How do I tell if I'm sick (cold, flu, etc) or not? ASD link?

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Hi all (again),

I was just wondering if this happens to anyone else, or if anyone knows if this is a known-issue within ASDs.

I have a hard time telling what my emotions are, unless it's something blatantly clear (i.e. if I'm really happy, or really sad, but not much about the in-between). Identifying emotions is not something my brain seems to do quickly or efficiently at all. I have been wondering if that can translate to body feelings as well; I have been for the longest time really unsure as to whether the way I feel sometimes can be called "feeling sick". Unless the feeling is overwhelming (high fever, very upset stomach, extremely bad migraine), I'm left with pondering whether I'm truly sick or whether I'm just lazy and don't want to go to work (which can spiral into an overall feeling of guilt, anxiety, and distortion of facts (i.e. "I'm always sick! I always have to cancel work stuff! I'm unreliable!" when in reality I don't call-in sick terribly often), etc.).

Does anyone else experience this, and do any of you know any tricks (i.e. checklists, flowcharts) to get a clearer idea? I will run this past my psychologist but won't be having a session until end of the month.

Thanks!

The last time I was sick,
I came down with it while at work.
At the end of the day,
my boss basically forced me to stay home and take a sick day the next day.
And, he was right.

Basically, if you are constantly coughing, clearing your throat, and blowing your nose ...
the whole, entire day ...
you're sick enough to stay home.
That goes double if you have a fever.

Beyond migraines, I couldn't tell exactly when I'm sick, similar with depression, I'm diagnosed as a major depressive, I can't tell anyone who that exactly feels like or that itself if the disorder being unable to fell much emotion at all any more. During some manic episodes, feelings of unease, agitation and energy to notice things more.

With colds and flu, I feel it mildly, feel like OK, I only get a comment from my mother that I look very unwell and advise to take all kinds of medication. With gastric issues, I only get an indication something wrong when it's too late to treat, as a result, I could suffer highly variable bowel movements or such a pain of a bladder infection. Often with these threes usually a fever which I can't tell I'm suffering or not.

One symptom or indicator is feeling cold despite the actual room or body temperature. This is a common daily theme with my tourettes to figure its to do with something else. I don't know what feeling healthy is, as a result, on doctors advise, on sickness benefit until there's some significant event.

Thanks both for your replies! I was mostly wondering if the lack of awareness or labelling of emotions that is linked to ASD can also affect physical emotions such as those associated with being sick.

I can relate. From the time I was just a child, and even as an adult.


I would have some difficulty on breathing, headache, stomachache, backache, toothache, fever, feeling too cold, dizziness, nausea, superficial wounds, sprain, cramping, sharp random pains, hunger, thirst, coughing, and sneezing at the same time...
And I still can't address it whether it's just some random discomfort that would probably annoy me for half a day, or actually being sick or in need for things check up that I have to go home and rest.

Even if I was sick, it usually won't last a day or so. And I end up filtering persistent pain and discomfort to random annoyance.
So I don't know if I do have some health issues that remained unaddressed for years or not...

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I don't understand. How can you not tell that fluid is running out of your nose? How can you not tell if your throat feels like it's been cut by glass when you need to swallow? How can you not tell if you've used 100 tissues that day? How can you not tell you can't breath through your nose?

I've only had a cold once in the last five years, I go about in the same clothes all year round and like strolling up high in the fields and jogging in storms, I eat more fruit and do more exercise than I used to so that might help. I remember a stuffy feeling in your sinuses, slight aches and heavyness in limbs and cognitive processing, bunged up sensation, excessive snot streaming, throat raw and persistently niggling, sometimes initiating an infuriatingly invasive cough assault. Fever is always something to beware as could indicate a more threatening presence.

I have sinus trouble but I still can detect whether I have a cold or not.

I think this may be particularly hard for people who feel rather crappy on a daily basis. I have some issues I have to constantly deal with like chronic migraine, rhinitis, joint pain, irritable bowel syndrome... I'm not sure what constitutes being actually sick, or sick enough to get a sick leave. I very rarely get fever even if otherwise I look quite sick.

My first reaction to feeling sick is questioning if I'm really sick, or if I'm just being lazy or anxious about work and my body is finding an excuse to just stay home. I don't take days off too often, and I actually work quite a lot during the week and weekends, but I still have to deal with those thoughts questioning the authenticity of my bodily feelings. I was wondering if it was similar to anyone else in here.