u/Helpful-Shift1829

So I (20f), have Autism and likely Dysphagia. I was born premature and have had issues with chewing and swallowing for most of my life. It’s worse when I’m eating with people. Unless it is a safe food I eat very little (safe food meaning something I can swallow easily, I am not a picky eater). People notice how slowly I eat when I am out at a restaurant or eating an unsafe food. Oftentimes, my family will finish before me, and my dad asks if we are ready to leave, and my mom will say, “Wait, she’s still eating.” Then my dad and sister will place their fork in my food and ask if they can have it. That often leads to a meltdown as it is so frustrating not being able to eat fast enough, or still being hungry after I eat. Then when I have a safe food, I devour it in minutes and am full.

Tonight, that happened. My dad took me to the state fair and we got a lot of snacks that I found unsafe (corn dogs, cheese curds and deep fried oreos). I managed the corn dogs fine, but the cheese curds and deep fried oreos were very difficult to swallow. On the way home from the fair, we went to a restaurant (one of my safe places), and I got two soups. My dad knows I can eat them easily. I finished my first bowl in about 5-10 minutes. I accidentally left the container in the car, and when my dad saw it, he asked why it was there. I told him it was empty, and he said, “Really? It’s all gone already?”

I don’t know why, but I had a meltdown. I was so embarrassed that the one time I can eat normally, people are shocked at how quickly I can. My parents and sister are all obese and can eat and be full extremely fast, whereas I am constantly hungry unless I’m eating a safe food. It’s embarrassing. Sometimes I wonder what it feels like to eat normally food (pizza, chicken, hamburgers), and feel full. My dad claims to “love soup,” and made it a challenge to see who can eat more, but I don’t use it as a want. I need it, otherwise I can’t eat normally in restaurants. Soup is one of my safe foods, I can swallow it easily without problems.

Is anybody else like this?

I (20f) was not diagnosed with PDA, but I do have level one Autism and am pretty sure I have PDA as well. Here are a few demands that have set me off.

* “Today, I need you to go through all your clothes / stuff for next week.”

* “You’re on dish duty today,” (when I was already doing them).

* “Let me show you the correct way to do this” (I do it my own way because I don’t appreciate others telling me the correct way over and over again).

* “You only did the chore halfway. If you’re going to do chores, try to finish it. Maybe we can work on focusing better. This is why you’re getting tested for ADD, you could benefit from medication to help you focus.” It’s not a focus issue, it’s my lack of motivation from all the reminders to do things a certain way.

* “Just say this, tell them this, say you’re going to do this.” Instead of getting me to talk and communicate, it shuts me down.

Is anybody else frustrated by this stuff?

Ok, so this might not work for everyone, but I may have just found a diet useful for my LPR. For months, I’ve looked for a diet / foods for LPR / GERD and really didn’t find much, but one website suggested eating foods with a PH of 5 or higher. So I tried it consistently for a while and it worked! Mostly with my GERD symptoms (heartburn and stomach pain), but also with my LPR symptoms (chronic cough, runny nose and post nasal drip).

Some foods that have helped me are:

* Bananas
*Honeydew Melon
* Watermelon
* Cauliflower
*Radishes
*Eggs

I cannot believe how much this has helped! Of course, I still have struggles every now and then with the heartburn and post nasal drip, but eating high ph foods has improved my symptoms dramatically. The other day, I thought I was having a heart attack because of heartburn and discomfort, a few slices of honeydew melon and the pain was completely gone!

However, I do still have foods that trigger my LPR, such as peanut butter, green apples, citrus and tomatoes. I just thought I’d share this as it seems to help me. I hope it is useful

I (20f) have Autism and Intermittent Explosive Disorder. When I get angry, it’s often for something pretty stupid. Here is a list of the dumb reasons I’ve been angry in the last year:

* My dad didn’t believe I could drive to the gas station myself (because I’m still learning to drive places myself), and he and my sister didn’t think I would go in and socialize. I managed it, and he praised me in the baby voice afterwards, “Wow, thank you. You did so good!”

