And, an answer of “get out of here you lazy git” would be a bit crushing at this point, precisely because the symptoms seem to fit and explain my life so well.

Been there, done that, was, as you suspect, crushing. But I was early in my journey and knew I was both new to the world of autism, and struggled to advocate for myself, so I kept at it, because like you say - everything just clicked, the more I read from and interacted with autistic people, the more I felt like my real self, and it perfectly explained everything I was struggling with (and also run wild and underdiagnosed in my family), you just know. Eventually I got “recognised” by a therapist and a gp, rather than go on a waiting list again for another year or two or pay privately to try and be “diagnosed” by different specialist. I’ve never been questioned about it since.

I am going to the appointment tomorrow though, no matter what. Will report back!

This is the best thing to do of course, it may very well go completely smoothly and you’ll get the diagnosis and maybe even some support, but it’s always good to be prepared in case it doesn’t, and (easier said than done, for sure) try not to catastrophise.

Will definitely keep an eye out for an update!