TM
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 23
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Post by TM on Mar 4, 2011 14:00:19 GMT -5
Dang my score was....forgot and had to go back and look 91. I took a test online years ago for aspergers and scored high on that also.
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Post by wynken on Mar 4, 2011 20:19:46 GMT -5
forget my score already. it was moderate... but there are variations in how adhd affects people, particularly as they age. I read an interesting book on women and adhd.. forget the name and author.. it was in the library. Remember that energyless add exists I've followed the Feingold Diet for Hyperactive kids (mostly) for decades and it helps me with a miriad of things both physical, energy levels and thoughts. the differences when my daughters were amazing w behaviour, school work. One calmed down and could write on a page without it becoming a grubby mess full of holes from the erasor. The othe was a 4yo who "woke up" and started talking interacting etc. In recent years I;ve tried the elimination diet from fedupwithadditives www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/but the food left didn't suit me and I needed get back to the levels Feingold suggested. I keep contact w a yahoo support group for people with these problems as it helps me follow the path I know helps me. I suggest you follow the link to fedup and scroll to bottom to read the list of symptoms found to be food related. Often pelople of all ages have a mix of these. and yes.. over time names of disorders change. once add was on the ASD spectrum for myself. minimal brain dysfunction specialising in sequencing problems. remember the "I went shopping and I bought....." game. We can train our memories. We can really focus on the one thing at a time guideline. GL with finding whats helpful. I would not touch the meds as I have wierd reactions to so many meds.. don't want to try another. re food - its all detective work seeing what does what, and whats worth avoiding. Getting my cooperation with this has sometimes proved difficult though.. ATM its ok.
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Mar 5, 2011 2:42:49 GMT -5
One that hit way too close to home: How to make a phone call, in 70 easy steps. When I was a kid, this was assumed to be coming from what's now known as ADHD (no mean feat, for a girl in the late '70s-early '80s!), but it's turned out to be better explained by Asperger's. Oh dear god, that link that urocyon posted... How to make a phone call, in 70 easy stepsballastexistenz.autistics.org/?p=336 That is me! -- on many days. But not always. What works for me ... is to train myself to NOTICE if I'm beginning to fall into into such patterns of loops of repetitive chaos (or chaotic repetition) while attempting parts of a task [i.e. train myself to catch myself whenever I begin engaging in the types of behaviors like those described in the 70-step-phonecall link]. If I catch myself doing that, then I can train myself to STOP, sit down, breathe, and tune into my Higher Power or greater wisdom (or whatever wise/sensible/centered essence I can imagine). I breathe. I allow myself to become open to a harmonious universe; while attempting to become calm, relaxed, and confident. I ask for guidance on what is the "next right thing for me to do". Sometimes this "centering exercise" calms my psyche enough. And then I get up do whatever I actually *need* to do (which may or may not be the task I had orginally been attempting. I am now more calm and in the flow ... and less panicky/distracted. And therefore more efficient ... in a responsible yet quietly joyful way. -
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 5, 2011 7:36:34 GMT -5
I once took an Asperger's assessment and scored surprisingly high, even when I answered the questions conservatively. My grandson and I are on a weekend trip - he's competing in a church festival, so we've been quite busy. I did find my pan of laundry just before noon yesterday. It was sitting on my cookstove! Gross! How I came to put it there, I'm clueless. Fortunately, it's not a gas stove. Last night at the motel, after I got ready for bed I gathered up my clothes so I can find them this morning. I could only find one earring. I searched high and low for the other one. Finally found it still attached to my ear.
It's exhausting to expend that kind of energy over and over without it being "productive."
(My grandson is trying out for All-State Youth Choir this morning - his second year to try out for it. Also competing in the "short sermon" category. All prayers and good thoughts appreciated by Grandma :-)
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Post by John on Mar 7, 2011 12:00:30 GMT -5
Just Knowing that ''You Mean I'm Not ***, Stupid or Crazy?!: The Classic Self-Help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder'' by Kate Kelly was a God-send for me. There are Lots of other great books out-there also that talk about the ADD Brain and how to work With It and how to use your strengths and Function as Much as Possible.
Talk Therapy (CBT) and Medz have helped a Ton also.
Rarely does anyone just have One Dis:Order. You could also be Depressed because you don't understand why your Brain acts the way it does which could lead to Anxiety because of . . . and so on & so On.
Don't expect everyone to Understand what ADD is. They will say things like, ''Oh I lose my keys to or I forget appointments also''. Sorry, that's not the same as having these (and many more) problems affect your life so that you have Serious Trouble Functioning in Society.
Some people shy away from the whole taking Medz angle, for various reasons. If your kidney wasn't working properly would it be OK to get it treated, if you have trouble seeing would it be OK to wear glasses, if a part of your brain (which is just another organ in your body) was out a whack would it be OK to get it adjusted ?
That's all that medz do, help your brain function like it was designed to.
Talk Therapy is helpful also because it helps you Understand that their are different ways to think about your Problem(s) that you may not have considered. There are helpful ways to Talk to Yourself to get you Motivated, Out of Ruts, to help you See that everything Does Not have to Be all Gloom & Doom, that You can Get Better and you have a Real Medical Problem.
There are different Degrees of ADD just as there are different degrees of most Mental Health Issues. Whatever level you are in, it can be Treated and you can get Better. It wouldn't also be Easy but it is Definitely worth the Struggle.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 7, 2011 14:32:38 GMT -5
My problem with Medz is that I tend to have bad physical reactions. I apparently metabolize some drugs very slowly, so they stay in my system, and I overdose easily. I am the original "cheap drunk!" I take 1/2 teaspoon of children's Benadryl for allergy relief. Any more than that, and I am out of my mind dangerously drunk. I've been escorted home from work for taking one OTC sinus pill. I took Dilantin for a while. Two days on what would be considered a minimum adult dose, and I was in Emergency @ hospital. I had to take a dose that would be appropriate for a six month old baby. (I'm on the high side of 150-200 lbs.) They knew when I was at a therapeutic level because Dilantin is measured with blood tests, so it's not subjective. I have had a number of close calls with other normally harmless drugs that nearly did me in. So I am afraid of drugs. Otherwise, I would LOVE to pop a pill that would fix me.
I have taken OTC Sam-e for depression. It really helps, but I have to take a low dose, and can't stay on it consistently because it does gradually overload me. I tried St. John's Wort, which gives me a huge headache every time. I am looking into nutritional adjustments and vitamins/minerals, too.
I am trying to find a CBT within driving distance.
I just started this thread because I don't know any adults with ADD, and wondered if what I described is typical. And am interested in treatment options. I might be able to take medz, but want to be cautious!
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Post by John on Mar 7, 2011 16:12:36 GMT -5
Yikes, Cautious Indeed.
Besides SJW what OTC is there for Depression, I might have heard of them in the past but nothing comes to mind at the moment.
Lotsa, Lotsa good Books out there on ADD & CBT.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 7, 2011 22:51:04 GMT -5
SAM-e is good for depression and arthritis/joint problems. In fact, it is (last i checked) recommended by the Arthritis Foundation.
But if you're bi-polar, it can trigger sleep disturbances.
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