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  #1  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 09:17 AM
reina29 reina29 is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2009
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 29
I'm sorry, I know that a million people probably post here wondering if their symptoms are ADD and that you aren't really qualified to diagnose them, I was just wondering if anyone who has the same symptoms as me can relate...

-I have a difficult time concentrating but only if its something I am not interested in - I can read a novel for hours and hours but if its a text book I either have to read aloud or pace while I read in order to stay focused.

-I am very disorganized and tend to be rather cluttered. I clean motel rooms for a job and have to make a trip to the supply room about six times before I remember everything I need.

-I am forgetful. My husband will tell me that I've done something or met someone and I will have forgotten all about it. This only happens once in awhile, I am more likely to forget what I should be doing or intended on doing.

-I am never satisfied and always restless. If I have a job, I am looking for another. If I live somewhere, I am always looking for somewhere new to move. I have moved so many times in my adult life I can't even remember. The same goes for relationships. Even if I am in a good one, I am always looking for something different or new.

-I tend to fidget but do not have an excess of energy (I am also hypothyroid).

-I am an obsessive worrier - I am never happy and not carefree because I am always worried about something.

-My emotions are unstable and I am very easily irritated.

-I get confused easily and always feel overwhelmed. I feel like I can't handle even the smallest tasks.

Again, I'm sorry. I don't mean to whine. I know that I also have symptoms of depression. I have dealt with it my whole life. However, I am planning on going back to school next fall and need to be prepared. I never thought about ADD until I looked at the symptoms for my son and then I was like, Wow, that sounds like me. Can anyone with the diagnosis relate? I am scared to go to the psychologist. I feel like everyone is jumping on the ADD bandwagon and I just don't want to be another one to do that.

Here is another factor - I was a meth addict for several years - a very bad addict. Since most ADD medications are stimulants, is this a bad thing? Thanks for all your help.

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  #2  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 09:31 AM
reina29 reina29 is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2009
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 29
Wow, I just had a lightning bulb moment. Maybe I enjoyed meth so much because it treated my ADD (to a point) - I was actually able to clean the house without getting distracted or overwhelmed. I was actually able to concentrate on one thing at a time rather than a million. While meth usually sends people into crazy spirals, it calmed me a little and let me breathe. Of course, I know that is not the answer but its an interesting correlation. What do you think?
  #3  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 12:11 PM
Auroralso
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Hi riena,

sounds like it to me . but . I'm finding the diagnosis process takes into concideration with past behavior and even other doctors diagnosises even though they are different. its possible a doctor will rely on pathology and not what's going on with you as you see it. I believe this means they willl look at specific desiease paths,, that the consessus is that they take . And there are over laps .

about your prior drug use .

they have non stimulant meds out now such as strattera.

just keep writing down things as you are seeing them and keep researching ADHD .

Its your body /mind and only you know your past and can remember..



..

Patricia

Oh forgot.. yes i realate to everyone you mentioned but I do not have a offical doagnosis. I have not used drugs at all .
just food and some alchhol from time to time . Im a HEAVY coffee drinker .

I do not drink smoke use sugar and now do not use caffine.

im still struggling..
  #4  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 01:42 PM
Auroralso
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Hi reina,

back again. .LOL had some after thoughts.. AND i reread your list a bit more.

S-L-O-W-L-Y.
im a bit of a speed demaon... but when it comes to typing and writting im a snail.

when I first started writing on forums it would take me hours to write a single post . either to much or just getting side tracked going on and on. and or just trying to harness my thoughts to come out right getting things to come out sequentiallly . i also tend to repeate myself .

Im not sure if thats a symptom or quirk of have ADHD or not.

the list you made is spot on actually now that I read it again. Id say the forgetting of appointments things to do is every day for me . always doing double trips . lots of walking I tend to not write things down . Not a good thing to do . or I write it down o the nearest scrap of paper and toss it somewhere and I cant remember even when I tell myself I will. when I place it in the location,

I guess if you read all of this it almost sounds Like I have more than one personality .. I don't just one .

what got me Back here was your wanting to return to school.

absolutely get this adresed before . you do go back.

not finding this before I went to grad schol cost me big time .
I went from working a a gardener to working as a gardener . I was in school for landscape architecture .

papers .. I could not do papers even though I had a tutor I could not d an out line I coudn't get things to be sequential in order to make sence.

