The Unknown Element.

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Long before I came on this site I knew that certain things effected me but because I just did not understand what was going on, many things that caused me issues I tried to ignore as best as I could though it didn't really work and I would end up shutting down anyway. I never knew what to call shutdowns or partial shutdowns and my attempts to explain to family, friends and doctors didn't succeed as my ability to describe what I was experiencing to people who may understand what I was going through just didn't seem to all come together at the right time.
Doctors had convinced me that it was all some sort of allergy but though I had asked and asked for allergy testing over about 30 years it took a change of doctors surgeries and asking again before I had a basic 6 point test... And this basic test all came up clear. (Which was good because I could abandon the many dietry attempts I had tried myself over many years to find the cause of the issues, and it told me that it was something else I should be looking for and it was not related to an allergy).

Now you lot on this site helped mefind out that it was partial shutdowns and shutdowns that I was experiencing. That was a GIANT leap forward in my life as it slotted straight in place. Everything from then on in my life started making sense!

There is nothing worse then having some sort of health issue which effects your life and not know what it is or even make sense of it when doctors convince you that you have something that does not fit the symptoms that you have.

I have had years where I have not been able to work or had very little easy going work which is more like pocket money work, because I have not officially had anything in a way that I can explain it... Not well enough to work and yet not fit into any catagory of illness... It is a horrible position to spend ones life in. And my ability to assert myself when I have not been up to much... Where during times of multiple partial shutdowns I have withdrawn, so doctors only ever saw me when I was at my best and felt up to trying to find out what it was I was dealing with.

Now to go back to the title of this thread, and the reasons why I write are that I have had to learn the things that trigger my shutdowns all over again. Why? Well. I had assumed certain triggers were allergies and so I am undoing a lifetime of wrong concepts. It is like starting again on a clean slate and re-assessing everything. (My current doctors had to do this after my last doctors surgery lost my own and my mothers entire medical history when we changed doctors, so my current doctors have had to start all over again knowing nothing about us).

Now I have found out many triggers from certain strong smells (Or even weak smells of certain things) to general stress and anxiety.... For example, sudden changes of plan involving heavy manual tasks. I can change plan if I have thought of a new plan, or if I have anticipated the potential new direction coming, but a sudden change of plan unexpectedly can catch me off guard and cause me to start to shut down.

But what about the "Hidden element?" Those times when I may shut down and can't fathom out a reason for this to happen? The hidden triggers which probably ccount for about 10-15% of the times I shut down?
I am trying to monitor the events as they happen. I can remember cycling on a nice sunny day. I had plenty of energy. I was enjoying the ride. It was a bright sunny day... and then without aarning, my body goes into "Limp home mode" It has started to shut down. (Why does it happen when I am at the furthest point in the ride from where I live? ). And I spend the rest of the afternoon on a go slow trying to get back home.

Now taking this event from memory, what is the hidden cause that catches me out like this? In a partial shutdown if I am on the bike, I have to go slow. It is all I can do to keep ycling on some occasions! If I try to push through it I can fully shut down, so losing ones eyesight and turning into a jelly like state unable to control ones body is not good when one is cycling on the roads...
I never get this while driving a car as if ai feel a partial shutdown coming on, I am already relaxed so I can just find a safe place to pull in. I can go for miles before pulling in, as for some reason driving relaxes me. As long as I don't have noisy passengers like my brothers children or someone trying to argue with me I am fine (If I do I have to stop the car sooner). I have never had a full shutdown whilst driving, but cycling is different because by nature, I am in a physical activity. I find the more physical the activity is, the more likely and the quicker I will shut down. Why I can drive foe miles before I need to pull in, but if I try jogging, I can go from trigger to a shutdown in no time at all. Hence why cycling at least gave me some warning as I can regulate myself better and delay shutting down until I can find a safe place to stop.
While cycling, the worst cases I have had are when I once when trying to push myself through a partial shutdown, I ended up slumped across the crossbar and handlebars and the bike was trying to balance itself in a violent side to side motion. Somehow I managed to get enough strength to take over enough to pull in, but I had no strength to pull the brakes, and when I put my foot down after I stopped, my foot didn't hold my weight and down I went onto the floor!
So at the moment I avoid cycling. I need to get myself out cycling again, but I can't do too much until I am out of the "Fragile" stage which I have been in since I last worked and I hit burnout.
I can feel myself coming out of it now and then but then I have another appointment to deal with or a pending appointment on my mind... Or we get days of surprize visitors one after the other and I slip into being fragile again. Anxiety I think it is.
So I am looking forward to pulling out of being fragile so I can go out cycling again.
I love cycling.

I think the sudden fatigue you're referring to, doesn't have anything to do with your autism condition, but is more linked to your general physical condition. Perhaps it's your diet that causes the sudden drop in energy - not enough complex carbs, or a drop in blood sugar. It can have a number of causes and your GP could do a few tests. Otherwise, experiment with different "fuel sources" and ensure you have sufficient fluid intake.