OK..
Since I've entered college (back in Fall 2002), I thought I was dumb because all the other kids were "smarter" than me........

Translation:
1. It didn't take them all day to learn one concept (like I did).
2. They could actually sit and study and focus for more than 30 min w/o distractions, whereas I could not.
3. They could solve problems much faster (and more accurately) than I could.
4. Everything seemed to come easier to them.
5. The would always do well.... meaning that I was near the bottom of the curve very often.


Well.. after finding out that I had been accepted to med school, I figured that I should "catch" and "correct" any learning problems. I scheduled an appt. with a psychiatrist.. I was diagnosed with ADD and prescribed medication. The meds are helping, but I don't want to be dependent on them.

So... I have a few questions because I'm new to this whole ADD thing.

1. Did many of you feel like the "dumb" kid or adult at work/school??
2. Do you sometimes get stuck on a word or thought when trying to tell a story. It's almost as if I can visualize the words I'm trying to say.. but when I become excited and want to tell a really good story, I have to pause sometimes (especially at the good parts) and allow my mouth to catch up with my brain.. even though I know exactly what I want to say! I feel like such a loser at those times.. Sometimes I stutter a little bit too.
3. Were many of you tested "gifted" in elementary/middle school??
4. Would anyone read an entire passage/paragraph ACTIVELY, and NOT be able to recall what you just read????
5. Did anyone ever take an exam (especially math or something similar) and after or during the exam, you get this painful quasi-migrain-like headache because you were thinking soooooooo hard, and yet still do horribly on the test???

These are just a few things that happens to me. I am curious to know if I'm alone on this or if anyone else has experienced something similar. If so, please share your stories.. especially ones that involve fixing those issues. Thanks!

2. Do you sometimes get stuck on a word or thought when trying to tell a story. It's almost as if I can visualize the words I'm trying to say.. but when I become excited and want to tell a really good story, I have to pause sometimes (especially at the good parts) and allow my mouth to catch up with my brain.. even though I know exactly what I want to say! I feel like such a loser at those times.. Sometimes I stutter a little bit too.
3. Were many of you tested "gifted" in elementary/middle school??

Those two for sure. I heard constantly about my potential, and really could never put my finger on WHY I could neither see, nor achieve this greatness that everyone around me seemed to think I was intentionally throwing away.

I don't stutter, but my mouth struggles madly to keep up with my brain. I am on my first day of taking Adderall (10mg x2 daily), and I can totally relate to finally feeling right, but at the same time feeling like a huge LOSER that I can't function without being on drugs. I don't really have anyone to talk to about that, my husband has Multiple Sclerosis, so my mental issues seem pretty small in comparison to what he deals with, and my 14 year old son is an average eye rolling teenager oblivious to the things going on around him.

I dropped out of college, multiple times, and each time with a 4.0 (jumping ship before I started to drift off and fail) so my suggestion would be this; If you can't bear the thought of medicating forever, at least allow yourself to finish school. You've clearly done amazing things already despite the difficulties you've described to have been accepted (or even completed the applications) into med school. It is to some extent, being dependant on a med, BUT, we are all dependant on many things...food, water, sleep, love etc...the dependancy does not in and of itself make something bad. If the meds make up for a chemical or function in your brain that you lack without them is it really any different than someone with a higher metabolism requiring more food than someone else? Someone with diabetes having to inject insulin to deal with blood sugars, because his/her pancreas has failed to secrete it? Don't shortchange yourself. If you're taking a medication because it fixes something that is wrong with you, it's not the same as guzzling gin, or popping lortabs to make your day easier to deal with.

Not sure if any of that made sense, but I hope some part of it helps. Nothing like the blind leading the blind here, lol.

So... I have a few questions because I'm new to this whole ADD thing.

Welcome to the forums……..

Now for my answers to these questions:



1. Did many of you feel like the "dumb" kid or adult at work/school??


I believed I was dumber than average most of my life. I think I got through nursing school out of shear rebellion because I felt no one believed I was capable!

