Examples of inattentativeness

[wolfshades]

I don’t think that’s unusual at all BlackADDer (cool screen name, by the way). Maybe it’s because I had to wait so long for my appointment that I’ve become more aware of what’s going on in the mental health field but….that time lag appears to be common across the board for a variety of conditions. There was a newspaper report yesterday about teens with eating disorders having to wait an awful long time to get help – quite dangerous, really, because that kind of condition can get so out of hand in a hurry, resulting in death.

I think by the time I’m done (just recently got my first appointment), I’ll have waited for a diagnosis for about six months or so.

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[Anonymous]

Sometimes I do really well, and sometimes, I ….

Non-ADD moment of the week:

Monday night I grilled my entire dinner. It consisted of a Filet, a small lobster tail, and corn on the cob. You want to time everything so that it all comes off the grill at the same time. Corn 16 minutes (rotated every 4) , filet 8 minutes (flipped twice), tail 7 minutes (flip once). I DID IT!!!

But I forgot to melt the butter. Thank God for microwaves.

ADD moment of the week:

I lost my cellphone and keys. It’s been 95 degrees or higher every day for a month. I rushed home from the grocery the other day and put the frozen stuff in the freezer as quickly as I could. Later I remembered that I was holding my phone, keys, and several boxes of frozen food and ice cream. My hands were getting sore from the cold stuff, so I guess I just turned loose of everything all at once.

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[Anonymous]

ADD moment over the weekend:

I’m grilling a hamburger outside. Instead of oven fries or chips, my side dish was wild rice that comes in a microwaveable cup. Rather than risk burning the bun by grilling it outside, I put it in the toaster oven–it always comes out perfect that way.

In my kitchen, the microwave is mounted in a cabinet directly above the toaster oven.

So I put the bun in the microwave, and the plastic cup in the toaster oven.

Luckily I caught myself before I started cooking them that way.

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[Walter Mitty]

Hit a pedestrian once while paying more attention to the committee in my head than the road. (The woman was “OK” I think because she ran away when I told her I was calling 911).

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[Anonymous]

Forgetting everything is so much a part of my life, it’s natural for me. I know I forget stuff so I try and find solutions instead of trying to force something that’s just not going to happen. It’s easier.

I’ve automatically build in ‘where’s my???’ time into my schedule and try to get out the door at least 30 minutes before I need to leave.

Then realize I have extra time and do just ‘one more’ thing before leaving then rush out before I miss the bus.

Groceries left on the floor in front of fridge while I go do something in the front yard that I noticed on the way in, walking by something that needed to be done 10,000 times and not noticing, took 6 hours to decide dinner menu and make a list (that I forgot) for the grocery store….the place was covered in cookbooks, recipes printed out from the computer, re-written lists on scaps of paper all over the place…

Dinner rocked, though…

I leave visual reminders out that sometimes work…have also used timer on my cellphone for cooking..even short periods of time

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[Anonymous]

I cried at the grocery store because it was all too much. I can only accomplish that chore if I have a specific and organized list and it is not “weekend busy”.

I just can not talk to people while I drive unless it is a long straight road. I will get lost, wander in my lane, and otherwise be distracted. All the while my passenger has a death grip on the armrest!

I get overstimulated in crazy places (football game, concert, my sisters house :p) and routinely get migrane headaches. I have to get to a quiet place and hide my eyes for a time to keep myself from shutting down if it is bad enough.

I clean houses for a living. I lose my spray bottle and duster at least once a house. I just wander around until I finally find it. If I got paid per hour I could really cash in on my lostness! Three houses a day x roughly 20 minutes worth of wandering = … well I am terrible at math, but it is probably not bad!

My husband still has a hard time wrapping his head around my ability to turn off my brain. His is hard to stop – mine is hard to start.

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[Anonymous]

Sigh. I just thought I would do a little reading on this site while waiting for my nondryer clothes to fluff in the dryer. 30 minutes later I remember to get them out. Hopefully they aren’t too small.

Why do I still try to multitask?! It has been thoroughly proven that I cannot handle it. Well I guess that would be the memory issue!