*My dad thought I couldn’t manage getting ice at the same gas station and offered to go with me because he said “it was really heavy and I am a girl,” yet he lets my younger sister lift heavy stuff all the time. My mom says it’s because I struggle to focus and only complete tasks halfway (which is rarely true).

* My mom saying, “If you’re going to do this chore, please make sure to finish it. Just focus and get it done.”

*My mom saying, “You’re always angry!” Sometimes, not always.

* My sisters moodiness (she likely has Bipolar)

*My family taking my food before I’m done eating (putting their fork in and asking, “Can I eat this?”

My dad wanting me to wake my sister up, but coddling me in the process “You don’t even have to talk, just open her door, I’ll go with you and yell at her!” Like I would’ve been fine doing the whole thing had you just asked that and not went into detail.

* My sister calling the cops on herself while my parents took me back to college (she apparently took some drugs and felt bad about it despite doing it all the time, she’s been in a psych ward three times because of this).

*When people raise their voice at me.

When my parents say “I’m done,” but then give me another chance.

Those are just a few of the reasons. Just thought I’d share.

I don’t know if it’s dysphagia or not, but since I was little, I have always struggled with swallowing. I was born premature and went to therapy for it for a while, but the swallowing problems came back later in life.

I struggle the most when eating in front of people. It’s so embarrassing having people ask why I eat so slow and if I’m ok, and when my family (who can chew and swallow anything and can finish their food before I can even swallow a bite) ask if were ready to leave the restaurant and my mom says, “Wait, she’s still eating.” Then my dad and sister will put their fork in my food and ask if they can have it.

I hate the foods most people love. Chicken tenders are a nightmare, french fries are difficult, pizza is a challenge, and so on. Yesterday my family had some friends in town and we went to a restaurant. I ordered fish, and actually did ok with it, but still struggled quite a lot. Afterwards, my sister asked for dessert (which I surprisingly don’t have much an issue swallowing), and my parents said, “We just ate dinner, I’m stuffed!” If only I could feel that satisfaction, as a 20 year old with swallowing issues and a high metabolism, I was still starving, my stomach growling.

Currently, my safe, filling foods are fried eggs, soup, and puffcorn (soft chips). Other than that, eating and staying full is a struggle. Does anyone else have this issue?

So I (20f) have been dealing with LPR for almost four years now. It started with a sinus infection, and then a constant stuffy nose, sore throat and post nasal drip for three years. I saw multiple doctors who brushed it off as allergies. I even went as far as getting a septoplasty for my deviated septum (as I figured that was what was causing the post nasal drip). That did nothing, so I began searching online and discovered LPR.

Since eating foods with a high pH, things have improved. However, I notice that whenever I eat a trigger food, I get very odd symptoms. Oftentimes I get very pad pain in my stomach and esophagus, and my stomach often sticks out because of the pain. It’s really uncomfortable and causes discomfort to my head and ears as well.

Is this normal? I’ve brushed it off as just eating the trigger food, but the other day my mom asked if I was pregnant (as a joke), and seemed concerned when she saw my stomach stick out the way it did.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I (20f), have Autism and Misophonia. Today, my dad asked me to wake my sister up. He really overprotected me by saying, “You don’t even have to talk, I’ll talk to her. Just open the door!” What he doesn’t understand is it’s not a social issue, but the fact that I hate the sounds/movements that people make when they first wake up (yawning, grimacing, stretching, etc).

This is a new trigger that started about a year ago. Does anyone else have this or is it just a weird issue?

So I (20f), have struggled with talking ever since I was a kid. I don’t believe I am selectively mute, but I do have level one Autism. A lot of people on the Autism community page seemed to either not have this problem or have it for a different reason than I do.

