What if it's not ADHD?

[Tiddler]

Thank you! It really does help to know I’m not alone. Here’s my blog about it. Writing that seems to help too. http://adultadhdjourney.blogspot.com/2011/08/well-its-official.html

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[Anonymous]

“Every day I knew, and yet every day I doubted.”

Very true!

I am on my diagnosis journey, and I am getting so impatient. I really don’t like all this waiting around – I have so many thoughts swimming around in my head…whether or not to blame the A.D.D for things, or whether to blame something else. And yes, I want a second opinion if I’m not diagnosed with A.D.D, because I know something isn’t normal.

Gah, if only the diagnosis would hurry up!

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[Tiddler]

Good luck, Berry. I went through quite a whirlwind of emotion after my diagnosis including a couple of months of feeling just furious at the world. I think I’m coming out of that phase now, thank goodness, and I’m reaching a stage where I can, I think, begin making plans with my new understanding of myself.

I’m nowhere near ready to understand what this means for my future, but there’s definitely a shedding of the old going on at the moment. Onward and upward! And this site really helps. Keep posting, Berry, and let us know how you’re doing.

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[Anonymous]

Thank you. Ah, reactions are often unpredictable. At the moment, I’m pacing up and down mentally for this diagnosis (grrr, the impatience!)….but I’m not sure if I’ll react well or not once I have it. Already, I am much more confident since a self-diagnosis (lots of online tests, discussions, GP visit etc). I have already been to the GP for a referral to a nearby clinic, so I am just waiting for my last and final appointment at a professional ADHD centre. I am 3/4 there.

The realisation of ADHD makes it easier to live with. There were so many times, before I even thought about ADHD, that I’d feel upset with myself for screwing something up – losing stuff, forgetting things, zoning out and not being able to help it. The chaos was all just a bit too much.

I think my biggest fear about the diagnosis is being diagnosed without ADHD. What then? Do I just have a terrible memory? Am I natural ditz? It seems weird, but I’ll be much happier with knowing that I have ADD.

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[billd]

No – that’s not a show-stopper. It’s just a diversion. A fork in the road. If it’s not ADD, then it’s someting else and a GOOD professional will rule out all that other stuff before “ruling in” ADD.

So if it’s something else, a GOOD doc will find that something else in the process. At this point they usually disprove everything else, and it’s ADD if you reach the end.

So, please be patient (see my post in another thread about my time-taking journey) and know it’s not the end – it’s the beginning of another different journey in any case.

My prediction is ADD – let’s see what happens.

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[Anonymous]

True – it’s something or other. My prediction is definitely A.D.D, though. Even though there are mental states/disorders that are similar to A.D.D (depression, for example), I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else that matched so precisely. Everyday, there’s some sort of A.D.D indicator.

Is it normal for my brain to go blank, on a frequent basis? In the middle of a conversation, I’ll forget what my point was…and it’ll feel like my brain has suddenly been emptied of life. It’s really humiliating.

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[kc5jck]

Yeah, that happens to me. (Brain going blank) It’s like the link from the mother ship gets lost and it takes a few moments to reconnect. Then it may be on a different channel. Or at other times, it’s like a breaker tripped and won’t reset automatically until the stress levels have returned to normal. Sound familiar anyone?

Just yesterday I opened the empty butter dish on the counter, turned around, opened the refrigerator, and stared into It for about three seconds trying to remember why I opened the refrigerator. I think it was seeing the butter on the door that gave me the cue. Oh yeah, butter.

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[billd]

>>Is it normal for my brain to go blank, on a frequent basis? In the middle of a conversation, I’ll forget what my point was…and it’ll feel like my brain has suddenly been emptied of life. It’s really humiliating. <<

It’s normal for us ADD folks, yes!

CONSTANTLY, every day of my life! It’s usually the important point I forget as others creep into my head. Happens at work when trying to explain things to the boss or the rest of “the team”. EMBARRASSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m not doubting you – but another indicator is that you can recall this going back into childhood and recall troubles in school that now make sense if you put ADD into the equation.

kc5jck – you are obviously another sibling of mine that mother never told me about!