Do we here .. jump around ? ... doomy doom dum do.... jump around .. domy doom doom doom... says Robin williams..

so I had seven incompletes over three years time. I had major untold worries about wroking in an office because ..
when I m siting and reading .and working just usig a pencil my body lights up like a pin ball machine .
i need to be ..MOVING..

a novel .. of course I can focus . thats because novels have lots of action drama. visual words . I don't get bored.

scientific mundane work / writting .

oh two sentaences maybe .. lets read those again.

ah... okay one more time ..

argHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

lets close the book and try this later.... uh huh....

its not lack of inteligence that causses this . its not visual enough or creatively worded to keep me intrested. I need the stimulation.

I've always had variety in my jobs.

lots of movement. different people .. I have been very consistant and long term in my palces to live and work . as long as I have this variety . I have always had two jobs . I don't spend to long in any one place . even my apartment is just loked at as a pit stop . not a hang out .

So being in an office day after day after day . just freekes me out .

so that was a part of my lack of "I want this" in school. I didn't give it my all i was very hessitant ad down right concerned i would survive in such a setting . plus beng inside for me has always felt confining .

the struggle with presentaions and papers and one and inapropriate proffessor and a few other student problems was enough dramma to work on in therapy . plus a few clients . shall we say at least four . seting boundries .

was enough to miss the adhd completely . I didn't know anything about it . It just was mentioned by one therapisst as we ended many years after I failed with school because i didn't finish . The next one took me where I really did not need to go .

so here I am . I thought my problems in school were I don't know .. just me being stupid or hopelessly pinballmachine what am I gonna do . how can I become a professional.

I belive I have my answer... I'm like a race horse still in the starting gate hoping for the gate keeper to fling it wide open......

in stead i have let these other people who for thier own needs keep me where they think I belone
shame on them .

and not feelig secure at all with finding the gate keeper...


when the thought of teaching came to me as a possible profession or eve as a substitiue I would get scared. I coud not see myelf in front of a classroom .

ahhh.. ahh. what asignments .. where are we now? oh I had that concept that name ..darn I just can't say it . maybe tomorrow boys and gals ..
yeah ..right . they woud be answering for me... there woud be more than gigles coming from the seats ..

right.. not a black board teacher .. but I can teach movement.......

I scored 29 on the adhd score here at PC.

I love the you scored "severe for ADHD ". you "might " have it .. sigh........

so any way ..

yes.. find out if you have ADHD before school . definately .. I hope you will be heard . and if not . then you just are on your own and suport groups and books .. no meds.

Thanks for giving me the oportunity to share and have another write up to take with me when ever I do see a phychiatrist . Im going to hand her the goods and say .. here , you deside..

and maybe she will prescribe me the meds I can't afford.

Straterra is 300.00 a month. Hope you have insurancce.

gathering up all my writting shoud be a task in itself.....:P

whos H*** bent on gettig this right . and its consumming my time right now...

Patricia
  #5  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 07:15 PM
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sunflower55 sunflower55 is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2009
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 458
Why not take the ADHD quiz right here on PC?
http://psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm
It's not conclusive, but, will give you a good starting point with the answer as to whether to bring it to a doctor for further investigation.

I took it and I'm trying to get an appointment right now. Was off the chart! Yikes!

Peace!
__________________

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  #6  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 07:45 PM
reina29 reina29 is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2009
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 29
Thank you Patricia and everyone else. I did notice me in some of what you wrote.

I took the quiz, it says I have serious ADD. But I don't have insurance. My husband will go bonkers if we have to fork out that much money for meds. Basically it will either get medication or start saving money for school. It will be almost one or the other to him with that kind of money, especially if I have to get meds for my son as well. Thanks for all your help.
Thanks for this!
Auroralso, sunflower55
  #7  
Old Apr 28, 2009, 10:53 PM
AbbysDad AbbysDad is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2009
Posts: 6
try to lower your intake of starches, sugars, and preservatives... When my son is at my house... he is caffiene, sugar, and preservatives free. it takes a day or two to get him calmed down but he really chills out by the end of the first day. just in time to send him back home to his mom where anything goes. <<<yes I sense the sarcasm there too. also.. when looking for work.. find something that will let you give yourself a chance to focus for 15-30 min every so often... Im a competitive Archer, rifle competitor, pretty much anything that involves shooting, throwing, or fling objects at a precise point. My son, ADD diagnosed since 8, is involved with the same hobbies.. and the hour or 2 after he has finished a round, is about as calm a person as you can ask for...I guess its the residual focus he puts on his shooting, dart throwing, what ever. Im no expert by any means.. just my 2 cents

Quote:
Originally Posted by reina29 View Post
Thank you Patricia and everyone else. I did notice me in some of what you wrote.

