am i adhd woman???

[millie]

Hi
whilst lookin for info for my son who i suspect is adhd i have started to question my self.

i show signs of adhd and did an online questionairre for adults and it came up as highly probable combined adhd.

my problems are that i do not have a good memory, yet can remember membership numbers of my clients in health club and can tell them their numbers, yet i do not know their names. I can come across as very intelligent yet did not get good grades at school. i was always accused of daydreamin in class and bored very easily and even now cannot concentrate on courses that i attend through work.

i cannot sit still and have to move around even if it is just my foot tapping or something small. i tap tunes out with my foot in bed!! much to my hubbies frustration!! I cannot bear to sit through a movie god forbid that is like torture to me!!!!

I am an aerobics instructor and can teach till i drop even when i know i am over training cos i just have to - like my body wants to rest but brain cannot. I also do not sleep well and my mind just goes over things and i get so frustrated that i cannot sleep which in turn makes things worse then i feel so tired by mid afternoon, and feel the need to sleep for an hour or so.... yet shoppin or housework beckons. and i go and do that instead!

i am quite emotional and small things will upset me like my world has fallen in, and i take everything to heart. i also have a low tolerance to what i consider stupid people and get so frustrated and angry by them. i feel like they have no common sense!!
does this sound like an adhd woman to you?

Michelle

[Jellybean]

Hi Millie, sounds a lot like me in the over active brain department.
I am not diagnosed but have done extensive reading. There are so many variations on ADD it seems crazy to be able to label it at all.
I am pretty comfortable with my craziness, but the sleep issue is the one area that worries me. I can't relax well especially if something need to be done. Good luck!
Janine

[Wheel1975]

Get a diagnosis,,, but... i think you'll find that many of the people HERE self diagnosed FIRST.

[millie]

was goin to see doc re daignosis but am bit worrid they think i am hyper focusing on the whole adhd thing as i have hassled them to death over my son who i suspect is adhd, may just wait until i see doc for my son in january and let her know my suspicions of myself, however i feel like i have no one with whom to discuss this with as no one seems to understand that the disorder actually exists apart from a close friend.(whose son is adhd and her too i think!!)
I also dont know how my husband would take it cos he dont even listen when i discuss our son let alone me - his attitude is that our son Max is just downright bad and one big pain in the ***, most of the time. He thinks i am a happy woman with no worries, he does not realise i have many unsurfaced issues with myself that i keep well hidden, i dont even think that he realises that i do not sleep until about 3am most nites as i just cannot switch off, he meanwhile is sleepin like a baby about 30 seconds after his head hits pillow.
My point i suppose is that if everyone sees me in a different light to what i know is the truth how can i then turn around and say hey i think i got adhd? i have been such a good actress all my life and even when i feel so down, i can still manage to appear ok to everyone.
do i make sense at all with all this? sorry i am not so good at gettin down what i actually want to say as mind just starts goin off on a tangent to other thoughts!!!
i must say the forums are a great help in understandin the condition and to be able to relate to others, knowin that the complexity of what u feel inside is actually common to others!!
Outside my body i am a well balbanced individual with no worries but inside my head is a mess - worries about money that i cannot help spending! what others think of me, my impulsiveness, my lack of willpower in things, my sleep patterns, my anger if someone upsets me ( i take everything as a personal attack on me) my ever forgetfullness, my constant procrastination and my worries over stupid things which consume me, my adultery, my moodswings ( i dont actually blow my top just fume quietly and fill with hatred over things, but keep it bottled inside -then if it gets worse i just explode!!)
ok gonaa shut up now before u get my whole llife story!!

[Tonya]

Michelle,
My son was diagnosed about a month ago. I suspect he inherited it from me. Since I wanted to know everything there is to know about the disorder I read everything and realized not only did it apply to him, but myself as well. Since I didnt want to seem to be one of those people (cant remember the word) who thinks they have everything...I put it away. However, my main symptoms are forgetfulness,procrastination,cant sit through board games or sit through a movie. I work and work at getting the household chores done put never seem to catch up. In elementary school I did very well. But once I got into the higher grades I did just enough to get by. I know that I am very intelligent and I know now at the age of 36 that I have short-changed myself into becoming something more than what I am now (job wise). I choose to work in the restaurant business. The reason for this I think is because I am constantly moving. The thought of sitting behind a desk always made me physically ill though I had and have always had dreams of becoming much more. I never knew what held onto me so tightly and often I would go into periods of depression wondering what the heck was wrong with me. Often I would have days I felt wonderful and motivated but it would putter out leaving me feeling defeated and depressed. Since I know my weaknesses I do push myself to get certain things done. When it comes to my kids I MAKE myself do things.
I know that I should see a doctor (when I get motivated to make the call). I know that this disorder has held me hostage for many years now that I have had the time to look back on my life. My biggest fear is of the medication that is out there. I dont want to feel like a zombie. Heck I wont even take a Tylenol unless I am crawling across the floor in pain.
Just know that you are not alone...far from it. I sympathize with you.

[t-bird]

Millie, are you going to your regular doctor for the diagnosis? You may want to go see a psychiatrist or psychologist, Or you could call around and find someone who deals with adults with ADD. In trying to get myself diagnosed I realized that alot of people don't really know much about ADD and there are some who don't even believe it exists. (i.e. my whole family). It is best to find a doctor who understands it well! I am still trying to find one too. Good Luck!