Pain in the Neck or Rather Throat – Aspergers Test
I’m not sure if sensory issues and immune system issues are definitely related, but I have issues with both, and there seems to be a correlation. I am hypersensitive to sensory stimuli, especially to pain and smell. Some people with Aspergers are hyposensitive or are a mixture, taking AQ Adult Test would be beneficial.
My immune system is over-reactive. It definitely doesn’t need ‘boosting.’ It reacts to ‘harmless’ food chemicals such as dairy and gluten and when I get a cold, it’s like I’ve been slammed with the flu. When my immune system is over-reacting (fighting off a minor infection or reacting to food chemicals it thinks are harmful), I suffer big-time. I’ve noticed my hypersensitivity increases dramatically. I think it may be to do with the inflammation chemicals that the body releases that cause the havoc. Sometimes my sense of smell is so heightened, it becomes distorted and I can smell something burnt that isn’t really there. I rubbed my finger against a rough surface and it felt like the skin had been grazed off, but it hadn’t. My pain receptors were are out of whack at these times.
My throat is excruciatingly painful at the moment – each time I swallow it’s like trying to swallow a rolled up ball of barbed wire. It doesn’t help that the uvula (dangly thing at back of throat) is swollen so I keep gagging on it. I spent the last 2 days off work sleeping because I was so fatigued and my muscles and joints hurt. Have hardly eaten, as is too painful to eat. Every time I swallow, I can’t help but grimace, which probably looks really silly. Now I’ve got muscles spasms in my jaw near my ear to add to my discomfort.
Unfortunately, I get really bad side effects with most medications, so I am stuck with paracetamol, which barely takes the edge off. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as asprin, ibuprofen and NSAIDs ironically give me more inflammation and more pain. Plus severe depression.
Had a bad run this winter as had another virus with a bad cold (with usual sore throat, runny nose, aches and pains, fatigue). I had a good few years since sorting out my food sensitivities – being long-term undiagnosed celiac meant I was chronically ill – chronic pain, recurring tonsillitis, sinusitis, etc. When I woke up one morning choking on something very painful (last time my uvula was this painfully inflamed), the doctor said he’d only ever seen it in old men that smoke cigars in bed and snore. Not a woman in her thirties that doesn’t smoke (and usually doesn’t snore). Hopefully I will feel better in a few days. Glad I don’t feel this way for months on end anymore – not fun at all.
Xavier had a meltdown yesterday. I didn’t have the energy to deal with him, plus it hurts to talk. I walked away and left him to it. Sometimes that’s the best thing to do even when I’m feeling well.