[billd]

One comment before I get onto my original thought – people can’t multi-task. That’s a management thing. They believe it, they invented it to get more out of their minions, er, uh, employees. It’s simply not possible for the human brain, ADHD or otherwise, to multitask. Studies have shown that for each new “task” you take on while doing another you forget or can’t recall something like 20 or 25% of what you just did. For each task added, say 3 instead of 2 tasks, it goes down pretty dramatically. Multi-tasking is a myth made up by bosses and managers. Some of the studies can be found online.

>>I spent public school in a gifted program, but it wasn’t until after 40 that I was diagnosed with ADHD so school was hell for me<<

Yeah, that’s me.

I was trouble in grade school – ya know, all the usual ADD stuff, but when the school – and my parents – were finally concerned enough to pull in an expert – the “school psychologist”, they gave me an IQ test and a bunch of other tests…….the result of the meeting:

Doctor to my mother “doesn’t it scare you”?

Mother (shocked, puzzled, confused) “what do you mean, doesn’t what scare us”?

Doc – That you have a son with such a high IQ?

Mom and Dad, proud, but wondering what’s that got to do with anything – “Not surprised really, but where is this going”

Doc – “the problem with your son in school is all because he’s so highly intelligent he’s beyond all this and he’s bored”

So, the official diagnosis by a psychologist – I was so “intelligent” that I was bored with ordinary school work, most of which I knew already (well, a lot of that is true – my Dad’s aunts used to babysit, and one was a school teacher, and I could read and do math before I even went to school)

My mother is highly intelligent (if not at times a bit misguided if you get her into certain conversations and politics) as are my sons. The youngest was diagnosed with ADHD and had some real troubles. The meds helped, but he didn’t stick with them. The other – very smart, very.

Me, trouble in school – but something I liked, I aced with little study (I never did homework – I can’t recall really doing any at all) I did poorly at math, even though I liked it. I stunk at English! I aced “survey of American Literature” by skimming the books, just glancing, picking up some key points. Never read one of the books the whole class, but passed every test on each book.

Shop classes – that’s where my REAL gift came out. I was running a small engine repair shop by the time I was 16. I bought my first care, and repaired it, when I was 14. I didn’t have to take the intro mechanics classes, but instead did “special projects”. In the final senior auto class, I was chosen to participate in the Plymouth Troubleshooting Contest – and I got a perfect written score, was first in with the repaired car, in the fastest time, and set a record on points that wasn’t broken before the discontinued the contest 3 or 4 years later (Chrysler, money troubles, etc.)

Straight As in college (auto mechanics), deans list. Got my first job after college by short interview, and showing the service manager what was wrong with the car he was trying to fix – glanced that the scope, told him what the problem was with the car – and he hired me on the spot.

It’s similar at work now – I can solve problems that have perplexed even the senior staff for days – or longer.

I’m great to have around in case a virus hits the company computer network………. I thrive on such things and can work very long days non-stop, taking command of the situation and getting folks going the right direction.

I could go on but I think I’ve already proven parts of my symptoms! LOL – rambling!

Maybe I don’t prove there’s a connection between ADD and intelligence, but I believe I support the thoughts on it. You’d never disprove the connection by using me…………

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[billd]

Ah, you don’t want to ride with me, especially when I am driving this thing……….

http://theamcpages.com/images/javelin/suspension/javelin-new-tires006.jpg

Anyone that sits at the green light for more than .01 second is too slow and needs to learn how to drive. Well, not THAT bad really – I do have some heart – maybe they weren’t paying attention?, but some believe I need to learn “patience”. LOL – if you are afraid to go, then take the bus.

I’ve toned it down a bit after I realized how expensive repairs and new cars were – and with that thing, not at all replacable, I tend to be a bit more conservative, but that horsepower is just begging to be turned loose, I’m sure of it.

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[billd]

OK, talking to myself here maybe………. I just took the “virtual-doctor” test here at this site.

How ordinary is this for ADD – I had to honestly, and even didn’t need to think, honestly answer ALL of the questions Yes.

I got a perfect score- all around, 9/9

Something about a combined?

I SO wanted to be able to say no to just one or two, but wasn’t able to.

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[billd]

9 firefox browser instances, 12 tabs on one of those instances, a couple the others have 2 or 3. So about 25 total tabs in Firefox

6 tabs open in IE – one instance of the browser.

Uh, uh-oh – I suppose this is all related…………arrrggh!

So that’s 10 browser windows, 31+ tabs between ’em all.

