A.D.D. /A.D.H.D .. support group

[Diva]

I have not been diagnosed, but having taught in the public school systems for over 25 years, I know I am quite the ADD wonder....

Oh look....there's a chicken!


And no. Diva will not do the ADD Drugs.

[morningstar55]

Originally Posted by Diva

I have not been diagnosed, but having taught in the public school systems for over 25 years, I know I am quite the ADD wonder....

Oh look....there's a chicken!


And no. Diva will not do the ADD Drugs.

hahaha........ yep thats me too..... i get side tracted easy...
and in middle of conversations....... omg. im not rude just well...... looking for that chicken....... lol lol
i have read and heard to many side effects with the drugs....
and like terry Bradshaw stated in his book.....
he tired the meds.... took himself off it.....
he said...... **rather have others put up with his goofyness , better then being on the meds.**
they made him have mood swings and want to sleep all the time.
and i know for ......... Me........ i dont want to sleep my life away.

[Rockinonahigh]

I had one of those dumb ADD moment this week,I had to mail somethig off so I sat down an addresed the envelope..I did it back wards and sent it to myself,I didnt realise it untill it came back in the mail..such a dork...my mind was going about a hundred miles an hour at the time.

[DressyFemme]

I've had Adult ADHD combined type (both inattentive and hyperactive) since 2005. At first, I thought my increasing problems at work as an admin assistant (disorganization, forgetting information and where I put files, losing my car keys, forgetting names, problems with prioritization, multitasking, pile-making) were due to a drop in estrogen due to my 2002 total hysterectomy, so I asked my ob-gyn for more hormones for forgetfulness... he said he wanted me to see a neurologist instead for an organic brain scan which scared me half to death. But my psychologist I saw for 13 years, when she heard my symptoms, wisely referred me to a psychiatrist specializing in adult learning disabilities and cognitive difficulties as she thought it was more cognitive in nature. All this after 7 years of flawless work performance. It was heartbreaking and I felt totally clueless as to what was going on and scared half to death.

then a friend of mine from BF dinner group here in town and I were talking one evening about my symptoms. She said "That's how I used to be before I took Ritalin for my A.D.H.D. I'm much better now and function almost normally in everyday society." It hit me like aton of bricks and being the social worker I am I plunged head first into weeks of reading, visits to my local bookstore and Internet research.... recognizing my symptoms the more I read...

It took the psychiatrist a few months to determine whether it was my depression or actual A.D.H.D., but one thing that made the difference between a "think so" and diagnosis was that I had maintained contact with my first grade teacher all these years. A.D.H.D. usually doesn't begin in adulthood and is present throughout childhood as well, so I thought if I asked her, I might get a good perspective on what I was like as a student at that age (I remember procrastinating on work at age 7 and wondered if I had had problems as a student but didn't remember them). She told me if she had known in 1978 what she knows now about A.D.H.D. as a tenured teacher she would have requested that I be tested! Brought this into the psych along with many, many lists of forgotten items, took several diagnostic tests, etc. and eventually I was diagnosed and put on 120 mg. strattera, which is a non-stimulant drug recently developed for the condition and used often for those with addictive personalities in place of the other drugs commonly used like Ritalin, Concerta, etc. The only side effect has been dry mouth, but I've learned to handle it with gum and drinking fluids all day.

Although my work issues continued despite medication (which weren't helped by a crazy b*tch of a boss) things got a lot better at home and socially. I did eventually lose my job of 9 years which was attributed to my not performing up to standard. This work situation was also made worse by the loss of my mother the year before I was terminated. All of this was a devastating blow and it took 2 years of gaining other job experience enough to put the nightmare behind me. I'm now working at a job I love (social worker, which is what I originally trained for in school) and doing well at it.... which I consider a gift from God. I just had a great job review, and they are hoping to make me full time soon. I am learning, a day at a time, to manage my symptoms with the help of an ADD coach and therapy... and networking with other like-minded folks online. It's no longer the death sentence it once seemed.

Daily coping skills I use include to do lists, deadline tracking, keeping notes/fact sheets posted on my walls where I can see them and hiring a personal organizer/cleaner to help me organize my house (one room at a time). I also make sure I meet with my boss on a regular basis to review my priorities, and any issues that come up now get addressed right away, instead of getting "sudden surprises" at review time.

I am also thinking of writing a book about surviving unemployment/finding work for ADHD folks. Most of the ADHD books out there focus on ADHD *on* the job, and the books on "finding a job when you have a disability" mostly focus on physical, NOT mental, disabilities. Which is a shame considering how prevalent ADHD is and how so many undiagnosed - and diagnosed - ADHD folks have so many problems in their careers. I have an outline for the book already and am planning to go full steam ahead when I go full-time at work.

Great topic, Morningstar! You rawk, grrlfriend!

DressyFemme

[Nat]

I wish I'd had meds when I was a kid because I missed a lot of what was going on in class. I still did fine until I got to college and discovered I hadn't developed any study skills.

If you are totally anti-med, regular exercise is supposed to do a really great job of regulating ADHD brain chemistry. It also helps regulate the stress that comes from living with ADHD.

Also, I noticed about a year ago that simple carbs worsen my symptoms. When I'm being super-healthy, my mind works better. Then add me some sugar, and I my brain just spazzes out immediately.

If I could afford it, I'd get myself an ADHD coach. There are some good free podcasts out there. Oh, and a maid and professional organizer too, while I'm dreaming.