Scared witless about tomorrow!

[vicki]

You've probably already had your doctor's appointment, but in case you haven't... good luck!

There are a few different options for things to help you relax including drugs like Diazepam (Valium) and other benzodiazepines which help you to feel calmer through a sort of tranquilising effect, as well as drugs like Beta Blockers (such as Propranolol) which can help you to feel calmer by slowing your heart rate a little and calming some of the adrenaline rush.

Hopefully your GP should be able to come up with something for you, but if not, many dentists can also prescribe certain drugs to help patients relax, so it may be worth asking your dentist (you could add it to the list of questions you're taking with you to the next appointment ).

 

[rocklover]

Thanks again for being so reassuring. I have been prescribed some diazepam, I am relieved, but also a bit nervous about taking it as I'm not sure how out of it I'll feel. Has anyone had experience of taking this medication? How was it? I'm not going to drive to the appt obviously.

I'm becoming more and more terrified about eating as I don't know if there is anything wrong with the right side teeth. I am obsessive about checking ingredients for sugar and when I do eat something sweet (which is hardly ever now, certainly not every day) I panic afterwards, so it's easier to just not eat sugar. I no longer eat fruit, although I wasn't a massive eater of it before hand and i've changed my squash (cordial) to the sugar free variety which I drink through a straw.

I think I'm going to have to take a vitamin supplement or something as my diet is much less than it used to be as practically everything ready made has sugar in (including bloody salad dressing). I can never drink a fizzy drink again as that's what got me into this mess during my pregnancy, I think if I had a coke right now I'd have a huge panic attack. I need this to be over so that I can live my life again, but I know I need multiple appts for the work so I'm in this hell for the forseeable future.

 

[vicki]

There should be a label on the box of Diazepam which tells you how much to take. There will also be a leaflet inside which goes through all the side effects and how it's likely to make you feel. It might seem like a worrying list, but they have to put all the possible side effects to cover their backs for legal reasons, even though the chances of them occurring are tiny.

Although I take beta blockers for appointments now, I've also had Diazepam in the past and, like you, I was worried about what it would feel like. As I had a whole packet, I decided to try half the prescribed dose at home to see how it felt. I didn't really notice much difference and so the next day, I took the full prescribed dose. I think everyone probably experiences it slightly differently and so I wanted to be sure of what it would feel like for me before my next appointment.

The full dose made me feel fairly spaced out (in a nice way - I couldn't have cared less about anything going on around me ) and also a bit tired too, which was no bad thing considering the state I get into at appointments ! You definitely need someone to take you to and from your appointments when you've taken the Diazepam as the effects of the drug do sometimes cause a bit of amnesia (which again is no bad thing if you're anxious during appointments). Once you're feeling more comfortable with dental appointments and have maybe built up some trust in your dentist, you'll probably find that you can reduce the dose or maybe you won't need it at all .

I know it's difficult, but try not to obssess quite so much about sugar. A certain amount of sugar (from various food sources) is normal in a diet and is to be expected (unless you're diabetic). Yes, sugar can cause tooth decay if you let it, but if you follow a sensible diet, look after your teeth and minimise *excess* sugar, it shouldn't be that much of a problem. Your dentist will be able to give you information on diet and how best to look your teeth .

 

[rocklover]

Crikey, Diazepam sounds a bit scary! I haven't got anyone to take me to the appt, I have to walk there alone as my partner cannot take time off work, will I be capable of doing that?

Also, will I seem weird to the dentist? I don't particularly wish to tell her I have taken anything as I don't think she'd be very understanding. Also, will I be capable of telling the dentist if something is hurting? I still need to be in control of the situation.

I fully intend to take a tablet before my appt as I need to know how I will feel so I don't freak out on the day. I really hope it will do the trick for me.

 

[vicki]

Diazepam isn't scary, it just makes you feel differently to how you would normally feel. Your doctor should have explained it to you. I can't say whether or not you'll be capable of going there and back on your own; I suppose it depends on how much you take and how it makes you feel. I do know that it is not recommended for you to drive or get yourself to an appointment due to the possible amnesia and altered state of awareness (none of which are scary). I suppose it depends on the dosage maybe, but my GP did suggest that I had someone to take me to my appointments.

I'm not sure, but I think you will need to tell your dentist that you've taken the Diazepam as it may possibly have an effect on the local anaesthetic (I know some beta blockers do). You won't come across as weird in front of your dentist - I'm sure she'll have seen and treated plenty of patients who've taken Diazepam or similar to help them get through an appointment.

