Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
I'm a 36 year old mum to two boys and I was diagnosed on Tuesday. Although it wasn't a surprise, it's still somehow a huge shock, and I think it will take a long time to process. I supsect I'm not alone in that though! My initial feelings were of grief and relief - grief for the girl/woman who tried so hard all these years to fit into a NT world and some(many)times not quite managing to, and relief that I know now why. I feel like I have been running a marathon my whole life just to try to keep up with other people, and someone has just told me I can stop, and rest.
So far I have told only a few, most trusted friends/relatives. I need to figure out what it means to me first before I try to absorb feedback from others. But I feel a strong instinct right now to connect with others on the spectrum - I feel like I have some good support from those I know, yet I do feel quite alone. I was pleasantly surprised to find the very active forums on this site, and although I've read through just a few of the posts so far, I identify with so many things others members are feeling - the puzzle pieces really have all suddenly slotted into place.
Anyway, I look forward to join in more discussions and hearing about the experiences of others on the board.
Welcome,
It's just a few weeks since my diagnosis was confirmed - and you're right about it being a lot to process; I'm definitely still in the "sinking in" phase! I like your metaphor about the marathon running - I spent so much of my life wanting the world to stop so that I could get off for a bit!
The on-line communites are great. The openness and generosity of people stil astounds me, even a couple of months after first joining in. And they've had me rolling with laughter about the bizarre things we sometimes do. There's still barely a day when I don't have a "Eureka" moment, where some event in life has suddenly come into focus for the first time - and I learn that my harmless quirks are nothing to be ashamed of.