Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi. I’m new to this group. Newly confirmed autistic in early 40s, but known this for a long time and have experienced the same challenges all my life - just never knew why until recent years and better understanding of autism in women etc. Have had regular headaches for as long as I can remember and have learned how to manage them as best I can over the years, but recently read that they may be connected with my autism. Does anyone else experience these? I find they can be triggered by sunlight, high uv even on non sunny days, strong smells, over-whelming social gatherings, and after intensive periods of masking at work.
I'm not (yet) diagnosed with autism. I probably have 4 years to wait for assessment.I had a number of health problems during my working life, one of which was chronic migraine, rarely being free of symptoms. I attended a neurology clinic for some time, where they diagnosed migraine and tried various treatments, none of which were very successful. I discharged myself because of the lack of progress and the stress of some of the neurology appointments (autism related? rapid fire questions from strangers - being lunged at and grabbed...) Since taking early retirement, I'm able to reduce what I guess are the trigger situations - crowded or noisy spaces, bright artificial light. Migraines are now largely gone.
Hi Whistler. I’m glad the early retirement & other changes you’ve made have helped. That’s really good news.