Ex-phobic is getting nervous again

[FinnishGirl]

My second wisdom teeth extraction day is in a week. The last one was a total success, I took some Valium and noticed it wasn't bad at all. I felt like I could do it again without any problems. That was in May. Now The Day is getting closer and I start feeling a bit nervous, though I know there's nothing to be afraid of. I just get butterflies in my stomach again, with no reason. I'm especially nervous for the injections. My old needle phobia, which is also almost history, makes my heart beat faster when I think about the injections - even though I remember very well it didn't hurt. I've already decided to take no Valium this time, but I'm not so sure anymore. Will I panic there, if I don't take it? What should I do? It's been almost fun to think how well I'll do without drugs, but the reality is another business.

 

[letsconnect]

Considering that Valium seems to work really well for you and you liked it, why not take it again ? On the other hand, if you're determined for personal reasons to do it without the valium, but you're just not 100% sure, you could have it on standby and decide the night before whether you want to take it. That might take off the pressure a bit

 

[mikey]

You could just take half of what your supposed to take instead of all of it or none.

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My personal opinion would be to take it all like Brit says down there.

 

[brit]

It's wisdom teeth Finnishgirl......take the valium...it worked before...just because you thought you'd got over your fear.....it doesn't mean you had......if I were you, I'd take the valium this time and go without for a check-up when the stakes are lower and more mainstream....after all you only get your wisdom teeth removed once (or twice in your case).....no one will think any the less of you for repeating the method which worked so beautifully last time...I wouldn't reduce the dose this time as you want the same level of relaxation as before...I mean years ago I had GA for wisdom teeth but have everything else just with local and a nice dentist lol!

 

[FinnishGirl]

Thanks for your replies. I still don't know whether to take or not. I wouldn't say I have personal reasons not to take, I would just feel more like a normal person if I go there without Valium. I would love to be able to do that. But I still worry that I'll panic there so badly I'll have to come back with my wisdom teeth. I'm moving to another town soon and my university studies begin, now is the best opportunity for this in my busy schedule, so "come back another time and take the meds" is not an option. If I had a longer holiday, I could do that.

The good thing here is that I have some Valium left from the last time, so I don't have to get another prescription and I can make my decision on the night before. Or even on the morning... Based on how I feel then.

To Brit: If I want the same level of relaxation, I should probably take a smaller dose this time, because I'm definitely less nervous now without any fear of the unknown anymore. If I took 10mg again, I would probably fall asleep.

Thinking again, maybe I have personal reasons not to take it. It doesn't fit my teetotaller ideology to take Valium just to feel good, as I probably could survive the operation without. Of course it would be a lot nicer to feel relaxed during the operation, but is that a good enough reason? And I'm also worried that I'll somehow become immune to Valium if I take it too often. I want it to work if I really, really need it one day. And if I had had my wizzies extracted without it, I would know for sure I won't ever need it for dentistry again.

But thanks for all replies. Nice to hear more opinions about this than just my parents'. My dad is a doctor, so he knows what he's talking about, but I don't think he really understands my fears... which have a lot to do with doctors as well, not only dentists.

 

[brit]

Does your Dad say you should take it or not?
I have several friends who are medically qualified, lovely people, some religious, some not; and I'm pretty sure they would all say non-judgementally that you should do what works for you...any other considerations are irrelevant and besides the point....taking a drug for a medical reason is fine...the chances of your needing it for another dental procedure again are zilch - as wisdom teeth are 'the biggie' everyone dreads and the fact is some come out more easily than others.
Any other surgical procedure you could need in life would have a GA option so avoiding the valium because of that is not a concern either.....I doubt you would develop any immunity after 2 uses of it anyway.

The escort argument doesn't figure either, as you'd need someone there after extractions either way.
Good luck - don't beat yourself up....there's no need to 'keep raising the bar' until this aspect of your treatment is complete.

 

[FinnishGirl]

Thanks a lot, Brit.

Dad hasn't really said a clear opinion. I had a very good conversation with my mum yesterday night. She isn't medically qualified, but she has studied a little bit of psychology in university. We went through all the good and bad sides of both options. One thing she said was really important to me: "You don't have to do a perfect performance. You don't have to try to earn a bravery medal. You only have to get this thing done." Then I just cried... she knew so well what the real problem is, better than I knew. I always want to be perfect in everything because I'm a top-grade student at school and used to being good at many things I do, and I thought a success with Valium would at best give me nine points out of ten, so to speak... But I have now realised I don't have to score full marks for this, I can stop trying so hard and be happy to get rid of the rest of my wisdom. It would be a huge relief to take the pill, so I wouldn't have to use all my will power to get through it. And I think Mum said just the right things.

A little explanation to my ideology/religion business here: I have nothing against psychoactive drugs, I was only thinking about whether I have a good enough reason to take it... and you all have convinced me I have. Another thing is that I'm a born-again Christian and I don't drink alcohol at all, and these two things have very little to do with each other! According to the Bible, a little bit of alcohol is ok. I'm on my private crusade against Finnish drinking habits, because I have my personal conviction about alcohol being a bad thing. I would think the same even if I was atheist. I don't want anyone to think that my religion has something against correct use of Valium and stuff like that. I know that some Christians even tell mentally ill people to stop their medication, and I hate that stupid idea being mixed to my faith.

And thanks all again. My mum couldn't have convinced me about this alone, if I hadn't known already what you think. Now my strategy is to take 5mg. If I don't feel nervous at all, I can skip it, if I panic a lot, I can double it.

 

[brit]

What your Mum said is spot on.....because she knows you best. I'm sure you will be fine - here's to a successful repeat performance!