any1 improving?

Thanks for the posts guys or gals

still want to hear from others.

one of you said "takes ADDers longer to GET IT"

that is something i have always agreed w/.

i realize functions , situations & environment can be improved.

for me it is take my meds & get off my butt.

& whoever said we can reflect on failures like they were yesterday i darn right.

i am 32 now, and in all oout ADD battle, meaning im not taking any crap from ADD anymore.

i own a seasonal contracting biz in new england,

and the snow hit the ground, this is going to be my first off season treated and I am going to be very careful. set up funds and auto pays for mortage insurance etc.

I have been wondering how 3 months  w/o work is gping to treat me, back to depressed ADD hell or stay on top of the game. You guys are probably thinking

wow thats great time off , who wouldnt keep it together/ well im sure some of you realize

oh jeez no structure, good luck.

anyways

id like to keep this thread rolling

Do you think my new employer gives SH*$% whether I have ADHD or not..No, they want me to perform, and make money for them.  The truth is, the ADHD challenge is OUR challenge, we must work at it, while also working at what everyone else works at.  Its tough.  One good thing, is that there are forums like this, where we can share experiences with each other. 

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I really like the quote - I'm in my late thirties - I wish that I had realized these things when I was your age! 

I've definitely improved. Now that I've been diagnosed and am on medication, life is not so damn HARD. I was dx'ed at 32, and I'd gotten a pretty good handle on my behaviors at that point. I (somehow) managed to hold a long-term job that was very boring and detail-oriented. I'd figured out how to get my bills paid on time. I was managing, but it was HARD. Not that this stuff is easy on anyone, but I'd physically wear myself out, checking and re-checking and checking again to make sure I didn't forget something. By the end of the day, I'd be physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. I got by, but that's ALL I could do.

Now...I'm on medication. I've posted before on how much my life has changed and how much happier I am. My mind is clear, I'm productive and it feels so good to actually 1)have some great idea 2)figure out how to make it work 3) DO IT this time and 4)see the results!

I could sit around and wallow in the "what if"s (what if I didn't have ADD, what if I'd been diagnosed sooner, what if people understood me, what if, what if...) but I'd rather just move on and enjoy what I have now.

I was diagnosed in my twenties, and I can see how an earlier diagnosis would have been better in many ways but can also think of some good things from going through childhood and early twenties without the diagnosis.

I learned how to wing it when I had almost no idea what was going on at times and to rely on my wits.  I also found that I was adventurous and did some things that I may not have done if I had been diagnosed. 

After diagnosis, I still had some problems.  It took me a long time to find the right treatment and to deal with the residual problems.  It was somewhat easy to accept the diagnosis as an excuse for a while rather than as a basis to move forward and take responsibility.  I have some regrets but I just try to realize that I can only move forward. 

Now that I'm in my late 30s, I have the advantage of those experiences, more compassion than most people I know, and I'm also starting to get the way life works - I think it takes longer for most people with add to "get it". 

The diagnosis and treatment have helped with many of the day to day problems but it really is a life long situation.  One thing I have learned is that while I have my chronic add, etc to deal with, nearly everyone I meet has some sort of chronic problem they are also dealing with. 

I have a job that requires me to write long reports at times.  My biggest problem at present is that when I have one of these, I often find myself jumping between the report and message boards.  Until I finally get that problem under control, it will take me all weekend to do a report that I should have done in one day - and you'll see me here more often ...

You need to be ever so thankful that you weren't born in the "twilight zone"-

when they threatened to give an injection & tie you to a bed if you didn't swallow a nasty liquid mixture of multi medicines like Thorazine, Stelazine, Haldol, just because they saw your hyperactive side and wanted to suppress it.  Thank your lucky stars you weren't put behind locked doors, as if you were a threat to yourself & the world.  Then add to that twenty years later realize the *****rds

were all wrong, and it was ADHD all along...not a form of schizophrenia, or any other misdiagnosis like manic depressive psychosis.  Enjoy your newfound freedom, Rayray.   No, it isn't easy having folks say you are "different", and have a mental or behavioral "condition" that warrants medication......But you are correct when you said the other  people out there saying they are "normal" are usually the most unpredictable and violent.

Raray, I have been experiencing simular concerns.....I have worked very hard at overcoming many negative ADHD characteristics over the years...such as school performance, family relationships, self-improvement etc., but the truth is, those are just handicaps...There are still hard REAL LIFE challenges that don't go away when you have mastered the ADHD ones.  For instance, non-ADHD's worry about thier success as well, they worry about paying thier bills on time, they worry about having freinds and whether they can handle surviving in today's enviroment.  I am 23 years old, I finished college 1.5 years ago and am even starting a new job this week.  Do you think my new employer gives SH*$% whether I have ADHD or not..No, they want me to perform, and make money for them.  The truth is, the ADHD challenge is OUR challenge, we must work at it, while also working at what everyone else works at.  Its tough.  One good thing, is that there are forums like this, where we can share experiences with each other.  I would be happy to talk with you further about any of my experiences or yours.....

trust me i am still more than capable of

FUC&ING UP anything really bad

hi

i get the feelling i am just a pain in the can, but i have something i want to hear back on.

1. Is anyone getting better? i read many F- up stories and now and `then a good one

I am getting better functionally:

1 pay bills on time even early

2 not loosing keys

3 i know where my wallet & dl is

4. on time for appoinments

5. house & cars are clean

6. laundry done

7. not interupting in conversations

great right?? not as good as it sounds

these are all functions, i chalk it up to the stim meds (concerta) & talking to shrink.

these are goals i set & achieved, why do i still feel like a scatter brain,

bum, loser?

 i was hoping id have a "clear head", now worst part i actually get angry at people i see & think they have a clear head, ridiculous i know. chances are they may be nuttier than planters. any1 else get

feelings like this.

and if ur wondering, NO i dont want to attack them, ive never been confrontational.

long story short goals met but still feel like a slug

The meds. arn't a cure to fix your "differently wired brain".  It sounds like you really have it together...way better that a lot of us. 

Could be you feel this way b/c you wern't dx'ed untill you were an adult.  A lot of us that went through our lives without knowing what was wrong, got our self-esteem pounded for many years.  It will take a few to recover it.

You're doing great!  Don't be so hard on yourself.  Celebrate and focus on your wonderful accomplishments!