Adult Diagnosis - Embarressed

Goatworshiper said:

...Wondering about it is driving me to distraction at the minute. 

Azpie said:

As soon as my GP referred me that was all I could think about, I was worrying constantly, what if I was wrong, what if they said I was normal etc etc. I'm so glad it didn't take too long to get to the clinic, thankfully they had that cancellation otherwise I could have been waiting a further 3 months.

...

I can relate to your worries GoatWorshiper and Azaezl.  I was worried that I might end up being diagnosed with something more sinister than Asperger syndrome or worse, I might be told I'm just an insensitive jerk with hypochondria. 

I was not able to think about much else between the GP referral and the appointment for assessment.  In fact I was so anxious that I had given up on the referral after not hearing anything for months and months and started investigating getting a private assessment.  I was pleasantly surprised to get a letter asking for preliminary information in anticipating of possibly being scheduled for an assessment right after I had given up on it.  After sending the requested information back I expected a long wait to hear whether or not I would get an appointment and if so it might be set for a date several months later.  As it turned out, it was weeks rather than months from that point, so I was again pleasantly surprised.

It was about seven months for me from when I finally decided to pursue a diagnosis to when I had it in hand.  I had talked to a GP about suspecting I had Asperger syndrome over two years before that, but told her I did not see a need to pursue a diagnosis or help with it at that point.  It was first suggested to me that I might have Asperger syndrome about two years prior to that by someone close to me who happens to be a psychologist that works with children on the spectrum.

I read a huge amount about AS in the months prior to seeing the GP for a referral.  I may have been lucky to have seen two GP's at the surgery that happened to be familiar with Asperger syndrome.  The one from whom I requested the referral was wise enough to suggest that I write her a letter explaining why I thought Asperger syndrome described me because I wasn't very good at explaining it to her in person.  I think that helped a lot.  It probably saved her some writing as well.  

I think it also helped that it wasn't the first time I had discussed my suspicions about it with a GP when I requested the referral.  They had to know it wasn't just some passing whim when I felt much stronger about it after more than two years of contemplation.  In all, it was well over two years from start to finish for me in that sense or well over four years if measured from when I first began to suspect Asperger Syndrome described me.

Hopefully those out there urgently in need of services and accommodations can find their path to diagnosis a bit quicker than my rate of four years between suspicion and diagnosis.  I think I am adapted beyond the need to seek specific help.  I primarily wanted to confirm what I already knew so that I could confidently continue working on adaptations on my own.  I can tell already that it will be helpful for others around me to understand and accept certain things about me that they will never change.

Good luck to GoatWorshiper and anyone else out there seeking a diagnosis.  It is probably important to keep an open mind about what might explain your symptoms.  It is probably much more important to discover the scope of your limitations and what type of help you might need than to get a particular label placed upon you.  I feel a bit silly now thinking about being concerned that some other diagnosis might be more appropriate for me.  Knowing myself was my goal after all whether it was AS or otherwise.

Also, I neglected to mention that the info on the NAS website and an email or two from them were immensely helpful to me.

Goatworshiper said:

...Wondering about it is driving me to distraction at the minute. 

Azpie said:

As soon as my GP referred me that was all I could think about, I was worrying constantly, what if I was wrong, what if they said I was normal etc etc. I'm so glad it didn't take too long to get to the clinic, thankfully they had that cancellation otherwise I could have been waiting a further 3 months.

...

I can relate to your worries GoatWorshiper and Azaezl.  I was worried that I might end up being diagnosed with something more sinister than Asperger syndrome or worse, I might be told I'm just an insensitive jerk with hypochondria. 

I was not able to think about much else between the GP referral and the appointment for assessment.  In fact I was so anxious that I had given up on the referral after not hearing anything for months and months and started investigating getting a private assessment.  I was pleasantly surprised to get a letter asking for preliminary information in anticipating of possibly being scheduled for an assessment right after I had given up on it.  After sending the requested information back I expected a long wait to hear whether or not I would get an appointment and if so it might be set for a date several months later.  As it turned out, it was weeks rather than months from that point, so I was again pleasantly surprised.

It was about seven months for me from when I finally decided to pursue a diagnosis to when I had it in hand.  I had talked to a GP about suspecting I had Asperger syndrome over two years before that, but told her I did not see a need to pursue a diagnosis or help with it at that point.  It was first suggested to me that I might have Asperger syndrome about two years prior to that by someone close to me who happens to be a psychologist that works with children on the spectrum.

I read a huge amount about AS in the months prior to seeing the GP for a referral.  I may have been lucky to have seen two GP's at the surgery that happened to be familiar with Asperger syndrome.  The one from whom I requested the referral was wise enough to suggest that I write her a letter explaining why I thought Asperger syndrome described me because I wasn't very good at explaining it to her in person.  I think that helped a lot.  It probably saved her some writing as well.  

I think it also helped that it wasn't the first time I had discussed my suspicions about it with a GP when I requested the referral.  They had to know it wasn't just some passing whim when I felt much stronger about it after more than two years of contemplation.  In all, it was well over two years from start to finish for me in that sense or well over four years if measured from when I first began to suspect Asperger Syndrome described me.

Hopefully those out there urgently in need of services and accommodations can find their path to diagnosis a bit quicker than my rate of four years between suspicion and diagnosis.  I think I am adapted beyond the need to seek specific help.  I primarily wanted to confirm what I already knew so that I could confidently continue working on adaptations on my own.  I can tell already that it will be helpful for others around me to understand and accept certain things about me that they will never change.

Good luck to GoatWorshiper and anyone else out there seeking a diagnosis.  It is probably important to keep an open mind about what might explain your symptoms.  It is probably much more important to discover the scope of your limitations and what type of help you might need than to get a particular label placed upon you.  I feel a bit silly now thinking about being concerned that some other diagnosis might be more appropriate for me.  Knowing myself was my goal after all whether it was AS or otherwise.

Also, I neglected to mention that the info on the NAS website and an email or two from them were immensely helpful to me.