Fear of ANYTHING medical..

cormie

I made this reply to a post in AH, but thought I'd get a better response with sounder advice here

I'm scared sh*tless of anything medical. I went for a dental examination, yes, just an examination. I started feeling a bit off when I was getting examined so I had to get some water and the dentist was holding up a fan in front of my face giving me some air. lol. So I was told to book an appointment for the slot before lunch, because he'd need to spend more time with me because I'm so nervous, I went out to the receptionist and just said I'd book it another time.. I still haven't Oh, I've been eating with the left side of my mouth only for about the past 2 years because I've a hole in my lower molar on the right, so I kinda need to go.

I also went for a bloodtest one time, I was in the waiting room and I was called in, I told the nurse I usually get the blood taken from the wrist because the vein in my elbow isn't the easiest to get and I also told her I usually lie down when I'm getting it taken, she said you'll be fine, 2 mins later I was being wheeled upstairs in a wheelchair past my dad in the waiting room and a hot girl I was eyeing up before I went in to the nurse, so I was brought up with the lift to a bed upstairs to get it taken.

I had dodgy hand from falling off my bike and I went to physio, I had it bandaged up, no not a cast, just a bandage, a cotton bandage, and I started getting all lightheaded when the physio started taking it off with a scissors. It was hilarious but I just can't help it.

I've started getting nervous with everything now, anything new, I was on the tube in London for the first time just a few weeks ago and was getting nervous for no reason, then when I go on the ferry I get kinda nervous too.

I need help to overcome this somehow. I can't think of much that will help. Everyone says oh just think of something else when you're there, it doesn't help believe me. Infact I don't think anything I can do myself will be able to help. I was thinking of maybe some kind of hypnosis therapy perhaps? Has anyone had similar experiences or therapy before and how good was it? I'd like to be able to go to the doctor, dentist, surgery etc at the drop of a hat without fearing anything, is this too much to ask?

kaimera

Somewhat similar here but I'd say quite a lot of folks have some sort of phobia.

Went for innoculations a while back for work; just listening to the doc prattle on about this disease and that ****ed me over but getting the jabs was fine.

Can't stand hospitals, get anxious going in the door.

Don't talk to me about dentists.

But I go anyway, face the fear and all that. Feel grand after but still get nervous going.

As for being on the tube and stuff; could be the onset of a panic attack. Was it packed and stuffy?

homah_7ft

It does sound like your phobia is becoming more generalised. Do you think you would be able to go to your GP for a chat about it? No treatment as such. You could even ring them and ask if they could call out to see you at home. From what I know NLP has a good reputation for dealing with phobias.

Goldenquick

It sounds like you're having panic attacks cormie, I did experience them myself for a number of years, I couldn't have anyone standing behind me, couldn't go into a crowd, couldn't drink a cup of tea in front of anyone because my hand would shake, couldn't give anyone a cup of tea or I'd spill it all over them, loads more everyday things that I tried to hide from everyone, the thought of anyone looking at me brought me out in a cold sweat, I honestly don't know why. I'm over them now mostly compared to what I was but I don't know how I got over them either. Maybe you could have a word with your doctor, they are very sympathetic nowadays to things like that.

I had a couple of bad experiences with catheters, one got blocked on me once in hospital and the nurses wouldn't believe me, I thought my stomach was going to blow up. Had another bad experience with one just before a section. Quite recently also, had a bad experience with them. It puts shivers of terror through me now to think about them.

cormie

I'm ok with going to the doctor if I know it's just a cold or chest infection or whatever. I suppose it's fear of the unknown in a way. I mean if I need to get a bloodtest, I'll go in and ask them not to say anything but tell me the second it's over, once it's over I'm fine.

Then if it's something a bit more complicated, I'll ask the doc not to go into any details as this will just bring on worry and my imagination.

The tube thing, well it wasn't packed or stuffy at all, I went off peak.

It could be down to an operation I had as a young'n, I was half way through it when they wheeled me into another operating room, which was in another part of the building and I had to go outside and woke up from the anaesthetic in the fresh air. Most painful experience ever!!! Then the bloodtest thing? I think a doc I had before wanted to "test" how well I could take a needle so he kept it in me for ages, all I remember was me squirming around on the bed and screaming my head off. This is all when I was about maybe 6 or 7.

I've fainted in a hospital before when I was just visiting somebody, it was very stuffy and I fainted when my grandad started telling my dad details about my grannies operation and I just remember saying "dad I feel.. THUMP" squashed a big bouquet of flowers for my granny:o

seamus

Dunno, I've very few qualms about that. I even used to do minor "surgery" on myself when I was younger - I once removed some of a toenail that had gotten that yellow fungus crap underneath it. I very neatly removed a section of the nail with a compass and a tweezers, and scraped away all of the fungussey crap. The nail is perfect now, no sign of fungii....

craichoe

For me its anything to do with Backs.

I can't even write about it

Manual Handling Training, when they get to the bit about backs ... doov .. on the floor ..

Same in hospitals and stuff when their talking about back related stuff ..

Burst disks and the like
Ugh .. feel a bit dizzy

JuliusCaesar

You faint because your blood pressure drops. It's a paradoxical response, usually seen in blood & injury phobia. If you don't want to faint, flex your calf muscles. This may also distract you from whatever is going on! Also, if at dentist, getting blood tests taken etc, ask if they can put you in a half-lying down position - it helps with venous return and will aid the flexing-muscles. (ie your blood returning to your head from your feet) Do it sucessfully a few times and the phobia should un-generalise. These two helped me - I no longer faint at the dentist, even if I don't actively enjoy it!

LadyJ

I am almost exactly the same. I freak out on boats, planes, doctors offices, hospitals. I don't faint but my heart races and I get short of breath. Panic attack they tell me.

I go to a therapist and I know that my panic attacks are down to an overwhelming fear of death so maybe you could talk to someone about your life and what's bothering you. I know it helps me a lot.

Overheal

Start an inner dialogue with yourself: your Fear and your Reason. Like when you're sitting getting a bandage cut off you have to reassure yourself theyre just at the bandage and nothing is going to happen to you and even in the remotest chance it does you're talking about SCISSORS - it will amount to a skin scraping; there wont even be a cut!

I had to do this to myself after I had an episode at the dentists when i was 9 - they wanted to remove one of my teeth so that the jaw would set right. So Im thinking oh yay fine; anisthetic and all that - I dont even mind its jabbed in with a needle because its anisthetic!
Well anyway before I know it the dentist whore is already sticking the monkey wrench in my mouth and I knew for a fact that I never got my happy needle! I took the wrench by both hands and threw it across the room.

Yea I never had that tooth removed and now I have a misaligned lower jaw

But now though when I've gone to a dentist several times since I've made sure at the start that they are to be using an anisthetic before anything is done. After that numbness kicks in I can trust them to do pretty much whatever the hell they want in there. Even if that drill is a spine chilling skull grind

Victor

Talk to your medical professional and explain your concerns. If something is freaking you out, there are solutions available.

Procrastinating about your teeth is probably only going to make them worse.

Jackz

I need my eyes covered and an ipod in my ears for dental work, something in my head will now allow me to allow someone stick a pointy metal thing in me. I need to not see it coming and be distracted. Also having a hot female dentist makes me less likely to bolt out the door as I have many times.

Santa Claus

Jackz wrote: »

I need to not see it coming and be distracted.

Sounds like one of my ex's

On a serious note, have you tried any form of counselling or therapy for this ?
If you don't want to try that, what about asking your GP if he could prescribe you something to reduce your anxiety that you could take half an hour before you have to go to the dentist.