[blackdog]

But I think my favourite off of the first list would be “the right choice is the one that creates the most chaos”.

I have always liked the shirts that say “I’m up and dressed. What more do you want?” I first saw one many years ago, during my first really severe period of depression. I was on one of my pretending to look for work while actually window shopping expeditions. It made me burst out laughing, the first really good laugh I’d had in a long time.

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[blackdog]

@kc5jck Oh no. The last thing I need is more ideas…..

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[blackdog]

@wanderquest We get a lot of news about what happens in the States. But the information does seem to only flow one way most  of the time. Like for example, when that plane crash happened in San Francisco all the people in one of my other forums, an American one, were talking about it and how it was so tragic. But a few days later when the devastating train crash happened in Lac Mégantic, Québec,there wasn’t a peep about it.

We all heard about that awful tornado. And to answer your question, yes, we get tornadoes. An average of maybe 12-15 a year in Ontario. The season runs from about April-September. But they do tend to be smaller and less destructive. Though we have had F3’s and F4’s that have done quite a lot of damage. We didn’t have any serious ones this year but lots and lots of little ones and funnels spotted everywhere there was a storm. The last tornado warning in my area was actually just a few days ago. Don’t expect any more, the temperatures are too low now.

The hottest part of the summer would typically be July and August. But the weather patterns have been changing in recent years and we have had some really hot weather in the early spring, or sometimes unusually mild wether right up to December, and sometimes it gets down right chilly in the middle of the summer. I don’t really remember details like when it was hot or cold or wet or dry that much. I usually have to rely on other people to fill stuff like that in for me. Probably one of the reasons I am a really bad gardener. That and I forget that I have a garden.

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[blackdog]

@Larynxa I don’t actually read books. Three chapters would probably be as far as I would get, and not necessarily in order. I would probably skim over the table of contents and pick out whatever looks the most interesting. I wish I did read more but it’s just so tiring and I lose interest or get frustrated.

But fortunately there are people like you who do read to pass the info on to those of us who are too lazy. 🙂

My therapist doesn’t seem to understand much about ADHD. But he is trying to figure out how to help me so he is going along with what I am telling him I want, even though he is still trying to come up with another explanation. Yesterday he mentioned that procrastination can also be caused by low self esteem. And he’s not wrong. But the question is, as he said, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do I procrastinate because I have low self esteem or have low self esteem because I procrastinate?

That is where the conversation in my head started this morning. And then when I started branching out from there and one thing led to another, and another, and another, that’s when I started making  notes. I realized that he is focusing too much on that one thing and starting jotting down random details of my day-to-day life, like the process I go through to get ready for work:

Frogot to wash my clothes, put them in the wash, then sit up until they are done to put them in the dryer because if I don’t do it I will forget that I washed them and be searching all over for them in the morning and then realize they are in the machine and it’s too late to dry them. Alternatively write a really big note to DRY CLOTHES and leave it in front of my alarm clock, then write it again on my arm just in case, then go to bed and pray I read at least one of the notes as soon as I wake up.

Forget to read notes and/or lose track of time, frantically search for alternative clothes I could  wear, throw just the bare minimum of what I need in the dryer and pray that they dry in time, go and put hair up, brush teeth etc., find clothes still aren’t dry, call work to tell them I’ll be “just a few minutes late” when the reality is it will likely be at least 20 minutes because aside from waiting for my clothes to dry I still have to find my shoes, and my keys, and something to eat…..

And people wonder why I’m never on time.

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[blackdog]

@kc5jck My comment was not meant as an attack either, though I know it sounds that way. I was just trying to offer the perspective of an outsider, what it looks like at first glance, how people could mistakenly think that it is just a grab for cash.

