veiled4allah: Asperger's syndrome and other 'hidden' illnesses

Natasha describes her experiences growing up with Asperger's Syndrome.

As I first read about Asperger's, I thought that a lot of it sounded like the normal quirks (mental and physical) that people have, just to a greater extent. That's probably how many people like Natasha can go for many years without a proper diagnosis. And I think that people can be skeptical about Asperger's for this reason. But the real point is: if you or your kid is not feeling well or is "quirky" enough that it affects their interactions with others, it's something you need to be concerned about. It may turn out that there's a physical cause for this (Asperger's) and it may turn out that there are things you can do to help yourself or your kid.

On an unrelated note, I have a condition called hypothyroidism. So do my mom and my two maternal aunts. My mom and my aunts weren't diagnosed until middle age because their symptoms were relatively mild and easily written off. Fatigue, weight gain, depression. Don't we all suffer from those? However, my hypothyroidism is somewhat more severe and it became obvious when I was twelve and thirteen that the changes that were supposed to be happening as I went through puberty weren't. Fortunately, my doctor diagnosed what the problem was and prescribed the medication I need for normal development and to be healthy.

She also recommended that the women in my family be tested for low thyroid levels and sure enough my mom and her two sisters had it. Like I said, they got along fine all their lives. But a medication that costs about $3 a month has made a significant difference in their well-being.

The moral of the story is, again, don't write it off if you're chronically not feeling well. There may be something your doctor can do for you.