For the very first time in my life, I feel like I've found a group of people that I can relate to. I've always felt that there was something different about me, and even after being diagnosed with depression, ADD, bipolar, etc I still didn't feel like those things fully touched upon why I've always felt so different from everyone else.
In fact, sometimes I'll explain it to myself as feeling like an alien stranded on the wrong planet.. what a perfect name for this website!
I've just recently found out what AS is, and it was only a few days ago when I self diagnosed myself. I sat there reading articles for hours that night, all the time in my head saying, "I do that, I do that too... wait a minute, I do ALL of these things!" I took several tests too, which all put me in AS land...
I'm still trying to process all of this. On the one hand I immediately felt an amazing sense of relief in FINALLY being able to figure out what was so different about me, and how I've never related to another person in my life. And on the other hand I'm a bit scared, or overwhelmed by it all.
I'll be 39 next week, and that is a long time to question everything about your existence ..trying to make sense of it all.
I have not been officially diagnosed, but I've already started a search for a specialist in my area. I really need to know one way or the other... but so many pieces just fit so perfectly, it would be hard to imagine me not having AS.
I want to list out all my little peculiarities, that for the longest time I thought were unrelated, but that will have to wait until another time when I'm actually on a computer. I'm typing this from a tablet, and it takes a lot longer. I'm already starting to feel frustrated by that fact.
I guess I just wanted to thank whoever started this site, all of you for being here and sharing your stories, and Dan Quale for inventing the internet. (I'm kidding about the last part)
I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me, but I'm also kind of a lurker, at least on other forums. But you probably will all "get me ", so maybe that will change... I'm amazed that I even just said that... as nobody has ever "got me " before. This makes me so tremendously happy, I can't even articulate it!