[purlgurl]

Saffron – I’m so sorry. I started on Ritalin just over a year ago, and the difference it has made for me is *monumental*, so I really feel for your son. And I’m disgusted with the G&M – this entire “Failing Boys” series has become an excuse for the “anti-women and also ADHD is a crock” crowd to gather together and tell eachother how right they are, and that the rest of the world is persecuting them. I hate it, I really do.

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[purlgurl]

Indeed, purl as in knitting. Something better for me to do with my hands than eating or playing iPod games while watching tv/hanging out with mr purl. I taught myself during the 2004 U.S. elections – imagined stabbing Bush with my knitting needles.

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[purlgurl]

I work with kids (many with disabilities), in a fairly active job (swim instructor/lifeguard) that involves some smarts and creativity. Am I working up to my potential? I don’t think so. Am I good at my job? Very (not to be braggy, I am) – and I know I make a difference in kids’ lives for the better. The paperwork is only really an issue 4x/year (when report cards are due), so that’s good. I guess I would say I’m succeeding, but I’m actively working toward (in college) doing more, in a related field. I hope to stay in pediatrics.

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[purlgurl]

I guess that further relevant information was that there was always something a bit “weird” about me, and I’ve experienced major disorganization basically since I was old enough to have stuff. I had two psychological (IQ) assessments (“gifted” student), and was diagnosed with major depression when I was 16 (I’m 29 now), but no one ever suggested that I might have ADHD (in spite of disorganization, impulsivity, failing out of multiple post-secondary programs, etc.) until I thought of it myself last summer.

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[purlgurl]

1. How did you first find out about ADHD?

I have known of it since I was a kid, when my cousin was diagnosed (the stereotypical little boy presentation). I had several male friends in high school who had been diagnosed as kids. I have worked with kids with disabilities (among them, ADHD) for the past 4 years.

2. How and where did you find a clinician to diagnose you? (Website? Word of mouth?)

I had hit rock bottom with another episode of depression. The night before an appointment with my new therapist, it struck me that I might have ADHD. She said that sounded like a possibility, so I made an appointment with my family doctor – had been seeing him since 2007.

3. What type? (Psychiatrist? Psychologist? G.P.?)

G.P. made a tentative diagnosis, followed by Psychiatrist’s dx.

4. How long did you have to wait between first referral and a first appointment? Anything happen in between?[This one I’d really like to know.]

Saw the therapist for the first time on July 4, 2009. Got an appointment with my family doctor on July 14, at which point, he prescribed me Ritalin SR as a bit of an experiment (basically, if I noticed that my focus was better, which it was, right away, that would point to ADHD as a probable diagnosis). Saw GP again on July 30 and August 20 to manage meds (and also got labwork done including ECG), and saw psychiatrist for the first time on September 2. Prior to that appointment, I’d been mailed a bunch of questionaires to fill out myself, and have my spouse/parents fill out.

5. What exactly was the diagnostic process like? (Questionnaire? Brain Scan?) How long did it take?

With my G.P., it was a verbal discussion, followed by Ritalin prescription. For the psychiatrist, it was a bunch of pre-filled questionnaires, detailed verbal history, and then another symptom inventory during our appointment (Brown’s ADD rating scale, I think?). This was scored, and the results reviewed with me on Sept 9, at which point a diagnosis of ADHD-Combined was “confirmed”.

(I should note that I am really not a super-genius with dates – my husband got me using Google Calendar, so I was able to look back at last summer .

6. How long afterward to get a prescription? (If you went that route…)

See above – I had a prescription from my G.P. immediately.

7. Any specific counseling or coaching? Did you have to go elsewhere?

Throughout the school year, I saw a counsellor at the college. This was generally very helpful, although I think I still have some ADHD issues to sort out. A friend also served as my “coach”, mainly helping with academic stuff.