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[Anonymous]

I have a lot of things to do today, I’d better get going, I’ve wasted too much time getting ready as it is…oh, I should check to see what __ store hours are; go to computer. Oh right, the batteries are dying in my mouse, I remember that from last night, get up to get batteries – oh the cat wants in – hi kitty, good kitty, back to computer room – oh right, the batteries. What’s that kitty? You’re hungry? better get you a can of food! Feed the cat, go into the living room, start watching tv. OMG look at the time what am I doing I’ve got to get moving!

Go to computer – dammit! The batteries! Walk to kitchen “batteries, batteries, batteries, don’t forget batteries”…oh, the mail, what’s in this envelope? oh, right, batteries, get batteries, back to computer, put batteries in mouse…check store hours, oh, I’ll just check out this one web page really quickly…next thing I know an hour has gone by

Rush to get going, manage to get 2 things done from my long list, get home & realize I forgot to stop at __ store!

Argh!

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[Anonymous]

ADD travel story: packed a suitcase very carefully for a weekend trip to visit some friends. Everything folded nice and neat. Got there, had packed 8 bras and no under drawers for a 3-day trip.

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[wolfshades]

@lostinthestars MULTI-TASKING! Yes – I hadn’t thought about it much but you’re right – multitasking is just one of those things that are impossible for me as well. I can do one thing at a time, and if something else comes up on my radar, I’ll drop the first task (forgetting about it completely) while moving on to the next task.

There’s a reasons we never get anything done. Hopefully our loved ones will understand this (’cause I know it’s got to be downright frustrating for them. It’s frustrating for me, too.)

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[Anonymous]

You are all too funny!!! I laughed myself silly reading these. I see myself in any of these anecdotes once? Twice? Or all of them? Oh yes, I’ve been there for all of them.

Since you’ve all justvery accurately described my very own methodology for travelling through my days, I’m left pondering this thought- How do I ACTUALLY manage to make it through the day??!!! I can see now why the dear DH just shakes his head when he looks at me.

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[Anonymous]

What about klutzy stuff… I could fill a book. Although my ADD “surprises” were often excruciatingly humiliating, luckily- they were equally hilarious. Who needs pride- right? Are ya with me people?!

Here’s a funny one. ( I hope.)

Now it’s 1993, and I am newly a teen. A friend has a B day shin dig, and after; a group of us walks one of our friends home down our two lane country road. Now remember, these were the days of dance moves such as: The Running Man, The Roger Rabbit and… The Cabbage Patch. Here, I found a link of someone doing the cabbage patch move.

Very cool.

Now back to 1993. I am walking ditch-side, my friend is on my left. I decide to bust the cabbage patch while walking. I get a couple of rotations in and- Wup! I cabbage patch right into the ditch. Ker whump! I twist my ankle, my friend was all -“Where’d you go? OMG!!” Sooo, I lay in the ditch while my friend runs and calls an ambulance. I get a nice ride to the hospital.

I learned to watch for ditches when busting moves, and to never cabbage patch and walk again.

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[Anonymous]

I would really like to encourage people to do a video of interesting things they experience and send it to us. We will want to post things on our web. Also, you can link to a posting on YouTube that you can place and we can link to your video that way. Aerin, our community manager may have other suggestions. Also, if you like what you are seeing, go to other sites on ADHD and link to ours. Spread the word.

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[Anonymous]

Dr. J

Well, I posted a video of myself on YouTube playing ‘Silent Night’ on my dishes I left out to dry the night before close to Christmas just for something to do at 6:30 in the morning…is that what you mean?

It’s under Silent Night Kitchen Symphony…not exciting, but something I did on the spur of the moment while putting away the dishes….

ADHD housework………..

: )

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[Anonymous]

Thank you all for ADD housekeeping. I told my doctor that I do “stream of consciousness cleaning.” I pick up a dish in the kitchen and carry it to the bathroom, because I need to get the cup I left there earlier. Then I pick up the cup and put down the plate and go into the den to put books back on the shelves. Then I move the washed clothes to the dryer and take the plate back to the kitchen to put into the dishwasher with the cup. Clean!

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[Author]

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