What questions to ask - IV sedation assessment this week and really scared

[Milomin]

@mouthsewnshut
Yes, I had insomnia too right before. Pretty sure my blood pressure was also through the roof but don’t worry. You will be safe and they will monitor you. For me, the Ativan helped with BP so that was a good thing. You can do this! Good luck!!!

 

[pigeonkisses]

@Milomin Thanks! But I am not due to have the work til at least end November, probably December so that's a lot of insomnia. Problem is, so far, and until further notice, the dentist would rather I only had the sedation there, no pre-med, no sleeping pill the night before. I will never sleep that night, I will be a wreck unless the IV sedation dentist says yes to pre-med.

 

[LittleLynnie]

Yeah it was up because of the appointment and they take that into consideration, but it was really really high

Oh I hope your MIL is a little braver than me! At least I only have 2 coming out. The dentist was suggesting we do it in two goes I said no.

When I went for a colonoscopy, my BP was 220/115. It had been 200/110 the time before that, so it was worse the second time because I was worried about it! After that appointment, I had to attend for another anal issue and took two Ativan 5's. My blood pressure after taking those an hour before the appointment, was 170/90, which was much better. At home, on a daily basis, my BP is a textbook 120/80 and at my GP, just a little higher (130/85ish). No idea why I can climb to such extremes. Also, on a recent dental visit, my heart rate in the waiting room was 130, even though my usual resting rate is about 75. I really freak out during these situations! I hope that you can find something to bring yours down and get the work done under sedation.

 

[pigeonkisses]

@LittleLynnie It's crazy how much our body can react to fear, I checked my BOP a few hours after we got home from my assessment and it was 134/75. I am keeping an eye on it, I am not sure how reliable my BP thing is, I bought a wrist cuff one and I am not convinced it was a good idea. I'll be cutting down on salt and practicing relaxation techniques in the run up. Hopefully I can get that down a little.

 

[Milomin]

@mouthsewnshut
Yes, I had the exact same problem. Mine spiked at the dentist and dropped as soon as I got home. Those cuff ones are pretty accurate. I thought about it though- most people before any kind of surgery are also very nervous and likely have BP spikes but they still go ahead with surgery. One thing that helped me was practicing l trusting that I will be safe and letting myself be cared for by a health expert and giving myself over to that process. It’s not at all easy. But something I would meditate over. In the end I chose to go with Ativan and no sedation even though that was what they recommended. The teeth popped out in about one minute per tooth.
The fear was way worse than the actual procedure.Whatever you choose though- you will be in good hands.

 

[pigeonkisses]

@Milomin Thank you for the reassurance, I have been distracting myself and trying to calm down, hence the late reply. My GP's office phoned me about the letter they got from the dentist, saying they were concerned about how high my BP was but maybe it was just that I am extremely phobic. So they gave me an upper arm BP monitor and I've had to keep notes and upload to their site. I am seeing my GP in a couple of weeks about a couple of other things so we'll see what she says about BP too.

I think the actual procedure will now most likely be in december, so I have time to work on my fears and try positive reinforcement.

 

[Milomin]

I wish you didn’t have to wait so long. I agonized while I was waiting but you are right that I had time to try different calming techniques. Have you heard of tapping? I think other people in the forum have talked about it. I tried it and it seemed to help. Luckily Ativan worked to bring it down. I was terrified of taking it but it worked very well and the dentist didn’t take my BP at all but he was different from the first. IV sedation is probably different but they can control the amount they give you and it is very safe from everything I have read.