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[purlgurl]

I am not pregnant/have not been pregnant yet, but my understanding is that a *really* careful cost-benefit analysis (like with antidepressants) is recommended, and that one should try to go off meds if possible. The difficulty is that, for obvious reasons, there is great reluctance/it is viewed as unethical to conduct clinical trials of drugs on women who are pregnant. The website http://www.womenshealth.gov (U.S. site) gives the following answers in their FAQs:

Is it safe to use medicine while I am pregnant?

There is no clear-cut answer to this question. Before you start or stop any medicine, it is always best to speak with the doctor who is caring for you while you are pregnant. Read on to learn about deciding to use medicine while pregnant.

Where do doctors and nurses find out about using medicines during pregnancy?

Doctors and nurses get information from medicine labels and packages, textbooks, and research journals. They also share knowledge with other doctors and nurses and talk to the people who make and sell medicines.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the part of our country’s government that controls the medicines that can and can’t be sold in the United States. The FDA lets a company sell a medicine in the United States if it is safe to use and works for a certain health problem. Companies that make medicines usually have to show FDA doctors and scientists whether birth defects or other problems occur in baby animals when the medicine is given to pregnant animals. Most of the time, drugs are not studied in pregnant women.

The FDA works with the drug companies to make clear and complete medicine labels. But in most cases, there is not much information about how a medicine affects pregnant women and their growing babies. Many prescription medicine labels include the results of studies done in pregnant animals. But a medicine does not always affect growing humans and animals in the same way. Here is an example:

A medicine is given to pregnant rats. If the medicine causes problems in some of the rat babies, it may or may not cause problems in human babies. If there are no problems in the rat babies, it does not prove that the medicine will not cause problems in human babies.

The FDA asks for studies in two different kinds of animals. This improves the chance that the studies can predict what may happen in pregnant women and their babies.

There is a lot that FDA doctors and scientists do not know about using medicine during pregnancy. In a perfect world, every medicine label would include helpful information about the medicine’s effects on pregnant women and their growing babies. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Prescription Medicines

The FDA chooses a medicine’s letter category based on what is known about the medicine when used in pregnant women and animals.

A

In human studies, pregnant women used the medicine and their babies did not have any problems related to using the medicine.

* Folic acid

* Levothyroxine (thyroid hormone medicine)

B

In humans, there are no good studies. But in animal studies, pregnant animals received the medicine, and the babies did not show any problems related to the medicine.

Or

In animal studies, pregnant animals received the medicine, and some babies had problems. But in human studies, pregnant women used the medicine and their babies did not have any problems related to using the medicine.

* Some antibiotics like amoxicillin.

* Zofran (ondansetron) for nausea

* Glucophage (metformin) for diabetes

* Some insulins used to treat diabetes such as regular and NPH insulin.

C

In humans, there are no good studies. In animals, pregnant animals treated with the medicine had some babies with problems. However, sometimes the medicine may still help the human mothers and babies more than it might harm.

Or

No animal studies have been done, and there are no good studies in pregnant women.

* Diflucan (fluconazole) for yeast infections

* Ventolin (albuterol) for asthma

* Zoloft (sertraline) and Prozac (fluoxetine) for depression

D

Studies in humans and other reports show that when pregnant women use the medicine, some babies are born with problems related to the medicine. However, in some serious situations, the medicine may still help the mother and the baby more than it might harm.

* Paxil (paroxetine) for depression

* Lithium for bipolar disorder

* Dilantin (phenytoin) for epileptic seizures

* Some cancer chemotherapy

X

Studies or reports in humans or animals show that mothers using the medicine during pregnancy may have babies with problems related to the medicine. There are no situations where the medicine can help the mother or baby enough to make the risk of problems worth it. These medicines should never be used by pregnant women.

* Accutane (isotretinoin) for cystic acne

* Thalomid (thalidomide) for a type of skin disease

*Note from purlgurl = Ritalin is considered to be C, as are Adderall, Concerta, and Vyvanse. Ritalin has apparently caused birth defects when given to pregant rats and rabbits.

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[purlgurl]

Woot woot! Fellow Uke here (well…1/2…mom’s side is typical WASP).