You will still be in control and will still be able to talk to your dentist, just as you normally would... You'll just be more relaxed about it.

 

[ilytandk]

Totally agree with Vicki that its not scary

I tend to arrive at the dentist 30 mins early and she give me the Valium and I wait for it to take effect

The effect it has on me is to make me feel less extreme about the whole thing - I'm still me, but a me that can be in a dentist surgery and talk coherently without the need to scream/cry/panic/vomit/wee. You will certainly be in total control and be able to tell the dentist if you are in pain

My dentist always recommends that someone is there to take me home afterwards

 

[rocklover]

Well, I will have to get myself there, but if I feel incapable of getting home I will just have to phone my partner. I'm going to take a test pill to see how I feel tomorrow so that I am prepared (I do get a little freaked out if I don't feel in control of myself).

I am nervous about telling my dentist about the diazepam as I don't think she'd be particularly understanding about why I need it. I am extremely anxious today and I have three days to go yet, I'm so scared that I won't be able to go through with it, how on earth do people manage it? I'm in awe of them!

 

[rocklover]

Just did something silly, looked at my tooth on the upper left next to my wisdom tooth that has the cavity. This tooth doesn't look too good either, it didn't show up as majorly decayed on the x-ray, but I'm worried it won't be long before there is a cavity there. Can I actually ask for it to be filled or is there any way I can stop it from getting worse?

 

[brit]

You can ask for her opinion on it. Sometimes staining can look like cavities to the layman. I may have picked up a lot of technical dental knowledge over the years on this website but I am still crap at knowing what a cavity is lol.

I think you probably need to tell her how much valium you have taken and say your GP prescribed it for dental nerves. It will likely make her job much easier so I doubt you'll get a bad reaction. You may well need an escort however.

 

[rocklover]

The dosage is to take one the night before and one an hour before the appt. I really haven't got anyone to take me to the dentist, my partner cannot get time off work and his sister is babysitting for me. All my family live nearly 200 miles away, I'm pretty much on my own with this! I'm lucky that I could get my partner's sister to babysit otherwise I would have to take my son with me which really would be awful as he would just cry!

I dread to think what I will do for future appts, I feel so isolated and I'm beginning to think it was a bad idea moving away from my family, but there's no way I can move back either. All this dental fear is making me very depressed, I'm crying most days and barely eating, I'm hungry all the time. I just want it to be over and I don't even know how many bloody appts I will need to do all the work.

By the way, the other tooth has a small area in the centre of the biting surface that looks pretty similar to the larger cavity in my wisdom tooth, I also have black lines in the fissures on the outside of my teeth, but I believe that they are not cavities, but staining.

 

[vicki]

You really do need someone to take you to and from your appointment if you're taking Valium. Could your partner not get a half day off work if he explained what it was for? Alternatively, do you have any friends or neighbours who could take you there and then collect you afterwards?

If some of your other teeth are worrying you, why not ask your dentist about them at your appointment? I'm sure that she would have told you if it was anything to be concerned about, so she's probably just keeping an eye on it.

As Brit says, you do need to tell your dentist that you've taken the Valium, how much and when you took it, so that she's fully aware of what you've taken. If it helps, I often have huge difficulty in communicating what I want to during dental appointments. Because of this, I sometimes write a note which basically says everything that I want to say during the appointment, but can't due to fear. It's nothing formal, I literally just write what I would actually say if I could speak. As soon as I walk into the room, the dentist has said "Hi" and I've said "Hi", I just hand the note over. That way, it lets him know how I'm feeling and I can also let him know if I've taken anything that he needs to know about. The act of writing it down instead of saying it, also communicates that you're very anxious. I usually find that actually 'confessing' to being scared, usually takes a lot of the pressure off and that once I've managed to relax a bit, I can have a normal conversation .

It would take a pretty mean dentist to react badly to a patient telling them that they're scared and so they've taken some Valium, so try not to worry about what she will or won't say. Besides, you'll be so relaxed by the time you're there, that you probably won't really be bothered about what happens anyway .

 

[rocklover]

I really don't have anyone who can take me to the dentist and back. My dr was fine with it when I said I would walk, he just said not to drive. I'm getting really scared now about taking the tablet, maybe I just need to try and tough it out if I haven't got anyone to support me.

