The Autistic Lorry Driver in need of help

Hi MarkJ 

I hear what you're saying.

Been there too.

Your doctor not picking up and doing anything with the diagnosis might be worth chasing as others have said.  If you're in the UK then each locality has to have some sort of formal strategy that they have in place for what to do after diagnosis.

This I would expect to be some sort of support framework to pass you over to.

Asking the GP about that maybe?

If you want to get a bit of a heads up about what might be available it could possibly be worth putting  "NHS autsim support" along with your city or county into Google or similar might point you towards what's available and maybe give you something to suggest to your GP?

Diagnoses also come with some suggestions I think - have you seen your written copy - maybe this gives "what next" things that could be followed up on?

As regards the depression and difficulty in being positive if you've been living with this since late teens getting an angle to work on that might change now you're diagnosed.  I was diagnosed aged 58 and am now 61.  I never got diagnosed when younger but looking back I was pretty badly depressed then and only got diagnosed with it when older.

As you've probably found out already autistic people are more likely to be diagnosed depressed and anxious than people without the diagnosis.  I have come round to the way of looking at it that it's not being autistic that makes depression it's the environment that an autistic person can find hard to fit into that makes the depression.  Getting to know yourself from learning about what other autistic people experience can make it easier to be happier as you don't keep trying to force a round peg into square holes...  

Would it make sense if I said you'd spent all your life thinking you were driving a lorry only to find our you've been flying a helicopter?  Or others asking you to drive a lorry when you're actually really a good helicopter pilot?  Hehe hope that hasn't confused things by using metaphors - sorry if it has!

Anyway - stick with things - be kind to yourself - late diagnosis means you've probably been thro' a lot and it can take a while to work stuff out to understand who you are as an autistic person who has been "masking" it for years - from others and yourself possibly.

Keep asking questions and look for answers in places you wouldn't expect them to be.  In this case your best resource is going to be you - you've got this far despite not realising you were in some ways "disabled" in society so you are strong.  Think how much better it'll be when you're more able to appreciate what a level playing field is and ask for it and where your strengths are and how to play to them!

All the best

(hehe, headlights flashed to say I'm coming past and/or to say it's safe to pull over now you're safely past!)

Hi MarkJ 

I hear what you're saying.

Been there too.

Your doctor not picking up and doing anything with the diagnosis might be worth chasing as others have said.  If you're in the UK then each locality has to have some sort of formal strategy that they have in place for what to do after diagnosis.

This I would expect to be some sort of support framework to pass you over to.

Asking the GP about that maybe?

If you want to get a bit of a heads up about what might be available it could possibly be worth putting  "NHS autsim support" along with your city or county into Google or similar might point you towards what's available and maybe give you something to suggest to your GP?

Diagnoses also come with some suggestions I think - have you seen your written copy - maybe this gives "what next" things that could be followed up on?

As regards the depression and difficulty in being positive if you've been living with this since late teens getting an angle to work on that might change now you're diagnosed.  I was diagnosed aged 58 and am now 61.  I never got diagnosed when younger but looking back I was pretty badly depressed then and only got diagnosed with it when older.

As you've probably found out already autistic people are more likely to be diagnosed depressed and anxious than people without the diagnosis.  I have come round to the way of looking at it that it's not being autistic that makes depression it's the environment that an autistic person can find hard to fit into that makes the depression.  Getting to know yourself from learning about what other autistic people experience can make it easier to be happier as you don't keep trying to force a round peg into square holes...  

Would it make sense if I said you'd spent all your life thinking you were driving a lorry only to find our you've been flying a helicopter?  Or others asking you to drive a lorry when you're actually really a good helicopter pilot?  Hehe hope that hasn't confused things by using metaphors - sorry if it has!

Anyway - stick with things - be kind to yourself - late diagnosis means you've probably been thro' a lot and it can take a while to work stuff out to understand who you are as an autistic person who has been "masking" it for years - from others and yourself possibly.

Keep asking questions and look for answers in places you wouldn't expect them to be.  In this case your best resource is going to be you - you've got this far despite not realising you were in some ways "disabled" in society so you are strong.  Think how much better it'll be when you're more able to appreciate what a level playing field is and ask for it and where your strengths are and how to play to them!

All the best

(hehe, headlights flashed to say I'm coming past and/or to say it's safe to pull over now you're safely past!)