Published on 12, July, 2020
As an artist I also have many artist friends, many of whom I suspect would fit the diagnostic criteria for ASC.
The majority of those same people experience anxiety & stomach issues (IBS, IBD, etc).
So, this thread asks: Do any of you not get stomach issues every day/week?
...because I suspect this might be an interesting commonality between us all on the spectrum?
Could the difficulties we have to navigate day to day be interrupting our 'gut-brain-axis' and so be an easy to spot sign of an autistic person?
Sounds random now I write it, but I'm curious
Stomach problems are a common occurrence for people with autism. Stress intensifies stomach problems to. I have anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome and I would say both are severe. I get nausea, pain, wind, acid reflux, upset stomach almost every day and this increases my anxiety and that makes it worse.
A lot of the time it causes disturbance in my sleep and my eating. I have seen the GP and had every test you can think of but it is just anxiety and IBS.
I'm sorry, I am struggling with similar issues on a daily basis and it is also disrupting my sleep... it's so hard. But I do think it will get better eventually. That's what I am telling myself at least- I am hoping that at some point I will feel more settled and calmer and become better at dealing with stress and that will help a lot... Have you had any help for the anxiety? (I've not really had any useful support for that yet but I would like to have some help with that.... )