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tmcmurray and Shane – it is such a treat to come in here and read your stories. Mostly because it resonates with what I go through as well. Recognition is *always* interesting, isn’t it?
I laughed when you mentioned how the glare from the monitor was distracting. I’m beginning to recognize elements of that kind of distraction as well. I mean, the distractions were always there – I’m just now figuring out that they’re not exactly, um, well, *normal* I suppose. Or maybe a better way to put it, is that it’s not “usual” for most people.
Like yesterday, when I finally got it confirmed by my psychiatrist that “yes, wolfshades – you do indeed have ADHD”. Not surprised, really. Just relieved. Even grateful. But you know what? The first thing I did when we sat down was mention that he had a great view outside of his window. Totally distracted. (And besides I was making a joke – his window looks out onto a brick wall). He grunted. I grinned. Then he brought me back on track.
tym – I’m kind of amazed that you’re doing such hazardous work and you’ve put up with the lack of focus for so long. I mean, I have that same loss of focus too, and I’ve done some pretty crazy things as a result. But nothing dangerous. Your daughter is right to check up on you every day.
Like Shane says though: there are all kinds of helper aids for us. I use my iPhone and its calendar religiously. I have to. If I don’t, I’m sunk.
REPORT ABUSEKind of wish I’d read this thread four months ago.
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I ended up paying $960.50 and am currently in a portracted fight with my employer’s medical insurance company for partial reimbursement.
MerryMac – I love your “circus of the mind” comment! I’m going to use it often, from here on in. I usually tell people that there are all kinds of shiny balls in my brain, and I’m having a wonderful time with them. They laugh, but it happens to be true.
I like how Dr. J. put it too. It’s not a “black out” necessarily, but a variation on the loss of focus so familiar to all of us. I mean, how else do you explain leaving frozen food on the counter overnight and then suddenly realizing the next day that you never did put it away, as you thought you did? What you describe seems similar to that.
In conversation, there are have been so many times I’ve blanked out, and have had to embarrass myself to ask the other person to repeat what they just said. It wasn’t that what they said wasn’t loud enough – it was that my brain was way louder.
REPORT ABUSEOh dear Lord.
If this wasn’t so frigging stupid on his part, it would be almost funny.
It’s not though.
Even though it reminds me of a Saturday Night Live parody of the Bob Newhart show (with Bob Newhart playing the role of psychiatrist): patient after patient comes in for therapy, and he tells each one of them “JUST ….JUST STOP IT”
“Doctor, I’m feeling suicidal”
“Well JUST STOP IT”
“Doctor, I’m hearing voices”
“You are?”
“Yes”
“Well stop.”
“What? Stop?”
“Yes. JUST STOP IT”
Ridiculous, yes? Just like your idiot therapist.
(Sorry, but that’s my honest opinion. Where the hell did he get his license? From a box of CrackerJacks?)
REPORT ABUSEP.S. I also found out that there are elements of bipolar disorder in there as well. Not clinically hard-core bipolar – it’s just mixed in there. The doc said that some clinically bipolar folk have symptoms of ADHD, and vice versa.
I’m the vice versa.
Fascinating.
WANNA GO PLAY WITH BIKES?
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I went to my family doctor and asked for a referral so that I could find out. My doc was understanding and did just that.
Word of warning: not all physicians are on board with ADHD yet; not sure why. If your doc isn’t, find one who is.
REPORT ABUSE@Larynxa: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Poor Ford. The neat thing about him though is: what you see is what you get. I like that.
REPORT ABUSE@lostinthestars MULTI-TASKING! Yes – I hadn’t thought about it much but you’re right – multitasking is just one of those things that are impossible for me as well. I can do one thing at a time, and if something else comes up on my radar, I’ll drop the first task (forgetting about it completely) while moving on to the next task.
There’s a reasons we never get anything done. Hopefully our loved ones will understand this (’cause I know it’s got to be downright frustrating for them. It’s frustrating for me, too.)
REPORT ABUSE@BuxomDiva – you might be right. However, it was presented as both extrovert/introvert and impuslive/compulsive at the same time at Dr. J’s seminar.