For me, I can talk about basic stuff with others, but really have a hard time when it comes to raising my hand in class, speaking freely (when the teacher just lets everyone talk at once rather than going around the room), and talking to classmates randomly. My big issue is the attention I receive from it (in elementary and middle school, people would say “She talked!” And teachers would bring up that we had “our longest conversation ever.” Or if I did well on a test or assignment, my teachers would get so excited, shake us, high fives, hugs, all the tactile stimuli basically. They also used very excited and detailed praise. This led me to get very worried every time we had a test (it didn’t help that my parents were obsessed over me getting good grades lol). When it came to the non-grading testing (the state tests and stuff), I purposely did bad so that people wouldn’t draw attention to me.

Now as a college student, my biggest struggle is asking to join in. Whether it’s a game or event, it’s hard for me to get involved. I am a student athlete, but that doesn’t really count as a club or event. My parents are always nagging me to advocate for myself and telling me what to say if they think I’m struggling, but it’s so much more than that. I need a script, social story, pacing board, something to make me comfortable so I know I’ll be OK. Most importantly, I do not want attention.

Does anybody here struggle with this? A lot of people in the autism community interpreted differently for different reasons than I do, but I was wondering if anyone on here feels similar to me.

So I 20f, am desperately looking for a job. I really did my best to find one this summer (I applied to 22 jobs in two months and was denied for all of them).

One of the problems is my lack of experience. I’ve never had a job, and my volunteer experience is limited (I tutored at a local high school, but nobody came to me). When I show people my resume, they often ask, “Is this really all you’ve done? You don’t have a lot of experience.” My parents told me that I could apply for scholarships to get money, that that itself is a full time job. They also said that if I really want a job, I can help them clean the house. They don’t get it, I want a real job, so I can be normal for my age. I can’t drive well so I could at least find a job.

My main issue seems to be the interviews. I always look confident, dress appropriately and am polite, yet nobody seems to want me when they find out about my lack of experience. I always mention that I am willing to obtain anything needed (such as CPR training, certifications and other stuff).

One job I applied for (a summer daycare position), had me do a play based observation. I asked the director if there were any requirements for the job or anything I need to obtain, and she said that me being in college covered it, and as long as I was comfortable with the kids, that I was likely to be hired. I was placed with three age groups: one, two and four year olds. I did very well with the one and two year olds, but struggled to interact well with the four year olds. I did interact, it was just more difficult for me. I think part of it was that I was thrown off as the director told me she was going to meet with me afterwards, but left for the day immediately after introducing herself to me. I unfortunately didn’t get the job, but hopefully will have more opportunities in the future.

With me starting college again next month, I have very little chances for jobs (the ones at my school only really hire people with experience, and I don’t have a car, so there are limited places I can go. However, I recently found an opportunity close to me, a grocery store 1/2 a mile away from my campus.

The problem is, I have no experience, nor have I ever interviewed or applied to a grocery store job before. I have no idea how it will work. What questions will they ask? Will I meet the hiring requirements? What do I do if I’m rejected?

I have a very hard time with walking into job interviews. With me, I do best if I have a counter, so I can simply say, “Hi, I’m here for a job interview,” and be escorted where I need to be. With a a grocery store, I have no idea who to approach, what to tell them, how to act, etc. I get a lot of discomfort asking for help, and the thought of saying, “Excuse me, I’m here for a job interview, can you tell me where to go/who to talk to” makes me uneasy.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? I’d love to know about your first job experience, interviews and stuff. Thanks!

I (20f), have always hated the sound of people coughing. Whether it’s my mom, sister or friends, every cough drives me crazy.

About a month ago, my sister and mom got a really bad sinus cold, it was BAD. Way worse than what my mom calls bad (she doesn’t understand Misophonia or believe I have it). The coughing was constant.

We just came home from a ten day trip, and I feel like my sister (18f), has another cold. On Wednesday, she coughed loudly (that typical cold cough), and cleared her throat loudly on Thursday. Today she coughed loudly again. Every loud cough I hear screams cold to me. My Misophonia is so bad that a simple cough makes me think someone is on their death bed.

Please tell me I’m not the only one dealing with this right now.

It’s a random post, but I thought I’d share it. What is probably a nightmare for those with Misophonia, I survived. A ten day vacation with my family, sharing a room 7/10 days. Two beds, one room. Four days in the car for 2-4 hours each time. There were four of us.

