The ADHD-er on the plane...

Soooo... I flew to Atlanta this past weekend. I left Friday night and was supposed to come back Monday (last) night, but missed my flight, so I ended up leaving this morning instead.  I don't really feel like going into that right now; I wanted to share the ADHD thoughts that ran rampant in my mind as I flew down south.

First, as the flight attendant gave instructions on how to save ourselves "in the event of an emergency", the microphone she was using was very low and there were people talking as she spoke. I had been fiddling around with the "personal item" that I had placed under the seat in front of me, so, initially, I hadn't noticed she was even talking, but, when I did, I realized that maybe I should pay attention to this announcement. You know; in case there actually IS  an emergency. As I attempted to tune in, I became perturbed with the lady who sat behind me, who was discussing which type of crackers her children wanted to eat. I got mad as hell because if she was willing to sacrifice hers and her children's lives by not listening to the instructions on where to locate and how to properly use the oxygen and flotation devices, that was her decision, but she was distracting my attempt to be attentive so that I could save my own life--- "in the event of an emergency".

When we reached the "it is now safe to remove your safety belt and move around the cabin" elevation, I realized I had to go potty, so I got up and started walking towards the back of the plane, not realizing that I was only five rows away from the front lavatory.  As I reached the rear of the plane, the flight attendant turned around quickly, almost knocking me over with a tray full of watered-down, overly-iced half cups of soda. I moved back, just in time, to avoid her, then I proceeded to the restroom. The first thing I noticed was how narrow the door was. I lost almost 40 pounds this year, and I couldn't even imagine getting in there without incident had it been 7 months ago.  "And how the hell does one join the "Mile High Club" in this little-assed space???" I asked myself. As I grabbed a tissue to secure the door, I thought, "Damn. THAT is a narrow-assed door." As I was "handling my business", I wondered how people in wheelchairs use the bathroom on the plane. Are they given complimentary adult diapers? Are they asked if they have to use the restroom several times before takeoff? Or do they just wizz all over themselves? I assumed the answer was the latter of the three, as I finished up. I was delighted to find both a red and blue button on the sink, indicating that one could actually adjust the temperature of the water to his or her preference. "Fancy," I thought. I was even more impressed with the scent of the Southwest Airlines Antibacterial Soap... It was just delightful.  When I got back to my seat, I sniffed the back of my hand until the scent went away, thinking, "If they sold this in stores, I'd totally buy it... They should have a matching scented lotion."

Just as I sat back down in my seat, the flight attendant came by, taking drink orders. I asked for a ginger ale.  Shortly after she took the drink orders, the other attendant came by, offering pretzels or peanuts... I took both. "Hell, somebody's not gonna want theirs," I thought.  I ate the 12 pretzels and the 16 peanuts that were in the tiny bags and washed them down with the rest of the watered-down ginger ale ice I had in my clear plastic cup. Just as I took the last sip, the first attendant came by with a trash bag. I wondered how they knew when to pull out the trash bag and start collecting... Was it a certain amount of time after the drinks or snacks? Did they watch and wait for the very last person to finish his or her "refreshment"? What was their secret??? I was intrigued.

 It's funny how the smallest things can happen around an ADHD-er and it absolutely amuses them, like a cat that's playing with a toy mouse on a string.  It's annoying sometimes, but it's a hell of a lot more entertaining than being "normal"...

A.D.H.D... Strugglin'!

Whenever you hear that someone has a disability, normally, the first thing that pops into your mind is someone with a physical disability who walks with a limp or uses a wheelchair to get around. There are other "invisible" disabilities people have that are mental or emotional like. Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), bi-polarism, schizophrenia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder... The list goes on.

When my son began kindergarten 8 years ago, I often received notes and phone calls from his teacher, assistant principal and guidance counselor, telling me things like "He can't keep still... He blurts out the answers to the questions... He always wants to be first... He's constantly fiddling with something... He won't stay on his square on the carpet." I thought that he was having trouble adjusting to the structured environment of school, since he'd never gone to daycare or pre-school. These calls and notes were very frequent. For the next 5 years, his subsequent teachers would have the same complaints/concerns until, one day, the guidance counselor suggested that they conduct a study on him where myself and his teacher at the time had to fill out a lengthy questionnaire about his behavioral habits. A school psychologist sat in class and observed him for about 6 weeks. Finally, we had a meeting and they told me what I had suspected they would: My son most likely has A.D.H.D.

