Recent forum posts (all topics)

I apologies in advance for this, but I needed to vetn somewhere and find advice or experience or something.

As some may be aware of they're loved ones who deal with ADD everyday also deal w/ a history of drug addiction or a very bad driving record...and other attached side effects...for my loved one the driving was out of control....We have our daily battles with the ADD as the 'norm' these days but he has done wonderfully in so many other aspects of his life and now it seems like it could come to a screeching halt...

This seems to be a bit up and down for us and I have a question about this based on my husband's last coaching appt.  First a bit of background.

In discovering that he had a diagnosis of ADD, we worked together very much.  We discussed why we both thought there was a problem.  He definitely thought *something was wrong* with him, and after some time of avoiding it, he did the research and came out saying he thought it was ADD.

Ok.. I've got something I need some help and feedback on. My husband and I have been married 11 years, together for 13. We only learned about a year ago he's got ADHD, and he's medicated now.

I often read on this forum, and sometimes feel myself, that the nonADD spouse has to make lots of changes to accommodate the ADD spouse.  In fact, I have read on numerous occasions, statements from the nonADD spouse that express frustration that they are making ALL the changes.

Well, this morning, my wife reverted to an old habit - she made a noise that I find really annoying, which she stopped doing months ago.  (I had told her it was a really "disgusting" noise, and she agreed, and she worked to change that habit.)

I've been reading through these forums tonight and seeing a lot of consistent things. Many of them echo the same things that my wife (non ADD) and I (ADD) deal with on a regular basis. We've been married for 14 years and have worked through many issues including her frustration with me and my ADD. I realized tonight what one of the biggest causes of friction is when we get in an argument and I see the the same thing through other posts. It has to do with how we respond to my forgetting to do something that was asked of me.

.....I see so much hurt and despair and miscommunication and hope fallen apart etc...I too go through these up's and down's on a regular basis w/ my loved one. It's difficult to hold on to hope when things go well and 48 hrs later they are going back down again and then 72 hrs later you're back up again...if there was ever a roller coaster that made my head spin it's the one that I ride with my fiancé by my side. He is diagnosed with ADD and is 30 years old and we are working through a lot but not giving up either.

It's funny, I haven't been on this site in quite a while.  I remember someone on here once saying that only people who are miserable come on here...those whose spouse won't get help...etc.  And my husband decided to stop his meds last week and I'm back to being hurt and miserable.  I don't want to be dramatic....meds help him a good bit, but I didn't realize how much until he stopped them.  He's back in his own little world, less sensitive, more rude and mean to me, more impulsive, less self control.  I'm shocked at how much the meds effected him.  Problem is, he's still not 100% convince

So, it occurs to me that my communication style is to ask lots of questions.  I do that for a couple of reasons, the two primary ones being:

1.  As an introvert, I tend to ask more questions, and so talk less, and listen more.

2.  As someone in the helping profession, my training has been to practice "active" listening, which includes asking "clarifying questions" in order to make sure I understand what the other is saying and/or feeling.

I fell like it is so hard to have even the simplest conversations with my wife, and it has become so frustrating. 

An example from last night:

Me, as we are about to watch a recorded TV show:  One more show and then bed?

Her, referring to the fact that it's a little earlier than our usual bedtime:  Oh good.  I can go in early tomorrow.

Me, wondering what time she will be getting up in the morning:  Oh, what time do you need to leave?

Her:  I don't need to leave at any time.

I experienced a lack of climax during most of my marriage.  I had a difficult time tuning out the romantic music that my wife would put on before love making.  I did not understand that it was ADD, since I did not get my dx until after our divorce.  Physical intimacy and love were two separate entities inside of my head.  Do any other men share this experience?