Today I saw Dr Sheard at the Argyll & Bute Hospital in Lochgilphead. He's a clinical psychologist and specialises in Adult ADD/ADHD.
(I'm actually writing this post two months after the event, having obtained his permission to share information with whoever is reading this blog.)
He has held a weekly clinic for (young) adults with ADD/ADHD since February 2011, usually on Tuesday afternoons. Dr.
Sheard takes referrals from GPs all over Argyll & Bute.
We spoke at some length about my history. He has suggested that I should read this book, at least the middle bits of it:
Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, Driven to Distraction – Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthood.
He has also given me some information about possible medication (Concerta and Strattera) – I'll do some research and think about it all. Some of the possible side effects are worrying, but I need to do something and am not sure behaviour and diet changes will be enough.
Will see.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)