I'm terrified about 2 things, that the dentist won't be able to get me numb again and that when she finally completes my check-up, that I will need another root canal on my middle molar that has an old amalgam filling. It has been twingeing a little lately, but it does not hurt when I chew, I am so, so scared. I'm barely eating anything anymore, the only time I am ok is when I'm asleep.

 

[brit]

It might be a good idea to get your sis in law to come along with child as your escort and as moral support. She could take toddler out and about nearby during the actual appt.
Writing a note to hand over especially in view of the valium is a good idea.

Or you could go early to the appt and take the valium on the premises having given them the chance to 'talk you out of it'. I think they will want you to have an escort just in case in this event.

 

[rocklover]

Right, well I took a diazepam last night as a "trial run" and to be honest it didn't have a huge effect on me, so all the worrying was pointless. It took a good hour to work and really just made me feel quite tired, I still felt worried about things, but my body was unable to go into a panic attack, also my limbs felt quite heavy.

In light of this I am pretty sure that I will be able to get to the appt on my own, but I have acknowledged that I may feel too tired to walk home. In this eventuality I have arranged with my fiance that I will call him and he will get a taxi for me (it's literally only a 5/6 minute drive, but a 25 min walk). So I do feel fairly safe in that respect now.

I was expecting to feel alot more spaced out than I did, I got a much more potent effect from Amitryptaline when I was taking it for my IBS and I was still able to work whilst taking that.

I went to a bar-b-que last night at a friends house and was able to eat more than I have in ages and actually managed to enjoy myself for a few hours. However, this morning I am back to worrying about Monday and also panicking about my right side teeth, I have managed to convince myself that I need a root canal for my middle bottom molar which also has an old amalgam filling in it. This is despite the fact it doesn't hurt on biting, is not particularly sensitive to hot and cold (no more than my other teeth any how), I can conjure up a very slight pain sometimes if I press the tooth really hard, but nothing like my other affected tooth.

I am getting generalised pain along the bottom right side, but I'm wondering if that is to do with my wisdom tooth which feels a little tender around the gum at the moment. I have also been clenching my jaw when I sleep, I woke up doing it this morning, should I mention that to the dentist?

But, if I can tell the absolute truth, I am actually scared of the dentist this time since the appt didn't go so well last time. This is what is causing all the anguish, if the appt had gone to plan and she hadn't been off with me, I truly think that I wouldn't be so nervous for this appt. How on earth do I get over this? All my instincts are telling me to not go anywhere near this lady again, but I have no choice.

 

[ilytandk]

I can fully understand that you are worrying about it - but let me tell you absolutely that the reality is a lot less worse than the worrying. Trust me, I was where you are and I got through it

SO can you

 

[rocklover]

I don't even know how the hell I am going to get there tomorrow. I am completely freaking out right now and I am alone with 2 kids today as my fiance is with family visiting a sick relative hundreds of miles away.

I keep telling myself over and over that worrying isn't going to help the outcome tomorrow, but my body isn't listening. Every twinge in my mouth is sending me into a panic about how much other work I will need done.

My biggest fear is that I won't get numb again and that it's somehow my fault for being to scared. If I don't get numb, what happens then? Do I just go through with the procedure in pain?

 

[brit]

If I don't get numb, what happens then? Do I just go through with the procedure in pain?

NO, NO, NO - you go in there having decided if you are not numb enough, you call a halt. I think you will be ok with the infection taken care of.

 

[Justdoit454]

Dear Rocklover,
Forgive me if I have missed mention in your postings of the specifics of all the barriers you face getting to your appointment, but couldn't you take a taxi, ask a neighbor to give you a ride, your hairdresser, your parish priest or other religious community for help? What about local social services, a women's group, a new mother's group, a volunteer services agency, or even Red Cross? The pre-med wil help you through the appt, so I definately recommend the meds, but you must not drive. I can't imagine that someone couldn't help you get to-and-from your appt?
I agre with Brit- do not go through with the procedure until you are fully numb and comfortable. Going private seems the wise thing to do when you can. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

[rocklover]

I am crying and having a massive panic attack right now, I don't think I can go through with it, but I know I must!

I don't take my valium until 10.55 and to be honest, it doesn't even do that much except make me feel sleepy. How can I hold myself together until my appt at 11.55? I really feel like I'm going crazy!!!!!

 

[ilytandk]

Just take a deep breath and go - you will be so relieved once its all over
HUgs