hello

[Christopher22]

Hello everyone, my name is Christopher i’m 22 years old and I’ve suffered from anxiety since I was in my early teens. I’ve had several *life threating* events that’s happened to me in my lifetime. I was in a car accident, I’ve been stabbed in the arm at a fueling station and I almost drowned at a early age. I feel that my anxiety is mostly under control except when I’m in a doctors office or medical facility because I am always anxious about seeing the doctor. I’m also scared to be around the town where I got stabbed at because I *don’t feel safe*. I exercise a decent amount and am at a healthy weight of 160 lbs at 5ft9. I just can’t control my anxiety when I am at a doctors office because I fear needles and getting my blood pressure checked, I don’t know why I feel this way it just happens so sudden.Its weird that I feel fine everywhere else, my blood pressure/heart rate is always normal at home, on the road etc.. but it shoots up like a rocket at a doctors office. Mentally I am scared from the life threating events that’s happened to me before and I can only imagine that’s whats caused my anxiety to worsen. I sympathize with all you because I know exactly what you’re going through. Hope we can all recuperate.

[gypsylee]

Hi Christopher and welcome! :)

[Nowuccas]

Hey Christopher,

A previous post follows:

TRYPANOPHOBIA, or VACCINOPHOBIA is the extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. It is occasionally referred to incorrectly as aichmophobia, belonephobia, or enetophobia, (Fear of Needles).

It sometimes develops into a phobia, often from seeing a hypodermic needle as a child, before vaccinations/dental procedures, then experiencing pain, and coming to associate the sight of needles with pain; wanting to avoid the pain, resulting in the development of a phobia. Systematic Desensitisation Therapy is known to be an effective treatment.

Check out http://www.wikihow.com/wikiHowTo?search=fear+of+needles such as:

4 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Injections, &

How to Overcome Your Fear of the Dentist, &

How to Get an Injection Without It Hurting: 13 Steps.

I am informed that children are less likely to complain if they are given something sweet (it probably helps them get their mind off it). Some people ask to lie down for their shots. Others ask where it will be administered, and to be told just before, so that the person about to have the needle can smack that place, after which that tiny pinprick has considerably less effect: (the nerves which transmit pain have already started work, from over a considerable area, and the pain messages of the small additional amount of pain, from a very tiny area, tend to get flooded by the others).

Obviously this can't be used for dental procedures, but you could explain your phobia, and ask that they touch the sites for the injections with a tool, and you could could jab them lightly with the top of a pen, or pencil, to desensitise yourself. It may help to look away, and think of something pleasant, and promise yourself a nice reward, once it is over. Check out: http://www.emla.com.au I'm sure there would be similar lignocaine type dermal anaesthetics available locally that you could apply to your skin beforehand, to numb it. Google: "dermal anaesthetics; supplies" or ask your pharmacist, or the place providing the procedure.

As someone who doesn't like them, either; I consider that it is mostly the anticipation of pain, which is the problem, and once you take that away, by inflicting a little bit on yourself, the "shock value" is gone, in a similar way to how you can't tickle yourself. View: http://www.needlephobia.info/#treatments & http://www.anxietycure.org/

Read: "Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, And Dentists", by Martin M. Antony and Mark A., M.D. Watling (Paperback - Mar 3, 2006), from your bookstore, or Amazon.com has various other media about overcoming fear of needles.

Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind; view http://myfavoriteinterests.com/hypnosis/ about what it is, and isn't. 85% of people are suggestible to some degree; 15% - 20% highly so, and 15% - 20% aren't much at all, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com has: Cure Needle Phobia.

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There is a well known medical phenomenon called "White Coat Hypertension":

See https://www.google.com.au/search?client=opera&q=white+coat+hypertension&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Blood Pressure : White coat hypertension (and white coat effect)
www.bloodpressureuk.org › Home › Blood Pressure and You › Medical tests
The term white coat hypertension may be used if you have high blood pressure readings (i.e. readings that are consistently 140/90mmHg or above) only when you are in a medical setting. Your blood pressure readings may be normal when they are taken at home.

Options:

1) Monitor your blood pressure at home:- https://www.google.com.au/search?client=opera&q=home+blood+pressure+monitors+accurate&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 refers; ask your pharmacist, or search online.

2) Use the relaxation methods at http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or www.wikihow.com/Meditate

Some people are still dismissive of them, but scientific testing has demonstrated conclusively that they increase activity and may, after regularly practising for a couple of months, result in a thickening of the walls of the prefrontal cortex, and better enable it and the hippocampus to control the amygdala, which is the fear centre of the brain, where panic attacks originate.

Learn them at least a few hours apart, and preferably on different days, in the morning, or early afternoon. Use the one you find most effective. A minimum of 10 mns is recommended; 15 is better, and 20 is ideally preferred. Optimal results come from use twice daily, morning, and early afternoon, if possible, but once is fine, and is probably more realistically achievable in most households today.

I can tell you from experience that it works, although people who suffer from anxiety may have difficulty focusing.

3) You could also ask that the nurse / sister takes your blood pressure, if you would feel more comfortable that way, rather than with the doctor.

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My previous post about anxiety may be viewed at: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?33964-New-to-the-site-and-looking-for-help&p=223989#post223989

Other relevant posts:

HERBAL ANXIOLYTICS / ANTI-ANXIETY PRODUCTS: (passionflower, valerian, St. John's Wort, etc.) http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34269-5-Powerful-Tools-You-Probably-Haven-t-Tried-Yet&p=225415#post225415

NON HERBAL NATURAL (NON PHARMACEUTICAL) ANXIOLTYICS: (5-htp, etc.) http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34355-Help-Please!!!/page2

[Kirk]

I too have been in a few traumatic life events. I also almost drowned as a child in the Atlantic City ocean.
I was robbed at gunpoint when I was 18 and have been in 2 head on collisions, one which my car was totalled and
I am thankful to be alive. Someone else rear ended me at a high rate of speed last year and my car again was
totalled. I think my wife is scared to drive with me sometimes as I have had bad luck. It is quite common to have
higher than normal BP readings or be nervous at the doctor. Deep breathing may help as well as relaxation techniques.

[Kirk]

I forgot to welcome you to the forum.

[HopefulJacob96]

I'm sorry that you've been through so many hard times. It's understandable that you would suffer from anxiety after all you've been through. Learning to manage that is really important though. Doctor's Offices can totally be an anxiety-inducing place. Maybe try focusing your thoughts on something other than the stresses at hand? That has worked for me in the past. Just count in your mind until you feel yourself relaxing. Something like that might help, and if not then maybe something else will. In time, anxiety can be managed well. That's not to say there won't be flareups, but hopefully you can manage it to a good degree. I understand what you're going though, and I hope things improve and I too hope we can all recuperate.

[Christopher22]

Hi everyone, thanks for the links and all information given. I've been researching a lot on anxiety and I'm very happy that I found this website. I will try the relaxation methods and see what helps me best.

[gypsylee]

Hi again Christopher..

If you're researching anxiety be sure to check out Claire Weekes. She looks and sounds like an old grandma lol but she's one of the best in my opinion. She really simplifies anxiety, which in itself is helpful because anxious people tend to complicate everything.

:)

[Christopher22]

Thanks gypsylee! :)

[Talia_Jo]

Hi Chistopher! Welcome to the site :)