I DEFINITELY had more oral sensitivities as a kid/teenager. As pretty much the entire world saw it, I was ridiculously picky. I basically didn't eat any meat, because I HATED the texture (so I understand what you're talking about Lynn). It was too thick and I just couldn't stand it. It got so bad and my mom was trying so hard to get protein in me that WASN'T cheese, that she ground up meat for me in the food processor and I would eat it with a spoon and some ketchup. I literally would take a tupperware container of ground of chicken with ketchup on it for lunch at school. It sounds so gross, but it was the only way I could handle eating it. In retrospect? Um yeah, GROSS. However...it was what it was. My turkey sandwiches consisted of 1 piece of paper thin turkey and I could never prepare it because the meat felt too slimy to me.

I've seriously gotten better over the years, but there are still some textures I just don't do. I don't eat steak or any other thickly cut meat because I still hate the feeling of it between my teeth. I hate chewing something that thick...ugh. I also really hate the texture of pork chops. I eat chicken, turkey, bacon (as long as it's really crunchy), some fish (tuna, tilapia...working on this one) and a few other things that I can't think of right now.

Oddly enough, I've never been underweight. I wish that was my problem, but I gravitate to the other end of the scale I say that in jest, because I'm guessing you guys had a terrible time with it.

I really have my ups and downs with sensitivity too. My sensitivities shoot through the roof when I don't get enough sleep, that is a HUGE trigger for me. I hate touching almost EVERYTHING on those days (my tactual sensitivities are much worse than the others).

A new POSITIVE development is that I am now sometimes sort of able to handle writing with a regular lead pencil/listening to someone else write with it. This has really come about through repeated exposure. While it has absolutely been horribly uncomfortable, this sensitivity is getting somewhat better. I have written with a mechanical pencil for the majority of my life because I am so affected by the sound and feeling of regular #2 pencils.

The kindergartener I work with has weak fine motor skills, so we do a lot of writing practice. He has severe ADHD and cannot handle the mechanical pencil (pulling out the eraser, repeatedly breaking the lead, etc.). So I've just had to accept that we HAVE to use regular pencils. It's still hard to listen when he writes, because he writes REALLY forcefully. I don't have much of a choice but using his pencil when I am modeling something, otherwise he wants to use my mechanical. I still have to write very lightly/very hard, because otherwise the pencil makes too much of "that" noise and it must be very sharp. I bite the insides of my cheeks while I do it and it is very taxing, but it has gotten better.

Sorry that was so long!!

Jaimie