Neurodiversity support thread for women with suspected, diagnosed or self-diagnosed autism, ADHD and other NDs #18

[PolterThreadStarter]

As usual, latest support thread.

Welcome

If you want a no-SLS shampoo, Jāsön is quite good (if a bit heavy on the diacritics).

Faith in Nature is good and cheap. I switch between around a dozen shampoos as my hair and scalp have different preferences!

Thank you for the words and experiences everyone. I really appreciate you all taking the time and it has helped me. I'm feeling a bit more positive today and I know that talking in here made all the difference between falling or holding steady last night.

Rat This really resonates. I really don't think I have classically manic times either so will have to remember to ask friend and DSis about that. Unless going out for both Christmas and my birthday counts? black humour

I'm diagnosed ASD and bipolar and I totally agree with both of them; my manic episodes were not really mistakable for anything else grin But before 2014, my manic periods were less classically manic, more irritability, anxiety, paranoia, agitation. But the combination of ASD and bipolar disorder looks superficially like borderline personality disorder, it seems, even though I told them again and again that most of the BPD stuff didn't fit me at all, but they thought they knew better hmm But of course apparently because personality disorder is egosyntonic, i.e. it feels normal to the person, people with PD will deny they have a disorder, which means if you deny you have PD that's a sign you have PD hmm Except I didn't deny that there was something wrong with me, I just knew it wasn't PD!

Spoken to the lady most like a friend to me today and she was very supportive and having Bi-P in the family said I'm nothing at all like her relative in even her more balanced phases and my most unbalanced. I know it's only a friends words but it made me feel better.

Spoke to my DSis. I haven't seen her in 5 years, 300 miles away, and I only call her once or twice a year. She doesn't really contact me because she knows I'm weird with phones and communicating but we love each other and try to understand each other. She told me her and BIL were watching a program on ASC last year and they both turned to each other and said 'it's Horse!'. She didn't know how to bring it up with me on our Christmas phone call bless her. She is happy to support me in any way she can and is willing to give her testement as to who I am.

She said when I do meet with the psych I should just talk about horses and they'll tell me anything to get rid of me I think she was joking...

Advice from both was pretty much hunker down, take the tabs, get to those appointments, be myself and they will soon see. My Dsis was a little more colourful in her language

Self care - I'm not too good but better than I was. My hair is mid shoulder blade length, thick and wavy. I wash once a week with 50p sized shampoo, leave on for 5 mins, rinse, condition, comb, 15 mins, rinse and do a quick cold rinse. Lasts about 5 days before looking greasy so I rub some talc through for those last two days.

I don't use a particularly huge amount of shampoo I don't think. I use Neutrogena T-Gel for dandruff/general flaky itchiness. Don't actually use conditioner. I am going for a haircut on Thursday so will prob ask for advice.

It's been a mad few days but I'm back so in order.

My car. I sorted it all by myself so I'm very proud. I researched cars, called the dealer (who is my neighbour which helped tbh) arranged a test drive, decided I liked the car, made the decision, bought, taxed, insured the car. DH deliberately let me do it all because this is going to be my car and I've never done the whole buying a car thing myself before.

Stationary. I discovered Frixxion Clicker pens. I absolutely love them. DD wanted one as they are a big thing at school. I used it and loved it. Both myself and DD can write much neater with them. I bought a stock off Amazon I have one everywhere I need to write. I can write neater if I print. I also have to slow down and take my time or I'm screwed.

I remember as a teen trying to find my place and why I didn't fit in. I watched girl, interrupted as part of my media course and the main character has BPD. I identified with a few of the characteristics, things I'd not seen represented before, but the label never comfortably fit. The aspie label is definitely the one that fits.

I also struggle with hair. I've chopped mine off to a crop. The only thing I'm struggling with is that I look exactly like my mum so Its hard to look in the mirror. She died 4 years ago and it's still too hard to see her face reflected in mine every morning.

I am contemplating growing it out a bit and going for an undercut, I've always fancied it but I'm not sure if I can pull it off.

Never ceases to amaze me how many animals we get on this thread I think I did a headcount a few threads back and there were at least half a dozen… now we have a horse too 😀

I've just started on some new meds. Well, not new - I was on them in 2015 and came off because I was rapid cycling like a motherfucker on a mountain bike, and before that I took them for a few years in my twenties, but anyway. I'm back on them. Yaayy…

Tell you what, I'll listen to you talking about horses if you listen to me talking about rats

By animals do you mean people posting photos of pets or their obsessions? Do we have guinea pigs? Because I do
First pair were Fudge and Darwin (both female, Darwin because of the character in the film G-Force about guinea pig special agents). Then Fudge died at 2, so we bought Toffee and Pepper. Fast forward a couple of years and Darwin died at 5 almost six. Then, last year, Pepper died, so we got Katie and Grace (they were already named when we adopted them, and we liked the names). Then Toffee died only recently. So currently we just have Katie and Grace. They are the most timid we've had, and we've had them almost a year.
Katie is the one on the left and Grace on the right.

I meant people with username with animals in them, but quite frankly I believe that what this thread needs is more guinea pig pictures 😍

I come back to this thread from time to time, but I have been enjoying reading through the 18 or so pages. I know this sounds like a huge cliche, but I can identify with so many if the stories on this thread. DS was dx with ASD aged 4 and ADHD at 6. Me = twice at the age of 39. Although it was only two years ago, it still feels odd.

I feel socially excluded too and quit the cliquey choir I was a member of a few months back due to my sense of humour going awry on the WhatsApp group.

I love your guinea pigs! It's like the one animal we haven't got yet! But I've been eyeing some up lately!

Well you're very welcome here MrsLogic!

Made it into work today to drop in my sick note and get a new car park pass (the machine ate my old one). Then popped to the local shops for a couple of things. The mental load plus physical exercise has left me exhausted! Still, I am doing more each day so I guess I'm progressing.

Supposed to be having time to relax and rest... I read the kids are on super mad mode and DH and I are just exhausted.

I really need some time off and some decent sleep. DS woke up this morning just before
6 am so fed up and I'm stiff as hell!

Jenny maybe you need to spend some time looking up disorders to figure out why you mistakenly thought your post would be necessary here?

Jenny the purpose of your post is what?

Hey bubbles! How many pets do you have?

I like guinea pigs. I'm not sure DH would appreciate them though... unless I can housetrain them

And apparently the helpful poster just started posting today... and both her posts have been deleted. That's a decent hit rate.

If anyone doesn't know there's a thread about disablism in site stuff. There's a particularly persistent re-occurring troll who seems intent on being offensive and nasty to disabled people and parents of disabled kids. MNHQ are aware and have been quick to zap today but don't assume someone else has reported and please do report it if you see it.

The fact that this topic doesn't show up on active suggests this troll is actively searching posters. They also have form for sending abusive PMs.

We have chickens, 6 degus, 2chinchillas, 3 dogs now we used to have Russian dwarf hamsters too but they died

Yes I think it's the same troll that's been harassing posters with disabilities this weekend, overjoyed they've found our little sanctuary

Ah cross posted with you polter there!

Polter thank you for the heads up!

I better go and see what grandma is doing in the garden with the kids. She said they could have a little campfire outside. Sounds like a great idea.... yeah I know, I know it really really isn't

My brother had Russian dwarf hamsters. I hamster sat once for them. The thing would try and do a kamikaze jump off of anything high
Perhaps it was a lemming??

Ours used to do the same, they would climb up their water bottle and jump off it repeatedly They had a huge Ikea bookcase thing turned into a cage

But..... a pumpkin is a fruit.