Itchy

Hello and Happy New Year! I'm getting back into my routine after 12 days off from my day job, sadly none of which were spent in a vegetative state watching Law & Order, despite my best intentions.

I want to talk to you about sheets.

I understand that a great number of ADDers are fussy about their fabrics. Some people can't stand having a tag in the back of their shirt, some people can't wear wool, etc. Jen can only tolerate her clothes being washed with All Free & Clear detergent, which has no dyes or fragrances.

A couple of weeks ago, Wal-Mart had a sale on Cheer Free & Gentle detergent. It's nearly the exact same product as its competitor All, which we've been using for years. I washed the bed sheets with the new Cheer and put them back on the bed.

That night, well past midnight, Jen woke me up.

"Did you second rinse these?!"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Because they itch!"

"How could that be?"

"What did you do? I can't sleep!"

"I don't know. Could it have been the Cheer?"

"It must have been. Whatever, I need new sheets."

"What, now? You can't make it through one night?"

"No. I'm itchy. Where are the summer sheets?"

And the next night...

"Erin, I'm freezing. Where is the fleece blanket?"

"What? It's two in the morning."

"I don't care, we've got these summer sheets on the bed and I'm freezing."

And the next night...

"Erin, wake up. Something on this bed is making me itch. I think it's the fleece blanket. Let's take it off and just put on an extra comforter."

And the next...

"I'M SO HOT! How can you be asleep? I need to take all the sheets off and start over."

Mind you, this all started because I bought Cheer instead of All. I could sleep on a pile of broken glass with a burlap sack for a blanket and be just fine. But I'm lucky if Jen can go three nights in a row without needing to change the sheets in the middle of the night. If it's not the detergent, it's the temperature, or the usual  culprit, the sheets not being tucked in properly.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Comments

[Chris 'CT' Thomas]

re: Itchy... Maybe not the exact sheet problem, but super sensitive skin and the experience of itchy scratchy... you bet. Cheer Free and gentle has been the rule in our house for years... also an investment in a reeeeeally good washing machine that does a great job with the rinse cycle. But given Jen's lab-rat testing of Cheer vs. All... maybe we should switch brands?

As for my #1 all-time drive-me-nuts irritant: White Noise in the office. OMG it used to totally destroy me! It was one of the things that helped clue me in to my ADD at age 47.

Bottom line, whatever it is that annoys you, no matter how insignificant or minor it seems to most people, as an ADDer, it is so hard (impossible) to ignore it and "just go back to sleep." No way. It's like a fly buzzing in your ear or a big rock in your shoe. Can't be ignored, gotta fix it!

So have mercy on your ADD loved one. It's just one of those unavoidable foibles of the ADD mind.

[Chris 'CT' Thomas]

re; Itchy

p.s.
And oh, yes, Yes, YES! Sheets MUST be tucked tight, as high up the sides as possible!!!