Posts made by Selerik

I'm a big fan of trolling LinkedIn for people /actively in the jobs I want/ and requesting copies of their resumes.

They'll surprisingly often just give it if you ask, and it could lead to an opportunity.

@Auspice Was worth a shot. I hope you find something that works!

@Auspice My heart goes out to you for what you're experiencing.

It is a shot in the dark, but I and some others I know with ADHD have had things get really extra shitty during an allergy flare-up. The way you said twice a year, maybe it is something seasonal.

For me it was all the congestion in my upper sinuses (meaning I still breathed clearly) just made it harder to think period. Happened after I moved off the coast and discovered the wonder of having four seasons. I started getting allergy shots and taking Singulair. I didn't realize how bad it was until I was treated, and realized how much I'd been in a haze.

This isn't some magic wand solution, I give it less than half odds since there is SO MUCH that you could be experiencing. It is just what I've got.

@Auspice I wish I'd found those doctors when I moved. Sadly I had to go for a third sort of doctor to make it work for my Fibromyalgia. I've been more fortunate with my effort to find mental health professionals.

So, I work for a Public Institution. That means I'm supposed to file for Americans with Disabilities Act (ACA) as well as Family and Medical Leave ACT (FMLA) accomodations, each of which have their own paperwork and procedures.

For either to recognize that I have Fibromyalgia I need to specifically see a Neurologist. There is some debate on which specialists are best for actually treating Fibromyalgia and Neurology is a broad field. No one near me has explicit expertise in Fibromyalgia.

Instead, I found a person specialized in arthritis who was willing to nod his head and sign the papers and charge me for the consult. I'm required to go back and essentially pay this guy who has only the vaguest notion of my condition roughly $100 every Spring so he'll sign that year's batch of paperwork, and that is with insurance.

I see it as my disability tax. Doesn't help me get better, but keeps my work from being able to retaliate and punish me if the condition ever interferes. I've been fortunate to have a desk job, and with the accommodations I can log in remotely to do my work when having a flare up and they can't fire me over it.

@Ganymede Thank you for supporting my vocational necromancy.

@Auspice If I were in your area I would without fail. Unfortunately I live in Arkansas, not a land known for a glut of MUSHers.

Three things tend to get doctors to change their tune on mental health. There is a lot of things I could ask to customize this advice for you, but these are almost always applicable.

1. 'Have you used the DSM-5 to evaluate what I've been telling you my symptoms are? Are you trained in the DSM-5? If not, can I been seen by someone who is?'
   The DSM-5 is the diagnostic criteria for mental disorders, fifth edition. The one currently in use everywhere, and the one off which all doctors have to demonstrate a patient's medical needs.

2. 'I've reported my symptoms to you and stated the care I'm seeking. You've refused to provide me help for what I am seeking help with. I would like you to put your refusal into writing, if you're really going to tell me no again.'
   By putting it in writing, a doctor risks malpractice if your situation is ever reviewed. They know that. Many fold when this comes up, but a few will get erratic. If they get erratic, MAYBE they were not a good person to be seeing in the first place. I realize you may not have a choice with your insurance situation, whatever it is.

3. 'This condition is threatening my ability to do my work. I've spoken with an attorney who handles disability claims, and I will need a copy of all medical records you have on file along with your choice not to treat me. If I can manage to keep my job, great, but if I lose it because of this I need full documentation.'
   Attorneys who handle such claims pro-bono can be found in every state. They do indeed require your full medical records related to the condition you're seeking disability for, so this is an accurate description of your situation. Saying you've spoken to one isn't accurate as of today, but you could easily fix that.

I sincerely wish you luck and hope you get the care you need.

@Auspice As someone who has both allergies and ADHD and a few bonus things going on, would you like some advice on how to manage the doctor? I wish I didn't have experience, but...

I have experience.

@Wretched I've heard it is good practice to wait at least a month before stacking on a new med, but I had no idea about the cannabis thing. That is interesting, I'll have to keep it in mind if I'm ever in a state where I have the option.

I'm also super happy for you. Sounds like you're doing fantastic things for yourself!

I'm on my 4th day with actual meds. It took this long from the start of the thread to get to where I was aiming, and now I'm just sort of learning how it impacts me.

First big observation is, without the meds, I've been drinking coffee for months now like it was all that sustained me. It didn't give me energy, it didn't get my blood pumping, it just keep me from being unfocused.

The meds moved my baseline. What I used to need copious quantities of coffee to do, I get within 30 minutes of taking my pill in the morning.

That was expected, right? That is what the meds are SUPPOSED to do. Hell, my baseline is even a bit crisper. I feel ever so slightly more aware.

