[Lila Porter81234]

Hi everyone! I'm really really new here and I have no clue how to use this website,but that's not what's troubling me as I'm sure you guessed from the title.
So I'm 16, female, and I'm pretty sure I've got ADD, I brought it up to my parents once but they don't believe me. My moms a nurse and thinks I'm just being lazy (as does my father) and she thinks that my inattentiveness (sp?) is just caused by my anemia/iron defeciancy. They also think I'm being a bit of hypochondriac, though I've acted like that in the past, I've been right two out of the three times since I like to stay on top if my health. But I really do think it is an issue and well. I guess I'll tell ya why.
-school. School has just gotten worse as time goes on. The harder the school gets the worse I do. Once I started middle school that's pretty much when things started going downhill. Maybe even a year or two before that. But now I'm halfway through high school and I'm doing terribly! I used to always get in the mid nineties for all of my grades and classes with the occasional eighty something. But now I have seventies and almost failed my math class last quarter! I can't focus and I doodle all the time. Unless I really like the subject (like music class I love orchestra so much it's my life) I can't focus. I try and I end up daydreaming and what not. I especially suck at reading. Like. I can't read out loud nice and fluidly and all but I will have no clue what I just read. I literally have to break down sentences word by word just to understand it which is a burden when I have to read ten pages of AP world history for homework. Or finish a Shakespeare play for English. Or even doing chemistry and geometry word problems is tough. I often forget homework assignments and I stopped writing them in my agenda because I know I'll forget to check it! It's frustrating and my grades are slowly slipping. I'm not such a great test taker either. I take a long time to do multiple choice and easy writing is a FAIL. I have to write an essay in 40 minutes and the most I get done is about half a paragraph 1) because I haven't learned the information because of already stated reasons and 2) my Bain just doesn't go that fast.
It really sucks. I think the only reason that I've done so well in school and gotten good grades up to now is because I'm sorta well... Smart in general. You know? It's sorta hard to explain. But now it's hard to rely on that since I'm getting older and I need to organize and focus more. It's tough for me to put it into words and text like this. But. Basically. I can't focus. It's bad. It's been getting worse and worse since I was like 11 or 12. And only reason I think people haven't noticed is because I've been hiding it sort of. Like. I make it look like I do my work and my parents have always trusted me about it so they never check my homework or anything so I can just say I did it and they'll believe me. Okay
2)social life. It's been a little worse but not really affected. I never remember to text people back or anything. And I feel like all the time I keep growing farther and farther apart from my friends because I spend so much time having to catch up on work and in just so unmotivated to make contact even though I love and care about them so much. This is also tough for me to explain but it's really not that bad
3) home life. I just don't know. I forget my chores. Forget to feed and walk the dog foret laundry forget the dishes and cleaning my room and bathroom. I only do things when my parents tell me because I forget and then I get yelled at and it's just not cool. They think I'm being forgetful and lazy but know its much more than that. And cleaning room. HA. It's a mess until I'm told to clean. Which takes me hours because I become so distracted with one thing and then before I know it two hours have passed and all I've done is made my bed.

Really. I just need someone's opinion on what I should do. I'm also very indicisive so being specific would help
Do any of you think I might actually have ADD? Should I at least talk to my doctor? Just say your thoughts...
I might take a visit to the school psychologist soon and see if she can help me and help talk to my parents
Sorry this was so long.
I should go do my geometry work now though. THANKS!

[Cocosurviving]

Hi,
I think you should talk to your doctor abt it. Also your doctor might refer you to a specialist. Be prepared to complete a lot on questionnaire. A good doctor will have several of your teachers complete questionnaires too.

Best wishes

Hi Lila...

ADD is often very misunderstood, so your parents reaction is not surprising.
Have you take the ADD quiz here at PC?

Have you talked to your school counselor? Talk to your doctor too, but remember even many doctors miss ADD symptoms, especially in girls/women. Discovering this now could be very positive for you. My daughters were both diagnosed, my oldest during her freshman year in HS. She had always made straight A's, but got behind, became overwhelmed and was really down. After diagnosis and starting on Vyvanse, her improvements were immediately noticed. I did not get diagnosed until I was 43 and not knowing what you are dealing with for that long takes a toll, so it is good that you are looking for answers.

I would also suggest reading You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: , Driven to Distraction or the follow-up Delivered from Distraction.

Read through and make some posts in the ADHD Forums here too.