(edited for darned spelling again…………… instanced instead of instances)

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[billd]

Never fired, but was “downsized” with 70 others back in ’02. I usually quit – decide to move on, get bored, or get concerned that I’ll no longer be able to do the job, and if I start over, it will take 6 or 7 years before someone finds out I’m “different”.

Agree on the lack of plan – when asked what I want to do in 5 years, 1 year, 10, whatever, I just sit there, can’t decide!

One of my project cars has sat for months in part because I can’t decide on how to lay out the wiring and computers in it! Oh, I have the technical ability to do it in a day – if someone would just decide then tell me where to put things! So for a month, the engine control computer has sat up on the fender while I do other things – until I decide to design a bracket and finally install it. I can read the schematics and figure all the wiring out fine – but I’d rather someone just give me a list of what needs to be done. (I’ve wired cars totally from scratch, after-all…)

Anyone else note this – or am I just WEIRD:

I’ve suffered some injuries – a couple semi-major – like ripping the bicep tendon loose in my left arm (and I’m VERY VERY left-handed). Sure, it hurt, after a hour in OR I started to sort of feel sick. Funny thing, though – there was never any real panic. IT was like, gee, I don’t think my arm should look like that – bet they can fix it”.

And when I was given options – I said – so let’s just set this up and get it fixed. Then after surgery I was asked when I wanted to start PT – I asked how soon – the reply was “as soon as you feel like it. Surgery was Wednesday late afternoon, I started PT Friday morning. I was always confident (almost always) Same after I got my fingers and thumb (left hand again) into the table saw. Gee, I suspect they can fix this, too.

It’s like I don’t take these things seriously, and have a “what, me worry?” thing – but other stuff REALLY stresses me out and I worry about all sort of little stuff, silly things!

It’s either:

Oh, well, totalled another car

or

Man, I’m so nervous – hope they like me, or hope I look ok

Huh? What’s up with that? Isn’t that backwards?

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[billd]

LOL – normal? I guess now I don’t know WHAT normal is! No, I’d have to say it’s a HUGE impact, and there’s nothing normal about me.

Late projects, don’t like to document my work or projects, don’t like to start new ones, though I’m usually ok once I do.

My emails to the boss are long and wandering (a complaint he has), otherwise, one of is peeves is my LACK of communication.

The symptoms? I pretty much have ’em all, including at times getting lost inside my head, other times, taking over with a flurry of activity.

Guess I’ll check out your post…….

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[billd]

>>I’m 53 and haven’t been diagnosed yet. In fact I only realized this when I saw “totally add and loving it” on PBS<<

Same here – I’m 53 and saw the last 10 minutes of the show while………… channel surfing (a hobby)

I’m tired a lot – stairs wear me out, but when I get bursts – nothing stops me and I can work in my shop for hours, stopping only for necessary stops (which frustrate me as I see the call of nature as an interruption)

Meniers, Raynauds, forgetful, clumsy, mother with ADD, son with ADHD (who was better on meds, then went off meds and now neither his mother nor I know where he is)

Patrick must be my twin brother. That show was about my life. From school to current – multiple moves, 3 careers, 9 jobs, shelves of unfinished projects, stacks of papers dating to the 90’s I’ve not bothered to file or go through.

I’m not diagnosed, and know very little of the other things you deal with, but I find I wear out easily, tire easily, yet don’t sleep much either – unless I take a cat nap. If left alone I could probably sleep much of a day away.

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[billd]

Thank you – it does help. Obviously I’m not alone, and I feel more “at home” here than I’ve felt almost any place else (other than on the couch watching Red Green’s handyman corner bits or adventures with Bill, or Harold’s girl troubles LOL)

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[billd]

LOL – No kidding! I’d not make a good politician as I have this incredible urge to say what I think, and tell folks what’s wrong – even what’s wrong with them!

I can be very kind, giving and compassionate – sometimes to a fault, but if someone needs to be told they’ve done a bad job, I have a bit of trouble not telling them.

One of my hobbies – listening to the nightly news and point out that the person they just interviewed really said nothing. OR they said a lot but never answered the question.

You mean – there’s others out there like me?

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[billd]

>>I am, weirdly enough, extremely shy most of the time and have spent most of my life living in my head. Not just living there, hiding there. My brain doesn’t churn over the fun stuff as much as it does the stressful stuff…the angry stuff, the bitter stuff. It’s a terrible cycle. <<

OMG – Megatron you are in my head! That’s me! SOMEONE DOES understand! I AM hyperactive, an over-acheiver, but REALLY shy in a crowd or with others.

I’m fine hiding behind a keyboard and love to live online where I can let loose, be myself.