Then I had coffee while on the meds, because habits. Holy shit. I have NEVER gotten a coffee buzz in my life, but I now understand how coffee works for ordinary people. I wasn't jittering and seeing through time, I wasn't being one of those ten cups a day people, I just had one large dark roast. But man, it was like the difference between a regular processor and suddenly discovering there is an overclock setting. I processed things faster, I was more alert, I was able to keep my train of thought even when it wound into knots and remember where I started. I wasn't suddenly immune to making mistakes, I still had the minor blunders most people have of saying the wrong word or remembering a detail inaccurately, but my recovery was quicker.

The first day I combined the two I was a chatterbox. Wife said I never talk that much, it blew her away, and I wasn't just talking to talk either. I was addressing things that needed to be addressed and it was all relevant, just more than she anticipated. That only happened the first day, I'm no longer all chattering, but wow.

The second thing I've noticed is I notice more. Here is an example: I'm always vaguely aware of the process of unlocking my car and getting inside. Now, I'm aware of myself inserting the key into the slot and the general level of resistance. How hard I turned the key when I unlocked it. The mental choice to keep the keys in my hand because I need them once I sit down inside the car. It wasn't something where I was suddenly honed in on this key-ignition process like the rest of the world was drowned out, I just noticed myself doing it... More. There have been MANY times I've space-cadet through that process and put my keys into a pocket as I was getting into my car, only to have to dig them back out two seconds later. I don't think that will happen anymore.

That doesn't extend to things I already paid attention to myself doing. It is just the rote things being less rote. Regular tasks that require attention and focus, where I applied attention and focus pre-meds are working out to be... Pretty much exactly the same. With the caveat that the whole stacking coffee on top of meds does make it easier to get done a little faster.

I havn't yet noticed any difference in how much I retain for information. Memorization was always my bane in school. I'm less than one week in, but that is one of those things people report getting better. Maybe I'll notice more of a difference after a month or two has passed. Similarly my mind still goes all over. I hear some people say the medication takes a multitrack mind and puts all the stuff on one track. I really don't feel that way, but I do feel like switching tracks is more of a choice. Less like I can't help my distractions, more like I acknowledge them and decide whether to pursue them.

I realize this falls under bringing a thread back from the dead, but this is something I wanted to share from the beginning. I was frankly scared of if the meds would make me a different person, cause me some sort of zombie mode, but so far it is a positive experience. Not a magical cure-all, but positive. I'm glad I went through this bit of soul searching and pursued it.

So when this thread started, was around when I started seeing a therapist at a local center once a month. They verified my ADHD and I've been talking to them about my situation ever since. That first session they decided it was warranted to apply to get me medication.

Long story short, I'm level 3 (the lowest priority) and have not yet been seen by the doctor that can actually medicate me. The request expired from their system and had to be added back in. Despite my hopes I'd experience life with something to assist me through these hurdles months ago, I no longer have any idea when they'll get around to assisting me.

Have others experienced this rope-a-dope of diagnosis with deferred assistance?

Sigil, but instead of D&D it is BESM.

@Sparks Despite being called the Project Management Institute, I'm not sure they have!

One of them is a course towards PMP certification, project management professional.

They stipulate you need to outline the projects you've worked on.

They stipulate the projects are supposed to be sequential. As in, one project ends BEFORE the next one starts.

I did it again.

Took on roughly a half dozen major projects more than any sane person could do.

Now I'm seeing how long I can juggle them before everything collapses, and I have to say, I beat my previous record.

@HorrorHound said in The ADD/ADHD Thread (cont'd from Peeves):

More certs. DO ALL THE CERTS.

Buy some Hackathon packages, do mixtapes of OSHA Certs and IS Certs! Do them all. Feed the bees.

I have so many half finished certs. SO MANY

For reasons, I'm studying the way our body handles changes of diet on a neurophysiological level. I found the below study today that sort of shocked me.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4790398/

The TL;DR is that our body can ACTIVELY HATE US when we diet, making us depressed. This is one of those knowledge is power things, where once you know what your body is doing you can put in place a plan to counteract it.

If I'm reading this study right though, that is a short term response. Long term it trends the opposite direction if you maintain the caloric restrictions.

@Arkandel said in RL things I love:

I have people I eat

I love taking things out of context for comedic value, just so long as the people involved know it is in good humor.

I shared this thread with Mrs. Selerik and she sends a bunch of hugs too. She relates to some of these stories as well, the one about setting timers and reminders really stood out to her because she does the same and thought that was what normal people do. She realized she doesn't actually know if that is normal or not.

@Wretched