Exercise is a matter of staying alive and healthy for me. When I don’t exercise every two to four hours, I get a headache and chest pains. The palsy increases, as do my autistic sensory issues. Add to this the inevitable anxiety (panic), I know exactly what I need to…
Category: Health
From diagnoses to “treatments” and everything in between, posts about health and autistic life.
The year 2020 needs to be more relaxed, and that means adjusting my plans and goals. Now that I’m in my 50s, it doesn’t make much sense to keep chasing some goals that are unlikely. They might happen, but chasing them would be too emotionally and physically draining. Parenting Responsibility…
Staying healthy seems to be dangerous. Many of my physical injuries have been the result of walking, cycling, and other forms of exercise. December 6, I managed to sprain my MCL (medial collateral ligament) while at the gym using a standard rowing machine. Yes, a rowing machine. For the unfamiliar,…
Podcast Episode 0035; Season 03, Episode 07; December 10, 2019 Baking was, for many years, a favorite hobby. I love cookies and cakes. I enjoy all things high in carbohydrates, unfortunately. Fat? You have to use butter in baking. Real butter, ideally the Amish or European butter brands. I’m not…
We closed on the sell of our house in Pennsylvania this week, so now our Texas reset is focused on touching up our new home and completing tasks locally. I have been sick (as has my wife) for the last two weeks. We’ve moved on from a basic cold to…
Podcast Episode 0033; Season 03, Episode 05; November 12, 2019 Getting to sleep and staying asleep are difficult for me and many autistics. Our daughters also struggle to fall asleep; they don’t remain asleep, either. We’ve tried melatonin, relaxation techniques, and quiet bedtime routines. A parent asked me for advice, but…
Q: I read your blog and listen to the podcast, but you don’t mention any of the positives of being autistic? Where is your autistic pride? I don’t have any autistic pride. That should be evident, as I replied to the parent asking me the question. It isn’t that I…
Podcast Episode 0032; Season 03, Episode 04; October 29, 2019 Driving isn’t easy for me and many autistics avoid driving. Some of the challenges are the same ones I experience as a passenger on public transit, especially the sounds and vibrations. I don’t like to feel crowded, either. Heavy traffic…
Whenever I would speak to groups, they’d ask if I have a special diet. The answer was always a firm, “No way!” Gluten free? No thank you. Casein free? Nope. I love baking and eating, especially cookies. Eating cookies requires milk. I love my grains and pastas, too. Well, so much…
As a blogger and podcaster, I missed most of February and March of 2019. This academic year has overwhelmed me physically and emotionally, and I admit I’m not up to the workload required of a full-time instructor with 140 students. The expectation that college writing instructors can and should have…