Being Twice Exceptional by Hayes Melanie;

Author:Hayes, Melanie;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2022-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Alden

When Alden is getting sick, he believes he can feel the difference between a bacterial and a viral infection. Bacterial infections create a feeling of lethargy that doesn’t seem to be present with viral infections. He usually experiences that feeling before he has major symptoms, so it can be hard to convince doctors that he has an infection that might require antibiotics. He finds that they don’t take his explanations seriously and often respond with basic explanations of symptoms or the differences between viruses and bacteria. Yet, Alden’s self-diagnosis has nearly always been right.

He is sensitive in other ways too. Alden’s body is highly impacted by what he eats, by the products he uses, and the medication he takes. His skin reacts to any perfumed products and his eyes water and his nose runs when he is around people who have used cologne or perfume. Foods with artificial ingredients taste metallic to Alden, and he feels irritable and out of sorts if he eats them. When he eats something very sugary, his upper lip begins to sweat, and he often feels nauseated. His body reacts differently to many over-the-counter medications too. Alden finds he experiences a lot of the listed side-effects, including some that are reported to happen only rarely.

Alden is also sensitive to levels of activity and environmental changes. He tries to walk every day for exercise, but knows, if he does too much, he will have extreme fatigue the next day. If he spends too much time in bright light, he will suffer from headaches, so he rarely goes outside without a hat and sunglasses. When the seasons change, Alden can feel his body respond. He has seasonal affective disorder and fights depression throughout the winter months.

Alden feels that most professionals disregard his complaints and how he describes symptoms as exaggerated or overreactive. “Lots of people think I am a hypochondriac, which makes it even more difficult to explain what is happening in my body.” He is envious of people whose bodies seem to be unaffected and resilient. Alden has tried a wide variety of diets and lifestyle recommendations in an effort to improve his overall health and well-being. Over the years, he has determined what seems to work best for his body, but nothing has ever helped him to feel he has robust health.

Many aspects of the world make it feel like a hostile place for Alden. His childhood experiences taught him that he must remain vigilant to avoid a wide spectrum of potentially harmful situations. Alden has many characteristics that made his earlier life difficult. He suffered from allergies to pollen and always had a runny nose and itchy eyes. He also had a strong gag reflex, and the sight or smell of certain foods that others were eating could trigger vomiting. Alden was small for his age and talked in a high, sing-song voice. He describes his younger self as a “tiny, odd child” who looked, sounded, and acted differently. Alden was an easy target for bullies.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.