REPORT ABUSEThanks so much for sharing, SweetPea. So much of this resonates with me as well – and I’m in the final stages of getting diagnosed. One of the things that came out in my discussion with the psychometrist – I often wandered off as a toddler, taking my tricycle down the street and into the construction zone, wandering around the neighbourhood, striking up conversations with strangers. Just about drove my mom crazy with worry.
That note you made about how the teachers thought you could do better if you just applied yourself…..*laughing* Yes, that’s familiar too.
And isn’t it just amazing to know that: 1) these behaviours aren’t “the usual” (especially when you grow up thinking that everyone has the same issues as you); and 2) that there are more of us out here, in such a great supportive area.
REPORT ABUSEI don’t think that’s unusual at all BlackADDer (cool screen name, by the way). Maybe it’s because I had to wait so long for my appointment that I’ve become more aware of what’s going on in the mental health field but….that time lag appears to be common across the board for a variety of conditions. There was a newspaper report yesterday about teens with eating disorders having to wait an awful long time to get help – quite dangerous, really, because that kind of condition can get so out of hand in a hurry, resulting in death.
I think by the time I’m done (just recently got my first appointment), I’ll have waited for a diagnosis for about six months or so.
REPORT ABUSEJuly 14, 2010 at 5:36 am in reply to: How did YOU find the help you needed? What's your story? #94435HI Bobcat.
1. Not sure how or why, but one day I found myself on this website and was absolutely amazed at what I read. Everything in my life that I thought was “usual” for everyone in life, wasn’t. I saw the list of symptoms and went through the online test here, and was just blown away by the matching of behaviours and symptoms. So….
2. I saw my GP and asked for a recommendation. She asked me a few questions and agreed I should get assessed, so she gave me a referral to an organization that does the full range of tests, which are given by….
3. a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a psychometrist. (Hadn’t ever heard of a psychomestrist before)
4. I believe I waited about four months or more from the time of the referral until the time I got into get the testing done. I’m still not done with that yet, as I have yet to see the psychologist, after which I have to come back and see the psychiatrist one more time for the final report.
5. Lots and lots of questionnaires. Some free-form questions and a lot of ticky-box questions – which I know will get fed into a program for analysis. Took me about three-four hours, between answering the questions and being interviewed by the psychiatrist and psychometrist. Even discovered a few other behavioural things during that time that were indicative of ADD that I hadn’t heard about. Like, as a toddler, always wandering off around the neighbourhood and scaring the hell out of my mother. That’s fairly common (or at least that’s what she told me).
6. I’m not fully diagnosed yet, but the psychiatrist asked me if I was at all opposed to medication. I said “no”. I’m actually looking forward to being able to get some medical assistance so that I can actually meet my potential. Right now I’m way too scattered and unfocused.
7. Again, not yet diagnosed, but I’m guessing since they have a psychologist on staff that I’ll be offered counselling, which I plan to accept (eagerly).
Hope this helps, and good luck with your diagnosis. I know how frustrating it is to finally realize that you might have ADD and have to wait so very long to find out for sure.
REPORT ABUSERight away I can see how http://www.todoist.com is going to work well for me. Thanks Susan.
REPORT ABUSESusan – risk taking is *very* much a part of ADD.
Your story about standing around in a room, trying to recall what it was you were going to do sounds so familiar to me. It’s kind of cool, finding out that someone else is going through the exact same experience as yourself. That’s what I like about this place – finding out that you’re not the oddball you thought you were – and that this kind of behaviour is common to so many of us. Thanks for sharing.
Never had the horror you did though with that pot of boiling oil. Makes me cringe when thinking about how bad it could have gone.
REPORT ABUSEI think you answered your own question with that last paragraph. At the end of the day, your hubby-to-be will have to take the bull by the horns. Or not. He may resent it if you decide to “help” him.
You could force the issue of course. The next time father-in-law-to-be says some derogatory, you could tell him to go stuff himself. He’ll then turn on you, and it will be up to your fiance to defend you (thereby calling his father on his abusive behaviour), or not.
Other than that – I can’t see any way out of this horrific situation.
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