Recently told that I have Aspergers

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Hello,

I was recently told by a psychiatrist that I have Aspergers. It's something that I've long suspected; I read the Wikipedia article years ago and strongly identified with it. I didn't do anything with it at the time. I also played the game To The Moon and strongly identified with the character named River, who is autistic.

I am married and I have a young son. He was very colicky as an infant and I work in a very noisy and chaotic environment. I have a sensitivity to sound and I was having regular meltdowns being subjected to all of this. I ended up feeling like I had to eat a mountain of food after a stressful day and often did. All of this was causing tremendous family issues for me so long story short, we sought the opinion of an expert.

Now that we know about this, I am on Vyvanse and using earplugs and headphones (as for shooting with, not to play music) to block out the sound. I find that playing music to block out noise only substitutes one irritating stimulus for one I can tolerate for slightly longer. The medication immediately put a stop to the binge eating and allowed me to feel like my normal, highly determined self. The earplugs and such have helped me to finally be able to manage family life.

The binge eating was a very destructive thing for me emotionally. I used to be morbidly obese, weighing close to 400 pounds. After feeling like my extra weight was going to lead me to an early death, I got serious about making a change and lost over 200 pounds. I took up athletics seriously for the first time in my life and found (in hindsight very suitable for someone on the spectrum) the sports of running, cycling and triathlon. The binge eating was causing me to gain weight and destroyed my performance in these sports, and consequently my enjoyment thereof.

I recently came across this forum and joined in the hopes that it will be a helpful resource and community. I don't really have that right now and this is all quite new.

Does anyone have any suggestions for managing the sensory issue? I am most sensitive to hearing but I am also sensitive to touch and I can only wear the earplugs and/or headphones for so long before I start to feel like that squeezing feeling is just as bad as the noise. I've been considering noise cancelling headphones that are perhaps a bit more comfortable, for example.

Hey Ikana welcome.

Welcome to WP! You've played To the Moon? Cool! If You ever had a Daughter, you should name her Anya, as in the Lighthouse.

"Now that we know about this, I am on Vyvanse and using earplugs and headphones (as for shooting with, not to play music)"

Shooting as in Marksmanship, or??

Thank you for welcoming me!

I'll definitely consider that suggestion, To The Moon really resonated with me. I'd like to play it again with my wife, the first time she played it, she didn't react much to it but maybe another play through would be more effective.

Yes, I was referring to headphones that are designed to protect one's hearing, such as when firing a gun, working in a construction zone or similar.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!