I test at a pretty high IQ (as did my mother), can read people pretty well, and I can tell when the new employee is full of, well, stuff found in farm fields, but the boss can’t see – can’t understand how I know. I can tell what the driver ahead of me is going to do next just by observing them for a few blocks – others don’t get it – they are amazed when I’m correct that that driver veers across 2 lanes to make a right turn from the left lane.

I am a daydreamer – I spent so much of my life just by myself, thinking, living out things in my head – playing out different “what-ifs”…..

I’m not just “weird”? Funny, but I already feel better…. knowing there are such wonderful people out there who DO understand.

I”m not “clinically” diagnosed – but since my mother has, and my youngest son has, and was on meds – it just all fits like a perfect leather glove.

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[billd]

Tomcat1066 I could have written your post. I caught the last few minutes only while channel surfing. My wife was gone that day or I would have had her watch it, too.

My mother is ADHD, my youngest son was diagnosed the same when he was young. People just called me lazy and hyper. My mother called me accident prone and “the absent-minded professor”.

The show matched me perfectly. At least what little I saw of it. There’s two of my favorite comedy actors – on TV no less, talking about my behavior? What’s THAT all about!?! I found the link to the PDF file “self-test”. Of the 18 questions in part A and B, I scored a perfect 30 in part A – had to assign the highest, the farthest right in the gray on all of them. On the bottom part – Part B – I did nearly as well – depending on my mood – 53 or higher there. So at least, even on a GOOD day for me, 83 out of 90.

I’ve been “misdiagnosed” for 53 years. So what do I do about it now? Few believe me! Honestly – not so sure my wife even believes it’s actually a medial thing. I could remember, or I could apply myself and get things done if I wanted to do them.

No, wish I could! I’m VERY good at what I do – just getting me to DO those things……..

Moved 4 times in 5 years, multiple careers and jobs – longest was 7 years, 3rd marriage, forgetful, clumsy, accident prone, a pain in school, trouble with English, spelling on paper, reading comprehension (even though I was in the highest percentile in the Basic Skills tests in school), I have to have multiple projects going as I get bored with one and move to another, I hate paperwork.

I can’t even keep a straight path in this message – and I just realized – I wore my old worn out black with grease and dirt, and full of holes shoes to work in the office! Arrgh – hope no one looks at my feet today……….

Oh, do folks with ADD or ADHD tend to mis-spell or turn letters around in words like teh? I sure do……..or am I just a bad speller! Mybe I am only disorganized, forgetful, clumsy, lazy, unfocused and simply need to work harder at doing the right things?

What do I do now? No, doctors around here are quacks – they leave stitches in your fingers for weeks, they misdiagnose and are after-all, only practicing….. I don’t trust a doctor to have a clue.

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[billd]

For the first time ever – I’m about 50% done. Sorry.

I saved money away in an envelope for 2 years (I kept forgetting about it), and started shopping back in October (only because I was in the middle of a place surrounded with stuff to buy I knew certain someone’s wanted)

But to wrap it up (HAHA) is taking me forever, and it actually is a huge effort to get the last little bit done – then to actually WRAP ’em, it’s like I have to force myself to stay put that long.

You pretty well summed it up – then I get really low when Christmas is over and the mess it cleaned up and there’s nothing left to do….

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[billd]

I’m 53 – most of my teachers are dead or too old to bother…….

Newbie here…….. I’m SO FURIOUS! All through grade school Mom and Dad were called to conferences, heck, a couple teachers even visited our home. The school psychologist was called in. I was “tested” – LOL, discovered I was a genius and was simply “bored” with school, that’s all (yeah, my score was so high the psychologist asked my mother “doesn’t it scare you” and she was confused – what do you mean? He said “having a genius in the family, someone so smart”?

Yet I had trouble in school. One teacher in the 4th grade though, she was totall understanding and worked with me, even though in our area it would have been “ADHD, what’s that?”

In college I was SO interested, and so challenged, I got straight A’s, even though I rarely ever did homework.

I’m trying to figure it all out – but I’m finding peers and even some friends are saying “oh, yeah, that’s normal, I have those problems too” – they just don’t get it.

Naw, my teachers are not going to remember, if they are even alive, after 40 or so years……… I need to deal with the here and now – at least that’s how I feel now. What a wasted life, how far could I have gone had they only known.

My mother is now diagnosed ADHD, my youngest son was diagnosed years ago and put on meds. He was pretty good while on them. Me, never gave it a thought- we just thought I had “mental problems” and depression like my mother.

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