Living with ADHD

I sustained a brain injury following a snowmobile accident 4 years ago. Over a period of 10 months I no longer was able to work as a registered nurse. Progressively I was unable to function adequately in my daily acitivities of living. I was disorganized, forgetful, emotionally unstable, once a social butterfly I spent most of my days at home and in my room. During this time period 2 of my 3 children were diagnosed with ADD and learning impairments. I thought I was the ‘tree of the bearer of fruit’ and therefore insisted I be tested.

Two psychologists put me through 15 hours of testing. This was in March of this year. Sure, ADD and learning disabilities were found but the real problem was a frontal lobe and temporal lobe impairment. I was soooo angry. The medical field totally missed me. I hit was projected off the back of the snowmobile which was travelilng at speed of approx. 90 km/hr and the only part of my body that hit the ice was my head!!! at an impact of approx. 50km/hr. I was training for a marathon at the time and therefore I was quite fit. My muscles held my bones in place. My partner had 7 fractured ribs, shattered clavicle (collarbone), and a fractured pelvis. Spend 5 days in the hospital and I was diagnosed with a 3rd degree neck sprain. The muscle spasms were horrible.

When I no longer could function at work I ended up on the psych floor for 2 months where I was given 7 ECT treatments, treated for bipolar illness and depression. Here all along I had a ‘head injury’!!! Last July I woke up with pins and needles down my right arm. I told my doctor. She told me it was ‘anxiety’!! Only in my right arm??? Anyway, in December I landed in the hospital, put on psych again!! but the reason was for pain management. I wanted my right arm cut off the pain was so bad. After 2100mg of Gabapentin and mega doses of Dilaudid *6-7 times stronger than morphine, I still had pain. A MRI was done which showed degenerative changes to my C4,5,6,7, and T1 vertabrae and compression of the C6,C7 nerve roots.

I had neck surgery in April for an ‘impinged’ C7 nerve root from bone growth in the area where the root goes through the vertabrae. Part of the disc was removed due to buldging. I have been told in 2-5 years I most likely will require a surgery from the front of my neck to remove 2 discs and put in a plate and screws to fuse the vertabrae…and this is from arthritic changes due in part from the accident. The dilaudid was absolutely horrible to get off. I have never been addicted to anything…never wanted to be that out of control! I was ‘physically’ addicted to the stuff.

Anyway, to make a long story short is one of my children, who is 19 (was tested to be at a grade 6 reading level, dyslexic, and attentive ADD (totally fell through the cracks of the public school system), failed her first year university and when her younger sister was tested to be at a grade 3/4 reading level, phonologic dyslexia, math disorder, and ADD…I insisted the 19 year old be tested at the university and sure enough…she uses Ritalin just for school and went from a 35% in Biology to an 84%!! Recieved a 10,000 dollar study grant and uses the Kurzwell software…the younger sibling who is 16 has tried Ritalin however she says she is too ’strungout’ on it and will be seeing a specialist soon. She has watched her older sister improve and wants an opportunity to live life like that too. What she really wants is to improve like her mother, me, has since starting on Strattera early May. What a difference!!!

My children say I am an 8 out of 10 improved. I notice a significant improvement. Before Strattera I would be in the grocery store for over 3 hours, unless, my children would call me and ‘prompt’ me to shift to leaving the store. I had problems with agnosia, forgot every appt., would set out to a store and end up at other places, loose my car in a parking lot, so disorganized, could not remember what I had for breakfast, so overwhelmed by noon and exhausted that I would stay in my room, my emotions were all over the map, I struggled to pack my own suitcase or prepare a meal, so easily frustrated!!!! I felt so hopeless and was dealing with constant suicidal thoughts.

Strattera has given me hope that I perhaps may be able to return to my profession which I am so passionate about, nursing. I am realistic that I may not be able to return in the capacity I was before the accident, but in someway I hope to. Initially, I started on 40mg of Strattera and I was told it may take a couple weeks before I noticed a difference. 4 days and I and my family noticed positive results! I did have problems with insomnia but that has passed since I take it in the am now. I also struggle with ‘no appetite’ and consciously have to make a point of eating. In addition, I went to Emerg once for a rapid heart beat, 160 beats but by the time they took an ECG my heart beat slowed down. I had no other symptoms but a rapid heart beat which litterly ‘moved my body back and forth’.

The physician thinks it may be due to Strattera and if it happens again he wants me to seek medical assistance immediately and have another ECG. If I have to go off Strattera I would be soooo upset. Also, it was so expensive…340 dollars a month to be on 80mg a day. As of July 1st it is now covered in Saskatchewan!!! I guess I just wanted to let people know some of ‘our’ success story.I am all about using ‘natural’ methods to treat all kinds of physical and mental impairments. However, Strattera is one medication which has given me hope.