I felt others especially parental units felt I was “bright as a burnt out light”

I continues seeing myself this way until recently….interacting with some of the members here who are REALLY smart…….

My “solutions”

I was participating in some deep discussion some where around here….. I also participate in a debates both here in sub-section and larger forum like this!

Got into discussion with mother and sister, a couple of nursing buddies… some times I literally lost people…… My mother made a comment that she was glad my children had grown up so I could used that brain for exploration into my interest….. My sister made some off hand comment that mom saw me as the smart one!! I always thought it was my brother or her! Never me!

It was like the dawning upon the mid-night sky….. realistically I don’t have the education to “keep up” in some of the in-depth discussion I do. I will admit I have to look stuff up some times but hey if no one needed to look stuff up then there would be no dictionaries or encyclopedias!

My mom also apologied for passing the “dumb” feeling onto me. She never wanted any of her children to feel stupid like she did most of her life!!

PLEASE NOTE: My Mother is a non-ADDER…nada zilch on the ADD traits! So feeling like your “not the brightest light bulb in the package isn’t restricted to ADDers!



2. Do you sometimes get stuck on a word or thought when trying to tell a story. It's almost as if I can visualize the words I'm trying to say.. but when I become excited and want to tell a really good story, I have to pause sometimes (especially at the good parts) and allow my mouth to catch up with my brain. even though I know exactly what I want to say]! I feel like such a loser at those times.. Sometimes I stutter a little bit too.

This isn’t stupidity okay ….. Re-read your own words!! I underlined the ones that stood out to me

You had to wait for mouth to catch up with brain. :eek: (happens to me all the time too) Okay this means brain was not only active… :D . But moving swiftly through thoughts!

So you may think in pictures instead of words…. I can do both and frankly pictures are much faster and more effective…. Some times I get stuck because I am thinking of more than the story I am telling! Okay this is not stupidity either!

A slight pause before the best part is called an “anticipatory pause”… many public speakers have to train them selves to do what apparently you do naturally=You aint stupid! ;)



3. Were many of you tested "gifted" in elementary/middle school??

Actually they thought I was retarded in elementary school because I wasn’t able to read and write “coherently” on grade level!

I had several what felt like days and days worth of test in third grade!

I was found to have sever dyslexia, according to mom my IQ was 140 un-medicated and bouncing about!

I wasn’t reading and writing “on grade level” strange through in third grade I was comprehending on a tenth grade level. I read in context….have little “de-coding” abilities…I was unable to spell or pronouce :o them so it as assumed I didn't know what they meant!!!! WRONG.. I think differntly in the procesing department.....Differnt does NOT=stupid!!!

I can read long words doctorial stuff it makes as much sense to me as “Dick and Jane”

Although I can not pronounce (spelling forget it-lol) them I can understand them…. I can learn the definition while I read!!!! Okay does this qualify me for the “short bus” ?



4. Would anyone read an entire passage/paragraph ACTIVELY, and NOT be able to recall what you just read????

Only when I have to do "required reading"….this doesn’t happen to me when I read some thing I want to!!!

1) When I quit comprehending I take a “wiggle break”.. I get up and do some mild (okay some times moderate to extreme depending on frustration level) physical exercise!

***Exercise butt exercise brain!!!! Me add + “H” factor motto!***

2) I also listen to some upbeat music with out words….increases my abilities to focus. I am writing this to Yanni! He is playing his piano and I am “playing mine”!



5. Did anyone ever take an exam (especially math or something similar) and after or during the exam, you get this painful quasi-migrain-like headache because you were thinking soooooooo hard, and yet still do horribly on the test???

Head aches yes……again ended with “enforced reading” of ickie stuff!

If I am nervous I will have this “brain freeze” test badly

My solution was:

1) I quit seeing test as a grade on me as a person of value!

A) Most test are based upon the facts some one else thinks are important…

B) Test scores show my interest in a subject NOT my ability to learn over all!



These are just a few things that happens to me. I am curious to know if I'm alone on this or if anyone else has experienced something similar. If so, please share your stories.. especially ones that involve fixing those issues. Thanks!

