The experts say that Aspies & the autistic are typically drawn to bodies of water so there's an urgent need to be sure Aspie/Autism kids know how to swim because they wind up drowning at higher rates than other kids.

 

[smith2267]

Moving water has a hypnotic appeal to me: I get lost in it. The experts say that Aspies & the autistic are typically drawn to bodies of water so there's an urgent need to be sure Aspie/Autism kids know how to swim because they wind up drowning at higher rates than other kids.

I have a fantasy about buying a boat and living in it.

And BTW shouldn't we start calling ourselves autistic, given the coming DSM changes?

I've always found humor in the fact that it sounds like "artistic". We should hold up signs when one of us says something really aspie: 9.9 for autistic merit.

 

[Soup]

10 Autist points for a great idea!

As for the changes to the DSM, they've really made a botch job of it this time around! What's happening now is more of a text revision as opposed to real changes in diagnostic criteria. The entire thing needs a major overhaul.

 

[kchapman1988]

so its not just me! i absolutely love being by the sea... i went to brighton( if anyone has heard of it,coast of england)while it was pelting down with rain, the sea going crazy... absolute bliss. candles too, i keep buying 'yankie candles' they smell great and i keep stairing into the flame .

i never liked the lighting in school because i could see all of them flicker off for just a second and it really bothered me, can't stand greasy food even chinese makes me feel sick, same with toothpaste it really makes me gag (which has led to quite a few of my teeth being taken out :'( bright lights hurt my head and eyes a great deal, loud noises really upset me, when i was younger and we just HAD to go to a children's church i ended up wearing earplugs.

i hate having light feeling clothes on or bedding(this leds to many hot days and nights) compounding this is my low self image as light clothes show off more. TMI?

 

[smith2267]

so its not just me! i absolutely love being by the sea... i went to brighton( if anyone has heard of it,coast of england)while it was pelting down with rain, the sea going crazy... absolute bliss. candles too, i keep buying 'yankie candles' they smell great and i keep stairing into the flame .

i never liked the lighting in school because i could see all of them flicker off for just a second and it really bothered me, can't stand greasy food even chinese makes me feel sick, same with toothpaste it really makes me gag (which has led to quite a few of my teeth being taken out :'( bright lights hurt my head and eyes a great deal, loud noises really upset me, when i was younger and we just HAD to go to a children's church i ended up wearing earplugs.

i hate having light feeling clothes on or bedding(this leds to many hot days and nights) compounding this is my low self image as light clothes show off more. TMI?

I take it you have a weight problem? May I suggest you find a stim that burns calories? Not joking.

 

[kchapman1988]

only issue is i have asthma and something weird going on with my airways, i seem to build up too much gunk so i can't breeth through my nose, little oxygen gets to my muscles and i end up with dry thoat and bent over bringing this stuff up and limbs that feel like lead. btw what is a stim??? i keep seeing that phrase but have no idea what they mean

 

[Soup]

That sounds like something you need to bring to the attention of an otolaryngologist! That is NOT supposed to be happening to you. Is this something new or something you've had for a long time?

 

[kchapman1988]

long time, this is one of the reasons i hated p.e in school, i just thought it was because i was unfit. now you can see why i have a low selfimage, gained too much weight, horrable teeth and can't even push my mum (who is in a wheelchair) to the supermarket without suffering for it soon after. hell i have to exersize in the rain to keep cool enough

always have to clear my nose and colds make me go through SO much toilet roll

 

[smith2267]

a stim is any repetitive body movement. The majority of us have one or more. They make everything ok.

 

[kchapman1988]

when things get way too much i either end up rocking or have a big old panic attac/anxiety attack... never fun

 

[Loomis]

only issue is i have asthma and something weird going on with my airways, i seem to build up too much gunk so i can't breeth through my nose, little oxygen gets to my muscles and i end up with dry thoat and bent over bringing this stuff up and limbs that feel like lead. btw what is a stim??? i keep seeing that phrase but have no idea what they mean

I hope you do not smoke. With the symptoms you describe that would be crazy.

Assuming you do not smoke, are you taking a beta 2 agonist under a doctors care? There are both short term acting and long term beta 2 agonists and your doctor would be able to prescribe the correct ones. The most common beta 2 agonist for short term use is albuteral. I assume you are familiar with it. Another treatment a doctor might recommend is oral steroids and perhaps he will add anti-inflammatory drugs.

With the conditions you describe you should be under a doctor's care and seeing him regularly to get those symptoms under control. If you are seeing a doctor regularly and you still are having these problems it is time for a second opinion. Go to the best clinic available. The best doctors rarely cost more than the less experienced ones. You should be going somewhere like Johns Hopkins, The Cleveland Clinic, The Mayo Clinic, UCLA Medical Center etc. What city do you live in?

