[Fearwidg]

Thanks Elizabeth.

Ozzy & his kids are on my “B” list.

That’s the one where I KNOW they have ADD, but they haven’t said so publically.

(Tom Cruise is another. Bet he’d LOVE that. ROFL)

Cheers,

GN

PS: Just realized I accidentally outed myself two posts up. Duh. So much for anonymity. <vbg> Oh well. My name is Glenn Norman and I have ADD.

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[Fearwidg]

Dear abslt0’s wife.

Your husband is NOT Lazy, Crazy or Stupid.

He is actually very intelligent, but suffers from ADD (as do so many of us on this forum).

The problem is – his brain works so fast, he can’t keep up with his thoughts.

BUT…

There are many medications now available that can help him “leash his demons” without becoming “a vegetable”, or “a Zombie.”

And he gets to keep his ADD “gift of Hyper-Focus.”

It will take a good doctor, and – possibly – several med trials to find what’s right for HIM.

And it’s not as simple as taking a pill and “you’re cured.”

But once his Brain Chemistry Imbalance is looked after, it’s like putting glasses on his mind. He will begin to see clearly and with help from his Doctor and – more importantly – you, he can begin the hard work of correcting the problems of his past and starting a whole new life in his control.

I know what I’m talking about.

This is exactly what happened to me.

I sincerely wish both of you the best future you can possibly have.

Cheers till next time,

GN

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[Fearwidg]

abslt0.

YOU ARE NOT A “LAZY DUMB ASS.”

As a matter of fact, I’d bet money you’re highly intelligent. Probably TOO intelligent (that’s why your mouth can’t keep up with your brain <vbg).

If you don’t already have it, buy “You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! A Self-Help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder” (Paperback) by Kate Kelly & Peggy Ramundo (whom I’ve met and talked with.)

Amazon has the book from 0.18 cents up:

http://www.amazon.com/Stupid-Self-Help-Attention-Deficit-Disorder/dp/0684815311

Read it, then give it to your wife. <g>

Or…

Ask her to read the next post <g>

Re communicating by post vs face-to-face.

Yup. I found the same thing when I first discovered I might have ADD.

At the time (’95) there was a forum similar to this on Compuserve. I went there religiously.

The people on that forum saved my life.

This forum is better (we just have to lean on Rick to get us a “chat room” where we can meet on a regular basis and I.M. each other).

Why do forums work so well for us Swans?

Well, I think it’s because our limited attention span forces us to cut to the heart of the matter when we have to type.

I made many friends on that long-ago Compuserve forum. Several are still friends to this day.

Just know that – when you are ready – being in a room with a bunch of other Swans isn’t terrifying, it’s extraordinary!

Listening to someone talk about a personal experience others might consider “nuts,” then looking around and seeing EVERYONE in the room nodding their understanding and agreement is LIBERATING.

And if you want to listen, but don’t want to talk … don’t talk. <g>

We Swans have all been through it and “get it.”

Must get back to work.

Cheers till next time,

GN

PS: Re Doctors in the Toronto area… Think I should leave that up to Dr. J. and Rick (though my own is a Toronto Doc {and I live 2 hours N.W.}).

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[Fearwidg]

Ah Ha!

From: http://www.soundsoftinnitus.org/cause-of-tinnitus

“Why is my tinnitus worse at night?

During the day, the distraction of activities and the sounds around you make your tinnitus less obvious. When your surroundings are quiet, your tinnitus may seem louder and more constant. Fatigue may also make your tinnitus worse.”

(Sounds right)

And…

From: http://www.soundsoftinnitus.org/ (Which also covers physical causes & diseases):

“Some people also develop ringing in their ears from stress. Greater anxiety increases tension, causing ringing or other noises to be heard. Relieving the stress that causes the problem is the best remedy in this case. This is probably the most common reason that people suffer from tinnitus, and it’s the easiest to treat.”

