what are sensory issues like for you?

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MatchboxVagabond
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29 Mar 2023, 10:26 am

I can't see, listen and touch at the same time. I can do one, but not three and two can be a stretch. If I hear a sudden, sharp noise, I completely lose the ability to see at all for a moment and I just get this bright signal not found flash of white light before things reset.

I've also been accused of reacting to touch that hasn't yet happened even though I can't personally see the person coming up. I'm skeptical, but it's been more than one person that's accused me of it, and they didn't know each other.

I've also got extreme tolerances for most pain. When I was younger, I had an acupuncturist that did a style with more needles and she could pretty much stick them in as far as she wanted without any issues. They'd be in literal inches and it wouldn't be a problem. Super relaxing.

OTOH, I do not tolerate hot, like at all. I can hang out in the dairy refrigerator at work all day without any real problems, but hanging out in the poorly cooled break room for lunch is generally pretty miserable.

EDIT: My friend used to have a halogen light at the bottom of the stairs going to the basement. It would have been less painful to literally gouge out my own eyes than to walk down there. Obviously, that would have been a very short term solution. I'd just close my eyes.

Also, the old CRT TVs hurt my head with that buzz from the flyback transformer. I could tell the set was on, even before I got around to to see the front. I had some stores that I couldn't go to because the sensor to detect the theft prevention tags made this horrific noise that nobody else seemed to be able sense.



PhosphorusDecree
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31 Mar 2023, 12:47 pm

For me, it's not so much that any particular stimulus is unbearable. It's that practically any stimulus can add to the whole screaming-brain sensation. Loud sounds and bright lights drive it up faster, but being trapped in more moderate levels for too long can be just as bad.


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draconis.lignum
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04 Apr 2023, 4:29 pm

I don't like scratchy plastic labels or tags in clothes. I cut them off or more often, open the seam, take them out and mend the seam. I don't buy scratchy clothes but sometimes a nice black color appeals to me and I buy something soft that has that scratchy tag..

Hot food or coffee cause me pain on my tongue that can last for hours. I wait to eat or drink until the food or coffee cooled down to my body temperature or less.

I have very sensitive hearing. Loud voices irritate me or can even be painful. I cannot focus on work if my co-worker talks on the phone. I need a long time to find my concentration again. I started using noise cancelling headphones, this helps a bit but he talks very loud. I am thinking about fitted ear-inserts with a filter that takes out voices. Might be worth the money if I get silence. But I can hear loud music if it is something that I like. Good hearing is great if I am outsides enjoying nature.

I can see a lot different color shades. This is a pleasant experience for me ... well, except if it is a greenish yellow like puke :D don't like this color.


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Edna3362
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04 Apr 2023, 6:19 pm

My poor sense of smell has nothing to do with autism.
It's purely physical, not psychological or neurological.

But the physical causes did cause me psychological issues than autism ever did.
Possibly neurological, since it has something to do with inflammation and inflammation can cause neurological symptoms.

Poor smell itself is a non-issue for me.
It's the breathing and that stuff that comes out does -- which is more of a sensory issue and the major cause of my usual overwhelms.

The sensory issue itself is actually internal.

I wish I could just ignore it.
But I can't -- poor oxygen DOES make the body panic a bit. I cannot inhale well, exhaling can expell something or just feels blocky.
And that it can occasionally become messy and disgusting if something is continuously dripping out of my nose.

Breathing through the mouth would expose my temperature sensitive teeth to cold and it hurts.


To a point that going to a dentist is nothing. That I'd rather be immersed with sheer human unpredictability and BS, than becoming 'too busy being a spoiled whining egomaniac constantly having to cope with the troublesome nose'.

Unlike people and everything around me -- 'this' is unavoidable. 'This' refuses to leave me alone.

Does one know how ridiculous to say that "I'm safer whenever I'm able to breathe well and it doesn't matter if I'm in a middle of a chaotic and dangerous place" than "feeling way less safe whenever not able to breathe well, yet it's far from fatal and even somewhere where I'm alone and quiet?"


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colliegrace
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04 Apr 2023, 9:59 pm

Can sensory issues change with age?

