Deo to left armpit. Check. Phone rings. Forgets right armpit.😬 Did I wash my feet? [sigh] I better do [insert task here] before I leave - so I don't forget later. Where are my pants?!? 8/🧵
Well I joke, it is quite stressful. Countless unfiltered thoughts racing through your head, competing for attention. Squirrel! Many OCD-like rituals as coping mechanisms to try to make it out of the house in the morning. AND - Ringer off, don't check your phone. 9/🧵
IMPULSIVENESS: Bam! Out it comes! Stupid comments & regrets for a long time. Stupid actions (aka "I'm just going to go ahead & do this because it popped into my head - & NOT think about the consequences or how bad it looks.) Thankfully, this was outside of work. 10/🧵
Thankfully, I was FINALLY put on medication (Concerta) for my ADHD. I do NOT advocate for everyone (esp. every child) going on medication for ADHD-like symptoms. Boys especially, are over-medicated when they don't fit the behavioral mold in schools that are based on,... 11/🧵
...and designed for, the learning style of girls. (A topic for another day.) Despite a diagnosis of an acquired brain injury - I was NOT assessed for ADHD - nor placed on medication for it until my involuntary hospital admission - which I will address in another... 12/🧵
..."confession session". I also touched on it briefly here👇👇 x.com/rant_rn/status… Where I DO agree with treating ADHD with medication is when it does SIGNIFICANTLY improve the person's ability to function. That was the situation for me. 13/🧵
..."confession session". I also touched on it briefly here👇👇 x.com/rant_rn/status… Where I DO agree with treating ADHD with medication is when it does SIGNIFICANTLY improve the person's ability to function. That was the situation for me. 13/🧵
Within 24 hours of starting the medication - I was reading 500-page books per day - rather than a year (...or never). When I finally got out of the hospital - everything seemed brighter, clearer and more colorful. A friend of mine said that the way I described it... 14/🧵
...sounded like how he felt when he first put on glasses: "So this is how normal people see the world!" I felt much more confident & less introverted. Much less confused. My thoughts were much clearer and calmer. 15/🧵
The medication certainly doesn't make me 100% - but I am grateful for what it does do. I did however go through a period of sadness & anger over all of the missed opportunities to flourish - and the wasted years. How much better I could have been if I had only... 16/🧵
...started on the medication sooner! Clearly this needs to be assessed during the long-term recovery of patients with head injuries. Caveats: 1) My diagnosis does not excuse my (past or present) behaviors - but it helps me to understand them. 17/🧵
2) ALL medications have side effects. A cost (risk)/benefit analysis is essential - on an ongoing basis. 3) Tip for getting out of the house in the morning: "Keys, wallet, pants & phone - everything else is gravy." #StayTuned for Part 2, etc. 18/18 of 🧵