ADHD Awareness day - A Day late - My ADHD Story

Yes, just like some of my recent Menu Plan Monday posts. But I came across a blog Healed Waters about Adult ADHD stories. I have mentioned aspect for My ADHD as well as posted stories of my 11 Yo 6^th grade son.

 

My story begins when I was three, according to my Mom. Since I am about to turn 40, we are talking circa 1970.  I was unable to sleep. I would not exhibit emotions. I would not pretend my dolls were real babies. The, one night I was found sitting on top of the refrigerator with no visible means of how I got there. My Mom is a registered nurse. I also have a brother a year younger than I. Mom worked part time, second or third shift. She took me to a few psychologists as well as the family doctor. They put me on Ritalin. At first the does was high. Mom said it made me like a zombie. She said she slept in and then called the doctor. Finally she took me to a Pediatric Neurologist. She wrote in my baby books “The greatest man in the world.”  I took Ritalin until I was in third grade. Most people will say I outgrew it. I believe I just learned how to deal with it. I was lucky that I always did well in school. I was/am an avid reader.

 

I knew I had had issues, but then in the early 90’s when magazine articles started appearing in the mainstream rags about adult ADD, I had someone I knew say ‘I think I have that.” Well, I knew I did. I just learned how to work around it.

 

I can organize things, but I’m not good about keeping it that way. I tend to have many project going at one time. I leave unfinished tasks around. I compensate at work by keeping lists. After important meetings, I write up notes and send them to the participants to make sure I did not miss anything. My house is usually a state of Chaos. We believe Hubby might be undiagnosed ADD. The 7 YO show signs of hyperactivity, but I think it’s learned. Otherwise he is capable of following multi-step directions, is deliberate in all his actions and can work intricate puzzles without getting bored. Not ADD there.  

 

My younger brother was officially diagnosed when he was in second grade. My Mom knew what his issues were. She had been through it before. (My middle brother never needed meds or help, but Mom did encounter a second grade teacher who told her Middle Brother would never amount to anything. Mom to this day would love to fin said teacher and show her Middle Brother’s MBA and Business card as a Manager with a well known consulting firm). But with younger brother, in the late 70’s, she tried the Feingold diet and it just was not effective for him. When he was in second grade and she found him crying because he said none of the other kids liked him and he did not even like him, she knew it was time for extra help. Younger brother stopped taking medication when he went away to college because he did not want the responsibility of safeguarding his medication. It took until he was about 25 to really start getting his act together. He is working to finish college next Spring at the age of 33.