Examples of inattentativeness

[Anonymous]

If that were me, the plate would still be in the den, and I would be sitting down reading halfway through a book I noticed and had forgotten about, with the plate and cup neatly stacked atop the other pile of books and the clothes would still be wet until the next morning when I got up to put on that pair of jeans I just washed but couldn’t find and then remembered they were still in the washer!

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[Anonymous]

How about getting in an elevator and wondering why it’s so slow… start up already! Then realising I had forgotten to punch in the floor number!

The thing about forgetting what you wanted to do and going back to the place you started from… a regular occurence for me.

The oil burning story – that’s dangerous, you should not try to take it off the stove! My mom got 3rd degree burns to her hands and feet doing that when I was about 8 years old. Strangely enough I have no recollection about that. Just a photo of my confirmation with my mom in her nightgown and bandages by my side.

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[Ivriniel]

One time I walked into my apartment with my bank card in my hand. Something happened to distract me for a moment when I came in the door. I can’t remember what it was, but the next thing I know, my bank card is not in my hand. I look around where I am standing, and it is nowhere to be found.

I go and get a new card. A week later, I walk into my apartment, and my bank card is lying in my front hall in full view.

I swear, it must have fallen through an eddy in the space-time continuum.

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[Anonymous]

Ivriniel – There’s a topic where this is discussed. I think it’s ‘Blanking, a forgotten symptom’ or something like that. It happens to me once in a while. Really weird.

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[laddybug3]

In college, we were reading something about thoughts and the classmates went around and to tell what they were thinking. (Somethings were taken out) This is what I was thinking:

Hamlet must have had ADD. I mean he could not decide to be or not to be.

Two classmates just texted.

The clock is an hour late. It is three weeks. We were supposed to change it.

I like books. Read them three times, I mean three at a time. Sometimes I read two, two, and two. That is like six pages.

Did you know I had 3 coke cans before this class. Now I am tired, no I am up.

Oh, no I forget to tell my roommate something.

Sometimes there is a black hole in my mind and it eats all my racing thoughts.

Did you know it is hard when there are no windows in this classroom.

I think I left the door unlock again.

Did I make my bed?

Shakespeare must hate his characters. He kills them all. Sometimes I think he kills them so they are not mad at him.

What if vampires are real? I think I would find a werewolf buddy or keep holy water in my purse.

Did you know my assignment notepad is also my planner?

Oh, I have to come up with ideas for the next meeting.

How come dogs die in stories?

I miss Lenny, he died, in Mice of Men or something like that. Why did Lenny have to die?

I want to go fishing. Do you want to go fishing?

The clock is still wrong.

Four people are talking behind me.

Across the hall, in the classroom, they are learning about the civil war. DId you know that?

I have supersonic hearing.

Student: Can you stop talking please. You change subjects too much. How can you focus? Are you a retard?

Me: That is what I do best. I have a lot more going in my mind then that. Even songs are going through as thoughts race by in the woods, on a race track. The brown horse won, and beat the red car.

Professor: Okay who is next.

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[Anonymous]

Oh Laddybug3!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you! I am laughing and crying at the same time…because that is one of the funniest things I have ever been able to relate to and because it makes me cry with relief that someone else does this too! (I am a wee bit new still so seeing that other people think like me still amazes me!)

So in school did anyone get in trouble for never using periods while writing amazing stories? I once wrote a whole story that to my dismay was held up in front of the entire class as a failed example of writing because it was one run-on sentence I understood where question marks where supposed to go but periods were a complete mystery I now know it is because my brain never stops it never “pauses” I mean isn’t that what one teacher told me to do put a period where you pause in a thought but there are no pauses in my brain thank you very much so how am I supposed to know what the heck you are talking about?

I need a period for my brain!!! (Maybe not so many exclamation points though.) BTW, I got better, please note that the above is not how I normally write these days, although I am still the queen of run-ons! lol!

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[Anonymous]

Oh yeah…I forgot (surprise) that I was going to tell about one of my moments before Laddybug3 distracted me! Geez!!

One day as I was getting into my car, the mailman drove up next to my car stopped and with a smile said “You mean you didn’t forget anything today?” I had seen my mailman before but I had never had the opportunity to speak with him before that day. I must have had a pretty confused look on my face because he laughed as he explained what he meant. He told me that I leave for work (it was really college) at the same time as he stops for his lunch break a few houses up. He would see me exit the house run to my car get in, jump back out, run inside, get whatever it is I had forgotten and run back to the car. He told me he liked to try and guess how many times I would go back in and he thought I should know that 5 times was my record, so far. Luckily for him, he was a real sweet old-timer and not at all creepy. I had obviously made his day more enjoyable so we both had a good laugh. After that though, whenever I would forget something I would wave and we would both laugh! (Lucky for me, he was too far away to hear me saying “sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, I’m late AGAIN!” under my breath every time – I am supposed to be a “lady” you know!)

How was I not diagnosed with ADD until 40!?!?

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[laddybug3]

ladyg yes, and a few of my essays had to thesis going. I had a creative writing course and the professor didn’t understand why I holding back from him and the class. He made us read our poetry and I didn’t want to read. One was a poem about thoughts and then a classmate wrote, I think you should get tested for ADHD. I didn’t tell the class I had ADHD. He even sat me down and explained to me that I can get publish.

To graduate with the degree I wanted I had to make a course up of course there was guidelines. I visited my advisors at least three times a week. They all helped me and was happy that I was using my writing to help me edit myself. I asked the professor in that class who told us to talk about what we thought. He called me a genus. I told him, “No I am not a genus.”

Now I finished my last phase of writing the manuscript before he reads it. He really wants me to publish it.

I was diagnosed at 6, but I thought I was five.

