So it turns out that there is a very strong likelihood that I have AADD/ADHD. Without going into too many details my 17 year old sister was just diagnosed with it after a lot of school problems even though she is a brilliant girl. My brother was diagnosed with it years ago when he was around 12 (he's 27 now). I just found out my mother was recently diagnosed with it as well and it can be hereditary.
It turns out that it is MUCH harder to diagnose in girls than boys and it was seen as just depression in my sister before this point. While my parents were listening to the doctor’s going over possible signs of ADHD/ADD apparently they just sent up red flags concerning me growing up. Playing with legos for hours on end, extreme focus on something they want to do, trouble focusing when they aren’t interesting, the tendency to fiddle/fidget constantly, etc.
I’ve managed to learn to work with most of my ‘tendencies’ over the years but I can tell you it’s still a constant battle. The prime example is my art. I love doing it but as an ‘artist’ I HAVE to do it thus part of me constantly fights it and I literally get headaches and queasy when I start anything but if I force myself to do it I will get into a groove and can easily work on something for 14 hours and forget to eat. The most current example of this is I’m turning 30 in under two months and I decided to finally get into shape. I bought a recumbent exercise bike and I’ve been doing on average 3-4 hours on it a night (at the hardest setting). It’s already cured me of my nightly leg aches that used to keep me up. The point is I don’t seem to know how to do anything in moderation and it’s an all or nothing thing.
I’m not looking for an easy out of this, but if I DO have this I want to know. Most of my research last night lends me to believe I DO have it. If learning proper techniques and/or medication is what I need to do than I’m all for it. However, I don’t want to go into this blind and I know we’ve had threads about this subject before. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly be appreciated. I’m calling my doctor today to schedule an appointment and see if I can see a specialist. Any advice is appreciated. I feel weird talking about this in an open forum but you all have become people I consider friends and/or respect years ago.
It turns out that it is MUCH harder to diagnose in girls than boys and it was seen as just depression in my sister before this point. While my parents were listening to the doctor’s going over possible signs of ADHD/ADD apparently they just sent up red flags concerning me growing up. Playing with legos for hours on end, extreme focus on something they want to do, trouble focusing when they aren’t interesting, the tendency to fiddle/fidget constantly, etc.
I’ve managed to learn to work with most of my ‘tendencies’ over the years but I can tell you it’s still a constant battle. The prime example is my art. I love doing it but as an ‘artist’ I HAVE to do it thus part of me constantly fights it and I literally get headaches and queasy when I start anything but if I force myself to do it I will get into a groove and can easily work on something for 14 hours and forget to eat. The most current example of this is I’m turning 30 in under two months and I decided to finally get into shape. I bought a recumbent exercise bike and I’ve been doing on average 3-4 hours on it a night (at the hardest setting). It’s already cured me of my nightly leg aches that used to keep me up. The point is I don’t seem to know how to do anything in moderation and it’s an all or nothing thing.
I’m not looking for an easy out of this, but if I DO have this I want to know. Most of my research last night lends me to believe I DO have it. If learning proper techniques and/or medication is what I need to do than I’m all for it. However, I don’t want to go into this blind and I know we’ve had threads about this subject before. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly be appreciated. I’m calling my doctor today to schedule an appointment and see if I can see a specialist. Any advice is appreciated. I feel weird talking about this in an open forum but you all have become people I consider friends and/or respect years ago.
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