Adult Autism Diagnosis?

[Angel Ariel]

To be clear I'm actually more comfortable interacting with new people as I can pretend easier.
What gives me more anxiety is having multiple people that I know coming over to my house. I'm one that will clean up the kitchen while everyone else is talking in the other room and then I'll go upstairs until it sounds like everyone is ready to leave and I'll come back down to say goodbye.
Or like last week I went to my sister's for a picnic and I stayed in one spot that I knew not many people would interact with me and quietly left.
One of my biggest times that I'm anxious in public is at the airport. Its stressful to wait in the security line and I don't like being so close to people on the plane. (I am not claustrophobic of the plane but just of not having enough personal space).
I actually find that when I'm surrounded by thousands of people like at Disney I feel more myself because I'm not being perceived by anyone.
Not sure how all that plays into it but what bothers me is that this professional has not asked me any questions related to this type of situation.
I think he has tried to make me feel uncomfortable with certain things he says and asks but I'm not going to outwardly act uncomfortable because I don't want to come across as rude but once we leave my mom and I were both like what the heck was xyz about that was a weird comment to make or weird question to ask.
And its like I KNOW that I'm not like everyone else but I feel like he is misunderstanding me to the point that he will determine there's "nothing" wrong with me.

(As an example of uncomfortable things... my email is my first and last name but because its tied into my youtube account after there are back and forth messages it pops up with that username. The other day instead of talking to me using my actual name he kept referring to me as my username which is very clearly a username not a name name. It felt very invasive and unprofessional.
Oh and he kept talking about various exercises I could do. This was after I had mentioned losing weight and walking being my choice of exercise and how I've tried other exercises but they tend to be too difficult to maintain but walking is what I can easily do and enjoy. It was like he wanted me to tell him no I don't want to do those things that you're mentioning but again that would be rude so it was a smile and nod.)

It sounds like you're describing that you're masking while in the appointment? If so, perhaps try to approach the upcoming appointment without masking during it. If he's asking you about exercises you're uncomfortable with, be honest about that.

If you don't feel like you're being heard, find another practitioner. Seek a second opinion. Some doctors are better than others at actually listening to their patients.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

It sounds like you're describing that you're masking while in the appointment? If so, perhaps try to approach the upcoming appointment without masking during it. If he's asking you about exercises you're uncomfortable with, be honest about that.

If you don't feel like you're being heard, find another practitioner. Seek a second opinion. Some doctors are better than others at actually listening to their patients.

Thanks. Yeah I am definitely masking but its difficult to unmask even in front of my mom although through me discovering my autistic tendencies I've gotten better about telling her things that I do in the company of just my cats.
But see I thought that a professional was supposed to kind of understand/detect that I'm not going to act like my true authentic self because that's really hard to do unless I'm alone.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Update:
Went for my final appt today.
I decided to interject a lot more if we were talking about something and he did not ask me anything further I'd just blurt out what I felt was relevant before he decided to start a completely different conversation.
I was able to get a lot more info across that way.

One thing I wish I could go back and clear up is the anxiety questionnaire.
A lot of the questions were physical symptoms that you've experienced in the last month.
Well just because I got indigestion doesn't mean that it was anxiety related... it was what I ate.
And did I sweat in the past month? Yes because I was hot.
Have I felt unsteady on my feet in the past month? Yes because I'm just like that all the time has nothing to do with being anxious.
Me being anxious shows more shows up in my expressions and what I do like clench my jaw or pace or have the urge to hit a pillow and then take a nap.

Some things that I brought up in the email I sent apparently didn't get written anywhere so when I mentioned them again he was like OH WOW WELL THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

So in the end he says I have general anxiety and am just inside ASD.

Personally I think if we could have done some of the hands on eval that most people get he would have had zero doubts.

At least I feel more seen than I ever have before.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm glad you see feeling more seen now!

 

[Madteaparty001]

Good job advocating for yourself. Don't dismiss the anxiety diagnosis so readily, many who have anxiety don't realize it util it's properly treated and they feel better.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Good job advocating for yourself. Don't dismiss the anxiety diagnosis so readily, many who have anxiety don't realize it util it's properly treated and they feel better.

I've been told I have anxiety by my primary and was given medication for it.
Problem is the medication did nothing and I feel like I had good reason to be anxious since my mom's life was hanging in the balance and my primary was focusing on that instead of diagnosing a physical problem that was happening inside of my body that eventually I did get surgery for and felt much better.

And I do not disagree that I have anxiety but it seems to be the sole focus when I go to the doctor with a physical issue and its brushed off as anxiety.

I'm on edge on a daily basis with this weird feeling of "being in trouble" when I've done nothing wrong but I don't have huge fears of bad things happening or anything so its hard to explain that my anxiety is just this thing that lingers in the background vs being upfront until I encounter very specific situations like having to wait for an extended period of time like in a doctor's office or being worried I won't be somewhere on time like when I go to the airport and wait in the TSA line.

It was a nice change to walk into these appts and have the doctor see me within 2 minutes and then leave at the exact time we set forth.

I guess I just like predictability and fear not being able to predict timing of things.

Thinking about it yeah timing is probably my biggest anxiety inducer.

Timing of going to bed, timing of getting up, timing of how long it will take to exercise, timing of how long it will take to get ready to go somewhere, timing of when people are going to arrive which seems to be the most unpredictable. (My sister says she'll be here at 9am and rolls up at 9:25am when I was ready for her since 8:50am and then tells me well I was talking to the neighbor and said "around 9am".)

