It happened...

[Mechanic]

I'll start by saying Hi, first time poster, been reading for a couple of days now.

My fear of anything to do with NEEDLES or DR's of any kind is beyond most people's comprehension... It has paralyzed me... I've been to a Psychiatrist before to try to repair this issue but to no avail... I'm a train wreck when it comes to this arena...

Had a motorcycle accident, leg broken in five places, refuse IV... One of the Paramedics recognized my fear and helped through it... Passed 8 kidney stones (different times of course), go to ER due to them, refuse IV drugs... Had to have a stone surgically removed, got dosed three times with Versed to calm me down so they could put an IV in... NO... Finally started to loose all of my senses and they got me to allow them to give me the IV. This fear is unreal...

Broke a wisdom tooth (I only have two and they are both all of the way in) New Years Day... No pain in any way shape or form. Found it when brushing my teeth and the tooth brush got caught on a sharp edge. Went to a dentist (1st time in 25 years) to have them look at it. Ruined a T shirt sweating in the chair knowing they were only looking at it. They took X-rays, found 1 cavity (not bad for 25 years) and of course the broken tooth needs to go. Along with the broken one they want the other perfectly healthy one to go as well.

Off to the Oral surgeon (the most recommended one in my city), the nurses gave me the same old story "we've dealt with fearful patients before, it will be fine" , had a consultation, I liked the DR. but his assistant not so much. He said that my non broken upper wisdom tooth would be so easy that I would not even need ibuprofen... the lower broken one might require some aspirin... made the appointment, 1:45 today... yeah... I cancelled. I can't do it... The fear of the unknown is literally killing me... WTF do I do to get over this fear?

 

[Deck2015]

!Re: It happened...

Hi - What exactly worries you about having an injection or needles?

You've had many kidney stones!! I had several too, haven't had in one over 10 years now, thankfully. I've also had many injections and IV's since then and honestly, I'd take multiple IV's or injections any day before I'd want a kidney stone again. I've had excellent phlebotomists draw my blood and some not so talented nurses place IV's too....even the worst Nurse/Phlebotomist may have caused pain for 1-3 seconds and then it was fine.

Be warned, I'm going to talk about recent experiences with injections/needles -- I hope this doesn't trigger anything for you:

The last injection I had was a flu shot. The nurse asked me if I wanted her to count down and before i could finish saying "No, just give it to me", she'd done it already. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I felt her pinch my arm -- but that's all I felt and she had done it, needle out and out of my sight within seconds (literally less than 8 seconds). But she was a pro....like most dentists are.

Really, the needles they use in Dentistry (and for shots at your Dr's office too) today are SUPER TINY. They're nothing like any shots I had as a child. And at the Dentist, they now use a numbing gel so that you won't even feel the injection. I don't want to say you won't feel *anything* because of course it depends on the skill of the Dentist, his technique, the equipment he uses, your body, etc. They have machines now that regulate how much anesthetic is delivered so that it's delivered equally at the site of each tooth to be treated. To you, that feels no different but it helps to get the patient equally numbed....

Honestly, any dental pain I've ever had was MUCH worse than any injection at the Dentists to treat it!! MUCH worse!! I honestly don't even think about the injection because I'm usually just thrilled to be having treatment and getting it over with. I'm hoping you won't suffer any dental pain from not having this treatment - but I do worry that you now have a cracked (wisdom) tooth and that does need to be addressed at some point. And I'm not judging you at all for canceling your appointment - your fear is as real as anything else is. Fears are relative and to some degree, our anxiety about *fill in the blank* always makes our reality much more dramatic than it can be. Example: If you're just sure that having a broken foot put into a cast is going to be terrifying or agonizing, something about the mindset and adrenaline and anxiety can truly make the experience worse for you. And none of this is in your head. It's all very real. So don't feel like less of a person because you have fear of needles/Drs -- this is a common fear. Maybe you can try a new therapist?

 

[Mechanic]

Thank you for your response... as to the fear of needles I have figured out in my life what triggered it...

At 2 years old (yes, I actually remember it like it was yesterday. My father and I sat down a few years ago to figure this all out. When we came upon this memory he cried and apologized to me) I had a cyst on the back of one of my knees. It had to be drained. My parents took me to the Dr to have it drained... this is 1974, all Dr / Nurses wore the white outfits and syringes were stainless steel and glass... think of how big a drainage syringe would be, now add to it a 2 year looking at it... when the nurse came into the room, she set it down in front of me... I can hear the DR. saying "Jesus Christ don't set it where he can see it"... it was all over from there... My father said it took 5 adults to hold me down to drain the cyst.... fast forward 42 years, in my head, all needles are 4" PVC pipe that is impaling me...

As for the Therapist... tried two so far... no go... thought about a hypnotist but I've been told that my personality can't be hypnotized....

I know it needs to be taken care of sooner rather than later. I know I have been spared pain at this point. I also know that I'm so embarrassed by this fear that I spent yesterday in my bedroom... I talked to no one, was not online at all, never even turned my phone on. The psychological side of this is so debilitating...

Honestly, right now the fear is waking up to a mouth full of blood and pain. I know once I get some NO2 I won't care about the IV... but waking up to severe mouth pain is not on my bucket list.

 

[Mechanic]

Made an appointment with a different oral surgeon... going to see if a different personality strikes me any better...

 

[PremiumCoffeeBean]

I just got some dental work done on Friday (4 teeth pulled, a root canal, and a cavity filled). Because of my anxiety and the amount of work done I opted for oral sedation. I was worried not knowing what to expect but I would definitely recommend going that direction to anyone who is afraid of the dentist. I don't even remember the needle!

I was also expecting a lot more pain than what I've had. I'm not saying I haven't been sore or swollen but it's been manageable with Tylenol and Advil and the occasional T3.

Once it's done and over with you will feel great! I'm still feeling super proud of myself for finally facing my fears and getting it done. Good luck!

 

[Mechanic]

I just got some dental work done on Friday (4 teeth pulled, a root canal, and a cavity filled). Because of my anxiety and the amount of work done I opted for oral sedation. I was worried not knowing what to expect but I would definitely recommend going that direction to anyone who is afraid of the dentist. I don't even remember the needle!

I was also expecting a lot more pain than what I've had. I'm not saying I haven't been sore or swollen but it's been manageable with Tylenol and Advil and the occasional T3.

Once it's done and over with you will feel great! I'm still feeling super proud of myself for finally facing my fears and getting it done. Good luck!

Thank you for your response... You found someone that would do all of that in one trip??? Around Grand Rapids Michigan I can't find anyone that will do my extractions and a filling at the same time...