Hello

Hello people

I posted this same message on the aspergers and asd forum earlier today but I'm not sure anyone pays much attention to that one. I apologise in advance for what I have said below. I'm not sure if this is the right place for this but don't know what else to do. Please read the following message and let me know what you think.

 I'm 49 and have been married for almost 4 years. My wife is diabetic and also partially disabled due to a neurological condition which affects the left hand side of her body. She has 16 year old twins (one of each) from a previous marriage and they became young carers and had to look after her when her when her previous husband left a few years ago. As you may already guess all of this can sometimes make things very difficult at home. I've not officially been told I have aspergers but previous to this relationship I lived by myself for years and became a bit of a loner. I developed what I thought at the time was a bit of OCD behaviour around the home, checking doors and windows on numerous occasions before going out.. In public I'm very shy and don't make eye contact easily. When in a crowded room I will not readily join into conversations and tend to sit off to the side and just listen in. If I do try and join in I'm more likely to try and talk about myself than add anything appropriate to the discussion. I can also be quite a clumsy person and can be quitter accident prone sometimes. From what I've read online these are just some of the symptoms typical in a person who has aspergers.

 

A year or so ago our marriage went through a very difficult period when I was texting another woman who I contacted online. I admit it was a stupid thing to do and to try and remedy things we went for counselling.  Through some of the discussions we had it was suggested by the counsellor that I may have aspergers and should seek medical advice.  So I went to my Doctor and talked to him about things and he sent a letter off to the relevant people. Nothing more was ever heard after this and I let things slip. 

 

A couple of weeks ago my wife was having a diabetic hypo and she needed our help, I was slow to react and as a result her daughter stepped in to help, this led to a big fight in our house involving me, my wife and step-daughter which resulted in me having a major meltdown calling her daughter all sorts of bad names and struggling with her. My wife says that I also tried to attack her, but I don't remember it at all, she also says that I started stimming  which is something I've done a lot when I'm under pressure at home. My wife says that most of this happens when she asks for help. 

 

As a result of the latest incident the Social Work Dept got involved and I'm currently living away from home but see my wife on a regular basis. They are aware of my potential medical condition and suggested that I needed to seek more medical advice.. I attended another Doctor and told him my story.  He has also sent a referral off and this time I'm hopeful it will get somewhere. I still love my wife and hate being away from her but until I can sort myself out we may have to resort to living apart. 

 

I hope this all makes sense to everybody. It was quite difficult to piece this all together. Basically what I'm looking for is some advice in how to cope with things until I can get some proper medical advice and a diagnosis on whether I actually have aspergers or not. The bottom line is that most of the problems at home usually end up with me having a meltdown. I hate this and don't want this to happen again.

Parents
  • Hi capricorn23

    Not sure how much my reply will help you. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, but it took about 9 months from the GP referral to get there. You are identifying with familar traits, so what stops you from taking action on the assumption that you are autistic, whilst you go through the diagnosis procedure.

    I wonder what you're wife's reaction was to the suggestion that you might have AS. If it was supportive then don't wait to explain how it affected you. Text her if that's easier for you before you can try and explain. Don't freeze. Plan what you think what you want to say.

    I'm not familiar with what support services there may be out there for you. I rather think I'd be terrified of using them anyway. I think those of us diagnosed in later life, particularly when we have established a reasonably good life, just muddle on and stumble through the misunderstandings that we have with our partners as best we can. Of course, our partners have issues themselves, the biggest of which in my experience is an unwillingness/difficulty understanding why we are the way we are.

    Friendship is very important to many with AS, but when you have a wife there will be boundaries. We just don't always know what they are. So, I suggest apologise and invite her to tell you about what she is feeling about your latest incident and what she wants of you. Think about the difficulties you may face with AS. If she isn't very receptive then your job will be the same, only harder, but you need her on your side to help you cope with the social difficulties that you face.

    I hope others will join the discussion with their own advice to help you and that you get things better again with your wife.

    All the best

Reply
  • Hi capricorn23

    Not sure how much my reply will help you. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, but it took about 9 months from the GP referral to get there. You are identifying with familar traits, so what stops you from taking action on the assumption that you are autistic, whilst you go through the diagnosis procedure.

    I wonder what you're wife's reaction was to the suggestion that you might have AS. If it was supportive then don't wait to explain how it affected you. Text her if that's easier for you before you can try and explain. Don't freeze. Plan what you think what you want to say.

    I'm not familiar with what support services there may be out there for you. I rather think I'd be terrified of using them anyway. I think those of us diagnosed in later life, particularly when we have established a reasonably good life, just muddle on and stumble through the misunderstandings that we have with our partners as best we can. Of course, our partners have issues themselves, the biggest of which in my experience is an unwillingness/difficulty understanding why we are the way we are.

    Friendship is very important to many with AS, but when you have a wife there will be boundaries. We just don't always know what they are. So, I suggest apologise and invite her to tell you about what she is feeling about your latest incident and what she wants of you. Think about the difficulties you may face with AS. If she isn't very receptive then your job will be the same, only harder, but you need her on your side to help you cope with the social difficulties that you face.

    I hope others will join the discussion with their own advice to help you and that you get things better again with your wife.

    All the best

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