LOVE that last line. Yeah, relieving stress is SO easy … NOT <g>

Hope this helps,

GN

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[Fearwidg]

From the Concerta thread…

abslto wrote:

Fearwidg, that noise you hear is EXACTLY the same one I hear. 24-7. I’ve noticed tonight it’s much louder at night than during the day. Left side especially. Ive been able to sometimes use it to my advantage. At times, I can ‘listen’ to it and use it to help me get to sleep. I’ve tried white noise mp3’s that ive been able to download off the web… they also kinda work, but only sometimes. Its more hit and miss. I like listening to ocean surf, its very relaxing and can put me to sleep in no time. Brown noise also works. I find it difficult to find on the web as a freebie. There’s tons of stuff you can buy, but what for… It’s more fun looking for it and satisfies the ADD urge to always have some tech toy attached to your hip. ;0)

LOL

Yup. Worse at night (though I just read an axplanation of that and will try to go back and find it).

Yup. Left side is worse.

Yup. I also use the Ocean Surf white noise (which also drowns out my snoring, so my partner can sleep).

Yup. Know what you mean by “the urge for tech toys.” <vbg>

Also found a great lecture on the scientific causes of Tinnitus here:

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~dattorro/Tin/tin.html

Click on “Steven Chu” to hear his lecture.

It’s a bit long-winded (and I had a hard time paying attention for some reason <g>), but it DOES give an explanation of what’s happened to us.

Apparently we’ve created an oscillation of our nonlinear Hopf oscillators.

I know … HUH? <g>

Still, I’ve found it helps if you understand what’s going on and this is the first “good science” I’ve heard on the topic (from a Nobel Laureate, no less!)

More when I find it,

GN

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[Fearwidg]

abslt0 … you sure we’re not brothers separated at birth? <g>

Will respond to your points, but am getting worried we’re “hijacking” a thread on Concerta, so I just started a new thread on Tinnitus.

Perhaps we should continue our discussion there.

Apologies to those looking for other answers re Concerta (though this was triggered by abslt0’s belief/concern that Concerta triggered his own Tinnitus).

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[Fearwidg]

Wh…

WHA…

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

This is a perfect example of why sites such as this, and communication between us like this, is SO helpful

Sigh.

Every time I think I’ve got a handle on this disorder, some Swan innocently mentions something and it’s …

HUH? I didn’t know THAT had anything to do with my ADD and/or meds!

abslt0 … you wrote:

“Has anyone experienced a constant ringing in the ears…”

And…

“…constant ear ringing. More noticeable on left side than right. “

YES!

About 4-5 (?) years ago, we went to the beach.

I fell asleep.

When I woke up, there was a ringing in my left ear.

“Oh well,” I thought. “It will go away.”

IT DIDN’T.

STILL have it, and now the right ear is ringing as well (though – as you mention – not as badly).

Researched it on the net.

Suspected I had Tinnitus.

Went to my Doctor.

He said, “You have Tinnitus.”

“What can I do about it?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said.

Swell.

Discovered a bunch of famous people have it (No, I won’t inflict another list on you <g>).

One of them is William “Captain Kirk/Denny Crane” Shattner.

“The Shat” had it so bad he seriously considered suicide!

There are days when I can understand that (though – to clarify – I never would).

As if my ADD “hearing problems” aren’t bad enough, I now have to endure jet engines in each ear.

Worse some days than others.

Absolutely worse when it is silent (for others. I’ll never hear silence again {well, not until “the rest is silence”} <g>).

Can’t sleep without a white noise machine.

It’s hellish.

And that’s just half of it.

abslt0 also wrote:

“Can’t get comfortable in my car seat any longer”

Wh…

WHA…

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

When I was driving for Children’s Aid, my good old Tourettes decided THAT would be a good tic.

I could NOT sit still.

Squirmed in my seat constantly (as if trying to get comfortable).

Then the squirm turned into a jerk, which got so bad I slipped several discs in my back and got a pinched nerve (later fixed by a Chiropractor).

To make matters worse, I apparently “pulse” the gas pedal while I drove, which made my partner nauseous.

So we had to trade our car in and get one with cruise control.

I pretty much drive with my thumb 95% of the time.

