Published on 12, July, 2020
How do you do it?
By the time I get to any appointment I'm beyond the point of being reasonable. I can't think, can't remember what I needed to say, become situationally mute, and fail to explain what's going on so 9/10 times I leave without being understood and have a meltdown at home after. That's assuming I managed to leave the house in the first place
I forget that I've experienced things before and classically don't recall how long I've had the problem. I looked up my medical record the other day and found I've actually been complaining about menstruation problems for my whole adult life, not just the last few years.
Now I have to go have a scan. I get a letter, have to open a website and log in, choose from 6 places 2 have a different booking process, all are miles away and just that makes me meltdown. The last medical apt I made myself go to ended with me headbanging against the hospital wall and the medic wrote a stinking letter to my GP telling her off for not mentioning autism in the referral.
What suggestions do you have for getting to, staying at and communicating at medical appointments?
I have no family/friends to take me
I got discharged from community support because I couldn't drive to meet him (eye roll)
I stopped taking notes into apts because a GP was nasty about it and claimed I was making things up to get attention. (he also said 'people who work don't have mental health issues')
Bottom line, I don't trust doctors or professionals after a life time of being ignored because of how I communicate.
I rarely visit the doctor anymore. I now know what is going on with me, since i discovered that i am autistic. I realise that unless it is life threatning, needs specialist service then all a doctor can do is prescribe medication.
I have and still do take notes during apt or telephone consultations, because i dont remember whatvwas said.
I prepare by making notes to remind myself what i want to say. Its usually a pointless activity though.
Medical proffesionals can appear intimidating and can make you feel worse unfortunately.
It upsets me how services are not more easily accessible to those that need it x
I'm with you on the life threatening only visits. The medication never seems to work properly for me, and I've read many autistics say the same thing. There's some evidence to suggest we respond atypically to medications and illegal substances. My therapist is going to send me her psychiatry magazine when she's finished with the latest issue, it's about neurodiversity and medication. I'm so affected by periods that I'm giving this one last go but after that I'll probably give up. I'm 45. Menopause can't be far away, surely!
I suffered terribly with PMS then with the whole cycle that i had my ovaries removed at aged 40. It was such a relief. It was an extreme act but i couldn't cope. I think had i known that i was autistic, and able to understand myself better, i wouldnt do the same again, but i couldnt see another option at the time x
Im trying to remember how i was before i had my ovaries removed. I was very emotionally distressed from PMT then the heavy cycle then a week to recover. It was the right thing for me to do. The process for me was fine. Bare in mind that you would go straight into menopause then, but likely be offered HRT.