I took the quiz, it says I have serious ADD. But I don't have insurance. My husband will go bonkers if we have to fork out that much money for meds. Basically it will either get medication or start saving money for school. It will be almost one or the other to him with that kind of money, especially if I have to get meds for my son as well. Thanks for all your help.
Thanks for this!
Auroralso, sunflower55
  #8  
Old Apr 29, 2009, 09:19 PM
Auroralso
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reina29 View Post
Thank you Patricia and everyone else. I did notice me in some of what you wrote.

I took the quiz, it says I have serious ADD. But I don't have insurance. My husband will go bonkers if we have to fork out that much money for meds. Basically it will either get medication or start saving money for school. It will be almost one or the other to him with that kind of money, especially if I have to get meds for my son as well. Thanks for all your help.

Hi Reina,

I know its discoraging.. I saw this link about free meds but have not read it yet , Don't want to get your hopes up.

http://psychcentral.com/resources/Medications/




Im in the same place.

Patricia
  #9  
Old Apr 29, 2009, 09:39 PM
Auroralso
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AbbysDad View Post
when looking for work.. find something that will let you give yourself a chance to focus for 15-30 min every so often... Im a competitive Archer, rifle competitor, pretty much anything that involves shooting, throwing, or fling objects at a precise point. My son, ADD diagnosed since 8, is involved with the same hobbies.. and the hour or 2 after he has finished a round, is about as calm a person as you can ask for...I guess its the residual focus he puts on his shooting, dart throwing, what ever. Im no expert by any means.. just my 2 cents
Thats why its so important to have ADHD acknowledged in not just a childs life but adults who had it missed . as one understands how to work with it one can find the best and most satisfying work.

Mine is sutiable because it gives me the physical outlet and some movement focus . But just because I have the hyperactive need doesn't mean I and Reina have to clean houses or do gardening work . nor your son .

So Reina,
at least find a theraist who is very knowledgeable with Adult ADHD and hopefully a Med connection will happen . And get help with the behavioral side fr when you go to school . Do you know what feild you want to persue and the kind of employment you want?

I gave up onmyself . But know I may have a new door to walk through . The one I wish I had before I went to grad school.
Now I know what was behind the fears .

ABBys Dad,

My brain perked up when you mentioned clay pigieon shooting , that next to Golf were my fathers favorites .
He also struggled with food drinking and smoking and was a traveling salesman. He was a jokster , inventive and creative with wood working .
Lots of variety...

Herditary .....

I was held back from music because I was always dropping my activites I got bored.

so they didn't want to invest because of that . One of my favorite sports was basket ball

I would practice free throws for hours in our back yard basket ball court. very satisfyig to get "swishers".


Patricia
  #10  
Old Apr 29, 2009, 11:39 PM
AbbysDad AbbysDad is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auroralso View Post
One of my favorite sports was basket ball

I would practice free throws for hours in our back yard basket ball court. very satisfyig to get "swishers".

Patricia
Well there you go.. I coach archery and I have found that everyperson has thier own mental triggers, alleys, or proccess. Mine came with a built in gutter

anyways. Each person is an individual and each individual has a reaction to different sounds, words, colors, etc. and each need a little different approach to gain a better hold on shooting a bow. One person you can just tell them what to do, how it should feel, and what to expect, then they can repeat this flawlessly. Most are professional types i.e Pilots, Doctors, engineers, etc. and most of those types have to be proven wrong before they will change.. I fall into this proven wrondcategory too<stubborn as a mule. Then others take a whimsical approach and need feel good phrases to help set up thier routine.. mental and physical. phrases like "enjoy aiming." or " smooth as silk" give them a better feel for what they need to improve.

i have found with most of my life experiences that my mental triggers usually deal with trying to make a perfect part of a a imperfect life. Such as a song that jogs a sweet memory, or watching a breeze blow acrossed a lake making zigzag ripples that makes it hard to believe the weatherman or woman know when the weather is going to change.

My son ,takes after me, seems to lean toward doing things his way, right or not. and it is so hard for me to not intervene when I know it wont work. But as long as he doesnt get hurt... I usually let him go with a "suggestion" or two. and then helping him fix where it went wrong, but letting him know where it went right too.. took me a while to learn that one. but hey he is a smart boy that definitely can think outside the box

so I am hoping that you two lovely gals Auroralso and reina29, find a bit of info here that may lead you down a path to something that lets you vent, relax, focus, and build your confidence back up. Life is too short to sweat the little things, and leaning on your passions to pull it back together is a helluva lot better than falling on your shortcomings. We all have them, some just hide them better than others
Cheers to you all
Abby'sdad
Thanks for this!
reina29
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