I hope you get some answers

[Lila Porter81234]

Thank you very much you guys! Your info has definitely helped a lot. It's great to know that I don't have to feel like I'm the only one around who's dealing with this. I did go see my school psychologist and she gave me a packet of info and charts to help me get organized. I'm going to start seeing her regularly again, and she also said to make sure I get my anemia under control first to help see if that makes anything better.
Thanks again you guys! I'll keep update y'all if there's any big changes

[Kath]

are they giving you lots of iron and sub-lingual B-12 for the anemia. It really helps. Try the adhd quiz here. The others are useful too. Is there is a college near with a psych dept. they have all these psych students who need someone to practice on. You can be it. There used to be a "continuous performance test" on computer they can give you. They can also work on behavior.

Caffeine is a low dose short term (do either of your parents smoke - also an adhd self medication - but don't you do that) self medicating thing. I Went through college on a gallon or so of pepsi a day. It gave me back some control. Even took it to sleep. I heard of a school counselor who gave a students being evaluated a qt. of pepsi/coke to drink all through the day. If things were better in a any way, they were sent out for testing, if not no. Testing costs money.

Another thing - some believe that ADHDers are all retarded. And your're not retarded. That's why I was 40 years late in diagnosis. If you're intelligent it isn't there and even if it is, you can control it. Trouble is, add/adhd takes your control. There were times when I bumped into every door, wall, piece of furniture at home or in stores. It came and went and I couldn't do a thing about it.

[Lila Porter81234]

Originally Posted by Kath

are they giving you lots of iron and sub-lingual B-12 for the anemia. It really helps. Try the adhd quiz here. The others are useful too. Is there is a college near with a psych dept. they have all these psych students who need someone to practice on. You can be it. There used to be a "continuous performance test" on computer they can give you. They can also work on behavior.

Caffeine is a low dose short term (do either of your parents smoke - also an adhd self medication - but don't you do that) self medicating thing. I Went through college on a gallon or so of pepsi a day. It gave me back some control. Even took it to sleep. I heard of a school counselor who gave a students being evaluated a qt. of pepsi/coke to drink all through the day. If things were better in a any way, they were sent out for testing, if not no. Testing costs money.

Another thing - some believe that ADHDers are all retarded. And your're not retarded. That's why I was 40 years late in diagnosis. If you're intelligent it isn't there and even if it is, you can control it. Trouble is, add/adhd takes your control. There were times when I bumped into every door, wall, piece of furniture at home or in stores. It came and went and I couldn't do a thing about it.

I am trying to get my anemia under control but I don't take iron supplements. My moms a nurse and she doesn't want me to take them but I don't remember why. I do take a b-12 super complex thing and have these gross iron filled spinach drinks every day too.
I also took the ADD/ADHD quiz here. It looked familiar and I realized I've taken it like six or seven times in the past three years or so :/ but I took it this morning and I got a 37 overall score, 25 innate native and 12 on the hyperactive subset. So..... Yeah I guess those are a little high.
I don't drink coffee and I rarely have soda but i think if I can find a good tea that has some caffeine I'll try it out maybe?
Thanks for your input!

[Kath]

Originally Posted by Lila Porter81234

I am trying to get my anemia under control but I don't take iron supplements. My moms a nurse and she doesn't want me to take them but I don't remember why. I do take a b-12 super complex thing and have these gross iron filled spinach drinks every day too.
I also took the ADD/ADHD quiz here. It looked familiar and I realized I've taken it like six or seven times in the past three years or so :/ but I took it this morning and I got a 37 overall score, 25 innate native and 12 on the hyperactive subset. So..... Yeah I guess those are a little high.
I don't drink coffee and I rarely have soda but i think if I can find a good tea that has some caffeine I'll try it out maybe?
Thanks for your input!

Check the search engines! Many people take vit. c to help absorb the iron. Vit. B-12 shots are given people w/pernicious anemia because the body is not making a factor that makes iron work. Here's the kicker - vitamin b-12 can only be absorbed about 500 mg. at a time through the stomach, but if you need it, you need way more. Taken sublingually - absorbed under the tonge you bypass stomach acids and can absorb way more. Forget time-release. I used to take 2500/5000 at a time. Many supplements, and even drugs designed to be absorbed that way can be effectively taken at much higher doses. I was testing at slightly below the middle of normal, but I was taking 10 times the daily recommended and 5000 mg. B-12 to get there and maintain there. It took 6 months of that before the symptoms were gone and stayed gone.

You need to be on the right track. If I can do it on a computer almost old enough to drive, you can too. Do the search engines - put in symptoms all of them, things you don't think apply. Assume there are solutions, so don't scare yourself. Don't assume that some of the really scary things that come up are the answer. They aren't usually!!!! Finding the anemia after my husband's death really surprised me. Check add symptoms - not just here - Conner's questionaire and such. Also see if you can find some of the smart old doctors' listing of symptoms. They'll syrprise you. Late to talk then never shut up. Tried to beat up your mother in the womb. lots of colic. overly adverntursome. After you were born you pushed away from her, maybe wouldn't make eye contack with her, but seemed to like daddy. It goes on and on. And remember what people have said about you - how they compared to others they considered okay. Truth is from the unside out - unmedicated - it's easy to thinnk the other person is nuts.