Wish I could have figured that out during the appt lol. He never asked what makes me anxious.

 

[Madteaparty001]

I've been told I have anxiety by my primary and was given medication for it.
Problem is the medication did nothing and I feel like I had good reason to be anxious since my mom's life was hanging in the balance and my primary was focusing on that instead of diagnosing a physical problem that was happening inside of my body that eventually I did get surgery for and felt much better.

And I do not disagree that I have anxiety but it seems to be the sole focus when I go to the doctor with a physical issue and its brushed off as anxiety.

I'm on edge on a daily basis with this weird feeling of "being in trouble" when I've done nothing wrong but I don't have huge fears of bad things happening or anything so its hard to explain that my anxiety is just this thing that lingers in the background vs being upfront until I encounter very specific situations like having to wait for an extended period of time like in a doctor's office or being worried I won't be somewhere on time like when I go to the airport and wait in the TSA line.

It was a nice change to walk into these appts and have the doctor see me within 2 minutes and then leave at the exact time we set forth.

I guess I just like predictability and fear not being able to predict timing of things.

Thinking about it yeah timing is probably my biggest anxiety inducer.

Timing of going to bed, timing of getting up, timing of how long it will take to exercise, timing of how long it will take to get ready to go somewhere, timing of when people are going to arrive which seems to be the most unpredictable. (My sister says she'll be here at 9am and rolls up at 9:25am when I was ready for her since 8:50am and then tells me well I was talking to the neighbor and said "around 9am".)

Wish I could have figured that out during the appt lol. He never asked what makes me anxious.

DD is on a mood regulator specifically approved for children on the spectrum, she has a therapist she's seen for several years that we saw monthly and now bi-monthly. We tried several medications before finding one that actually worked for her and her ability to cope and regulate is night and day after being on it. It's a process. I would recommend having a therapist you see regularly who can prescribe medication that way your emotional needs (therapist) and your physical needs (doctor) are being handled by the best sources. The therapist can also order tests for you such as bloodwork or make recommendations to your primary if they believe something needs to be addressed medically. Telemedicine is a great resource for this, it's easy, convenient, comfortable, and the time table is much more friendly if you have anxiety about that.

 

[jennab]

Update:
Went for my final appt today.
I decided to interject a lot more if we were talking about something and he did not ask me anything further I'd just blurt out what I felt was relevant before he decided to start a completely different conversation.
I was able to get a lot more info across that way.

One thing I wish I could go back and clear up is the anxiety questionnaire.
A lot of the questions were physical symptoms that you've experienced in the last month.
Well just because I got indigestion doesn't mean that it was anxiety related... it was what I ate.
And did I sweat in the past month? Yes because I was hot.
Have I felt unsteady on my feet in the past month? Yes because I'm just like that all the time has nothing to do with being anxious.
Me being anxious shows more shows up in my expressions and what I do like clench my jaw or pace or have the urge to hit a pillow and then take a nap.

Some things that I brought up in the email I sent apparently didn't get written anywhere so when I mentioned them again he was like OH WOW WELL THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

So in the end he says I have general anxiety and am just inside ASD.

Personally I think if we could have done some of the hands on eval that most people get he would have had zero doubts.

At least I feel more seen than I ever have before.

Glad you finally got the information and feel seen. A lot of what you described does sound like general or social anxiety, so that does seem fitting. There is a lot of crossover between anxiety, ADHD, and autism.

 

[jennab]

I've been told I have anxiety by my primary and was given medication for it.
Problem is the medication did nothing and I feel like I had good reason to be anxious since my mom's life was hanging in the balance and my primary was focusing on that instead of diagnosing a physical problem that was happening inside of my body that eventually I did get surgery for and felt much better.

And I do not disagree that I have anxiety but it seems to be the sole focus when I go to the doctor with a physical issue and its brushed off as anxiety.

I'm on edge on a daily basis with this weird feeling of "being in trouble" when I've done nothing wrong but I don't have huge fears of bad things happening or anything so its hard to explain that my anxiety is just this thing that lingers in the background vs being upfront until I encounter very specific situations like having to wait for an extended period of time like in a doctor's office or being worried I won't be somewhere on time like when I go to the airport and wait in the TSA line.

It was a nice change to walk into these appts and have the doctor see me within 2 minutes and then leave at the exact time we set forth.

I guess I just like predictability and fear not being able to predict timing of things.

Thinking about it yeah timing is probably my biggest anxiety inducer.

Timing of going to bed, timing of getting up, timing of how long it will take to exercise, timing of how long it will take to get ready to go somewhere, timing of when people are going to arrive which seems to be the most unpredictable. (My sister says she'll be here at 9am and rolls up at 9:25am when I was ready for her since 8:50am and then tells me well I was talking to the neighbor and said "around 9am".)

Wish I could have figured that out during the appt lol. He never asked what makes me anxious.

You sound a lot like me . I’ve often wondered if I have OCD due to some of my anxiety around being on time and the unknown, or things needing to be a certain way.

My dr recommended I get tested for ADHD because the anti anxiety meds seem to not work for me either (well other than Xanax, but that’s not something I can take daily). They thought maybe some of my anxiety was really from ADHD. I never really stayed on the stimulants long enough to find out though.