Mind you, I now know it was the Ritalin & Dexedrine that exacerbated my tics.

Once I switched to Adderall, my tics were much better. And when I added the Clonazepam, they stopped altogether (though I’ve now got to look into this memory problem Dr. J mentioned. Sigh).

But I digress… <g> (which, by the way, will be the title of the book I’m going to write on my ADD <vbg>).

What I wanted to say was – YES, abslt0 – I have several of the same “symptoms” you have mentioned.

Oh – Oh – and, another one…

“… zero drive from 2pm onwards.”

YES. YES. YES!

(Unless, I take more Adderall, in which case I’m productive, but can’t sleep. Sigh).

Many thanks for sharing such personal info. It gives me a whole bunch more stuff to research.

And it’s good to know I’M not alone.<g>

Appreciate it.

Cheers till next time,

GN

PS: Wanna know what I hear? Go to:

http://www.neuromonics.com/patient/treatment/index.aspx?id=50

I have the second sound you’ll hear … 24/7.

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[Fearwidg]

Well put, ADDled.

He’s right abslt0. We’ve all gone through what you’re going through, and – no point in denying it – it DOES tear you up at first.

When I was somewhere around 12 – 14, my tics got so bad my parents took me to a psychiatrist (because “Our son refuses to stop this foolishness”).

The Doctor spent an hour with me, said something was wrong, but he could definitely help.

As soon as we left the office my parents response was, “Did you hear THAT? Now if you don’t stop this foolish head-twitching, you’ll end up in there with the rest of the loonies.”

Nice, eh?

My tic stopped right there and then.

Why? Because what I didn’t know at the time was – Tourettes tics change all the time. So “my Tourettes’ brain” simply traded the visible head-flick to an invisible cheek-chewing, out of sight – INSIDE my mouth (I still have the scars).

My parents thought they’d “scared me straight.” They had not.

And when I think back and realize – I had actually SEEN a psychiatrist who KNEW something was wrong and could have HELPED me…

Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say, “It still hurts.”

All those wasted decades…

BUT…

As ADDled says, the point is – WE KNOW NOW.

We’re taking action to control this thing NOW.

As I remind myself everyday … “I ain’t dead yet.” <g>

And as long as you have breath in your body, their are always possibilities.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

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[Fearwidg]

Okay let’s finish up my list with the last two categories.

First:

MUSICIANS:

Stuart Adamson (1958-2001) Musician

Marvin Lee Aday (Meat Loaf) Musician, Actor

Fiona Apple Musician

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Classical Composer

Syd Barrett Musician

Harry Belafonte Singer

Ludwig Van Bethoven Musician, Composer

Tommy Boyce (1939-1994) Musician, Composer

Bobby Brown Musician

Melanie Chisholm Singer

Rosemary Clooney Singer, Actor

Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) Musician

Leonard Cohen Musician, Writer

Judy Collins Musician, Writer

Shawn Colvin Musician

Billy Corgan Musician

Sheryl Crow Musician Singer

Ray Davies Musician Singer

Jonathan Davis Musician, Composer

Lenny Dee Musician

Connie Francis Actor, Musician

Aretha Franklin Singer

Judy Garland (1922-1969) Singer, Actor

Stan Getz (1927-1991) Musician

Maurice Gibb (1949 – 2003) Bee Gees Singer/Musician

Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Composer

Hampton Hawes (1928-1977) Musician

Jimi Hendrix Musician

Kristin Hersh Musician

Michael Hutchence Singer

Phyllis Hyman (1949-1995) Musician, Vocalist

Jack Irons Musician

Janet Jackson Singer

Michael Jackson Singer

Billy Joel Musician, Composer

Elton John Musician, Composer

Daniel Johns Musician

Daniel Johnston Musician

Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) Musician, Conductor

John Lennon (1940-1980) Musician, Composer.