Thanks for explaining about the advertising. I think it is important for people to know that it’s not chosen by or endorsed by TotallyADD. At least the advertising here isn’t as sketchy as it is on some sites. And I am totally going to buy one of those AD/HD shirts. 🙂

I just have to actually have some money coming in first. And summon all of my self control to stop at just the shirt. Impulse shopping is an issue for me. Especially right now because I am not in a great place emotionally. I went on a mini spending spree yesterday that might have turned into a big one if Husband hadn’t come to the mall to pick me up. I can’t waste money when he’s around because then I can’t nag him about wasting money. 😉

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[blackdog]

@wanderquest and @kc5jck I have also had those doubts. And still do sometimes about myself. I read so many things here and think OMG that is just like me. But then I see something that doesn’t fit and I start to think I don’t know,maybe it’s not ADD.

But I just spent the morning thinking it over and making some notes for my next appointment and I have come up with so many examples from my life, things that I really had never thought of before, never really connected to ADD.

I am learning a lot. There is so much more info available now than there was 15 or 16 years ago when I was first diagnosed. That is why I am pushing for a more definitive diagnosis. Especially now that there are new treatment options available,  like the non-stimulant medications. I would like to try one of them and see if it works for me.

@anisahamoako–  There are a lot of very smart people here and they know their stuff. wanderquest has a very good point about getting an eval from someone who knows how to do it. My therapist has just requested that my doctor send me for another eval for that reason, because the last guy I saw was clueless. In the meantime I am complying with my current treatment and giving it a good try so that I can honestly say whether it is working or not.

There are tons of other things you can do in the meantime to help yourself too. This forum is full of great tips and strategies to help overcome the weaknesses of ADHD and maximize the strengths. Hang in there, it isn’t all bad. 🙂

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[blackdog]

Welcome to TADD. 🙂

I have Major Depressive Disorder and anxiety too. And a few other odd little quirks. I have never really been “officially” diagnosed with ADD. It’s just sort of been implied. The therapist I have been seeing for a few months because my depression got really severe is sending a note to my doctor recommending another psych assessment for ADD because I told him I really want to be diagnosed properly.

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[blackdog]

Oh yes, I have done that. Many, many times. Too many to count. And it has gotten me fired.

One thing that I know many people here have mentioned that helps is setting 2 alarms a few minutes apart.

I used to do the medication trick too. Or sometimes I would keep candy beside the bed and pop it in my mouth as soon as I wake up. Of course, you have to actually wake up for that work.

Another trick I use is putting my alarm clock so far out of my reach that I have to get out of bed to shut it off. And then turning the volume up really, really loud so that it is so annoying I can’t ignore it. Once I’m on my feet it’s less likely I will lie down and go back to sleep. Also, I never shut it off the first time. I always hit snooze. That way if I do drift off it will wake me up again in 10 minutes.

Another one is changing the alarm. I use a clock radio and I find that if I leave it on the same station too long I kind of get used to the noise and it doesn’t wake me up any more. So I will alternate stations. And if I really have to get up right away for something very important I set it on buzzer instead. That has become my cue that I have to wake up. Sort of like a fire alarm.

If all else fails there are alarm clocks that flash and/or shake the bed.

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[blackdog]

Oops….That should say follow kc5jck’s advice. 🙂

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[blackdog]

I am having a similar problem with my doctor right now. I want him to put me on a new medication but he won’t do it. The one I take now (Welbutrin) just isn’t doing enough. But I have trouble expressing myself  and no one ever takes me seriously.

Follow Larynxa’s advice. It really helps to be prepared. It sounds like your doctor may not understand ADD that well. It is very possible to have ADD and not be  noticeably hyperactive and do well in school. It affects everyone differently.

Also, there has been some trouble with people abusing ADD medications, especially in your age group. It could be harder to get doctors to believe you because they might think you just want the drugs. So be careful not to give them that impression.

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[blackdog]

@Larynxa– Like I said, I’m not complaining. The forum is just fine the way it is. But TBH, if I was forced to pay for it, I wouldn’t be here. I am one of those who, if I came here and saw that I had to pay to use it, would have thought it was a money grab and gone on my way without giving it another glance. Especially since I see advertising all over the site and tons of merchandise for sale at what seems to me very high prices (keep in mind I am living below the poverty line. Way, way below it.)

