Anyone else have these quirks???

I can relate to some of these..before I started taking meds...I used to pinch and punch people and squeeze them...and they used to get mad after awhile...with my clothes, I can not wear anthing tight around my waist...and I can not handle wool on my skin...ewww...and I am picky about the texture of food and things in general...I never remember peoples names or faces...and it gets my friends mad when I run into someone tht knows me, and they stand there and I dont introduce them cause for the life of me I can't remember their name....I have forgotten my co-workers names when introducing them at conferences...this embrassing....

1. I don't actually hit anyone. I just jump and screech.

2.Not nearly as much as I used to, and then only when I was nervous or in a hurry

3.nope

4. I am the same way except I don't mind a plain sleeveless or short sleeve if it is soft and cottony. In winter I have to have a long sleeved knit top under my sweaters and I don't want anything tight!

5.definitely! Even a road I travel every day is easy for me to get disoriented on if it is evening or after dark

6. well, they look sort of familiar and sometimes I figure out who they are after they have left

7.I'm a picky eater but its not about the texture. I just don't like a lot of different foods and some things just sound, smell or look gross!

Hi, I'm new to this forum, so maybe this question has been asked already.

I was recently diagnosed with ADD (inattentive type) after 6 grueling hours of testing--perfect way to make anyone feel really dumb.... Anyways, I have always done some weird things that are a bit different from others, and I was wondering if these quirks had anything to do with ADD (otherwise, I'm just a little weird :))  OK, here's what I can think of right now:

1- I startle VERY easily.  Even though I was raised by parents who didn't believe in hitting their children, I bet some people think otherwise--- I have hurt coworkers and friends by clawing/punching them when they have touched me from behind.  My friends think its funny--but I think the coworkers I've "attacked" think I'm a bit odd.  I'm not sure why I react so violently.

2- I'm VERY clumsy--I manage to bump into everything around me, even if its not in my direct path.  I also trip constantly--many times over nothing, I just sort of tumble.  I'm always bruised :-)

3-I'm very finicky about food touching other food--drove my mom crazy when I was a kid.  I'm not sure why, but can absolutely not stand my foods touching each other!!!  At diner parties, I always take out food that fits in my plate without touching, and then get another helping of the foods I previously left out--sometimes, I'll get a separate plate for different foods.

4- Clothing is an issue--ever since I can remember, tags and long sleeve clothes always hurt me--literally hurt.  I'm happiest in a tank top.

5-I am horrible with remembering street directions--I get lost everywhere--I've even asked for directions 2 blocks away from my home!  I don't know why, but I can never seem to navigate simple roads, so I just take the train everywhere--try not to drive.

6- This is sort of related, but I can never recognize people's faces.  It's very embarrassing not to know whom you're speaking to when they seem to remember everything about you.

7- Oh, and about food, not only can my food not touch other foods, but I'm also picky with the texture of what I eat.  Like, I'll eat onion flavored foods, but can't even imagine put an onion in my mouth--yuk!!

I guess I've rambled on a bit....I wonder if anyone actually read through the whole thing--if you have, i'm impressed :-)

Anyways, just wondering if any of you have these issues....also, I haven't started my meds yet--will they help fixing these quirks???

Thanks!

I would say YES to all, except that I jump and squeal when startled I don't literally hit people.

Clothing can get so irritating I will start developing rashes/welts just from an itchy tag.

1. Some things startle me horribly, but I don't show it, my heart just goes bananas.

2. Alwas bump into things, thought until recently it was because of my arthritis. Classical for me it to hit myself with the cardoor while closing it.

3. Can't relate.

4. Can still remember a pair of trousers I got when I was 10yo. Cords with a diagonal  pattern. Drove me crazy! Today I can't stand thight socks, so before I put them on, I stretch them.

5. No use giving me directions verbally, must see the direction on a map.

6. Horrible, horrible with faces. But since I have this strong need for finding solutions, I try to force myself to ask the person I am talking to, to help me. But some conversations that happened years ago, and I never found out whom I was talking to, still make me upset. (There's another thread about this topic on this forum.)

7. Can't relate, or maybe I manage to avoid food that I have a problem with, don't know.

Thanks alot for sharing !!

Recently diagnosed with adhd. (Was hoping I had "only" add, but must confess that I really knew I had adhd; felt abit ashamed of being hyperactive at the age of 46.)

Well - I can tell you those are pretty much standard for most!!!

Without my meds I'm jumpy, clumsy,picky, itchy, pulling at tight necklines and sleeves, totally forgetful (swiss cheese for me), faces are totally meaningless after 30 seconds (unless they are totally unique and fascinating to me).  Also I was self-centered, daydreamed constantly, contrary (would say I hate what all love, love what all hate), and well you'll see a lot of 'em here.

The meds for me (dexedrine XR) took the edge off of some, and removed totally a whole lot of them.  My memory is wicked, my attitude is positive to the point where I know a lot of people want to smack me (admit it folks you do! LOL), my step is sure - I haven't cut, bruised or otherwise damaged myself in over 7 months now.  I feel like a new person and capable of just melding into the mix out there.  I talk, get talked to and try to smile at everyone and let them know how important they are to me and others.  It's awesome!!!!!!!!

Have you ever heard of hyper reflex? My reflex actions can be triggered with a slight touch; I do not need a doctor to get a rubber hammer to test my reflexes. At one point of time or another, I have experienced all the things you mentioned in your list.

