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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Janelle on April 2, 2002, at 15:40:26
nfm
Posted by IsoM on April 2, 2002, at 22:06:46
In reply to ISO M - please read my note on admin board!, posted by Janelle on April 2, 2002, at 15:40:26
Janelle, I wrote some on PB Admin, but here's a little more. In one of your comments, you wrote:
"Not only does this happen - constant, racing, INTRUSIVE thoughts that steer me away from being able to focus on even the simplest things (a tv program, reading a magazine, never mind trying to read medical info from the Net), but I have become absent-minded and forgetful, two things I NEVER am when I'm feeling *well* - I'm extremely organized, careful, methodical. It is very upsetting to have *lost* this (temporarily, I hope)."
Ah, but that's what I'm like normally - really! One of my sons used to think I was an organised person. I asked him to look around. Did he really think I could organise things well? He said he'd thought I was because I spent so much time trying to keep things organised. I told him what other people can do effortlessly, without even thinking about it, I need to channel all my concentration & effort on NOT to DISorganise so fast.
My thoughts are intrusive only in the sense that they're bothersome because I'm trying to think or do other things instead. My mind feels like a container of popcorn being popped. Thoughts, like kernels of corn, are bouncing around randomly inside my head. Concentrating can be very exhausting for me. Only when I'm hyperfocusing does it become effortless & then I become oblivious to other things happening around me.
There's some posts here that I can't read, interesting or not, because it's all in one long paragraph - no breaks. I blank out. If there's an article that's I want to read that's long or in difficult format or has a fancy patterned background, I have to copy & paste it into a word document & reformat it before I can read it. I need to break it into smaller readable paragraphs.
Adrafinil helps a lot with these problems, but nothing will ever help 100%. I've learned to develop strategies for accomodating myself to different environments & situations. I've been fairly successful as most people don't realise there's anything strange about me.
At university, I used these strategies while note-taking, listening, & studying. My profs were impressed with my study habits but I told them it came from coping with life normally for me.
I do wish I could use my potential fully though. But I've learned that many other people are also hindered from reaching their potential too from various problems. I'm hardly unique.
Posted by Janelle on April 2, 2002, at 23:22:50
In reply to My Reply on admin board » Janelle, posted by IsoM on April 2, 2002, at 22:06:46
IsoM:
I'll get over to admin soon (my internet provider was down yesterday so I have a lot to catch up on here first!), but I want to respond to some of what you described about your intrusive thoughts:
First, I'd like to say that I'm usually so WELL organized that friends and family frequently comment on it, compliment me, and wonder how I am able to do it "effortlessly" so being in this chaotic, disorganized frame of mind is very upsetting to me.
Okay, now I'll do the insert method to respond to some things you wrote:
>My thoughts are intrusive only in the sense that they're bothersome because I'm trying to think or do other things instead. My mind feels like a container of popcorn being popped. Thoughts, like kernels of corn, are bouncing around randomly inside my head. Concentrating can be very exhausting for me. Only when I'm hyperfocusing does it become effortless & then I become oblivious to other things happening around me.
You have a WONDERFUL way with words - mind feeling like a container of popcorn being popped, with thughts like kernels of corn, etc. PERFECT description. Everything you've said here describes my current cognitive state, which is NOT the *norm* for me.
> There's some posts here that I can't read, interesting or not, because it's all in one long paragraph - no breaks. I blank out.
Me too! I can't read the long, non-paragraphed posts either! What I was describing as feeling overwhelmed, my head starting to swim, anxiety building is basically a blanking out situation. I see a long post with no paragraph breaks and I blank right out and cannot focus on it, no how, no way.
>Adrafinil helps a lot with these problems, but nothing will ever help 100%.
I've seen that name - Adrafinil - on this board - what kind of med is it? A stimulant?
Posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 3:16:26
In reply to ISO: You described exactly what I feel!! » IsoM, posted by Janelle on April 2, 2002, at 23:22:50
Adrafinil is the generic name of Olmifon, a med that can only be gotten in Europe (I order it on-line). It's closely related to Provigil (modafinil). In fact, one of the main metabolites (what the liver breaks down drugs into) of adrafinil is modafinil. They're grouped as stimulants but not in the way normal stimulants work.
Those are the only two drugs in a new class of medication called eugeroics, meaning "good arousal". Their mode of action's not clearly understood as they don't seem to target specific neurotransmitters but do seem to boost over-all brain metabolism.
It's still a mystery how they work. All I can say for a certainty is, adrafinil works very well for me. The "popcorn's still popping", but not as wildly when I take adrafinil & the "bar of soap" is a little easier to hold on to.
Posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 3:29:34
In reply to ISO: You described exactly what I feel!! » IsoM, posted by Janelle on April 2, 2002, at 23:22:50
I find adrafinil to be nicely calming while also being stimulating. The idea that somwthing could keep me alert while calm was extraordinary. For me, it's always been:
calm = almost falling asleep
alert = wired, a little tense & jittery
No more!
Posted by Penny on April 3, 2002, at 8:41:51
In reply to My Reply on admin board » Janelle, posted by IsoM on April 2, 2002, at 22:06:46
> I've learned to develop strategies for accomodating myself to different environments & situations. I've been fairly successful as most people don't realise there's anything strange about me.
>
> At university, I used these strategies while note-taking, listening, & studying. My profs were impressed with my study habits but I told them it came from coping with life normally for me.Iso,
Would you mind sharing some of these strategies? I too have problems with focusing while studying, listening to lectures, etc.
I'm extremely disorganized -- I tell people that I can't catagorize things b/c I have a problem seeing the 'logical' connections between them that some others might see. I'm getting better, especially since getting out of college, but still usually end up with a 'miscellaneous' file/pile if I try to organize anything.
Now I'm attempting to go back to school, but it's proving more challenging that I anticipated. Haven't really discussed any of this with my pdoc, as I have been so focused lately on getting out of my depression.
>
> I do wish I could use my potential fully though. But I've learned that many other people are also hindered from reaching their potential too from various problems. I'm hardly unique.Is this not the MOST frustrating thing to you? It's like knowing you have this potential inside of you, but never being able to fully unleash it. I understand completely.
Thanks!
Penny
Posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 13:01:29
In reply to Sorry to intrude... » IsoM, posted by Penny on April 3, 2002, at 8:41:51
Penny, obviously you want to organise better, so to do so, people like us need to put far more thought & effort into doing so, but it does pay off. Preparation before classes is very important & I'd try to be prepared from the night before so I didn't need to do a mad rush just before classes.
PREPARATION:
For profs that follow the text books (even if only slightly), I'd talk to them after my first class, explaining my situation & asking for their cooperation. I'd make sure that I sat in class where I was fairly close to the front so as not to be too distracted from others. I'd have my text open to the section that the notes & lectures were being taken from that day, have a few markers handy (no more than 3 or it became confusing to me - too much colour) & my note paper ready before lecture began. (Nothing like digging about for my stuff as the lecture started, feeling panicky & missing what was said at first.)TWO SIDE NOTES:
When I'm really interested in something, I tend to hyperfocus & can multi-task well.I'd take in the info presented through 3 channels - auditory (listening), visually (reading notes on blackboard & material in text), & kinetically (through my writing the notes into my papers). This all served to reinforce the info by different brain pathways.
METHOD OF NOTE TAKING:
1. In the margins of my notes, I'd write the page number where the info was taken from in the text, so I could refer back to it for clarification when needed, not having to search through the text to find it.
2. I also segregated the info into the 3 colours, underlinING text in my books by this colour code, helping me seperate the info into categories for my benefit.3. I found that writing notes in my own modified Harvard-style format was the most organised for my brain. Leaving line spaces between blocks of info is good too. Title subcategories appropriately.
4. After classes, at home if not too exhausted, I'd reread the material over with both text & notes open to refer back & forth in.
5. If able to in your classes, pose questions now & then, asking for clarification on uncertain points.
INFO ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT UNIVERSITY FOR YOU:
I also chose my university carefully. I'd rather use a smaller college than the large universities with lots of prestige. The class sizes are smaller, the profs are more accesible & helpful, & questions raised in class are welcomed (as long as they're not endless). If the profs don't receive some feedback from their students, they're not sure whether what's taught is understood or not, so they were happy when I asked questions for clarification. Wouldn't work in the large classes where there's 200-300 students & the prof is this tiny figure on the farway podium.Lastly, sleep & more sleep. It's the best brain booster there is. If you're over-tired (& all students get that way a certain amount), all your strategies go down the drain without enough sleep. You can't stick the new stuff into long-term memory without sleep.
Any other questions welcomed from Prof. IsoM Study-Hard. ;-)
Posted by Zo on April 3, 2002, at 17:25:38
In reply to Strategies: long but organised answer :-) » Penny, posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 13:01:29
Posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 17:52:43
In reply to You know Dawna Markova's work? (nm) » IsoM, posted by Zo on April 3, 2002, at 17:25:38
Posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 18:04:53
In reply to No, but now I'm curious. Will look it up (nm) » Zo, posted by IsoM on April 3, 2002, at 17:52:43
I did look her up & see that she deals with developing different strategies for business executives. But I'm not sure what the relationship between Dawna Markova & my previous post was meant to be. Want to explain?
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