I've had symptoms all my life. During my childhood, nobody knew what Attention Deficit Disorder was. Mine was so severe, I couldn't finish school. I had to repeat 7th grade, only to drop out entirely one month later. To this day (I'm 35 years old now), I still don't have a high school diploma.
And the not-so-funny part was that I couldn't pay attention (pun not intended) to what was happening to my brain because I had MUCH bigger health issues that I was left to resolve all on my own, as doctors and their medication have disappointed me, over and over and over again. Those were far more urgent than researching how to treat:
- my inability to concentrate / focus for more than a few minutes at a time and difficulty learning
- always needing to ask the other person to repeat what they've just said, because my brain hasn't processed any of it the first time, even though I've heard them loud and clear
- maladaptive daydreaming
- short term AND long term memory loss - not only I could not recall what I had for breakfast that same morning, and not only I needed a reminder to grab my keys before I walk out the door, I couldn't recall an entire university course and certification I had a year ago - I found the digital version of the certificate one day by accident with my name on it as I was looking for another file (that I also couldn't recall where I had it nor how I named it)
- a mental block whenever I want or need to start and finish a project
- a mental block and utter confusion even for the most easy, mundane, every day tasks and routines that I've should already be doing in an automated manner (without thinking) years ago, like prepping my kids' lunchboxes for school or having to still follow a recipe for a simple meal that I've been cooking every single week for over a decade.
- inability to drive a car focused, and getting lost even with GPS guidance, hence acquiring a phobia for driving
- needing to read AND handwrite a book I've just read 3 times before I grasp the concepts and memorize
- poor social skills, and my prefrontal cortex hurting whenever I have to engage in a face-to-face conversation. I also sometimes may not be aware of what comes out of my mouth or how the others may perceive it until days later ("oh, I shouldn't have said that, mentioned that, worded it that way")
- non-existent writing skills (how I ended up with 2 blogs is a wonder)
- losing the concept of time
- get distracted easily
- get overwhelmed constantly
- get hyperfixated on things to the point I don't eat, I don't sleep, I don't go to the bathroom and then a family member has to come and check in on me to see if I'm still alive and to inform me that it's now Thursday when I thought it was still Monday.
- even though I'm regarded by others as highly knowledgeable, smart and experienced, I couldn't survive in a neurotypical work setting and had a hard time expressing my emotions, thoughts or explaining a concept (how the students thrived under my part time tutoring in order for me to pay for a PC repair technician certification 2-year course is anybody's guess)
- and a couple of extras: general anxiety / stress, social anxiety disorder, irritability, depression, inability to cope in stressful situations or when someone offends me, insomnia, difficulty staying awake during the day, mental draining and chronic fatigue, skin picking
This list of symptoms is not exhaustive, I just know that if you're here to treat your ADHD, you'd probably appreciate a shorter blog post, so this was just to give you a rough idea.
I must also mention that surgical menopause from a hysterectomy and Covid make the above symptoms 100 times worse. Based on recent research studies, as it turns out, the uterus alone is important for a woman's brain function. Removing that (as urgent and much needed as that was) has essentially crippled me mentally.
My 3 day fast got rid of Covid quite quickly and without serious long term issues, but I DID lose my speech on the 3rd day of infection, and even though I got it back the next day, it took a couple of months for my ADD symptoms to go back to pre-Covid levels.
So now that I've had just about every obstacle, struggle, suffering imaginable for over 20 years and all was finally dealt with, this year I took it upon myself to make a path to education: get that high school diploma, some more certifications, and eventually at least a Bachelor's degree at a subject that needs a LOT of math but could potentially provide me with a nice steady income and a job to keep me busy for when the kids move out in a few years.
But of course, to do all that, I need a functioning brain and the ability to take in information and grasp concepts, don't I?
Read up on part 2 and part 3 on how I treated my ADHD. I may also expand in further posts on how I'm treating my daughter's autism as well.
Disclaimer
I am NOT a doctor, personal trainer, registered dietician, nutritionist, athlete, influencer, nor at the end of my fitness journey. The content of this blog is based on what worked for me and is for informational purposes only, not a replacement for medical advice from a professional. Furthermore, we and our bodies are unique, so everybody is different. My results may not reflect your own. Any action you take upon the information provided by ZenGainz is strictly at your own risk.