Do you have pets? Are you in an area with high pollution or in a house that is not very clean? Have you had allergy tests to determine which allergens affect you worst? All of these and other factors should be discussed with your doctor. He may also prescribe supplemental oxygen.

Note: I am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. I studied physiology, biochemistry and worked with pharmaceuticals so I know enough to be dangerous but not enough to give any advice other than to see a doctor who specializes in your specific conditions not a General Practitioner. My point is just that what you describe is treatable. Get to a specialist, tell him everything that is going on and that you want a better life. You deserve it.

 

[kchapman1988]

i live in the uk, england. so have the nhs. firstly what is a beta 2 agonist?? the only meds i use currently are citalopram for depression and a 'salamol' inhaler 'reliever', thats it. i don't smoke, barely drink (thou untill recently i did drink a fair amout of softdrinks) we do have dogs and cats, no allergy tests add to all this unemployed so cant really pay for private treatment

 

[Loomis]

i live in the uk, england. so have the nhs. firstly what is a beta 2 agonist?? the only meds i use currently are citalopram for depression and a 'salamol' inhaler 'reliever', thats it. i don't smoke, barely drink (thou untill recently i did drink a fair amout of softdrinks) we do have dogs and cats, no allergy tests add to all this unemployed so cant really pay for private treatment

Salamlol is a short acting beta 2 agonist. Citalopram is an SSRI anti-depressant that works by increasing the seratonin in your brain this is unrelated to your asthma symptoms. I am not familiar with the UK health system so I can't recommend a clinic. But if you have your choice of clinics you can go to in the UK, pick one in the ritziest area of town. I would ask for allergy tests; find out if you are alergic to your pets. Does the cat make you sneeze? I would ask the doctor if you should be on a longer acting beta 2 agonist in addition to the salamlol (I am guessing you use the inhaler when you are experiencing an acute asthma attack.) Ask about oral steroids, but understand these are powerful drugs and have long term side effects. Also ask about anti-inflamatory drugs and supplemental oxygen. Let me know what he says.

 

[kchapman1988]

something i should be writing down, thankyou for the advice, i've been annoyed (to put it lightly) for years that i tire so quickly, i always gag when i use toothpaste or mouthwash for crying out loud

 

[Loomis]

something i should be writing down

I will send you a private message. It may take me a while to write it up.

 

[Karl1990]

a few things, but loud noises are very bad for me. wasn't to fond of big fireworks or monster trucks when i was younger. Attempting to go to the shooting range was stressful as well. probably the loudest noises I have ever heard in my life.

 

[smith2267]

sudden loud noises like a loud knock on the door. You know how cops knock, really loud? Makes me jump out of my skin. And being touched makes me flinch. If it's a pretty girl I like it...but I still flinch. For some reason I don't flinch when non human animals touch me.
I can put up with it for a good reason...like last week, a Dr. was suturing my neck...where there was steady contact it was ok, but where he brushed against me occasionally, I flinched every time.
It's tough when I'm with a girl I like, because I can't control the flinching, and she thinks I don't like her.

 

[buckyboy14]

Another sensory issue I have is taste. Many things are much too spicy for me; for example, I can hardly handle most toothpastes; they need to be extremely mild.

 

[Soup]

I have overall physical sensory hypersensitivity. Anything touching me, brushing against me, fabric textures & patterns, flavours & scents...I'm very particular & can become intractable when it comes to certain sensations or sounds etc. Anyone whistling in my vicinity must cease & desist immediately at such an offensive, loud & pointless activity. Same is true for snappers, finger clicking, knuckle cracking & random unnecessary body sounds. Really. Why make a racket with your body: isn't the world noisy enough? NTs wouldn't likely admit it, but those are forms of STIMMING that rudely involve other people: social stimming! WEIRD!!! Loud body stimming is impossible for others to ignore & simply go about their business.

Typical Asperian cultural practice: NOT forcibly involving others in one's stimming. For instance, one may flap one's hands, but NEVER flap someone else's. One may rock BUT not bang repeatedly into someone else while doing so or expect them to rock too. If your stimming involves making loud noises, one reserves that stim for alone times.

 

[Megan]

I'm sensitive to noise. I don't like the noisy atmosphere of restaurants, stores, gymnasiums, crowded classrooms, or pretty much any indoor public place. A week ago when I had to go away for the weekend with my step-family, I actually left the hotel room and sat in our car for thirty minutes to calm down because the television was on and I couldn't deal with the noise. My mother's loud and emotional voice irritates me as well. I usually can deal with unpleasant noise, but sometimes I need to get away. Nature's noise never bothers me though.

I also feel a little overwhelmed in public places by everything that's going on around me.

Textures can really bother me too. I went the first ten years of my life without wearing jeans because I couldn't stand how they felt. Socks used to be a big problem, but not as much anymore.