Paul McCartney Musician, Composer

Susannah McCorkle (1946-2001) Vocalist, Writer

A.J. McLean Musician

Robert Merrill (1924-1998) Musician, Lyricist

Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) Musician

Alanis Morissette Musician, Composer, Actor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Composer

Stevie Nicks Musician

Phil Ochs (1940-1976) Musician, Political Activist, Poet

John Ogden (1937-1989) Composer, Musician

Sinead O’Connor Musician

Ozzy Osbourne Musician

Donny Osmond Musician

Marie Osmond Musician

Dolly Parton Musician, Actor, Writer

Jaco Pastorius (1951-1987) Musician

Teddy Pendergrass Musician

Cole Porter (1891-1964) Composer

Charlie Pride Musician

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov Composer

Bonnie Raitt Musician

Lou Reed Musician

Trent Reznor Musician

Mac Rebennack (Dr. John) Musician

Jeanne C. Riley Musician

Alys Robi Singer

Axel Rose Musician, Singer

Martin Rossiter Musician

Ronnie Scott (d. 1996) Musician

Robert Schumann Composer, Poet

Del Shannon (1934-1990) Musician

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Musician

Carly Simon Singer

Phil Spector Producer

Dusty Springfield (1939-1999) Vocalist

Rick Springfield Musician, Actor

Teresa Stratas Singer

Gordon Sumner (Sting) Musician, Composer

James Taylor Musician

Kate Taylor Musician

Livingston Taylor Musician

Nick Traina (1978-1997) Musician

Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997) Musician, Composer

Tom Waits Musician, Composer

Brian Wilson Beach Boys Composer, Arranger.

Amy Winehouse Singer

Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) Composer

Stevie Wonder Singer, Musician, Composer.

Tammy Wynette (1942-1998) Musician, Vocalist

Yanni Musician

Faron Young (1932 – 1996) Musician, Singer

And finally – a disparate group of people who play a critical role in my “Desperate Swans” script:

Mark Lindsay Lead Singer for “Paul Revere & The Raiders”

Kal Mollison Pilot & Lead Singer for “Sandcastle Theory”

Glenn Norman Pilot & Screenwriter for “Desperate Swans”

Danny Kaye (1913 – 1986) Pilot, Actor, Comedian, Singer of “The Ugly Duckling”

And …

Hans Christian Andersen Author of “The Ugly Duckling”

Buhdee, buhdee,buhdee…

That’s all folks.

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[Fearwidg]

Hey, Elizabeth – I’ll vote for you. <g>

ADDled – Yeah, I know about the hunter vs farmer theory. Would go with that, but I love animals (live with a whole whack of cats) & my partner’s a vegetarian, so I opt for the Swan vs Ducks analogy. <g>

And I agree – can’t work for Farmers/Ducks either (though we REALLY need them to work for us. Hey – someone’s got to do the paper work <g>).

tinascha – thank you so much for that link. GREAT to see Howie (a fellow Canuck) come out of the closet and admit what “we” knew all along.

abslt0 – I’ve built this list up over the past 10 years. Started with lists from reputable, online ADD sites. Then – every time I saw/heard something such as the Howie Mandel clip above – where the person THEMSELF admits to ADD – I added their name to the list.

Please note, as I stated at the outset, that this list contains all the people who’ve gone public over – not just ADD – but all Brain Chemistry Imbalances (though I suspect the vast majority are ADD). But thanks for asking because I believe you should question everything. I’m always saying to the kids I help, “There’s so much bad information out there that, when it comes to ADD – Question everyone – including me. If you want the truth, go find it out for yourself.”

BTW – if anyone knows someone who’s come out of “the ADD closet” and isn’t on my list please tell me (including source) so I can add them on.

Also … when I finally do get my movie, “Desperate Swans” made, I plan to contact all living people on this list to make SURE a) they really are ADD, and b) they’re okay having their name on the screen during the final credit sequence. (I imagine the Lawyers would demand that anyway. <g>)

(Actually … think I’ll hire a “duck” to do that. <vbg>)

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[Fearwidg]

Sorry I haven’t checked back here for a while.

Manny. So glad my story helped. Hope you share how your diagnosis goes.

Mike – you are SO right about “the ripple effect.” A film believer in that myself.

Elizabeth & ZsaZsa – well put… and SO true.