It took me an extra 25 years to finish high school, next year I will have my BA in criminal justice and Psyc. Then it is off to law school, the point is that a certain level of excessive compulsiveness seems to come with ADD/ADHD. These traits can be a good thing, just like ADD/ADHD. What ever I am into I can accomplish it seems, in other words I felt I was handicapped in high school. ADHD, Dyslexia had me convinced I need to spend my energies to cover up, and because these conditions were never diagnosed. The truth is I am grateful for these conditions and those that I recognize in my children. If it were not for ADHD and so on, we as a society would still be living in caves. Think about it, the great inventions of the world were invented by those who were obviously ADD/ADHD. Do you think a normal man runs out and flies a kite in an electrical storm after all...lol. Albert Einstein was a lousy student and told to give up and leave school, if I remember correctly his math skills were terrible. When his ADD/ADHD excessive compulsive side locked in, he reinvented the concepts of math and physics.

One more thing I have fallen victim to is talking and/or writing to much (like here), sorry for running on.

Looking forward to reading more on this board...

Jim

1 yes

2 yes

3 yes

4 yes.

5 OK - I can find my way around any city to which I have been before without a map, and without directions - it just happens, and this includes place I have visited over 20 years previously. I guess it's one of these "global" picture things.

6 No

7 yes

I have never found a med that works ...

1- I can relate...I used to "playfully" hit everyone...even in the workplace..

2- Totally relate!!!  I am constantly amazed at how many bruises I can acculmulate on a daily basis

3-OMG!!!   This is totally me...I cannot stand to have anything touching anything!!  I actually used to wipe off/rinse off sauce, etc if it touched another food on my plate. Gotta love those party plates with the little partitions.   My mom and dad used to go nuts because I would surgically remove any part of the food that I didn't want to eat because it touched something else.

4- Tags annoy me or constricting collars/sleeves.

5- I am with you on the directions thing...I am constantly lost!  A couple of weeks ago, my husband, friends and I set out to a carnival that I swore I knew how to get there....after we drove around for 1.5 hours, we finally found it 5 minutes away from our home!  (Thankfully, i have understanding friends who think it is funny!)   This doesn't effect my husband though, he was dx with add in early childhood and is great with directions. 

6-  This doesn't effect me much...mostly because I try and associate their names with something quirky or memorable about them.  (bad hairpiece, goofy laugh)

7- Texture...Man, am I with you on this one...I can stand the texture of onions but can eat things with Onion powder...I used to wash off tomato sauce (because it was too chunky) and use ketchup on meatballs, etc....I know...I am really weird!!!!

This board is so great...It is so nice to know that I am not alone out there.   I am 28 year old female, diagnosed with ADD after finishing law school.   I just thought that everyone had a brain like with me (with 10,000 things going through at once) and everyone else was better at concentrating and tuning these things out.  I am currently on Adderall Xr and have been having great success with it.  

Welcome to the club. I have ADHD can relate to all of those!

I startle and occasionally lash out. I once accidentally hit a teacher at school who had quietly moved up to my desk and reached out for a book off the desk! I more often panic or become disorientated and will drop things or bang my head on something.

This ties in nicely with being clumbsy. Vey much so… Better now I’m medicated but I’m always doing stupid stuff if I’m not on the case. And I always seem to bang my head.

As for food: I didn’t foods touching too. At meal times, before I would even eat, I would fashion a dam out of carrots, peas, mashed potatoes etc into which the gravy had to go. It could not go over things. If there a gravy breach occurred or it missed the dam I wouldn’t eat it. I also had a thing about the stringy bits that hang off food, especially meats. I called them ‘gobblers’ and refused to eat anything that had them. I still have a problem with food texture: I can’t eat sandwiches with lettuce, tomato or cucumber pieces in them. Ew. I’m ok with each individually but not in a sandwich.

Clothes never hurt but I understand the labels thing. They’re very itchy. Sleeves do annoy me though: as soon as a jumper/top/shirt is on the sleeves are rolled up. I overheat if they’re down also.

Not good with directions: I never ask because normally I won’t remember anything past the first turn. I usually think about it too much and hence, miss obvious signage and go the wrong way. Furthermore, I will read a road sign and immediately forget which way I’m to go. I regularly overshoot on motorways because I forget to look out for the function numbers. Strangely, once I have driven somewhere I seldom forget and won’t need to use a map again: it goes straight into long term memory.

Recognising people and remembering names is a big one. Especially in my younger years, where as an ADHD child everyone seemed to know of me! I can often remember faces or recognise their pattern as familiar, but not join them up to a person or even name. Once I had to embarrassingly ask who a named person at work was, even though I’d worked in the same office for 18 months.

On the hyperactive note: does anyone else have turbocharged hyper moments? When I first started Uni I was far too excited and way out of control (and not diagnosed then either). Wanting to make a big entrance, I would regularly charge into the medical school common room at full pelt and then jump over the chairs (and also occasionally tables) that were in my path. After landing and feeling quite pleased with myself, I would often be met by pure fear/confusion/bemusement on the faces of my audience. Even now, went just walking along in the street shopping or something (and medicated) I suddenly get an unstopped burst of energy and will just start sprinting. As if walking is too slow. Only bad thing is it always looks like you’ve stolen something and are running away!