I have ADHD.
So I’ve been meaning to blog about miscellaneous stuff so here goes.
I found out recently that I have ADHD.
I have been wanting to scream this at the top of my lungs off a rooftop for a while now but I guess I haven’t figured out the best platform to do so. I’ve suspected I have ADHD after my therapist back in 2018 off-handedly said “So, have you ever been assessed for ADHD?”
“No, why?”
“You present with a lot of the same symptoms of someone who has combination ADHD.”
He continued by saying it could usually be pricey to be assessed and would I like to pursue it because he could recommend me to someone who specialises in it, etc etc. The “pricey” part put me off because at the time I didn’t think I could’ve gone 30+ years without a diagnosis as big as that and actually have a neurological disorder, so why waste the money?
Hah.
After my next therapist also asking the same question and then my prescriber putting 2 and 2 together (so to say), she diagnosed me this past April. Just in time for my husband and I to be getting my oldest daughter assessed.
I have so many questions. I also have none at all. I have tried [prescribed] stimulants and found the mental lift of “being able to get shit done” and it’s practically euphoric. I’m also trying to figure out what medication works best for me, so I’m finding those moments somewhat fleeting or short-lived. I’m researching, I’m listening to audiobooks on the subject, I’m doing classic ADHD-esque things of getting distracted by ALL OF THE INFORMATION, taking notes and not doing anything about it.
I feel like there’s this major detail about myself that’s been flashing in neon lights, but no one cared to take notice. Instead, I was labelled as ‘lazy’, ‘stupid’, or ‘a procrastinator’. Deep down I knew those things weren’t accurate. If it was something I was passionate about, I absolutely wasn’t someone who was lazy, stupid or procrastinated on it. I was bright, I was focused, I got shit done. But not where it counted.
At 34 years old, I’ve found out a huge detail about myself and in a way, I feel like I’m having to start over with what I knew about myself. These tools and “tricks” I can do to help myself get by in a neurotypical world.
My name is Kate and I have ADHD.
