Same for me, being up on the hills, or on the beach is the same!

Referred to a specialist by my GP yesterday, an appointment has come through in less than 2 weeks time. When the NHS works well it is brilliant. So many #Autistic people face barriers that prevent them from accessing diagnosis and treatment. My experience shows simple changes can transform outcomes.

It’s disappointing not to be in Dublin this week but the medical treatment I’ve been having over the last few days and yesterday’s urgent referral to a specialist is more than adequate compensation.
I’ll find another way to share my presentation on positive experiences of #Autistic #ageing.
4/end

There’s no more battling with early morning phone calls.
Communication barriers don’t impede clear explanation.
Consultations go more smoothly with advance information.
My practice trains new GPs so this is a wonderful opportunity to alert them to #healthcare issues affecting #Autistic people.
3/

I’m thriving because I’ve finally getting accessible medical care. Conditions that were missed, misdiagnosed, or mistreated for years are being attended to, transforming my quality of life.
I submit online requests to my new primary care practice. These are triaged by a GP and I get a text reply.
2/

I thought of an #OccupationalTherapist I worked when I was a social worker.
In one crisis situation, as well as focusing on the person’s immediate physical needs, she planted bulbs in their garden.
After lying dormant over winter, strong green shoots broke through.
We’re alive.
We survived.
10/end

I felt compassionate concern and care. It was the polar opposite of my recent #DWP #PIP assessment.
In a situation that had begun to feel hopeless I started to see faint glimmers of light.
No pressure.
No judgement.
Just a belief that I’d get through this if I had access to the right supports.
9/

There’s more.
Accurate recording. Prompt implementation of planned actions.
Checking back to see if aids and adaptations had improved things.
Importantly, I didn’t have to explain #Autism.
The #OT understood my sensory issues, executive function challenges, social isolation, and spiky profile.
8/

Structure with flexibility.
Active listening.
Close observation of the minutiae of how I move, how I feel, who I am.
Picking up on things, like non-binary identity.
Bridging the gap between physical and mental health.
Considering family and social factors.
Creative problem solving.
Use of self.
7/

Admitting what you are struggling with can be difficult when you’ve always been fiercely independent.
Exposing personal aspects of your life to a stranger’s gaze requires trust.
I’ve tried to unpick why my OT assessment went so well.
It was partly predictability.
Making arrangements. Explaining.
6/

I worked very closely with #OccupationalTherapists as a mental health social worker, so I knew their approach was practical, holistic, and person-centred.
The way we function in our day to day lives is never purely physical. It’s also emotional, psychological, spiritual, and uniquely individual.
5/

If there’s a silver lining it’s that I’ve finally learned to ask for help, and not to give up when help isn’t forthcoming but to keep on asking.
That was how I came to have an #OccupationalTherapy assessment recently.
#OT was a career of choice when I graduated but I went in different directions.
4/

Some of us don’t do well on standard NHS treatment of Levothyroxine monotherapy.
But getting Liothyronine involves a battle it’s hard to find energy for. Hypothyroidism can cause cognitive challenges and emotional dysregulation. #PseudoDementia.
It’s a lonely journey through unknown territory.
3/

One of the effects of low thyroid function is depression.
While it helps to know why I feel this way having all the joy sucked out of life wrecks my motivation.
Chronic illness is exhausting for other people too. There’s no quick fix. Titration of replacement hormones takes months, even years.
2/

We were surrounded by ripe wild raspberries, more abundant than they’ve ever been.
Every season has its delights and this was a delicious surprise.
Walking is painful and
difficult at the moment, so it really felt like the natural world was encouraging and supporting me.
#SensoryJoy
#Autistic
4/end

From that moment on the walk felt auspicious.
A little further along I spotted a bright flash of blue.
A tiny Jay’s feather was resting on the grass.
I found one once before, but I gave it away.
Feather collections are a family thing and I knew my grandchild would love it as much as I did.
4/

When I was out walking today the same type of butterfly landed right in front of me.
It rested for a moment on the parched warm path.
I know it is fanciful to imagine it was the same one, but it definitely could have been!
Magical things tend to happen when nature has free rein.
3/

After a little gentle shepherding, out it flew through the lobby. I stood and watched it catch the breeze and soar skywards towards the trees.
Some other good things happened too, but liberating this butterfly was a special moment.
I know what it feels like to be trapped with no escape route.
2/