Read my signature; in it I have revealed what I feel is the most determining factor in living successfully with ADD / despite ADD and even works for those who do not have ADD! :soapbox:

Yep for me ……………….

It is all in the attitude… which by the way is born of ones own perspective!

Hope this helps! Sorry so long!

By the way how many commercial breaks did you have to take?? ;)

1. Did many of you feel like the "dumb" kid or adult at work/school??
yep


2. Do you sometimes get stuck on a word or thought when trying to tell a story. It's almost as if I can visualize the words I'm trying to say.. but when I become excited and want to tell a really good story, I have to pause sometimes (especially at the good parts) and allow my mouth to catch up with my brain.. even though I know exactly what I want to say! I feel like such a loser at those times.. Sometimes I stutter a little bit too.
yep, i also mix my words up when i trying to say something, which i notice and try again and a again to get it right (which usually amuses my friends)


3. Were many of you tested "gifted" in elementary/middle school??
i'm not quite sure what u mean by tested gifts, but i was highly reconised in primary school for my musical abilities, same in secondary school, i had a great teacher at both, shame that i didn't choose that way for a career :( but my dad said that the chances of making decent money out of it is slim and i kinda wanna make a bit of money so i can give to charities and stuff.


4. Would anyone read an entire passage/paragraph ACTIVELY, and NOT be able to recall what you just read????
yeah, this is highly irritating


5. Did anyone ever take an exam (especially math or something similar) and after or during the exam, you get this painful quasi-migrain-like headache because you were thinking soooooooo hard, and yet still do horribly on the test???
haven't had this one, i don't get headaches often let alone migrains, but my mind has completely blanked during a test before and i felt so bad at the time because i knew i was gonna fail and stuff

fixes....erm...yeah i got nutin, oh no wait, i've taken alot of time looking into myself seeing what makes me tick:

web.tickle.com

see that link there ^, i've pretty much taken every single test there, i take note of what makes me want to do certain stuff, sometimes if i watch certain movies, series and llisten to certain songs i want to do different things so i take advantage of that.

but thats pretty much it, sry i couldn't be more helpful

1. Did many of you feel like the "dumb" kid or adult at work/school??
Yes I felt like and idiot and less that I never was really disabled just misunderstood. My father always said that I was just not trying hard enough and that I need to take stuff like school seriously

2. Do you sometimes get stuck on a word or thought when trying to tell a story. It's almost as if I can visualize the words I'm trying to say.. but when I become excited and want to tell a really good story, I have to pause sometimes (especially at the good parts) and allow my mouth to catch up with my brain.. even though I know exactly what I want to say! I feel like such a loser at those times.. Sometimes I stutter a little bit too.
I still have a distinct memory of taking my "counting test" in kindergarden where I had to count from 1 to 100, and I always would get stuck at 19, 29, 39, 49, 59 etc. This was always embarrassing but I learned just recently it has to do to how our brains sort information or the lack there of. It is all there but our brains can be as messy as our rooms >_>

3. Were many of you tested "gifted" in elementary/middle school??

I don't remember if the term was gifted or special, all I know is that I was given a hall pass to go to a study room where I sat with one teacher and that was it. She would help me understand why a question was worded a certain way and would be a great aid in explaining study material too me. I hope that answers that question.

4. Would anyone read an entire passage/paragraph ACTIVELY, and NOT be able to recall what you just read????
Hehe, kinda like skim reading but not being aware your doing it, your mouth is moving. You are actually reading it aloud, but your brain actually left the building to think of that new video game you saw on TV. Absolutely frustrating ain't it. :D

5. Did anyone ever take an exam (especially math or something similar) and after or during the exam, you get this painful quasi-migrain-like headache because you were thinking soooooooo hard, and yet still do horribly on the test???
I actually don't remember this but then again I may not have tried to hard. I do know that when I give a test my all I get exhausted really fast afterwords, and could literally slip into a coma.


Well I hope that helps, I actually found the questions pretty cool how well most of them related to my experience.