It was rough. My parents yawning, my sister snoring and breathing loudly, coughing, sneezing, crunching, my sisters moodiness, etc. Luckily, I handled it like a pro (yes, I had to wear headphones almost every night and in the car, but I didn’t get too upset! I managed the whole 10 days and only complained once!
Yes, my diet was hindered as I had to stick to specific foods to keep me calm (some seem to work better than others lol), but it kept me collected!

This post is for those who think they can’t manage Misophonia on vacation. I won’t lie, it might be hard. But a good pair of headphones and earplugs can make it easier!

I (20f), I hate it when people raise their voice at me, like, I can’t stand it. One negative comment or voice raise ruins my whole day. This whole issue started about six years ago.

It began during Covid, when I was quarantined to my house. I spent a lot of time playing a very inappropriate game. It was designed for people 18+, but at the time I was only 14. I picked up a lot of bad behavior from that game. One day, I was playing the game, and said something inappropriate unintentionally. My mom works from home so she overheard me. She got really frustrated. She started by calmly telling me not to talk like that, and then out of nowhere just shouted, “You’re so addicted to that game! Seriously, this and gambling, that’s all you do!” (It wasn’t gambling, it was simply a game on my mom’s phone that involved fake money, and I played it with my grandmother every so often). Anyway, my mom raising her voice at me made me so upset that I went from playing the games every day to once or twice a year.

Tonight, I accidentally snapped my dental appliance that I wear almost 24/7, and I was so scared to tell my mom. When I first got it, I had a tendency to lose it or be irresponsible with it. I’ve had it for about 1.5 years now. Last year, on my birthday, I went to an arcade, and thought I had left my appliance there for I could not find it when we left. My mom freaked out and raised her voice several times that day. She also freaked out whenever the dogs got ahold of it (despite it being out of their reach). This led me to be extremely afraid of breaking it, especially since I need it for everything.

When it comes to my dental issues, I have a tendency to lie to my parents and dentists about what happened to cause the issue, simply because I was afraid of getting in trouble or having someone raise their voice at me, which happened a lot back when I got my first appliance five years ago. Tonight, I broke my appliance because I took it out to eat, put it in my pocket, and sat down, forgetting it was there until I took it out. I freaked out, slowly walked downstairs, and told my mom, “I have an emergency, I don’t want you to be mad at me…” She immediately raised her voice, saying, “Just say it! Don’t make it all dramatic!”

I was so confused, as whenever I was calm about it, she freaked out and asked a million questions about how it happened. This time, I lied and said that my appliance fell on the ground while I was brushing it (which happens sometimes), but really, I had sat on it. My mom said a quick f bomb and then was calm about it, but I am still so upset. Why does she always raise her voice at me? Why am I dramatic without meaning to be? I was just trying to act afraid so she wouldn’t be mad. It doesn’t help that she has severe ADD and is a Gemini. I try to explain my feelings to her but she just says that I need to get over it and that people are going to raise their voice at me sometimes. I am constantly trying to keep her happy, but a single mistake ruins it.

To be clear, my mom is an amazing person and loves me very much, but I am incredibly sensitive towards voice raising. Sorry for the rant

I don’t know if it’s just me. I’m the oldest child in my family and also the only one with Misophonia. My parents think I can just “get over it” and “Wear my headphones,” but no, it’s much more than that.

My younger sister is very accepting of my Misophonia, but unfortunately, one of my biggest triggers. We have an excellent relationship, but whenever she gets a cold, I avoid her as much as possible.

Does anyone else have a younger sibling that triggers you?

I v* for the first time in 11 years after being drunk. I don’t remember much, but it happened. It wasn’t as bad as I made it seem. My sister made a huge deal about me breaking my streak lol.

How long have you all gone?

So last night I threw up for the first time in 11 years (the last time I did was when I was 9 and had the stomach flu). I am, however, ashamed of how last night’s puke happened.

