r/adhdwomen • u/ibelongto_thestars • 1d ago
Celebrating Success I’m going to be on TV discussing my late term ADHD experience
I was a patient in a non-ADHD vaccine trial when I met the medical director over the study. Very friendly guy and well known in New Orleans as the lead physician on a local news station. We got to talking about all my diagnoses, including ADHD, and how I got it so late in life. He listened as I discussed my frustrations, how it’s impacted me, how it shaped and molded the person I am today, and is a lifelong endeavor of getting to understand myself in this new perspective (how to organize my life in ways that make sense for me) moving forward.
Turns out he’s actually on THE panel of physicians in the US that dictate diagnosis criteria and he’s wanting to make major waves about bringing attention to this topic. He’s developed new ADHD medications and is a big voice in the cause of women receiving late term diagnoses due to the criteria having very limited scope in what all actually encompasses ADHD. He asked me if I’d be interested in interviewing about this topic, and I enthusiastically said yes. That was months ago, so I was shocked when he texted yesterday to schedule for today. I came into the studio, we had a fantastic discussion, and before I went to leave he briefed me on what to expect (how they’d probably snip and clip parts of the interview for production so it wouldn’t be the exact interview). As he said this, the woman that had filmed us indicated that the news station thinks this topic and my story are important to tell. She said as she listened to my story, it struck a cord with her because she had a similar experience going through school/life and it made her interested in pursuing getting tested.
They decided they want to intertwine my story with the work he’s doing to push for change on diagnostic criteria. I’ll be filming more with them sometime soon, and they’ll also be interviewing the head physician of that committee he’s on. Admittedly this was an exciting experience, but what matters most to me is the potential impact it could have on other women who may not realize that this applies to them too. I hope people feel seen, and feel a sense of hope towards getting answers.
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u/Reggies_Mom 1d ago
This is amazing!! Thank you for representing us- diagnosed last year at 37F here, and man does my life make more sense now!
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u/euroflower 1d ago
I second this! Nice to know someone from here is in a position to share our stories <3
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u/skite456 1d ago
Hi neighbor! I’m in the FQ. When will this air so I can watch?!
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u/ibelongto_thestars 1d ago
Hey friend!! They want to do some more shooting - I’m not sure when they’ll be able to interview the head of the committee but I think they want to schedule the rest of my clips within the next month. As soon as I find out, I promise I’ll follow up so you/the group can watch!
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u/lilac_roze 1d ago
Can you ask them if they’ll upload the interview(s) onto YouTube and if yes and you feel comfortable, can you please share??
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u/ibelongto_thestars 1d ago
Absolutely friend. I’ll share the interview with our group - the message is important and if there’s any particularly group I wanted to share it with, it’s ours here ♥️
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u/BenignEgoist 1d ago
If the segment becomes available online anywhere for non locals please share links!
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u/Mindless-Ad123 1d ago
Congrats! Thank you for representing and validating every person that suffered needlessly from being undiagnosed!
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u/CaptainLollygag 1d ago
THANK YOU!! Thank you for candidly discussing your difficulties. Thank you for doing this in order to benefit others. Thank you in advance for sharing a link to the broadcast, if it's available. Thank you for caring more about promoting information than about your anonymity on Reddit.
Thank you to that doctor for really listening to you. Thank you to that doctor for knowing when the right time to follow-up with you was, and doing it. And a huge extra thank you to that doctor for being open to adding to the diagnostic criteria - the official criteria, not just for his own patients.
If it's possible, could you work in how much menopause, specifically, can change our ADHD symptoms? When I really needed that information I couldn't find much at all, so it's clearly not being talked about enough, either. My dx came at age 53. If you want some personal details for your story, DM me. I don't need credit, and just want to help get the knowledge out there so fewer women have to struggle as long as many of us did. (There is a dearth of common knowledge about menopause, too. So many soapboxes.)
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u/COREYHEBERTMD 6h ago
Menopause changes everything when it comes to ADHD we found that hormones monthly also play a big role on how you respond to medication so that’s something to be discussed. I think maybe we need to start a podcast about this…..
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u/emerald_sunshine 1d ago
Congrats! I’d love to watch it. Please share a link when it’s available! 🙏
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u/AstronautDesperate33 1d ago
once it’s aired, can you post a link to the interview in this sub? I would love to hear more about your experience. Thank you for the representation!
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u/Empty_Platypus6449 1d ago
It's so satisfying to make connections and have an engaging conversation with someone who is interested in hearing about your experience and your point of view. This is above and beyond that level.
I really love how you told this story. You're a good writer, and the story you told just kept getting better!
I love this so much. Congratulations!
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u/CautiousOutside466 1d ago
wwltv, grew up with that! amazing, would love to see the interview if it's available online!
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u/highcoolteacher 1d ago
I begged my parents to have me tested as a teenager, but nooooo. I can’t have adhd because my brother has it, and I do ok in school. Started taking meds at 31.
Adderall changed my life
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u/McKrauty 1d ago
Fantastic! I wish I was local to New Orleans, I would throw a watch party when it airs!
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u/earlgreybubbletea 1d ago
What an amazing opportunity! I hope this gets the attention needed to make a real change in the diagnostic criteria.
Because women’s symptoms (especially in childhood) are so different we do not get diagnosed earlier on in life. And when we try to get a diagnosis later in life it is seen as a red flag because we were not diagnosed earlier.
I had to get a neuropsychological examination to confirm the initial diagnosis (the usual adhd questionnaire) to objectively measure and quantify my adhd symptoms.
But not everyone has that luxury to spend the 2-3k and having an HSA to fund it. A change in the diagnostic criteria is critical and there is a huge unmet need.
This needs to go in parallel also in efforts to reduce harm and abuse from individuals that are fucking up the system for the rest of us. I’m tired of being seen as a potential drug abuser and those that do abuse it need to be stopped.
I am not sure what would be the best path forward to both expand the diagnosis to meet the unmet need while also restricting it to those that use it recreationally. Ideally having some form of “biomarker” would be the best solution but I am unsure if science is there yet.
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u/Dragonslayer-5641 1d ago
Awesome - pls let us know when it airs! I was diagnosed at 48, so this really resonates with me.
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u/PeachTree383 1d ago
This is incredible! What an amazing connection you made through the doctor to now be able to share your experience with so many. ❤️
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u/McKrauty 1d ago
Fantastic! I wish I was local to New Orleans, I would throw a watch party when it airs!
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u/VisualKaii AuDHD 1d ago
Congratulations!! That's so exciting and incredible! I cannot wait to see this! This is going to really change how ADHD is viewed, and bring in more attention.
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u/scodiddlyosis 14h ago
This is HUGE! I certainly hope you are extremely pleased with yourself for doing this!
F, 55, diagnosed at 53 after struggling my whole life.
I have a theory that we are not the minority modern society thinks we are. Modern society just doesn't know how to measure it because we do not fit into the capitalist model.
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