New doctor says no ADHD!

[thisguy]

I saw my new doc today, he says I dont have adhd. That i’m just retarded and need to get psychotherapy. I have severe learning disabilities, which i knew i had dyslexia already.

I just dont get why im always busy tinkering, I wiggle when trying to sleep because all I can think about is riding a bike and starting a new project i’ll never finish. So I take sleeping meds for that but doesnt affect me at all.

So yeah I guess i’m just retarded then, which he says I can get disability for. Just F***ing GREAT!

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[thisguy]

oh and I guess he thought I was on dope when I went in. Guess i’m a doper now too.

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[MarieAngell]

Don’t lose hope! I’m not a doctor, but I know you’re not “retarded.” It’s difficult not to feel low when you have to deal with what sounds like a cold and possibly ill-informed doctor. Please don’t think of yourself as stupid or beyond help.

Are you able to change to a doctor who knows more about ADHD and learning disabilities, someone you might be able to trust to give you a diagnosis you feel is a fair assessment?

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[thisguy]

I wish there was, there aren’t to many doctors here.  Most people I talk with always go way out of town because all the doctors here are  crap.  But I have zero money and to many bills.  The doctor who first diagnosed me left because he did’t like how the place was manage. Also the therapist who gave her diagnoses to my doctor also left.

I pretty much have already gave up hope.    People always see me as a drugy, but  I never touch the stuff. I think i’ll just become what they see.  Can’t get help so i’ll just help myself.

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[MarieAngell]

It’s a tough situation, I know. I live in a big city and it’s still been hard to find therapists and doctors who really understand ADHD. My son is actually with a therapist who used to treat a lot of veterans for PTSD and she talks about the similarities between ADHD and PTSD.

Being undiagnosed or wrongly diagnosed takes its toll. Try to use the resources you can access. If you can’t get a prescription for ADHD meds, I’m not necessarily encouraging you to use caffeine, but it can have a positive impact on some people (not in the late afternoon/evening if you can help it though). Eating properly with lots of lean protein can help (not always easy on a budget, but we all do what we can).

The internet is full of helpful info. There’s lots of good info on this site and Dr. Ed Hallowell has some good stuff at http://www.drhallowell.com/

You can’t change everything about yourself all at once, even with meds and all the other stuff. My strategy has been to concentrate on one thing and try to fix it, either through developing a habit . At one point, I put a rubber band around my wrist and snapped it to stop my cycle of anxious thoughts. It wasn’t perfect but it helped. I have a very cheap (and ugly) sports watch I set to beep on the hour and has a timer/stopwatch to remind me when to leave for appointments.

Baby steps, baby steps, but don’t give up on yourself.

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[thisguy]

I have no clue what to do. No one here is capable of  helping w ADHD.  When you ask for help all the think is you want drugs, But I could care less about what the put me on. I just need help.  I dont see how a doctor can diagnose you within a couple minutes of ever meeting you.   The type of adhd i have, I’m not hyper and super talkative. I rarely even speak to people because I have a hard time starting a conversation with my heading racing so fast. I speak words before they’er even supposed to be spoken and it causes me to stammer. If I was retarded I wouldn’t be able to buy fix and sell cars; also buy and sell antiques.

I just have no clue what i’m supposed to do. I check that site and dont see how it could help me.  At the same time I was diagnosed with ADHD i was diagnosed with ptsd from an abusive alcoholic father.

Caffine has no affect on me. I can drink energy drinks with out any affect and drink coffee that makes me tired.  Most medications have no affect on me aswell. Some days it will but most the time they have no affect and its like this with all generic medications.

Thank you for the reply your very kind. I wish I would have seeked help sooner in life and not when I have a family to support: which I cannot do

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[trashman]

I think it is funny that they all think we all want the drugs. I can tell you all I take 108mg of concertta  and I don’t get high or even get alot from it,but a little focus is worth as much as I can get out of them.

If it was all about getting high we would all be better off getting our drugs on the street! when will the non ADHD world learn it is about small victories ? if it was all about the Drugs there are a lot easier was of getting them. but getting the right meds for the amount is like pulling teeth without meds!!!

I have tested with a low IQ and learning disabilities, all I can say don’t lose hope who you are has not changed just because one doctor does not know enough about adhd. it is now time to get him schooled or find someone who is. it will be a little bit of a hard road. PLEASE !! don’t lose hope. keep fighting you are WORTH the fight .

