I am still a few years out of reaching perimenopause (unless I'm early which has been suggested to me lol). But I relate to so much of this. <3 <3 Part of my burn out beginning last fall was intersecting with really bad hormonal issues that I had to get in check over the past year. Now that they are, I do see some improvements in my skill regression. Hormones are no joke for autistics. on the me/cfs misdiagnosis... It's interesting because I was loosely diagnosed with CFS when I was younger (like a teenager) and no one could find what was wrong so they were like maybe it's this, when I had my first autistic burn out. Looking back now, it's clear it was autistic burn out. Now in this burn out, I sometimes (er constantly) wonder if I have ME/CFS or not, because so much of the symptoms are similar. The only difference is that if I actually do sleep, I wake up feeling refreshed, so it makes me think it's probably not ME since that's such a main feature. Of course, I do have sleep dysfunction though and am not well when I do not sleep. But if I sleep like a normal night, I wake up feeling generally well and have a sensation of being refreshed (even if I get tired later on in the day), which is not the case for ME. However, I do have POTS and all the other characteristics and do sometimes get PEM so it's like, omg?! Man, the cluster fuck of neurological diagnosis are real and it's hard to know what to do sometimes or how to help yourself. Thanks for writing this, loved it, as usual.
It’s a minefield, isn’t it? I have some POTS / PEM stuff going on too, even now that I’m far more physically energetic. Sometimes I wonder if the simplest explanation for us auties with the neuro stuff is just that we begin to short circuit because life is just so…intense all the time. Maybe there’s no actual physical diagnosis, just a constellation of ND weirdness as a response to the world being overwhelming 💕
Perimenopause and now menopause has thrown me into a hideous year or so flare up of ME and Fibromyalgia as well as realising I'm Audhd (the adhd side has become so much more obvious since perimenopause) it's all a hideous combination!
I got to this part “Each and every time I think about my poor body trying to stay afloat in this stormy sea of peri, I want to cry tears of gratitude. Thank you, thank you sweet body - for trying so hard.” And burst into tears. My intensely burned-out peri body apparently really needed this. Thank you for your work, and for putting this out into the world when so many of us need it 💙
💕💕💕 I’m so glad it gave you a moment of softness. This is so hard but I daresay our bodies are working harder. I for one am looking forward to all parts having a rest in menopause!
Oh yes, our bodies are definitely working harder - not something that is easy to build into the average life with chronic illnesses. It never ceases to amaze me the way that my peri-fueled burnout is leading the way to what I hope will be an easier life, showing me what is not essential, what I need to carve away, and ultimately what my values are now. It’s definitely not an easy process but there is something about it that is so intrinsic and needed. These posts of yours are such a welcome light in a time of honoring the Hermit and the High Priestess all at once - the messy middle, the liminal space, the learning to trust the deep wisdom of our own bodies. 💕💕💕💕
I am still a few years out of reaching perimenopause (unless I'm early which has been suggested to me lol). But I relate to so much of this. <3 <3 Part of my burn out beginning last fall was intersecting with really bad hormonal issues that I had to get in check over the past year. Now that they are, I do see some improvements in my skill regression. Hormones are no joke for autistics. on the me/cfs misdiagnosis... It's interesting because I was loosely diagnosed with CFS when I was younger (like a teenager) and no one could find what was wrong so they were like maybe it's this, when I had my first autistic burn out. Looking back now, it's clear it was autistic burn out. Now in this burn out, I sometimes (er constantly) wonder if I have ME/CFS or not, because so much of the symptoms are similar. The only difference is that if I actually do sleep, I wake up feeling refreshed, so it makes me think it's probably not ME since that's such a main feature. Of course, I do have sleep dysfunction though and am not well when I do not sleep. But if I sleep like a normal night, I wake up feeling generally well and have a sensation of being refreshed (even if I get tired later on in the day), which is not the case for ME. However, I do have POTS and all the other characteristics and do sometimes get PEM so it's like, omg?! Man, the cluster fuck of neurological diagnosis are real and it's hard to know what to do sometimes or how to help yourself. Thanks for writing this, loved it, as usual.
It’s a minefield, isn’t it? I have some POTS / PEM stuff going on too, even now that I’m far more physically energetic. Sometimes I wonder if the simplest explanation for us auties with the neuro stuff is just that we begin to short circuit because life is just so…intense all the time. Maybe there’s no actual physical diagnosis, just a constellation of ND weirdness as a response to the world being overwhelming 💕
Snap!!!🌻
<3
Perimenopause and now menopause has thrown me into a hideous year or so flare up of ME and Fibromyalgia as well as realising I'm Audhd (the adhd side has become so much more obvious since perimenopause) it's all a hideous combination!
Sending you love!
You too xx
I got to this part “Each and every time I think about my poor body trying to stay afloat in this stormy sea of peri, I want to cry tears of gratitude. Thank you, thank you sweet body - for trying so hard.” And burst into tears. My intensely burned-out peri body apparently really needed this. Thank you for your work, and for putting this out into the world when so many of us need it 💙
💕💕💕 I’m so glad it gave you a moment of softness. This is so hard but I daresay our bodies are working harder. I for one am looking forward to all parts having a rest in menopause!
Oh yes, our bodies are definitely working harder - not something that is easy to build into the average life with chronic illnesses. It never ceases to amaze me the way that my peri-fueled burnout is leading the way to what I hope will be an easier life, showing me what is not essential, what I need to carve away, and ultimately what my values are now. It’s definitely not an easy process but there is something about it that is so intrinsic and needed. These posts of yours are such a welcome light in a time of honoring the Hermit and the High Priestess all at once - the messy middle, the liminal space, the learning to trust the deep wisdom of our own bodies. 💕💕💕💕
Ooof YES to all of this!!!!