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I just registered and this is my first post.

I am a sixty year old man with a wife of 39 years, two sons and a grandson. I had a long career in the Engineering field and by most appearances, a normal and somewhat successful life. Unfortunately, it was never normal to me, not as long as my memories take me back. I could never understand why I had so much trouble "fitting in" anywhere or why I feared and dreaded even trying to do so. Everyone always called me the "loner" or the "shy guy".

As a child in the sixties, there was no such thing as an autism spectrum. I didn't fit the classical diagnosis for autism at that time nor did I see myself fitting that image, so I went through life trying to be "normal" and hating myself every time I failed at it. Like most people, I saw the movie "Rainman" a story about an autistic sevant. But I wasn't anything like that either. In the early 90s my neighbor had a son in pre-school with a lot of behavioral problems. He told me his boy had been diagnosed with a new thing called "aspergers" but he didn't relate that to autism so that didn't stick either.

At age 57 I started having strange medical symptoms that were making my job impossible. I saw three neurologists, a cardiologist and an ophthalmologist, but they couldn't figure out what was going on with me. So being a problem solver, I started my own research and after many weeks zeroed in on the subject of mastosytosis and mast cell activation syndrome. I joined several mast cell forums and kept noticing the subject of autism kept popping up with a lot of people. I checked that out and found that a person with mastosytosis is statistically ten times more likely to have an autism spectrum disorder. There are even some specialists whose research show a direct link between the two. That was the first time I had ever heard of autism referred to as a spectrum disorder.

With great reluctance, I started reading a few articles about this new term. After spending your entire like convincing yourself that you a just like everyone else, that is not the answer you want to find. But I just had to know more and very soon came across the subject of "high functioning autism". I was one of those rare moments in life when the "light bulb" comes on and immediately everything makes sense. I watched a few videos of men with this diagnosis and felt like I was seeing and listening to my own life's story.

That was three years ago. Since then, I have been overwhelmed with health issues, early retirement, and moving to a new home. Now, finally I have a little time to reflect on this issue that has orchestrated my whole life without even knowing of it's existence. I just wonder how many others my age are only now discovering they too have carried this load alone for a lifetime and how many have but don't yet know it.

Welcome to Wrong Planet! You have landed safely, immigration staff are waving you through and you are welcome to stay as long as you wish

Like you I am an older-age-group member of WP, and there are others too, that you will get to know.

As someone born with compromised immunity, I understand mast cell activation and it is also part of the constant medical challenges which I deal with. Very few people seem to know about it, here nor anywhere else. There does seem to be a particular relationship between immune disorders and autism which though not affecting all of the ASD population is nevertheless more frequent than one would expect.

I hope your journeys here will be pleasing ones.

Hey Mr. T welcome.

Welcome Mr T!

I'm a mere boy at 53

Hi Mr T

I'm glad you were finally able to find some answers; I'm sorry, though, that it took so long.

It's great that you found a career in engineering, though, and someone to spend your life with.

What sort of health issues are you having that are causing you stress?

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome!!