This is something that I really wish teachers, and my parents, had paid more attention to when I was in elementary school (the “having no friends” thing) – I feel like they minimized the significance of my only having 1 or 2 friends, and they really weren’t helpful with bullying (“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me?” Yeah, actually, the names were worse, thanks). I wish that I hadn’t been 28 when I was diagnosed, and I understand that girls/women with ADHD is still an under-knowledged area, but I can’t help but think that if someone had picked up on the problematic social relations, and had put that together with my insanely messy desk/backpack/bedroom/locker/etc. that it might have been diagnosed sooner.

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[purlgurl]

I see the same doc too. Also, my family doctor is good about stuff, and I *really* lucked into an excellent counsellor fit at my school (college). I had done CBT in the past with mixed/no results (probably because it was aimed at the depression which was being caused by the undiagnosed and untreated ADHD…but I digress…). Anyway, what I have been working on with my school counsellor this year is mindfulness practice, which is an ancient Buddhist concept that is beginning to enter mainstream psych practice as a therapy for depression/anxiety/ADHD (not sure about how widespread the ADHD use is yet).

Here’s a brief wiki entry on one variant of mindfulness therapy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_therapy

Something to consider, maybe, if you’re looking into counselling. Good luck!

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[purlgurl]

The “Jillian Jiggs” stories by (Canadian author) Phoebe Gilman – now available in convenient treasury edition: http://www.amazon.ca/Treasury-Jillian-Jiggs-Phoebe-Gilman/dp/0545993164/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271301232&sr=8-1

In my experience, both girls and boys *love* these stories (about the 3-7 age range). And Jillian is seriously the poster girl for ADHD. She’s disorganized, and she loses things, and gives her mom prematurely grey hair, and she’s extraordinarily kind and creative, and a wonderful big sister and friend.

From the first book, “Jillian Jiggs”:

“Jillian, Jillian, Jillian Jiggs! It looks like your room has been lived in by pigs!”

“Later. I promise. As soon as I’m through, I’ll clean up my room. I promise. I do.”

….

They started to clean up her room, it is true. They started to clean, but before they were through…

Jillian thought up a game that was new. They had to stop cleaning. What else could they do?

“Let’s dress up as pirates. Tie sails to the bed. Heave ho, you landlubbers! Full speed ahead!”

They dressed up as dragons. They dressed up as trees. They dressed up as bad guys who never say please.

….

Whenever they thought that was it, they were through…

She’d change all their costumes and start something new.

….

From the fifth book, “Jillian Jiggs and the Great Big Snow”:

(Jillian has lost her scarf, mittens, and now hat, making Snow Martians with her friends)

It was then that her hat disappeared off her head. “Oh no! Not again,” poor Jillian said.

“You’re in big trouble. When your mom finds out, she’ll fall down and faint, then she’ll wake up and shout:

Jillian, Jillian, say it’s not true! How do you lose all the things that you do?”

They climbed up the hill and they searched with great care. They shook every bush, but the hat wasn’t there.

At last they gave up. They admitted defeat. Besides, they were hungry. They needed to eat.

Jillian worried, “My mom will be mad. How does it happen? I’m not REALLY bad.”

….

(How many of us have asked ourselves some variation of that question? And Jillian’s extremely patient mom does not blow her stack.

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[purlgurl]

Purely anecdotal – my dad (“R”) has two siblings (“O” “D”). He suspects that my grandfather (passed away about 14 years ago) might have had ADHD, and I suspect that my dad has ADHD. I am the oldest of four kids, O has two, D has two. In all three families, the oldest child has been diagnosed with ADHD.

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[purlgurl]

Hi Kris – are you registered with your school’s centre for students with disabilities? They might be able to help you with advocacy. With regard to the iPod accommodation, I wonder if you could get a note from your doctor (and your classmate can then suck it ? Or, what about something like this (http://www.fm3buddhamachine.com/) – it only plays tones, kind of Philip Glass-like music comes out – there’s no way that anyone could argue you had recorded lectures on it.