Cheers all,

GN

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[Fearwidg]

Re the above comments.

Tigger – thanks. Already have Ratey’s “Shadow Syndromes.” Found it very helpful.

Have dysgraphia, a weird version of Dyslexia (can’t spell words which may have double letters {apalled, appaled, appalled ALL look wrong to me}, and a touch of OCD.

Re Aaron’s comments on typng:

LOL.

I’ve made my living as a Writer since the early 70’s, BUT I still type with one finger! (And I have to look at the keys. Still don’t remember where they are, though I am blazingly fast. Weird!)

Re I.Q.: I once attended a lecture by ADD Specialist, Dr. Daniel Amen and he said, “Over an I.Q. of 160, EVERYONE has ADD”!

Haven’t seen the documentation on that … but it sounds right. (I know quite a few people with monstrously high I.Q.’s, and they’re all ADD).

As for me – missed “genius” by two points.

Damn. <vbg>

(IMPORTANT NOTE: Meds do NOT affect your I.Q. If anything, you’re probably “smarter” because you can remember more.)

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[Fearwidg]

Dr. J.

YIKES!

Just checked this thread for the first time in a while and read your notes re Clonazepam & Clonidine.

Laughed at first because I’ve been taking Clonidine for years to control my high B.P.

Knew about it’s assistance to ADD, but Clonidine alone does nothing to stop my tics.

It’s only since taking Clonazepam that they finally stopped.

However:

a) I did NOT know you can’t stop abruptly (which explains my 7 hours of sleep in 72 hours when I ran out of money {& Clonazepam}).

b) Didn’t know about the memory problems and I HAVE started to have those.

Thanks for the heads-up. Will discuss this with my ADD Specialist.

PS: Over the past 15 years, I’ve tried all the other possible non-medicinal treatments. None work on me. My ADD is so extreme.

PPS: Another thought – when I was in my late teens, I developed an allergy to Penicillin. Swelled up likr a balloon and was rushed to Emergency where they gave me a shot of Benzedrine. I quickly recovered, but I remember thinking this was the calmest I’d felt in years. Interesting!

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[Fearwidg]

Chips- only thing that worries me is when you say “…am on meds for two months so far, too early for big change.”

Are you sure your Doctor has you on the right meds?

With me, it was 20 Minutes, and my life changed – for the good & forever.

(FYI – that was on Ritalin, though I had to stop taking it because I got “Ritalin rebound” when it wore off {worse than ever}. I was on Dexedrine for years, but have now switched to Adderall spansules which – for ME – is the best current medication.)

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[Fearwidg]

Re Driving: I drive a LOT. 160 km a day on average for the past 45 years. (That’s more than 2.6 million km!) During that time, I’ve been in two accidents (neither my fault. Someone hit ME in white-out conditions both times), and I’ve been a volunteer driver for Children’s Aid for the past 7 years (sometimes driving 8-10,000 km a month).

I’ve had 3 speeding tickets; two for doing 31 mph in a 25 mph zone (30 years apart on the SAME road. Sheesh!) and one while rushing to help an ADD child whose Mother had just O.D.’d (I make no apologies for the last one.)

Re your Doctor: Get another one. (I AM being deliberately abrupt <g>). But seriously … I do think you need – at the very least – someone with a fresh point of view.

As for Concerta – Tried it. Doesn’t work on ME at all. (Which doesn’t mean Concerta doesn’t work. I’m just saying – we’re all different. Some meds work. Others don’t. Depends on the individual.)

Re coffee: After self-medicating with copious cups of tea over the decades, I “get” what you are doing … but as I mentioned – my excessive caffeine intake put me in hospital twice. And once I had the right meds, I lost all interest in caffeine.

One point I DO find interesting (My usual disclaimer: I am NOT a Doctor) is that you find caffeine is such a help to you. What that tells me (NOT a Doctor <g>), is that you obviously react positively to stimulants.

So why have you not been tried on Stimulant Medication (Adderall, Dexedrine, Ritalin, etc.)?

That’s what I’d be asking.

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