Am I an anomaly here?

[LindaVB19]

I am a 56-year-old woman and still struggling with ADD. I was actually diagnosed in 1990 by a psychiatrist with a keen interest in ADHD adults. My 6-year-old son had just been diagnosed and his psychologist suggested that perhaps I was the culprit in passing it on. I knew I was. One month after being started on medication (nope; don’t remember what it was) that same son impulsively ran into traffic and was killed right in front of me. The ADHD medication was stopped and I was started on anti-depressants and anti-anziety drugs for depression and PTSD. Twenty-one years have past since then and I have been barely coping with the ADHD. I am extremely disorganized, had a bankruptcy mainly due to impulsive spending, and had minor memory problems among other things. Over the past 2-3 years I have noticed my syptoms gradually getting worse and they are now worse than they’ve ever been. I saw the “ADD And Loving It” on PBS a couple of weeks ago and decided that was time to do something about it. I ordered the book “You Mean I’m not Lazy Crazy or Stupid?” and was amazed to read how much of a role hormones play in adult ADD. Particularly a decrease in Estrogen. Well, no wonder I can’t remember ANYTHING and I feel like the world is spinning around and I can’t make it slow down! My Internist and I have discussed the possibility of starting medication again (he has seen my psychiatrist’s testing results). I have an appointment tomorrow (12/9/11) and hope that we can get the ball rolling here. I am, of course, very impatient about this, hoping that I notice a difference immediately. Ha!

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[Anonymous]

I have to look up anomaly, but I don’t think so. My husband bought that book, thanks, I will look at that section, also 56 yr old female. My husband says I choose not to remember. At least I think that’s what he said

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[LindaVB19]

A anomaly is something that is different, or unusual. It doesn’t sound like you have the support of your husband. I think my late husband thought I was lazy and disorganized, but he still put up with me. I wish I could tell him what caused all that craziness. Glad to find another 56-year-old female! Sorry you are having to deal with all of this.

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[munchkin]

Hi Linda – Welcome!

I want to say – no, you would not be an anomaly in this group, but wait – I guess we are all kind of anomaly’s (anomali?) compared to the majority of non-ADHD folks – haha!

Anyway, I am 40, and was just re-diagnosed a few months ago after having been called “hyperkinetic” and all kinds of things as a child. I never realized this was the same kind of problem I was having as an adult until recently.

There is a webinar on this site about how hormones play into the ADHD picture with women – check it out

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[LindaVB19]

Thanks! I’ll definitely do that. I find it fascinating. Thanks for writing!

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[munchkin]

Your welcome Here’s a link:

http://totallyadd.com/webinar-12-adhd-women

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[munchkin]

Your welcome Here’s a link:

http://totallyadd.com/webinar-12-adhd-women

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[Anonymous]

We are all anomalies here……..somewhere between 20% and 5% of the population……so say the so-called experts. Within our anomaly family it appears we are even further anomalies….each as individual as snowflakes……yet??

We have some common/similar traits and wide ranging differences within the scope of a spectrum….. we are each an EACH.

Good to have you on-board….I have found some wonderful people here. This is a safe place to fall, stretch, commiserate, learn, share, laugh, or just hang around with some great company.

Toofat

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[billd]

I”m 54 y.o. male – soon to be 55

Several months ago, I wrote in here that contrary to what some say about age, I noted things were getting WORSE for me as I aged, not better, not staying the same. Not all symptoms, but enough that it’s obvious to me (and my wife thinks so, too)

I’ve also been told I “choose” to forget, or “choose” to not hear something or not pay attention……….

They just don’t get it, do they? (including my own family doctor who asked “you’ve lived with it for 5 decades, why are you bothering to do anything about it now”.

I’m glad I was in a good mood that day or he might have needed a doctor.

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[Anonymous]

Hi Linda,

My husband self-diagnosed himself with ADD a number of years ago. He was sure I had it too, I was pretty resistent to the idea but eventually realized it was an issue and we started investigating it. He still makes that comment, but I counter with the fact that it could be a result of severe sleep deprivation (recently diagnosed with narcolepsy – treatment similar to ADHD, probably still have ADHD but it’s down the list). Mice whose sleep was interrupted (so they never got into deeper states of sleep where memory is consolidated) during studies couldn’t remember things they normally wouldn’t forget. It’s one possibility.

LOL, bill, that is a dangerous thought!

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[kc5jck]

I think what people are trying to say here is that you seem perfectly normal to us. Welcome to the group.

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[trashman]

build that’s one of the reasons that I am not working any more .I would like to treat a lot of the people that run me down. the problem is when I would tell them the treatment option ,I would get fired .I don’t get that .( sarcastic) lol.

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[Tiddler]

Welcome, Linda. I’m very sorry to hear of the loss of your son.

I am definitely worse as I’m getting older and that is what prompted me to look for a diagnosis. And I have always been worse the week before my period, so I’ve no doubt hormones play a big part.

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[billd]

no_dop………. that was a thought voiced by my sleep doctor at FIRST visit – my issues that appear to be ADD could have been caused by the sleep issues. they have since decided the ADD was severe and stood on its own, HOWEVER, I still had sleep issues some connected, and some not, that needed dealing with. The nice thing – they are working together for a total solution. I like that……… sort of like installing an electric water heater – you need a plumber and an electrician to work together at solving the problem.

I, too, “appear” to me to be getting worse as I age. On one hand, it makes sense as some chemical productions decline with age naturally, and if one is already short on something, a decline won’t help any! (or am I more aware? Maybe it’s a combination!)

I read many years about a sleep study with animals. I regarded it as cruel, and still do, but it was with cats. They used cats as it was SIMPLE. When a cat enters REM, it retracts and relaxes the muscles that control the claws. They took advantage of that and put the cats on an island in a pool of water. The only place to sleep was a steep incline covered with carpet. As long at the cats held on, they could sleep uninterrupted, but when REM kicked in, the claws retracted and the cats fell into water. the cats grew irritable (so would I, the dumb dipstick researchers! DUH!) and seemed forgetful, among a list of other symptoms making them appear almost ADD-like thinking of it today.

It proved the importance of REM sleep, etc. HOWEVER, I’d love to find those researchers and do the SAME to them, but make it ICE WATER.

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[kc5jck]

I think I would like to see my cat fall into the curtain he sprayed last night.

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