With the WBCs, my suggestion would be to go out and get yourself some Play-doh in a bunch of colours and make some models. You could even make some bacteria, and stage “battles” (maybe this sounds a bit juvenile, but I bet it would help stick the know-how in there .

With regard to tests, have you spoken with your profs about this issue? You could tell them exactly what you told us – “I’m having huge problems figuring out just WHAT the profs are going to ask on any given test, so I study the wrong stuff, and well, bomb the test.” This might not be an ADD thing, it might be a returning-to-school-at-62 thing (kudos, by the way!). They may have suggestions, like studying off the course outline, or getting some tutoring help.

I might come back if I think of more things. I hope that this is helpful!

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[purlgurl]

Hi Ivriniel – I wish there was an email-a-member function! I wanted to let you know that you seem to have left one instance of the child’s name in the letter above.

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[purlgurl]

I am almost 29 (tomorrow), and I have been in post-secondary education on-and-off since I was 19. This year will be my first 100% successful year *ever*. For me, the biggest things have been:

– Being on medication, and paying attention to its effectiveness, and taking action when I think things might need to be changed

– Seeing a counsellor for a “check up” almost every week – sometimes we don’t even really talk about me (we talk news or politics or my school program in general), but I find it really helpful

– Having a reduced course load has probably been #1 MOST helpful. My program (health sciencey stuff – is this you too?) is designed to be full-time, but I sat down and worked out a schedule for myself to complete it in 3 years instead of two – it means I take 3 or 4 courses each semester, and 1 during the summer, rather than 7+ courses/semester. I think that even with my other modifications to my life (meds, counsellor), I would probably be failing out *again* if it were not for the reduced course load.

Some things to consider:

– Are you on a reduced course load? If you want to try, and if they try to tell you that your program can’t be done part-time, don’t take no for an answer

– Different people find different types of school work more challenging. I tend to find lab work more challenging, because there’s just so much going *on* (and I find I need to take notes to remember anything), so I can have a tougher time with that than my classmates. Or, are there more essays this semester? More multiple choice tests? Don’t feel badly if you’re encountering challenges that others are not, but do try to figure out if that is the case, and if so, what can you do about it (request extra time? maybe alternate assignment formats?)

– Are you registered with your school’s centre for students with disabilities? I have found the CSD people to be very helpful, and also to be pretty awesome cheerleaders when I need cheering on.

– Do you work part-time? Have you upped your work hours? I find that even 2-3 added hours of “stuff” each week (work or school) can make a big difference to my stress levels and ability to function.

– Do you think you might need to change your meds dosage? Do they feel as effective as they were in first semester?

Good luck with everything!

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[purlgurl]

Another TED speaker (Glenna is actually an acquaintance of mine, and she is awesome):

http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/pow_right_between_the_eye/2010/02/what-i-learned-today-perspective-goddamn-perspective.html

“…But no matter who’s up today or over the next three, I defy any TED talk be as memorable, powerful or thought-provoking than Glenna Fraumeni’s six-minute profound lesson on perspective delivered yesterday at TEDyou.

Glenna is a 24-year-old med student from Canada who last year was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer last Christmas and given three years to live. Silent night, indeed.

But rather than wallow in the injustice or create a frivolous “bucket list” of things to do and places to see before dying (“Why do I need a picture of me waving in front of the pyramids?” she asked), Glenna has decided to simply–as they said in the ’60s–keep on keeping on. She goes to school to pursue her degree, continues to help others in her job, and tries to live each day with a sense of normalcy, accepting the inevitable but bravely denying its power to throw her off her path.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as she stumbled with her opening a couple of times, calmly asked to start over, and then proceeded to teach everyone a much-needed lesson we all soon forget too damn often.

Her simple closing words still echo endlessly:

“I know I probably won’t be here Christmas 2011.

But, more importantly, where will YOU be?”

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[purlgurl]

I had to pay out-of-pocket for diagnostic testing – not covered by OHIP, and not covered by my husband’s (really good) health insurance. I think it cost around $300.

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