aggh! distracted "driving"

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Ann T.

Ann T.

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Hi, Everyone:-)

I'd really like everyone's :twocents: on this topic. Do epilepsy medications & epilepsy itself create short attention spans, or what I call distracted "driving"? My mom became horribly irritated when I did several things @ once. I did them because they popped into my head @ that moment: I wanted oatmeal for breakfast, so I opened the oatmeal box; then, I remembered mom wanted me to call electrician, so I looked up the phone#; then I uploaded a Korean drama she enjoys, but left the oatmeal box open & phone book open. That's when mom popped her cork. I'm beginning to feel like a burden.... :-{ Thank you & take care! :-)
 
lol.... that's not epilepsy. that's aging. my friends and I all laugh about it. they say that at least I have something to blame it on... the E!

I do feel I have extra trouble with paying attention to things, though. I'm so easily distracted. Hard to remember or finish anything.
 
I think that's just a type of personality many of us have. Easily sidetracked. I am very stressed about life in general at the moment, several very important things going on, and huge project left undone at my desk because of no time. I am so sidetracked over all this, I almost had 3 accidents today in the car. I came to the conclusion that I needed to stay focused and concentrate on what I was doing, soon as I did that everything was ok.

Now where did I leave my water glass?...
 
I have some days that are just like that. But I know my patterns now, so that if the keys aren't where they're supposed to be, there are a few choice places I tend to leave them.
 
Funny this should be brought up...my neuro and i discussed this the other day because it is one of the things that really bothers me. SHe said in my case it is probably a combination of things; the E, my meds, fatigue, and "fibro fog". My guess is age doesn't help it any either :roll:
 
I was having a day like that yesterday...and I don't have E or take any meds.
:cheers:
 
I've always had a short attention span & always thought it was my meds.

Actually that's one reason I'm not in any rush to get my drivers license.
 
Lol it sounds a lot like me :D

Begining million things one after another and then forgetting about half of them... But I've always been like that. Even when I study i can't read for more than 20 mins at a time and I often switch between different courses to keep myself engaged... If I stick to one thing for too long I just tune out. When I talk to my friends I also tend to be 'all over the place' sometimes- changing topics because one thing reminds me of another and so on. My neuro said it fits ADD but the older I get, the more I am able to cope with this. I've become more organised, make lists etc. and just try to remember to finish things I begin ;)

But my mom is exactly the same. For example, she can't sit down and see a whole movie at once. She hates cinemas for that reason lol. At home when she watches a movie she will be replying to emails, talking on the phone or doing some other things at the same time (not even looking at the tv). I watch most of my movies on dvds because then I can pause whenever I need :D and I can sometimes pause a 20 minute cartoon three times and decide to do 5 other things that are not even urgent during that time. Those distracting thoughts just enter my mind and I can't concentrate on anything else if I don't do what they say... But I am aware I have this problem and as hard as it is sometimes I just try to do my best to fight being so chaotic and it does work when I make an effort. I usually do that when I am around other people but when I am alone and I don't need be 'organised' I am very all over the place...
 
I don't have Epilepsy, I don't have a short attention span, but my mind is always working, and I can have quite a few things going at once. I think it bugs my husband, but I think he would rather have a creative wife, than one that sat on the couch watching soap operas all day.

EX: I have a skirt half made on the dining room table (with sewing machine out), I have sketches here on the desk for two projects I am working on, and I have the orange press on the counter, where I just pressed a glass of fresh OJ, and I haven't cleaned up yet. I just make a good attempt to clean up before anyone gets home, so they are not put out with my "creativity".

"A creative mess is better than idle tidiness."
— Michael J. Fox
 
RobinN said:
"A creative mess is better than idle tidiness."
— Michael J. Fox
Click to expand...

Lol, so true.

+ right now I have 45 tabs open in my Opera browser and around 10 in Firefox... seeing one thing makes me look for another without finishing what I started reading.. and I leave them all open because I intend to go back and finish reading sometime.. :D
 
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Now you guys sound like my husband...I always give him a hard time about having adult add, lol.
 
When I'm talking about my short attention span, I'm talking about doing just one thing, and not being able to follow it and finish it. Right now even watching a 2 hour movie is almost impossible for me. I lose track. Or I see a bird out the window and forget what I was doing altogether.
 
Endless said:
When I'm talking about my short attention span, I'm talking about doing just one thing, and not being able to follow it and finish it. Right now even watching a 2 hour movie is almost impossible for me. I lose track. Or I see a bird out the window and forget what I was doing altogether.
Click to expand...

I am not able to follow one thing too, that's why I am constantly switching between many tasks because I can't stick to just one ;).
 
Well, maybe the meds do contribute to it. My problems driving seem to be getting worse. Yesterday I pulled out onto 4 lane divided highway wanting to go east, but went into the median when I discovered in time, thank goodness if I went east there I would be on the wrong side of the road. Had to go west and turn around. Then today I'm driving DH and stopped at a light and totally didn't see everyone's signals going the opposite direction and just sat there when I should have been driving.

Maybe it is my level of stress. I'm starting to wonder, though.
 
my answer won't do much good but i have really bad ADD, i found out the the two are sometimes associated, but usually you are distracted and ADDish before seizures start :)
 
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