Faced fear but can't overcome phobia

[Butler]

After a bad experience five years ago where I woke up in the middle of an operation in which all of my body was paralyzed and I was unable to signal to anyone I had woken up too soon, I have been terrified of all medical and dental procedures. My fear has been so bad that my dentist insisted I be put to sleep when he pulled 2 teeth in the summer of 2010. He yelled at me to stop being a baby when I went in to have it done and made me feel like a complete failure. Still, I had faced my fear and had the 2 teeth pulled with little pain or bad effects. I thought that successfully facing my fear once would help me the next time, but now I am facing having a wisdom tooth pulled and I am terrified. The doctor gave me IV sedation to help, but he said I screamed so much he couldn't pull the tooth. He said that I'll have to be put to sleep to get it pulled. I can't afford this, and I feel like this makes me more of a failure. I would love to be able to just have it pulled while awake, but my dentist says that is impossible. I'm so discouraged. I can save up and have the surgery this time, but I don't want to have to go this route every single time I need dental care in the future. Any ideas how I can overcome this terror?

 

[brit]

If you really are one of the rare victims of anaesthesia awareness under GA, you have my total sympathy. Our saying on the other thread to get it done under GA really isn't going to help. Although I doubt they would use muscle relaxant drugs (which paralysed you) just to extract a wisdom tooth so maybe it would still work if you discussed things with the anaesthetist beforehand but then you say you can't afford it either.

It is not a good idea to go into a GA in a high state of anxiety in any event. It is better to be relaxed so your heart is not in overdrive.
If you have no known resistance to numbing, I really would just find a kind dentist with painfree local aneasthetic administration techniques and get treatment under your control with just local. You certainly need to find someone who doesn't yell at you and call you a baby as you mentioned. You deserve nothing less.
The one who tried with i/v sedation might be able to get you numb but if he is saying GA or nothing you would be better with a new dentist with an hour say to devote to win your trust beforehand.
You could also try breathing nitrous for treatment with local to help you relax a bit. If you felt out of it during the i/v sedation but you screamed in pain when the tooth were touched that suggests to me that the numbing agent hadn't worked/was insufficient, I wonder if the dentist topped it up at all or if he gave up too soon.

 

[norwegianchick]

Definitely see another dentist for a second opinion on this: I think there are many dentists out there who'll be able to perform the treatment you need with just local anesthetic.

I looked pretty scared too when the dentist got out the equipment to pull my tooth, but no one yelled at me, we just talked about it and I got the option of leaving and doing it later, and that calmed me down enough to do it.

 

[Butler]

Thank you both so much for words of wisdom and encouragement. You have lightened my spirit and given me a renewed hope and plan for dealing with this. I have had problems being numbed all my life, but used to suffer through it. I used to be tough and could handle the pain. It's this out of control terror I have found myself experiencing lately that I find I have so little control over. Thank you again.

 

[brit]

I have had problems being numbed all my life, but used to suffer through it. I used to be tough and could handle the pain. It's this out of control terror I have found myself experiencing lately that I find I have so little control over. Thank you again.

Can't Get Numb

Find out why you may not get numb enough, what dentists can do to get you numb, and how to ensure your treatment is painless.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

You need to work out why you have always had this problem. Ideally you need to find a dentist who is familiar with advanced numbing techniques - you must not put up with pain during.
You must learn relaxation techniques and be in control and able to stop the procedure at any point (take your OH in for support).
If you think your nerves might run slightly differently to other people. Have a special x-ray taken so the dentist can see where you nerves do actually lie and direct the anaesthetic accordingly. This would also solve your problem for the future.

Have a look at Bluestringpudding's thread as well, she eventually solved it.

If you do have to go GA, I am sure if you discussed it with the anaethetist they would be able to monitor you extra carefully to ensure you were always fully out. This would likely be the easiest option assuming they did their job properly but it wouldn't solve it for future routine stuff.