Day Fifty-nine

Back from Glasgow. Exhausted now. The stress of the past few days is really kicking in.

What emotional pangs did I notice today?

None.
 What feelings about differences did I notice?

I am so much better off than some of the young a-ADDers I met in Glasgow today.

What went well today?
Good session with the Mac guy; feel encouraged to tweak, manage and upgrade my trusted MacBook and really make this happen. Have dithered long enough!
Found wee starter booties for my goddaughter's baby, one pair was a real bargain!
Interesting meeting with ADDBalance support group members, most (but not all) from the Glasgow area. 
Lovely drive to Glasgow and back; found where I needed to be quite easily.
En route, visited an old friend who lives in the sticks. Enjoyed the meal my friend prepared, and the blether and the company, and the night-time drive home under a star-spangled canopy and in a night light up by the clear half-moon. Gorgeous!

How can I make it happen more regularly?

Keep on keeping on. Look forward to my November trip already.

What strengths have I focused on today?

Becoming a better listener.

At what point did I feel most authentically myself?
Driving through the gorgeous autumn countryside. Looking at the stars from a raised bog shrouded in the mist.



What did not go so well?
Arrived at least half an hour late for the monthly ADDBalance support group meeting.
Nearly got lost leaving Glasgow because I misinterpreted the TomTom instruction!

Mark Bertin, M.D.: Adult ADHD: A Little Awareness Goes a Long Way

"Here's the bottom line: If you have ADHD, by definition you have 'impairment' somewhere in life -- it's part of the diagnosis. If you're distractible or a little impulsive and thriving across the board, then you don't have ADHD. The impairment may affect self-esteem, daily stress and relationships or far subtler matters like obesity, a lifetime of late bills, or chronic, disabling procrastination. Seeking a diagnosis isn't a treatment decision but may define the 'why' behind a lifetime of struggle. It moves you one huge step toward understanding how best to move forward."

My thoughts, exactly, only much better put, and backed up by medical knowledge I can only wish I had ever acquired. See here for the full article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-bertin-md/adult-adhd_b_1733624.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Thank you, Deirdre Hannon of Addressing the Balance, for sharing on facebook.

How I got here

In early April 2012 I happened to catch the end of a programme about Adult ADHD on BBC Radio 4. The adult interviewees, some of them my age, i.e. in their 50s, 60s and 70s, were telling my story! I listened to the full programme on the BBC iPlayer.

Not much later I followed a link to Helpguide, where I found information about "Signs, Symptoms, Effects and Treatment" of Adult ADD/ADHD  – it's an excellent source of information.

Having read the questions and symptoms described, I found myself ticking virtually ALL the boxes. At last I had confirmation of something I had suspected for decades!

So I started doing more on-line research and found a reference to an Adult ADHD/ADD Support Group in Edinburgh. But I felt too shy and unsure of things to make contact just then... Now I know that they meet on a regular basis, and also have monthly meetings in Glasgow, on the third Sunday of each month.

A few weeks later I had an appointment with my excellent GP here in Oban (for something else altogether) and mentioned this whole ADHD/ADD business including the list of symptoms mentioned above. He asked me to return a couple of weeks later, with the list and boxes ticked.
Following that consultation, my GP referred me to Dr Sheard at Argyll & Bute Hospital in Lochgilphead (see next post).


PS: This post was written on 28Aug2012.