Day 2 & 3

Oops missed a couple of days.

The problem with ADHD and the cycle of starting medication is that for the first week, you only take 1 pill per day at the lowest dosage and 30 minutes before eating.  Since I am trying to train my body with regards to timing that will coincide with my teaching day, I am taking my pill between 6 and 6:30 am.  No big deal, right?

Ummm.....Wrong. - I'm on school holidays for Thanksgiving.  Do I really want to be waking up at 6am to take a pill then stay awake 30 minutes to eat?  Ummm....that would be a big fat NO!  But alas, I am doing it. Here's the other problem.  By the time I get truly going on one of my outstanding projects, the meds have worn off and I am distracted again. UGH!

Current side effects:  No significant side effects seen yet.  The dosage is so low, I don't feel it kick in.  I'm just suddenly able to maintain focus and at the end of the cycle, I suddenly can't maintain focus.  I have noticed the lack of appetite that others have seen while the medication is in effect.  Looking forward to being medicated 2 times per day.  Might finally drop below my plateau weight.  BONUS!

Trying to figure out next steps career-wise and academically.  Since I lost the job that I spent the last year and a half working towards, I've fallen back to the substitute pool.  Not a problem, I think I can be kept pretty busy until a permanent position can be found.  I just hope that I can be seen for the excellent elementary teacher that I was and not for the failed special education teacher that I tried to be. After the holidays, I will look into finding a different school and transferring my education.  I don't like leaving this unfinished.  Too much in my life has been left incomplete due to ADHD.

Enough on that for now.

TTFN

Day 1 - And So It Begins.....

OMG!  Took my first dose at 6:30 yesterday morning.  No discernible change, no magic "fog lifting" experience either.  I will say though that I noticed partway through the day that I could read a book without being constantly interrupted every 10 minutes with the need to look something up, check my email, or do something else.  It was actually quite enjoyable.  Since it rained almost all day yesterday, it was a good day to just stay inside and read under the covers.  

During a break in the storms yesterday evening, I managed to walk the dogs and noticed that I was visually distracted by everything.  That was the first time that I noticed that my new pharmaceutical friend had left the building.  

Looking forward to seeing what today brings.

Mark this date! It is the last day of my old life.

11/19/2014  My last day with untreated ADHD.  For people who don't know me, you might say, "Big deal."  For me, it is HUGE!

ADHD played a major part in my recently getting kicked out of my credential program when I fell too far behind academically.  Getting kicked out meant that I lost my intern teaching credential, which then meant that I lost my teaching position.

This is one of the many ways that ADHD has affected my 42 years of existence.  Tomorrow, I begin taking Methylphenidate, 10mg.  I am curious to see how it affects me.  Will I suddenly be able to walk into my kitchen and clean it without freaking out an walking out in frustration?  Will I be able to finish putting my classroom stuff away so that I can park in the garage again?  Will any of my other unfinished projects get done?  Will I be able to control my impulse spending?  More importantly, how will it affect my memory.

I have a pretty amazing recall for a lot of things.  Sometimes it is useless general knowledge trivia, Sometimes it is parts for guitars that I haven't needed for over 10 years.  This memory has gotten me a free Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, and misc. other prizes.

My final wondering on this momentous eve.....How will medication affect my social interactions?  Will I continue to be the horribly rude chick who steps on other peoples' conversations or even their sentences?  We will see tomorrow.

First pill: 6am.

Details tomorrow