I have diagnosed pots, and many other symptoms congruent with dysautonomia.
My legs/feet fall asleep multiple times a day when I’m sitting at a desk or on the toilet. Or in hands when scrolling on phone while lying in bed.
Is this common in Dysautonomia? Or is this something everyone else also experiences?
Is there any research on this topic?
It’s possible that in my case it was triggered by an infection, but I can’t identify an acute infection around time of onset.
I can’t help but wonder if there is a connection between the onset of my PEM crashes about 3 years after experiencing an acute traumatic event and subsequent 3 years of active PTSD, which was additionally experienced on the heals of having a lengthy period of burnout manifesting as severe social anxiety (what I now believe was in fact Autistic burnout).
Does research point to nervous system activation from psychological trauma as possible trigger for ME?
If you’ve had an ASD assessment at CAMH, what was your experience like? Particularly curious about the experience of women or AFAB folks.
- did you have several different assessors?
- was the assessment conducted over several appointments?
- what surprised you about your assessment process?
Thank you in advance to anyone who feels able to share. You can also feel free to send me a private message if you rather not post publicly.
I can’t tell from their socials/online
I have two air purifiers (with brand new air filters installed) and I’m still having a hard time breathing indoors. Is this to be expected? How are others doing? I’m trying to figure out if my air purifier is actually working. It is a very good quality one, and I have two in my one bedroom apartment.
I’m noticing a pattern, and I’m in the thick of it right now.
When I have to take time off work for physical health issues, and then once those physical issues have resolved, I often struggle to return to work for days and sometimes weeks. I already have workplace accommodations, like working from home four days out of five, but even working from home requires a significant increase in social interactions, as a significant portion of my work involves communicating with clients through phone calls. I suspect that knowing that there’s going to be a dramatic increase on my social demands, and also having to adhere to structured routines dictated by other people, is likely what has me avoiding returning to work. It’s not that I can’t do it, there’s just a huge resistance to it.
Any words of advice or support on confronting this pattern?
I’m nervous talking to my dr about my sensory overwhelm and meltdowns, I’m worried she’ll just think it’s “anxiety” or that I have a personality disorder (there is so much stigma amongst health care professionals re. Personality disorders).
What has your experience been (positive or negative) discussion these challenges and needing occasional time off work to recover from autistic burnout or meltdowns.
And for the medical professionals here, do family medicine practitioners get much education about ASD?
i’m a unionized healthcare worker who works for a government agency, employed 13 years. 2013-present.
I have been on long-term disability twice while working for this employer, for a total of five years of LTD time off (2.5 years each occurrence).
I returned to work from my last LTD in summer 2024.
I currently have some workplace accommodations related to both physical and mental health challenges. Neither of which impacts my ability to perform duties of my job description, when I AM working.
My question: am I at risk of being terminated if I were to need several months of sick time again to manage a pre-existing health issue? I want to prevent going on long-term disability again. Every time I take sick time off, even though I have medical documentation to support the need for time off, I’m terrified that this will be the straw that breaks the camels back.
Are my worries realistic, or am I protected?
I’m already on an SSRI. I also take magnesium bisglycinate daily, about 400 mg. I’m doing my best to also incorporate day-to-day life accommodations, like earplugs and noise cancelling headphones.
Every tiny social interaction, and/or any overstimulation from noise/light/scents/textures, is sending me. I feel like I’m on the verge of tears multiple times a day.