Has anyone experienced this? | ADHD Information

hello dixie, believe me we are not normal,we just seem that way.

we just accept each other the way we are and we help each other,you need to unwind,join the fun in the basement(non ADHD board) and soon you will enjoy yourself .

Use the forum to LEARN from other people's experiences. That's the main thing especially when one is new to AD/HD.

Got a question, just post it, 99% of people here understand your disorder and you will get straight (albeit sometimes conflicting) answers.

We're not normal, as 'scotmama' said, but we have learned over the course of time to 'control' certain things, like behavior and more importantly, think before we post (well, most of us anyway).. However, most of us are used to just say whatever pops into the brain, not thinking of the consequences, not a big deal here at all and people would be happy to help you learn to think before you act.

The most important thing about AD/HD is very simple, do NOT see yourself as 'someone with a mental disorder' but see yourself as 'someone with a (fairly) rare GIFT'. Our AD/HD brains are extremely powerful and when one can control the AD/HD (perhaps using medication, supplements, willpower, etc), your capabilities are FAR above those who think they are 'normal'.

I myself am a good example.. i struggled through school but (without meds, as back then, AD/HD was practically unknown) came out with two master degrees and now work in a high level position at a very large defense contractor (look at my avatar and you see what i mean). Over the last couple of decades i have simply learned (often the hard way) to deal with the cons and emphasize the pro's of the disorder..Now that i take actual medication (Adderall XR, Klonopin (to counter-act the panic attacks the Adderall generates) and Citalopram (generic Lexapro)) the cons are practically gone, although the Lexapro was needed to curb my temper. I work a LOT more focussed now and in my line of work, this is VERY important, considering the average project we work on consumes billions of dollars and MANY years of work.

I think the easiest way to say this is that after you are diagnosed with AD/HD as an adult, you need to 'get to know yourself' again, after all, your world has changed quite a bit as you're suddenly no longer part of the 'majority'. This re-discovery of your 'self' is VERY important, as some major changes in state of mind and behavior are often needed, not an easy thing.. but, once you learn to concentrate on the pro's of your 'new' self and cast out the cons, you're a VERY powerful thinking machine who can work so far out of the box that it makes seemingly impossible tasks easier to deal with (and trust me on that one, i design things for work that makes people frown and even laugh, only to find out later that it actually WORKS). An unorthodox mind far exceeds the power of a normal brain, as those tend to be stuck in a certain mindset and refuse to look further than the boundaries of the box they are living in.

Oh, and 'making it in life' is NOT easy, 99.9% of all people on Earth deal with this, AD/HD or not.. Making it in life is a one way road filled with bumps and potholes, not to mention MANY side-roads that need to be avoided. Navigating it succesfully is a matter of determination, blood, sweat, tears, pain and most of all, VERY hard work. I was born in a normal family (albeit at least four generations of AD/HD) with average incomes and little ambition. I myself have relentless ambition, and i worked my rear end off for MANY years to become what i am now. I have a dream job that pays extremely well, i have a small company of my own that is reasonably succesful, a great wife (no kids yet) and basically, i have been able to fulfill some of my dreams because of my hard work (dreams, they are the inspiration behind success). I have several old cars that i always loved (Jaguar E-Type for example), i have a 27 foot boat and more importantly, i own a vintage WW2 Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane (my biggest dream, since age 6, when i saw one fly for the first time). Of course, a nice house is always good as well. I'd have none of this (apart from the wife) if i hadn't busted my rear end for a few decades, and still do (it's not cheap to maintain an old airplane like that).. Not everyone is cut out or willing to put so much effort into things, but, if you have the ambition and you want to make some of your bigger dreams a reality, then by all means go for it!

As a side-note, if you do have any questions that you might feel 'embarresed' about, just throw me a private message, i'll be happy to answer anything
Hemmie38877.0783333333

After being DX'ed, I was thrilled and very hopefull that somehow It woulden't be to hard to make it in life. But lately I feel like someone just entered my brain and said "Ok you dumb Spic, you know your not alone,you found this wounderful board and if you get your act together, maybe you'll make  some great friends here b/c your understood here. But keep in mind you were born ADD, ridiculed for being different, will never be on the same page as those "normals" and even with meds, everyone knows theres something not right with you and yes, you still have 2 heads. HA HA! Your farout thoughts about outgrowing it, like you just assumed you'd do...GET OVER IT!

It seems that lately, thats all I think about! Everyone here seems so normal to me and willing to help. I just want to be part of the "family" but sometimes I can't get my thoughts together and just delete what I was going to post.

Sorry for rambling, I just wanted to know if anyone here has had the same experience, and if so, how did you except the fact that it's something we don't outgrow Help, please

I seem pretty normal in print.    This is generally because I post when my meds are working.  Or else I go back and delete 2/3 of a post when I ramble. 

Otherwise Davidornado comes along and says, "Lots of words, with some spaces.  Reisa, I think your meds are working."  Unfortunately I am gonna have to say that to Hemmie now.  *grin

Don't worry about posting coherently - we speak ADHD here.  I think you will find we follow you pretty well, as long as you keep it short.

It was hard for me to accept the diagnosis at first for the same reason.  It defininately stinks.  But knowing I have ADHD doesn't stink nearly as much as it did when I thought I was a lazy, irresponsible airhead.  I am able to actually solve many of my problems, now that I know what is causing them.  This is a great place for ideas and support.

Welcome to the board! Take care.

Thanks Scotmama, Hemmie & Reisa for your help. I guess we're not normal to others, but I have read other threads and can relate to some of the things we can accomplish! Reisa, I agree, I like short posts b/c I can NEVER get all that is said!

Hemmie, your post was long, but DAMN, ADHD seems to work for you! (and I'm sure I missed something). I logged on earlier and focused on what you said, " our minds are very powerful", And your right!

Ok, I'll keep this as short as can. All day, my DH has been saying " we're poor and we can't afford to buy or do ...to long to list so after the feeling of being so dependent on him I got more depressed b/c he is SO none ADHD/ADD! O.M.G! He is so organized (he handles all financial stuff). He dosen't even like me to get the mail for fear I'll misplace something important. Never late and sometimes so "structured" I get overwelmed. I thought "out of the box". And realized that he was lacking something I always had, but rarely used. Priorities! I told him how he was stressing me out with saying "we're poor". We're not poor! (not rich either), but we pay bills on time, have a mid-sized, but beautiful home near the water, a truck and a car. He has a great paying job and mine SUCKS, but not bad pay. Oh sh*t! I'll get get to the point: I said we have to start with a foundation, like what we need to get done NOW for say to have the central air maintance check( a neccessity here in FL.) that he keeps putting off. B/c almost all of our "poorness" can be traced back to not getting simple, inexpensive things done to prevent at one time, taking a loan out for a car repair for my Quad 4 engine. The list is endless Also he said if our insurance co. would not renew our homeowners policy b/c of all the herricanes that hit our state, we'd lose the house! That happened to a friend of ours last yr. Ok, y'all get my point, and much to my suprise, he said I was right and than a   "why couldn't I figure that out"? My answere:I guess your not lucky enough to have ADD Your "so in the box"!

Ok, I'm beginning to except that life will never be easy, and I'll have to  work REALLY hard to even have a chance to suceed, but I think I did pretty good today considering I can't even balance a check book!  Sorry for the long post Reisa and Hemmie, I bet you woulden't even look at a Quad 4, let alone own 2 grand ams, both Quads. What a b*tch they are. Also does your screen name have a deeper meaning? or your love for cars. Ok bedtime, but I won't be a stranger here. Thanks again for the welcome and great advice