I was drunk. Very drunk. Honestly I feel stupid for even getting this drunk. I’m not an alcoholic but occasionally binge drink. This whole thing started when my friends and I were camping and we found out one of them had snuck bottles of alcohol on the trip and proceeded to drink all of them in one day (he was 17 at the time). My friends and I thought it was cool so we drank a little, but not to the extent that our one friend was.

Anyway, I threw up last night. Later on, I went downstairs to find my parents extremely angry with me. They ranted and ranted (one of those rants that make you feel really bad about yourself, the last time my parents did this was about a year ago when I had a swearing problem). I felt awful for what I did but also really glad that I did throw up so I can stop worrying about it. Honestly it wasn’t that bad. I was so drunk I didn’t even remember it, but I know it happened as I took a video of myself afterwards and there is puke all over my bed.

Honestly, the puking wasn’t the worst part. As scary as it was, the lecture from my parents was way worse. But they’ve forgiven me and I have learned my lesson to not drink without telling them (despite that I’m technically of age to drink). I am now going to focus on getting sober and not puke anymore lol.

My younger sister continuously asked me last night how long my streak was (because I haven’t thrown up in years, and she was aware of what a big moment this was considering my fear). Before this, I hadn’t thrown up since I was in elementary school.

Of course, my sister has her high school graduation today, and I feel awful about going hungover. But at the same time, this probably isn’t the worst thing I’ll ever do in my life. I’m just glad the puking is over.

My sister and mom have had a cold for over a week now, it’s taken everything in me not to lose it and break down. I’m shocked at how long I’ve gone without losing my mind. I hate my sister’s violent coughing, I cannot get over it.

My mom thinks the reason I don’t melt down anymore is because I’ve gotten older, no. The only reason I can keep my composure is by maintaining good eating habits, sleep and exercise (and because my mom always yelled at me whenever I did melt down). My mom doesn’t even believe I have Misophonia, as she thinks don’t “avoid noise,” yet complained when I spent days in my room avoiding a noise lol. It can be difficult sometimes.

My sister coughed violently again tonight and I had my first meltdown in about five years. I feel terrible, but I am so over this cold.

This applies to any type (headphones, earplugs, earbuds, ear defenders, etc).

My personal favorite is the pro for sho ear defenders. They have been an absolute lifesaver when it comes to my triggers.

My mom and sister have had a sinus infection all week, and their coughing drives me crazy, even if it’s muffled by being in another room. When I’m in my bedroom, I can still hear the loud coughs, but when I put the ear defenders on, it goes completely quiet.

I’ve looked for noise blocking headphones for so long and these are definitely a favorite for me! I will admit, they aren’t great for sleeping with as they can hurt your ears if on for too long, but they are worth it for the noise blocking! The pair that I have has a noise reduction rating of about 34 db.

I used to own other pairs, one that was completely useless, it only played music and offered very little noise reduction, one with an NRR of 22 db, it worked for a short time, but not too long. Then I had a pair with an NRR of 27 db, and finally, one with an NRR of 37 db. That one was great but broke after a few months (this was when I was younger). Misophonia had me buying all the headphones lol.

What types work best for you? Just curious.

Let me just start by saying the title is random, but it really gets into what is going on.

So my younger sister has been dealing with depression / suicidal thoughts since she was 11, and it scared me pretty bad. For a while, it sometimes even had to do with me, even though our relationship is amazing. Anyway, a few months after she got home from the hospital, she had been incredibly stubborn. Not that typical stubbornness to make things go her way, the type that means she will not stop until she wins the argument. I admire this about her, as I hardly ever am able to, however, when it comes to her health she is taking it way too far.

This is where my Misophonia comes in. My sister has an excellent immune system (she gets sick maybe once a year at most, one time she went almost three years without getting sick). This year, however, she refused to get the flu shot. I was frustrated. My mom has always made us get them to keep us safe, and she said that “she was not going to deal with my sister’s drama this year,” and that if she didn’t want to get the flu shot, she didn’t need to. However, I can almost guarantee this is why she’s always been sick this year. She had a cold and a stomach virus sometime in September-October, I don’t remember when as I was away at college. Then in February, she got another cold. Then on Thursday, she got sick yet again (except this time it really sucks for me as I am home for the summer).

