Pre dental surgery anxiety flared, my IBS went crazy and I felt so so sick. My breakfast wanted to come up. And it sorta did.
“It’s just a routine thing, just a routine thing,” I muttered to myself like a mantra. But anxiety is a hell of a thing.
Sedation line went in. I breathed in and out mindfully. My fab dentist said, “Tell them turn the music up in ‘ere.”
As my consciousness drifted, I heard Justin Timberlake belting out that snazzy ‘Can’t stop the feeling.’
No time seemed to pass and the sedation Nurse was calling me. I answered, sat up, then dozed off again. Came out high as a kite.
My dentist showed me the trouble maker, that had been nagging me from beneath my gums.
Cath came in smiling while the dentist made me take a few steps around. She didn’t record me giving her a dream interpreting right after sedation afterall 😂 (Or did she?😳)
I’m glad I was met by smiling friends to show me my right from left. In bed now with packet of frozen peas against face and an occasional treat as a pat on the back for getting through (if I’m completely honest even going through with it)
I live with crippling anxiety (which has been tailing me constant with the black dog for a bit now. It’s worse with dentists- thanks to my early childhood visits to a back street dentist who pulled my teeth out with pliers and no numbing agents.
I wasn’t sure what would make me feel better. I talked to other people, listened to friends, tried not to think about it. In the end it was just that I had to get on with it and deal with it as it came, like everything else.
My heart’s pounding again (no logic with anxiety) but my head’s still in the clouds from sedation. I’m sprawled across the bed now dreamily watching the sun shine in. I suppose there’s a plus to everything.
I know exactly how you feel. I’ve dealt with major panic/anxiety for years. I agree that going to the dentist sets it off to an extreme. Glad all went well for you. 🙂
Sorry for the delay in replying Sally – some of my comments went into spam! Thanks for sharing with me – it’s comforting to have some empathy as I felt some people didn’t understand how bad the anxiety gets with the dentist. Hope you’re well 🙂
Oh so sorry my friend! for some reason a chunk of my comments went into my spam (so annoying). Thanks so much for sharing. I need to try meditating. I have tried in the past and not been easy for me. Would you say it’s similar to being mindful?
There is actually something called mindful meditation. You can do meditation in various ways and that is one of them. And it is difficult but even when you think you are “Failing meditation” that’s what it is helping you– Just the practice, itself.
So yes, it seems almost impossible at first. And later when you get fairly good at it you still must keep up the practice or goes away. But it’s worth it. Extremely helpful.
I hate when that happens! 🙂 People that don’t suffer from anxiety don’t understand. I think a lot of them don’t. They think it’s something you should “just get over” . We don’t have a handy little button to “just turn it off”. Hope you’re having a good day. 🙂
So true Sally- you hit the nail on the head. I had a friend who used to say something similar in nature to me re depression. Until years later she approached me for help when she was surprised to find herself depressed and then of course she got it. It can be hard for people to imagine what it’s like for us. Thanks my friend. Hope you’re doing well too x
My anxiety levels go up whenever I am going under sedation of any type. I was in an induced coma for 8 days after a really bad accident and then lost another 5 days thanks to an accidental drug toxicity (honestly, I took my normal pills but I wasn’t drinking enough and got dehydrated with a cold). Now when I go under for any reason I have a real fear of time lost and whether I will come out of it at all. How do I handle it? I concentrate on my breathing and think about being at my favourite place – a waterfall in the middle of nowhere!
Wow Lydia! that’s incredible! and must have been scary! thanks so much for sharing. I will definitely try this next time! I hope you’re much better now! sorry for the lat reply – for some reason I’ve stopped getting notifications of new comments and still trying to figure out how to fix it. Hope you’re good x
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I know exactly how you feel. I’ve dealt with major panic/anxiety for years. I agree that going to the dentist sets it off to an extreme. Glad all went well for you. 🙂
Sorry for the delay in replying Sally – some of my comments went into spam! Thanks for sharing with me – it’s comforting to have some empathy as I felt some people didn’t understand how bad the anxiety gets with the dentist. Hope you’re well 🙂
I meditate. It helps me practice letting go. And it’s been extremely helpful.
Oh so sorry my friend! for some reason a chunk of my comments went into my spam (so annoying). Thanks so much for sharing. I need to try meditating. I have tried in the past and not been easy for me. Would you say it’s similar to being mindful?
There is actually something called mindful meditation. You can do meditation in various ways and that is one of them. And it is difficult but even when you think you are “Failing meditation” that’s what it is helping you– Just the practice, itself.
So yes, it seems almost impossible at first. And later when you get fairly good at it you still must keep up the practice or goes away. But it’s worth it. Extremely helpful.
Thank you so much, I’m going to look it up. Hope you’re well friend x
I hate when that happens! 🙂 People that don’t suffer from anxiety don’t understand. I think a lot of them don’t. They think it’s something you should “just get over” . We don’t have a handy little button to “just turn it off”. Hope you’re having a good day. 🙂
So true Sally- you hit the nail on the head. I had a friend who used to say something similar in nature to me re depression. Until years later she approached me for help when she was surprised to find herself depressed and then of course she got it. It can be hard for people to imagine what it’s like for us. Thanks my friend. Hope you’re doing well too x
My anxiety levels go up whenever I am going under sedation of any type. I was in an induced coma for 8 days after a really bad accident and then lost another 5 days thanks to an accidental drug toxicity (honestly, I took my normal pills but I wasn’t drinking enough and got dehydrated with a cold). Now when I go under for any reason I have a real fear of time lost and whether I will come out of it at all. How do I handle it? I concentrate on my breathing and think about being at my favourite place – a waterfall in the middle of nowhere!
Wow Lydia! that’s incredible! and must have been scary! thanks so much for sharing. I will definitely try this next time! I hope you’re much better now! sorry for the lat reply – for some reason I’ve stopped getting notifications of new comments and still trying to figure out how to fix it. Hope you’re good x