I hated hearing that. I felt like he was being stigmatized. I felt that he was just "being a boy". I didn't want to medicate him. I spoke with his father, some other family and close friends, as well as a coworker who, surprisingly, informed me that her son had also gone through the same thing and she had felt the way I did. She said she was dead-set against medicating him, but she decided to try it, at least.  She did and she noticed that his grades improved and he was much more focused. The only downside was that the meds suppressed his appetite, so she had to make sure he was eating.

I decided to try it. I mean, what if this was what was keeping him from reaching his highest potential? He had been participating in sports and music classes at school, which I had read are a big help, but his involvement in those activities just wasn't enough, so I decided to try it.  Within weeks, I and his teachers noticed a dramatic difference. He was more focused in class, didn't yell out answers or talk out of turn. I thought, 'Hey; this isn't so bad after all.  Then I had a revelation:  I, too, could possibly have this disability, so I decided to see a psychiatrist.

I went to the psychiatrist and he asked me several questions about my health, family, behavioral habits, etc... It took about 45 minutes. Once he was finished, he confirmed that I, too, had A.D.H.D.

It's crazy because most of my personality has been based upon this condition. People know me for my tendency to say whatever is on my mind and although it may be true, it's usually quite curt and blunt and tends to hurt others' feelings.  Most times, I wouldn't even be bothered if I hurt someone. After all, "I was just being honest."  People like to hang out with me because I'm fun, and I will talk to anybody. I think that, too, is attributed to A.D.H.D. At work, I was always walking around, socializing with people. My work would always be done quickly and efficiently, but there was just "something" about the whole being-constricted-to-a-chair-and-cubicle thing that made me want to explode.  I have to ALWAYS be doing something. Even when I am sitting still, my mind is going a million miles a minute. I hate it, because either I can't concentrate on something long enough to complete it or I OVER focus on one thing and have trouble moving on to something else. I just HAVE to finish it, or it will drive me absolutely nuts!!!

It really sucks because, for the most part, I have always been a valuable employee. I learn quickly, am efficient, love to help others be better at their jobs and I am always willing (and wanting) to learn something new. The only thing is that I have had an issue when I feel that something is wrong, I speak up about it. Whether it's the way things are done or the way others are (mis)treated. That's never been the issue. The issue is how I've expressed my concerns. If the other person wasn't receptive to my concerns, it heated me up and I had trouble letting go.

Since I started taking medication, I am more focused. I stay in my seat much more at work. Situations that would have previously gotten me "riled up" don't affect me the same way. It's crazy; I hear the thoughts in my mind and I even still want to respond a certain way; I just don't feel compelled to, and it has helped me immensely.  The only thing is that, had I tuned into myself earlier in life, it would have saved me  a lot of heartache. I would've gotten promoted. I wouldn't have hurt others' feelings. I would not have taken a small situation and turned it into a fiasco. I wouldn't have killed my son's first pet--- a beta fish. Yeah; I admit. I did, but I couldn't help it. When my son was a little less than 18 months, he'd waken up in the middle of the night, asking for milk, so I got up, got him a cup of milk and I fed the fish while I was downstairs. When I woke up the next morning to get his diaper bag ready to take him to my parents' house, I opened the fridge door and saw the beta, belly-side up, inside the refrigerator. Then, I noticed that the milk was on the counter... SMH. I couldn't believe I'd done that. Just last week, I came home on Wednesday and my sister asked me if I'd put the bag of cherries in the cabinet. I thought, "What the hell kinda question is that???" I went in the kitchen, and there were fruit flies swarming around the cabinet. I opened it, and damn if I didn't see a half bag of $1.99-per-pound bag of bing cherries in the cabinet. ****!!! I HATE when I do that... I had gone in the cabinet a whole two days earlier to get a sandwich bag to put a few cherries in it to snack on at work. I must have put the cherries in the cabinet then. I obviously hadn't taken my medications yet that morning... Oh well, maybe, I will start taking it as soon as I wake up to prevent such incidents.

If you think you may have A.D.D. or A.D.H.D., there are a plethora of tools to use to determine the possibility. Then, see a doctor. You could start to gain control of your life as a result. 

Do you and your child(ren) have A.D.D. or A.D.H.D.?

Symptoms and Treatment