Success Despite Struggling With ADHD

Dx when I was in 1st grade. So blessed to have a pediatrician on top of things... 30 years ago! Meds were great. Diagnosed (finally) a couple years later with juvenile arthritis. My parents thought maybe there was a connection or something, so for 3rd & 4th grade put me at fantastic, hippy-dippy private school and took me off med. It was great for nurturing my creativity, but I still remember how hard I struggled academically without my meds. 

Back to regular school & back on meds. Survived but still a struggle. Had horrible meltdowns at home pretty frequently until my early teens. Mostly on different methylphenidate versions and cylert. Took dexadrine for a few days when I was 16. I've been a substance abuse counselor for over 5 years. When clients ask if I've ever done drugs I day no because I never want to feel like I did on dexadrine! 

I thrived in grad school. Was working on my PsyD in Clinical Psych at one point. The grad school was screwing me over so I settled for Masters in Counseling. I would love to work with children/teens with chronic illnesses teaching them alternative treatments like biofeedback and guided imagery. Have a 5 1/2 y.o. son just officially diagnosed last week. We've known since he was a toddler. Grateful every day for his beautiful disposition and didn't inherit mom's propensity for world class tantrums.