A little bit about me...

I guess I'm just going to jump right in.

I was diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder almost one year ago. I finally decided to get tested after jumping from relationship to relationship and job to job. I had talked with my mom about my concerns (she and I are incredibly close) and she had wanted to talk to me about that as well but she was afraid of upsetting me. See, I have a temper and a short fuse. Say the wrong thing and you're toast!

So, I went to see a psychiatrist that a great friend had highly recommended and things went very well. But before I get into my appointment, I would like to go even further back to explain the signs I was noticing.

Employment

I've lived in South Florida since 2003. I was a teacher from 2004-2006...then I moved to marketing. I was at my first marketing job, Hostway, for about nine months before getting laid off. from there I moved to Neptune Society where I lasted about three months before making my exit. Then came Morevisibilit. I disliked that job from the first day of employment and was gone before the 90 days was up.

There were two or three other jobs fore I finally landed where I am now...Mednax. Now, not every day is sunshine and diasies, but since being here I've really learned that I'm good at what I do. no, I'm damn good at what I do. It wasn't the job that made me realize that though, it was my psychiatrist and Ritalin.

Relationships

Another characteristic of ADHD is not being able to hold down a long term relationship. All signs pointed to ADHD on this one. I thought dating for a month or so was long-term. Don't get me wrong. I did finally find an amazing guy and we were together for almost a year but it too, came to an end. He would claim I wasn't listening to him or paying attentino. The problem was, i was trying to but just couldn't. Recalling dates was incredibly tough and I knwo it came off as if I just didn't care. I c an honestly say that my one regret, if you would call it that, is wishing I had gotten tested sooner.

My Psychiatrist

Now that you know about my past, I will quickly bring you up to speed. iwent to my first appointment with Dr. Braun and I was scared. I didn't know what to expect but after being chastised, made fun of and frustrated the way I have, I knew I had nothing to lose.

I was correct. The testing went well and then it was on to the experimental phase (as I like to call it). I was put on 5mg of Ritalin 3x per day. From day one of taking my meds I noticed a huge difference. I was understanding and more importantly, recalling, my work. I was doing much better and my boss even told me she was seeing the difference. That in itself was huge because still to this day I'm completely convinced that my boss doesn't like me and although I've learned that I don't need her to, I do wish that she did because she's an intelligent person that I could learn a lot from.

At home, I was getting chores finished rather than stopping half way through. With my friends I was holding better conversations...meaning I was staying with the conversations.

it hasn't all been perfect since starting the meds but just knowing that there was a problem and working to change things (notice I didn't say solve - as it's a daily struggle) has really changed me.

So, stay tuned as I have a lot to share. i am hoping to make this blog my way of helping those out there that are facing similar struggles. I realize that ADHD is not the end of the world but to a person living with it...sometimes it can feel that way.