Something that came up in my recent assessment (leading to diagnosis) is a trend of becoming physically unwell when being away from home overnight or in unfamiliar situations.
My mum described repeated stomach aches/being unwell when I went away for residential trips as a child. Apparently I used to tell friends/teachers but wouldn’t feed this back to my parents who’d hear it from others.
As an adult I’ve had similar issues; I’ve had a number of “reactions” when out for meals which I’ve put down to food sensitivities (friends’ birthdays, a meal just with my mum for my 40th though this was at a fancy restaurant!). I was in hospital on my first holiday away with a friend, again for a weird sensation and “seizing” of my hands (they put down to dehydration but though we’d only been there for one day) and I’ve had physical symptoms of blurred vision and gastro issues on occasion when I’ve been super stressed……. I’ve had investigations, everything has been clear.
I‘ve always been fiercely independent and bloody minded, I like to prove I’m capable of anything and have always, right from a young age, had an overwhelming desire not to worry people (yes, I’m a late diagnosed highly masking adult female!). I can’t recall being consciously worried about these occasions or trips beforehand and they’ve always been with people I’ve known and trusted.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I’ve been reading a lot about Alexithymia and certainly my mum has been reflecting on this a lot since assessment. Could this be a misidentification of anxiety or stress? Am I not as tuned into my body as I think? Have definitely had multiple burnouts in the past and wondered if I learn to identify sensations more, I could potentially manage this a bit more effectively.
Thoughts or shared experiences gratefully received.