[Kath]

Check the search engines! Many people take vit. c to help absorb the iron. Vit. B-12 shots are given people w/pernicious anemia because the body is not making a factor that makes iron work. Here's the kicker - vitamin b-12 can only be absorbed about 500 mg. at a time through the stomach, but if you need it, you need way more. Taken sublingually - absorbed under the tonge you bypass stomach acids and can absorb way more. Forget time-release. I used to take 2500/5000 at a time. Many supplements, and even drugs designed to be absorbed that way can be effectively taken at much higher doses. I was testing at slightly below the middle of normal, but I was taking 10 times the daily recommended and 5000 mg. B-12 to get there and maintain there. It took 6 months of that before the symptoms were gone and stayed gone.

You need to be on the right track. If I can do it on a computer almost old enough to drive, you can too. Do the search engines - put in symptoms all of them, things you don't think apply. Assume there are solutions, so don't scare yourself. Don't assume that some of the really scary things that come up are the answer. They aren't usually!!!! Finding the anemia after my husband's death really surprised me. Check add symptoms - not just here - Conner's questionaire and such. Also see if you can find some of the smart old doctors' listing of symptoms. They'll syrprise you. Late to talk then never shut up. Tried to beat up your mother in the womb. lots of colic. overly adverntursome. After you were born you pushed away from her, maybe wouldn't make eye contack with her, but seemed to like daddy. It goes on and on. And remember what people have said about you - how they compared to others they considered okay. Truth is from the unside out - unmedicated - it's easy to thinnk the other person is nuts.

[Maus5321]

Very informative kath! I like it

[Lila Porter81234]

Originally Posted by Kath

Check the search engines! Many people take vit. c to help absorb the iron. Vit. B-12 shots are given people w/pernicious anemia because the body is not making a factor that makes iron work. Here's the kicker - vitamin b-12 can only be absorbed about 500 mg. at a time through the stomach, but if you need it, you need way more. Taken sublingually - absorbed under the tonge you bypass stomach acids and can absorb way more. Forget time-release. I used to take 2500/5000 at a time. Many supplements, and even drugs designed to be absorbed that way can be effectively taken at much higher doses. I was testing at slightly below the middle of normal, but I was taking 10 times the daily recommended and 5000 mg. B-12 to get there and maintain there. It took 6 months of that before the symptoms were gone and stayed gone.

You need to be on the right track. If I can do it on a computer almost old enough to drive, you can too. Do the search engines - put in symptoms all of them, things you don't think apply. Assume there are solutions, so don't scare yourself. Don't assume that some of the really scary things that come up are the answer. They aren't usually!!!! Finding the anemia after my husband's death really surprised me. Check add symptoms - not just here - Conner's questionaire and such. Also see if you can find some of the smart old doctors' listing of symptoms. They'll syrprise you. Late to talk then never shut up. Tried to beat up your mother in the womb. lots of colic. overly adverntursome. After you were born you pushed away from her, maybe wouldn't make eye contack with her, but seemed to like daddy. It goes on and on. And remember what people have said about you - how they compared to others they considered okay. Truth is from the unside out - unmedicated - it's easy to thinnk the other person is nuts.

Thank you so much for the great advice! my anemia seems to be getting a lot better and fast (thank god). I've been taking my b-12 and have taken in more vitamin c to help with the absorption of iron and have been loading spinach into my body every day like its my life :P I havent felt any different though but like you said the effects definitely won't just go away immediately.
It's just really worrying me because I just got my report card last week and it looks lie my grades fell off of a cliff. I even failed a class!! (Got a 60 ). I'm trying really hard now to bring them back up but it's just slowly killing me. I only have like 30 days left but I just can't go on anymore. I'm barely learning and I'm still forgetting things (which STILL gets me yelled at of course) and I feel like I've lost control of it all. Like I'm done drivin' down this road and I'm just gonna let God take the wheel because I can't handle it.
And even if it is all just the effects of anemia or I'm just burned out. How am I supposed to focus? How do you all focus when you're loaded with work? I've tried so many things and nothing helps? Timers, good quiet study spots asked for some help and everything. Nothing helps. Now I have a five page paper due tomorrow and I barely know what I'm writing about!!! I barely have any info on my topic and now I have to write five pages. TONIGHT!!
I just can't handle it and I'm desperate. I'm tired of all of this and I just want it to go away and be over already