It is impossible to know what the situation is when you don’t know who is behind the site or what their story is. For example, another site that I belong to has something like a premium membership. Some features are free but some are restricted to those who pay. And there is constant subtle pressure from the guy who created and runs the site as well as some of the long term members to pay up. But I happen to know the guy who runs it is not hurting for cash. Far from it. Not to mention he has several friends who are literally multi-millionaires. So when he starts in with the guilt trips about how it costs him so much to run the site it leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Ask the guy who’s got a gazillion dollars sitting in the bank.

So far I have not seen anything that I would call “pressure” to donate here. And I really appreciate that. I am more inclined to give, if I had anything to give, when it is only politely presented as an option.

 

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[blackdog]

I zoned out in the middle of  reading that post.

“it’s like having to split two or three or five conversations…..something something something”…wait, what did that say?….

I wouldn’t really describe it that way but I never really thought about it before. Im usually very good at filling in the blanks from the bits of conversation that I do catch and pretending like I know what’s really going on.

When I was younger it was most noticeable at school. The teachers were always calling on me to answer a question that I didn’t hear. And I remember hearing “yoo-hoo, Earth calling…” a lot. My brother nicknamed me Space Cadet.

At work I would always forget to do things that I was asked to do, especially if they told me the day before. I have been told more than once that I agreed to do something that I don’t remember agreeing to.

I zone out a lot during movies. Sometimes when watch a movie the second time it’s almost like watching a whole new movie. Especially if I don’t have something else to do while watching, like nibbling on popcorn or candy. And something in the movie will catch my attention and my mind will just wander away with it and I miss a huge chunk of the movie while I’m contemplating whether or not that was a plausible scientific theory or why they changed that part instead of leaving it the way it was in the book, or how it could have been written better……Sometimes it will be a really small detail, like the colour of lipstick an actress is wearing doesn’t suit her complexion and I wonder why the makeup artist chose that colour and then I can’t stop thinking about it every time I see her face.

And on that note, I have to try to turn my attention to the movie I am watching with my mom right now. Though there are so many other interesting threads I see at the top of the recent topics list now that weren’t there before….

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[blackdog]

@Larynxa I know. That is why I said I would take it in the first place. But thanks for the reminder. 🙂

I’m not sure how old it is or how much it might be worth. I haven’t looked at it that closely yet. Maybe 50 or 60 years. I have to dust it off and see if it works then find a place to put it. Then remember it’s there and use it.  If it turns out to be a dud, I know of someone in the area who repairs old sewing machines to be sent to women living in poverty  in developing countries. I don’t remember the details. One of my former coworkers told me about it and I listened about as carefully as I always do.

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[blackdog]

@Evelyn– Thank you so much for the support. I really appreciate it. 🙂

Wow, that was one heck of a sale! And I thought I had a lot of stuff.

Clearing out the clutter-both internal and external- is number one on the list. The problem, as always, is getting started. And I just acquired more from my in-laws neighbours. They are moving to New Brunswick and they really wanted us to take some of their furniture. I should have said no but Husband liked it so now it’s all stuffed in the back porch along with the storage bins and baskets and boxes and other odd bits of furniture and bags of clothes that were supposed to go to the Salvation Army 2 years ago….. And then there’s the old Singer sewing machine & table sitting in the living room. I don’t even know if it still works or not and it’s so heavy that Husband barely managed to get it in the door. There’s no way I’ll be able to get it down to the basement like I was planning. Really should have actually looked at it before telling them I would take it.

My day at work wasn’t too bad, but really long and I’m really tired now. I’m going to take a few days to just breathe and then try to come up with a plan. I already have one person pestering me about going out and getting a job. He doesn’t understand and he thinks he’s helping so I’m trying not to let it get to me.  Normally I would have already been out papering the city with resumés and pouring over the job postings trying to scrounge up whatever I can. But I have officially thrown in the proverbial towel. I just can’t keep going around in circles anymore.

I’m too tired to think anymore right now. I need to get some sleep.

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[blackdog]

@wanderquest– That is a very, very good point. Prescription meds could prevent more serious addictions to more dangerous drugs.  Not to mention that starting on meds in childhood could also improve performance in school and ability to socialize and make friends.

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