Panic at the Dentist

Yesterday was my first day back at work after my appendectomy. I also had a dentist appointment to take care of a couple of small cavities. The appointment was at 5:30PM so I picked up the girls at school and dropped them off with a friend before continuing my drive to the dentist office. I was feeling tired and a little bit sore from sitting at the office all day, but other than that, I was fine. I do not really have any big fears or apprehensions about the dentist, except I do have somewhat of a bad gag reflex that sometimes becomes a problem and a general aversion to having things too close to my face.

However, after waiting for about half and hour before finally going in, I was feeling pretty tired and started getting a little bit “shifty”. Those close to me know that the first thing I do when I start getting nervous is feel hot and start taking my clothes off. So when the nurse brings me to the chair I ask her for a minute so I can take my sweater off and my shoes. They are very patient with their clients at this office so she happily obliges, and then quickly gives me a briefing of the procedure. She puts my bib on and goes to get the doctor. I am feeling a little apprehensive at this time but nothing major. I get up and go the bathroom, which thankfully was freezing and stand there cooling off my body until the point I was almost shaking from the cold. This works well when I am experiencing anxiety, it calms me right down.

I go back to the chair feeling much better and the doctor comes in and gives me the anesthetic. The injections were a little uncomfortable, but I have a high threshold for pain so it was not too bad. However, about two minutes after the injection I start feeling panicky. The anesthesia starts to take and I feel like I am going to suffocate. I drink more water just to make sure I can swallow and keep trying hard to keep calm. It is not working. I feel my heart rate starts going up and from there all is lost. I am in a full swing panic attack. I tell the nurse that I just cannot go through with it today. I explain that it has been a long day, that I am tired, that I am hungry, all the while trying not to appear too neurotic but failing miserably. Tears start flowing uncontrollably, what a mess! The doctor was so understanding and gentle but I still felt like a complete fool.
So I left the office with a numb mouth and an appointment to try to do it all again on December 10th.

As I am driving to work this morning, I seem to recall having some issues with dental anesthesia several years ago. I think the panic attack last night was a reaction to the anesthesia. I will have to research this and talk to the doctor prior to the appointment to see if there is something that we can come up with to avoid repeating this episode.

I have dealt with anxiety most of life although I have never been formally diagnosed. It is a debilitating condition, one that leaves me feeling continuously exhausted. It is very draining trying to keep it in check all the time although I feel I have made some progress. However, from time to time something like this happens and it leaves you feeling vulnerable and back to zero.

Do you struggle with anxiety? Here are three tips I have found help me deal with it when I feel an attack coming.

Control your thinking – I am prone to negative thoughts and emotions, especially when I feel an attack coming. I have found that trying to move myself into a positive frame of mind through deep breathing and forced positive thinking can stop a panic attack to getting to a full-blown state. I do a lot of self-talk such as out loud telling myself to “relax”.

Identify a “Security Blanket” – I know, it sounds crazy, but for me having a bottle of water close by does wonders for my anxiety. Whenever I know I am going into a stressful situation I make sure I have a bottle of water with me. Do you believe I even sneaked a bottle of water with me into the operating room? I did not drink it, but just knowing it was there made me feel more relaxed. I am sure they found it once I was under general anesthesia, but by then I did not care 

Take care of yourself – One thing I consciously decided to do is to get more sleep. I still suffer from insomnia from time to time, but most days I go to bed by 10PM and sometimes I even go to bed at the same time as the girls. I have found getting more sleep to be very helpful dealing with my anxiety. I am also trying to be more conscious of what responsibilities I take on and saying no to people’s requests more frequently. I would also like to add regular exercise to my routine once more, but I am not there yet.

Here is hoping to a relaxed and not anxious kind of day!