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[Anonymous]

I wanted to say “Hello” and thank you all for your stories of forgetfulness, etc. This is my first post and second time on this site; last night was my first. It’s sad, yet encouraging to read about the experiences of other people that I can relate to…guess I’m not alone . You are a courageous bunch. Thanks again for your collective candor.

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[gracious]

hahahaha!!!

I think I can relate to just about every single one of these. For me, with meds things are better, although certainly have my “moments” close to daily.

Before meds, I would lie in bed after my alarm went off and because my brain went so fast, I actually went through the motions of getting up, getting dressed, making my coffee, and heading out the door to work. The problem was, when I actually woke up half an hour later, I had to fly around and make it to work so I would only be just a wee bit late!!!

Even so, to this day, almost year after I’ve started meds, I can get up on time, but no matter how much time I allocate in the morning, I am still rushing to work and getting there JUST on time, or a wee bit late. Yikes!!

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[powcat]

oh, everybody. these are great… though some are dangerous!

I myself have had a couple of “floods” and burnt some pots and kettles. and I’ve ruined so much toast it could probably feed a small indigenous island (why I don’t even attempt grilled cheese anymore).

has anybody left their keys in the front door overnight?

how about putting an electric kettle on the burner at a friend’s house. that was highly embarrassing… at least I righted my wrong before turning on the stove!

tips for everyone: move to a safe neighbourhood. and don’t drive.

PS: someone needs to start a blog with all this stuff. cheers.

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[Anonymous]

Can relate to everyone here but the keys in the door made me want to post. Just the other day my sons and I were going to work and I was tearing up the house looking for them again and my son pulled them out of the lock and asked if I was trying to fake out the theifs.And my neighbors try to guess how many times I walk back into the house or drive back to the house looking for something and most of the time I already have it Thank you all I`m not alone

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[texascann]

I just read a lot of the posts about things we do as ADDers, and I can identify also with most all of them. I scored 9 out of 9 on the inattentative part of the ADD test on TottalyADD. I was diagnosed at 53. I am now 63. Retired about 3 years ago and moved to an area which had no one to treat my Adult ADD that could also administer meds. It took me three years and going to Shreveport, LA (from Tx.) to find a good Adult ADD doctor. I am in the process of trying other meds right now but I’ve had some of the funniest things happen. Like the time I was with a friend and thought I lost my house keys when she brought me back home. I even went as far as to call my son (10 miles away to come open my door.) After about 10 minutes, I felt something in my pocket and sure enough, it was my keys! I was so embarrased! I lose track of time constantly. On Sundays, I get up around 5-5:30 a.m. to get to church for a 9:15 a.m. Sunday School Class and I’m late every time. I am so working on this because I’ve realized that other people are interrrupted by my walking in late. I have a timer so loud, it would wake the dead while I cook because if I forget something, it could be bad. I have left my keys in the door overnight, left just the storm door locked and did not close my front door. The other day, I stepped away from the kitchen sink just a minute while it was filling up with water and I got sidetracked in the bedroom only to come back and find bubbles covering both sinks and water going eveywhere. I hurried to clean it up because my oldest son was coming over, and you know how your kids start to treat you after you start the 60’s. I thought I had cleaned the whole mess up only to find when I opened the garage door for him to come in, the whole garage floor had water running out to the driveway. I couldn’t help but laugh! Oh well, so much for hiding my ADD. Thank God, He also gave me the ability to laugh at some of my craziness, that helps! Being here on this site has helped me tremenously. Thanks!

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[Curlymoe115]

Well I have had just about everyone of these experiences. I make a list for the grocery store and forget to take it, or forget to take it out. I am forever losing bank cards and keys and now I try and check to make sure I have them before I get to the store and find out it isn’t there. My best example happened a few weeks ago when I was on the train. It was experiencing some major problems and was stopping everywhere. It was stopped at the mall and they announced that we would be here for a few minutes. I went back to my book and then a few minutes later I looked up and started to panic and wondered how long we had been at my stop. I grabbed my stuff in a panic and rushed out the door of the train only to realize that we hadn’t moved from the mall. So I had to sheepishly get back on the train and resume my seat. I am forever leaving burners on or forgetting to turn them on. I have stood over food on the stove for ten minutes stirring and wondering why it was taking so long only to realize I hadn’t turned it on. I will turn on the oven and forget to take stuff out. I have put dishes in the fridge and food in the cupboard. I put the roast in the slow cooker and set the timer confident that when I got up in the morning it would be ready. Got up and didn’t smell the roast cooking, get down to the kitchen and I hadn’t turned it on. Can’t tell you how many times I have driven somewhere, put my keys on the seat beside me or leave them in the ignition, gather up the stuff I need for the store, grab my purse and exit and lock the car. Complete my business and go to the car, hunt for ten minutes for the keys and then look inside and see them on the seat. Used to have to call the AMA to get them to open the car. Now I keep an extra set of keys on me. Got the extra keys when it happened 3 times in one week. I will put everything I need to take with me beside the door and walk out without them. My DH is also ADD and he has a horrible habit of zoning out when he drives. Especially if he is under a lot of pressure. When I was in labour with our oldest he drove to the mall instead of the hospital. If we are together I become the GPS and remind him where we are going. Both of our girls are also ADD and they are forever losing things and so we spend hours every day searching for items. When we lose track of words we use words like “you know that thing I told you I had to take”. I get books out of the library and just about every time I misplace one book that I spend days searching. Last time it was in the van between the seats. I forget appointments if I have more then one thing on the go. When I was going to college I would forget an assignment and then remember minutes before it was due. I would quickly dash it off and have someone else proof read it and hand it in with everyone else. Good thing I am so verbal.

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[dspicelady]

When my neighbour calls and asks what’s for dinner, I know that my bbq is on fire again and it’s time to call for take-out.

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[Author]

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