My sister’s coughing is one of my biggest triggers (along with the sound of her losing her voice). Thank God for our RV, I’ve spent hours in there avoiding her whenever I can in hopes to avoid a meltdown. I’ve made huge improvements since 2019 when I hid in my parent’s bedroom for days because I could not stand the coughing. Now when I eat low lectin foods, am really active and wear headphones when needed, I can manage it.

However, the headphones have been constant, as I can still hear my sister coughing from downstairs. I’ve been wearing them for about 8-10 hours a day now (mostly when I sleep or first thing in the morning as she’s had her bedroom door open the last two days (my parents were out of town and the dog gets really bad separation anxiety, when it comes to sleeping, he only likes my sister and my dad). I cannot stand the noise, it bothers me so much.

Weird things I’ve done to avoid it this weekend:

*Sleep with headphones over my ears (those awesome pro for sho ear defenders that have a noise reduction rating of 34 db. They are amazing, but really hurt my ears if they are on for too long. I rarely ever sleep with them).

* Did the dishes outside (because my sister has a tendency to laugh and cough in the other room (two big triggers). She knows of my Misophonia and tries to not upset me, but I cannot just force her not to cough or laugh).

Stayed outside for a whole day to avoid noise and finally take off my headphones. Went in the camper, swung in the swing set, ran on my local trail, etc. It really was nice.

Anyway, I just wanted to post this to help me feel better and get this off my chest. If anyone is in a similar boat right now I would love to know that I’m not the only one.

I’ve heard of diets for Autism, sensory disorders and all types of issues, but am curious if there are any specific foods that work well for Misophonia. I’ve been researching for several years and the most effective thing I’ve found was a lectin free diet. Someone mentioned it helped them, so I tried it out. When I first started, I noticed a major improvement ( for the first time, I didn’t scream, cry or run away when my sister coughed).

I do notice a difference when I eat foods high in lectins vs when I don’t. One thing in particular, tomatoes always seem to make my Misophonia worse, so I don’t eat them often. However, I seem to do better when I eat less lectins.

Has anybody else experienced this?

So I, 20f had LPR for almost four years now, which began after I had a sinus infection in 2022. I don’t know what caused it, I just began to have constant post nasal drip after the infection cleared up. Then it turned into a stuffy nose and chronic cough along with the post nasal drip, to the point where people were concerned about me.

At the time, I had never heard of LPR and was originally thought to have allergies. I saw an ENT for this issue, and she said I had a deviated septum, which may have possibly been causing it. I had surgery on it to see if it would help my sinus issues, it did make the post nasal drip less thick, and helped the chronic cough some, but it was still pretty bad afterwards. I took every allergy medication to get rid of it (cetrizine, Claritin, Flonase, etc.), nothing worked.

It wasn’t until late last year that I discovered LPR. I knew something was wrong my freshman year of college in 2024 when I began having extreme pain in my esophagus area in the middle of the day if I hadn’t eaten enough. It also occurred when I ate citrus. I began taking Omeprazole for the pain, which was hit and miss (sometimes it worked, other days the pain was worse). I cut citrus out of my diet all together, and also switched from Omeprazole to Rabeprazole,which has helped with the pain, but the relief is only temporary.

I didn’t learn about LPR until last year after I had my septoplasty. It was recommended that I try baking soda and alkaline water to help with the post nasal drip, and it actually does help a lot, but the relief is only temporary. One of my doctors did a scan and said there was a lot of crap in my sinuses, which was causing the post nasal drip, not certain about what caused that though. He was an amazing doctor with an answer to everything. Unfortunately, he ended up passing away in 2025 after battling cancer. I tried the baking soda and alkaline water a couple months after he passed, and it worked well. However, I have not been able to find permanent relief.

Has anyone else experienced this, and how did you fix it?