PS we are in your corner!!

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[MarieAngell]

Totally on board with @trashman. You’re struggling, @thisguy, but look at what you know. Caffeine doesn’t work for you, you can fix and sell cars, buy and sell antiques. So you can’t get meds or a proper diagnosis. Lots of people can’t take meds or the meds don’t work. It’s painful, but don’t give up.

I can’t say whether you have ADHD or not, but if you have racing thoughts, one surefire, no cost thing you can do is learn some mindfulness techniques. “Mindfulness” is really paying attention to things as you do them, which helps crowd out the racing thoughts. It’s kind of like meditation, but instead of trying to make your brain empty or let your thoughts fly free, it’s focusing on what you’re experiencing that’s right in front of you at that moment.

For example, you’re unlocking your door to enter your house. You focus on the key in your hand, on walking to where you lay your key down, how the key feels. You deliberately put the key in the place you put your key.

Probably sounds maddening, but, with some practice, it really does help. If you Google search “How to teach yourself mindfulness,” there are a lot of free resources. But the start is just forcing yourself to pay attention to what you’re doing right that moment.

It’s helped me a lot to do this and I think it’s helped a lot of people with ADHD. @Rick swears by it.

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[Patte Rosebank]

@thisguy, a doctor CANNOT diagnose you, in just a few minutes.

First, it takes a complete physical, including thyroid levels, to rule out any physical cause for your symptoms.

Then, it takes several hours with a specialist, who gives you a variety of tests.  Some tests are written; some require you to do a task, and others require you to describe what you see in some pictures.  Then, the specialist compiles the results, to reach a diagnosis.

You need to be open to the fact that your diagnosis may or may not include ADHD.  There are a lot of overlapping symptoms in the world of mental issues, especially when learning disorders are included.

If the specialist advises a treatment plan which includes medications, he or she will then take you through a trial-and-error process to find the right med(s) and the right dose(s) for you.

Meds for mental issues are NEVER one-size-fits-all.  The only way to find what works for each individual is by trial-and-error—at least 4 weeks for each med, until you find the one(s) that work(s).

Given your situation, you may have to check yourself into a mental hospital in order to get the testing & treatment you need.  It’s a big, scary step, but, sometimes, it’s the only way.

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[thisguy]

My older doctor didnt want to go threw the trouble of finding out what works.  We don’t have a mental hospital, here its just called jail.  I was with a mental health therapist for 2 years and saw  mental health doctor for a few months at the same time. My therapist gave her diagnoses to the mental health doctor I was seeing and they both agreed on severe ADHD. They no longer work there because of how the astablishment was being run and how patients were being treated so the left.

I tried REAL Adderall 20mg one time after I was diagnosed.  My racing thoughts had quit and I had no problem starting a conversation and finding something to talk about.  I really felt like a different full functional person. I could remember everything and anything, I could do math faster and in my head instead of on my fingers and also remember lyrics from a song i’ve only heard once.

I cant remember lyrics to a song even if I’ve heard it a hundred times.

I just need to get out of this stupid ass small discriminating town.

I feel like I’m going to explode and go crazy mad and not give a sh*t about anything.

It’s proving almost impossible to take that first step to happiness

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[Patte Rosebank]

@thisguy, if you have the names of the therapist & doctor who used to treat you, you may be able to find out where they went, and get in touch with them.

If they didn’t go too far away, they might still be able to treat you.

Even if it means a bus ride of an hour or two to get to them, it’s worth it to get the help you need.

 

I just need to get out of this stupid ass small discriminating town.

That’s Plan B.

Your other option is to move to a bigger city, where there are more mental health resources and social service to help you.

Research some cities near you, and find out as much as you can about what they’re like, including availability of social housing and mental health resources, cost of living, and what jobs are available that would suit you.

Call social services and ask them for advice & help.  If you need to apply for social housing (Section 8), do it ASAP, so you’re already approved before you move.

There are people and agencies who will help you.  You just have to find them and ask.

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[thisguy]

My therapist moved to alaska an the doctor moved the next town over but no longer works in the mental health field.  Ive tried to set up 2 apointmets and he had them canceld

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[MarieAngell]

@Thisguy, this is an agonizing situation. Could I ask a couple of questions?

Was the Adderall you tried before prescribed by a doctor?

Do you have a regular (non-psychiatrist) doctor?

 

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