Discrimination
Got my first taste of discrimination this past week.
I was quite pleased with myself as to how I addressed it. I kept remembering the saying,
"it's not your hill to die on." LOL, but the more I thought about it the more irritated I got.
I went off to summer camp with my son. I had been drinking a lot of gatorade and salty foods, so, I thought that I'd go by the first aid station and check my blood pressure. The man inside was nice enough, got out the BP kit, and asked me if I was taking any medications.
Maybe I should have lied.
I told him, yes. I was taking a CNS stimulant. He gets a disgusted look on his face and asks, "what for" I told him for ADHD.. More disgust... He asks how long have I had ADHD.
I respond I guess since I was about 6 or so, at least that's when I began having problems..
Increasing disgust... I finally smiled and said , "why do I have the feeling that you don't believe me?"
He then replied that all that stuff was a big rip off and it was a tool for companies to get rich off of. I didn't need that stuff..
I just calmly smiled, said we all have our beliefs about things, and let it drop.
I thought that, when I left, it was probably good that I was on medication that day. I would have not had that self control and most likely would have just gone off on him....
I did fume about it a little later... I was so glad to have another trusted adult on the trip to vent to. She confirmed to me that the guy was a total um, "donkey" ( ok that's not the word she used, but I just cant make myself type the A word, LOL)
I have been so blessed to be surrounded by people that recognize the reality of ADHD as a disorder! No one puts me down or thinks less of me because I do things differently.. I really hope that one day I can do the organizational and behavioral changes on my own without the help of medication.. But for right now, it is a tool that I need.
I have tried ALL of MY LIFE to keep the house clean, to work efficiently at work, to be a good mom.. The meds help me do those things. It's a tool. It makes me more aware of what I'm doing so that I can make positive changes.
You know, I like that fact that my son has stopped saying "you never listen!"
I like the fact that I am not tied up in knots at the end of the day because of the sheer mental stress of doing the things that others take for granted.
I like that fact that I cook dinner nearly every night.
I like the fact that peace and calmness reside in my mind rather than chaos.
I am not stoned, addicted to chemicals, or being ripped off by some big pharm conspiracy. ( ok, maybe a little ripped off, methylphenidate is pretty expensive!)
I drink less alcohol, ( I used to have a glass of wine to calm down a couple of times a week.), I am more even tempered, and I am happier than I have ever been in my life.
I REFUSE to let some backwoods country doctor tell me what an idiot I am for taking something that is helping me be a functional, productive member of society!!
Whew!! There is my rant for the day.
I was quite pleased with myself as to how I addressed it. I kept remembering the saying,
"it's not your hill to die on." LOL, but the more I thought about it the more irritated I got.
I went off to summer camp with my son. I had been drinking a lot of gatorade and salty foods, so, I thought that I'd go by the first aid station and check my blood pressure. The man inside was nice enough, got out the BP kit, and asked me if I was taking any medications.
Maybe I should have lied.
I told him, yes. I was taking a CNS stimulant. He gets a disgusted look on his face and asks, "what for" I told him for ADHD.. More disgust... He asks how long have I had ADHD.
I respond I guess since I was about 6 or so, at least that's when I began having problems..
Increasing disgust... I finally smiled and said , "why do I have the feeling that you don't believe me?"
He then replied that all that stuff was a big rip off and it was a tool for companies to get rich off of. I didn't need that stuff..
I just calmly smiled, said we all have our beliefs about things, and let it drop.
I thought that, when I left, it was probably good that I was on medication that day. I would have not had that self control and most likely would have just gone off on him....
I did fume about it a little later... I was so glad to have another trusted adult on the trip to vent to. She confirmed to me that the guy was a total um, "donkey" ( ok that's not the word she used, but I just cant make myself type the A word, LOL)
I have been so blessed to be surrounded by people that recognize the reality of ADHD as a disorder! No one puts me down or thinks less of me because I do things differently.. I really hope that one day I can do the organizational and behavioral changes on my own without the help of medication.. But for right now, it is a tool that I need.
I have tried ALL of MY LIFE to keep the house clean, to work efficiently at work, to be a good mom.. The meds help me do those things. It's a tool. It makes me more aware of what I'm doing so that I can make positive changes.
You know, I like that fact that my son has stopped saying "you never listen!"
I like the fact that I am not tied up in knots at the end of the day because of the sheer mental stress of doing the things that others take for granted.
I like that fact that I cook dinner nearly every night.
I like the fact that peace and calmness reside in my mind rather than chaos.
I am not stoned, addicted to chemicals, or being ripped off by some big pharm conspiracy. ( ok, maybe a little ripped off, methylphenidate is pretty expensive!)
I drink less alcohol, ( I used to have a glass of wine to calm down a couple of times a week.), I am more even tempered, and I am happier than I have ever been in my life.
I REFUSE to let some backwoods country doctor tell me what an idiot I am for taking something that is helping me be a functional, productive member of society!!
Whew!! There is my rant for the day.
posted by sher at 4:05 PM
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