I have worked at a grocery store for four whole years. I have recently begun using noise reduction earplugs to cope with sensory issues with sound. I had mistaken these sensory issues for anxiety for three years.

However, the first year of this job I actually cannot recall having these issues. Not even framed as an anxiety disorder. I do think I have likely always had the issue to one degree or another, as I can recall years back feeling sick or dizzy or off kilter in busy environments. But it does seem like it's far more pronounced now.


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ASPartOfMe
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05 Apr 2023, 10:18 am

colliegrace wrote:
Can sensory issues change with age?

I have worked at a grocery store for four whole years. I have recently begun using noise reduction earplugs to cope with sensory issues with sound. I had mistaken these sensory issues for anxiety for three years.

However, the first year of this job I actually cannot recall having these issues. Not even framed as an anxiety disorder. I do think I have likely always had the issue to one degree or another, as I can recall years back feeling sick or dizzy or off kilter in busy environments. But it does seem like it's far more pronounced now.

As we get older, we usually have more responsibilities. Maybe the store is busier now. Or it just could be something in your personal life is stressing you. Whatever the cause more stress of any type(even positive) can make one feel “more autistic”.


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05 Apr 2023, 10:56 am

What drives me the crazy is when my sensory problems are antagonistc. For example, I hate loud sounds, but I can't tolerate the feeling of headphones on my head for very long. Similarly, I don't like the feeling of having my feet in shoes and socks, but I also hate the feeling of my naked feet getting cold and dirty on the floor.

My solution? I just complain about sounds constantly and sit barefoot crosslegged in chairs. Not ideal, but I haven't come up with anything else yet.



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05 Apr 2023, 11:45 am

I think I just generally feel physical sensations more acutely. Hyperfocussing on something interesting usually takes my mind off it. That's probably why I can't stand having nothing to do. Large amounts of CBD seem to help also, but that's not cheap.



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10 Apr 2023, 5:43 am

I don't wear tight clothes. I am not a huge fan of socks lately. They are a bit tight on my feet. I am also very sensitive to light. I prefer natural light during the day. Yet sometimes I experience it where im under stimulated and I look at a bright light and spin. I go between being over stimulated to being sensory seeking. I like quiet music most of the time. Yet somedays I play it on full blast and I need it like that to feel more relaxed.



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10 Apr 2023, 5:57 am

I have very very poor visual processing, which means I can do almost nothing in "real time" or "In person". I can't watch tv, watch videos, go to lectures, concerts, plays, sports of any sort, and certainly not any large group gatherings, because I simply can't "keep up" with any understanding at all of "what's happening". I am always behind.

Combine that with almost as poor audio processing and the fact that my actual hearing is quite acute, with higher and lower range of sound recognition than "normal". Yet spoken words combined with background noises are simply impossible for me to process quickly enough to function and understand what is happening in "real time".



This truly is a handicap. I tend to be sensory seeking rather than avoidant, but I do have trouble with scratchy clothing, anything that pinches and or rubs, etc.

I get sick over some perfumes, to the point of migraine or vomiting, yet I love subtle scent of many kinds. Its a mix. I'd change the visual processing and the audio processing parts in a minute given the opportunity.


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30 Apr 2023, 7:19 pm

I actually kinda forgot. I was homeschooled since the fifth grade and didn't really have the same sensory issues I did in public school. As an adult, I do not have to go places that make me uncomfortable to go in. For some reason this store called Bed Bath & Beyond really messed with me sensory wise. (I think it was a combination of the lighting and the way things were arranged. I don't know. Just something about that particular Bed Bath & Beyond hurt my eyes. But there was a PetSmart store right next to it and my mom would let me go in there while she shopped in Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I am 99.9 percent sure my mother is autistic herself but just never got a diagnosis because she grew up in the 1950's and 1960's. They didn't diagnose verbal kids back then, let alone little girls. My mom always had sensory issues herself and kinda understood so she never forced me to wear clothes that were uncomfortable if I expressed they were.

If I'm in a place now that makes me uncomfortable to be in, I can just leave no questions asked.


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