I have random allergies, because apparently nuts etc aren't good enough for me. I have the usual ones related to asthma: dust, feathers, pollen, but I am also lactose and wheat intolerant and (drum roll please) coconuts and tomatoes.
People don't believe the last two. They do, when they see me covered top to toe in a rash, swollen up and wheezing (raw tomatoes - it's an enzyme thing) or puking my guts up (coconuts). Coconuts seem to be a lesser deal than the tomatoes, but I'm not risking it. Nope, no sirree. The tomato allergy is familial, as in two close members also have the issue and since I mentioned it a pile of friends have mentioned it too. Notably, the other members of the family also have a strawberry allergy, to which my GP said "NO, THESE ARE NOW BANNED TOO!". My reaction to raw tomatoes is worsening and I tend to avoid them, if at all possible. No ketchup and minimum cooked tomatoes too :(. I'm ok, so long as I don't eat them. So I don't, where possible. And I'm pedantic about it in restaurants. The main problem with tomatoes, is they are on the cross allergy list with kiwis, strawberries, bananas and... latex. So, minimal latex for me too.
Skin hypersensitivity is a bit of a weird one. In 2012, I decided to use up some small samples of stuff because I was moving and packed my main skincare. For some reason, my skin reacted and I developed roseaca overnight. When I went back to my old stuff, my skin still reacted. Trying to find effective skincare is a pain in the arse, let alone anti-ageing. There are, however, a couple of brands I can use. Huzzah. Unfortunately, not long after the face went mental, my skin decided it was not happy with parabens, SLES and preservatives, so I had to start using products without them in it (read: more expensive) and eighteen months ago, the scalp followed suit. I have to take my own haircare products to the hairdresser, my scalp is that sensitive, otherwise I'll be scratching like a dog with fleas (also, with the tomato allergy. Not ladylike AT ALL). I'll put it like this: when YOUR skin is reacting after a gentle facial and your sister with extreme ezcema is NOT, that's bizarre. I also have to watch exactly what I drink, otherwise, yup, you guessed it, face reacts. Meh.
Asperger's is something a tad different. I've been aware for a decade that I was probably on the spectrum, as are members of my close family, although none of us were diagnosed (we pre-computer generation were forced to do such things as Go Outside and Socialise With Friends). Prior to that, I had a horrendous time at high school, more recently at work, due to my quirks not being understood. Some of the depression is endogenous (as in, no known cause, just because), however the research shows I am not alone, particularly in the late diagnosed, mainly due to lack of understanding and discrimination from our peers. I am different to other people. I do not dislike being different to other people and, in fact, I'm not bad around them. I don't care for loud, bright, noisy environments with a lot of people, sure but I am perfectly capable of empathy (more so than non Aspies IMHO). Unfortunately, we tend to be a bit naive and are therefore vulnerable in some respects. We also tend not to react particularly well to change, but if you give us clear guidelines and boundaries, as well as not drop things on us last minute, we tend to do really quite well. Yes, we can become fixated on things (I am called the Costumeer for a reason) and develop lots of knowledge on them (ah, my James Bond day...) and people prefer not to get me onto certain subjects (because I won't shut up) and I'm not good at reading people sometimes (I lack social awareness) and sometimes I need a lot of help figuring things out (it's an executive functioning thing). Plus, I have to contend with dyslexia as well. Double whammy. However, I'll tell you something: the spectrum is more of a circle than a line and encompasses so many different aspects. I'll tell you something else: if you must go with something to fixate on, I'm more Sheldon Cooper than Rain Man. I also find it really frustrating when people tell me that "I don't look autistic" (what should I look like?) or that "Everyone's on the spectrum somewhere". Both of these statements really infuriate me. Why? Because they don't respect me as an individual expression of my condition or my experience and struggle with living with NTs (that's the Neuro Typical. We are NDs or Neuro Diverse). I also get fed up of being asked why I don't get something or why I can't be like everyone else - I am not a bloody neurologist and I am still figuring out how to cope with this.
So that is me. There might well be another post today. Excuse the errors!
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