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[kc5jck]

Billd – perhaps siamese twins separated at birth.

Hey, click on the link about “Scatterbrain” The guy obviously has ADHD. (Go to the top)

http://knightscsa.blogspot.com/2008/09/scatter-brain.html#comment-form

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[Anonymous]

i have had the same issues…i was soo scared to even think of going to a psych thinking…..what if i truely have some issue and im beyond nuts…but sadly i found out things about myself that i didnt even notice…like i thought all girls talked to no end we sadly not as much as me and when i drove i never noticed that i had to be doing something and my bad driving was added when i could not fight the urge to just drive i had to do something along with it .;….radio..phone…call someone talk non stop and not shut up or i would literally try to look at teh person with me …..soo bad till i got dx with ADHD and put on meds do I know literally just drive without musice and sometimes with it on low and dont have to call and talk to someone or be doing something on top of what am doing…..sadly i even started college and left my keys in my driver side door and walked away went to classes all day and then didnt notice till i went back to drive freaking out where my keys were and looked in my driver side door and they were hanging there… sooo sad i thought i was losing it more than anything…everyone told my parents i was beyond…FAR BEYOND controllable talking and figgity wise and tehy just was like …good ole belt which helped sort of but in middle and in high school my grades were sometimes ok and sometimes not…but i constantly had to be doing something….and would get frustrated when averageppl didn t do nearly as much and ask why but now i see i need to slow down…

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[Anonymous]

good over it all is …if its adhd or add it will show and sadly sometimes it is us ppl that dont see all we do from teh inside

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[kc5jck]

shammers49 – twenty years ago when I was taking some courses in accounting at the junior college, I finally had to start parking in the same place each night to be able to find my car. Otherwise, I would wander around the lot for five minutes looking. At the time, I thought it may because of other issues I was having, but it could have been ADD. If you ever think you’re going crazy, just tell us what you’re doing and you’ll probably have six other people come back saying they do the same thing. Oh, if I sit in my car for a moment before getting out – I’ll get out and leave the keys in the ignition, forgetting to take them with me.

I have a bunch of Volkswagen beetles I have worked on and restored. The sound of the engine I have assembled and tuned is music to my ears. I can listen to it driving all day. I don’t need a radio or music, just the sound of the engine. I’m sure Billd can relate.

By the way Billd, ever since I was very young, I have “ascribed” feelings to mechanical things such that for me seeing a machine being abused is almost like seeing an animal being abused. You or anyone else feel like this?

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[Anonymous]

Glad to know that there are lots of others suffering from brain-blanking too! It really irritates me. I think it’s because I’m thinking about too much at once, and what I’m going to say next. It happens a lot when I’m asked a question, too. At school, teachers would sometimes choose me to answer a question. At that point, my brain would go blank….and there would come the, “I don’t know”. Gah, the embarrassment.

Also, I find it really difficult to follow films. Anyone else have this? Especially if they’re complicated in plot. I find that I get too distracted by all the visuals – or my mind will be wondering elsewhere whilst I’m supposed to be watching it. For years now, I’ve had a real difficulty with films, and it’s rare I ever visit the cinema. “Inception” is a pure killer.

I’m ok when it comes to basic tasks – if I only have to take my keys and phone somewhere, then I’m *sometimes* alright. When it comes to LOTS OF THINGS AT ONCE, my brain starts feeling it. It’s like it’s one big cloud of LOTS OF THINGS AT ONCE, LOTS AND LOTS OF CHAOS, LOTS AND LOTS….sigh.

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[kc5jck]

Article about zoning out:

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/why-we-zone-out-1806/

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[Anonymous]

Hey, guys, I’m so glad i found this website…now I can talk and share ideas with people that are just like me.

here is an article that I found interesting about ADD and giftedness:

http://borntoexplore.org/gifted.htm

Cheers from Brazil!

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[Author]

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