A New Beginning!

I met again with Dr. W and his assistant on Friday, where they both patiently answered all 13 of my questions. Dr. W. and I agreed that medication would be beneficial, so he has started me on a 20 mg daily dose of Prozac, to help with the anxiety and low moods.

I see him again in a month for follow-up (which I am pleasantly surprised at, I honestly didn't believe he would be involved in my care, once the diagnosis was given.) In the interim, I will be seeing his assistant for weekly counseling sessions, to help with my current psychosocial issues at work.

This is a new beginning, one psychiatrist posed the question to me, "but really, what will a diagnosis do, other than place a label on you?" My response, (which may not be drastically different from other Aspies out there) is plenty!

The diagnosis cleans those mud-smeared windows of your brain, and gives you the insight as to who you are, maybe not the person you always dreamed of becoming, but for the first time, you finally get to meet you! It's the difference between night and day. As the adage goes, if you think you have Asperger's, than you probably do! But the professional diagnosis is always a blessing!

I truly have a lot going for me. I have a great, supportive family, three really good friends, a decent enough job, and the support of an amazing psychiatrist and counselor. I plan on going back to school, and resume my studies at university, doing my undergrad degree in Health Studies, perhaps with a minor in psychology, in the next year.

Dr. W. says there is no reason for me not to learn to drive, so I have signed up for driving lessons, and they begin in July. He laughed and told me, he wasn't going to tell me how many lessons it took for him to learn to drive. He did say I may need more lessons than the average person, but as his assistant pointed out, at the end of the day, when it comes to passing my road test, I'll be held to the same standards as everybody else. Either I will pass or I won't.

There are not enough words to describe my gratitude to Dr. W., he is a wonderful doctor, very gentle, genuine, and understanding. My only hope is that he stays around for a while, Southwestern Ontario, needs him! He's our Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen!

FYI...Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, for those of you who don't know, is one of the world's leading authorities on autism and autism spectrum disorders, located in the UK, at the University of Cambridge.

Out of curiosity, how many people out there with an Asperger's diagnosis, successfully learn to drive. It sounds as if some can, whereas others cannot, or choose to not drive.