Just booked a ten hour flight really panicking!! Help please

[geishagirl]

Hi Guys,

I used to suffer bad bouts of panic and anxiety but over the last year or so I was getting better. I even got married and walked down the aisle without fainting!!

I used to get panic attacks as a teen then I had a routine cervical smear about 3 years ago in the feb and I had a vasovagal seizure (faint) straight after which the doc said was caused by either anxiety or by the shock my cervix had. That year in the July I went on holiday to Tenerife and was having an amazing time but one day I started to feel faint with the heat and I went up to my room and felt as though I would throw up, I was very faint and felt very very poorly.
Over the next few days I was throwing up constantly with anxiety and ate no more than a jacobs cracker a day :(
I came back in a bad way and I was terrified of holidays. Then the year after I went away and the doctor gave me long lasting beta blockers which worked well :)
This year I went away and although I ate I did get bad anxiety some nights and had to take diazepam which was not prescribed as I was desperate.

Now we have just booked to go to Mexico for 10 days and the flight is 10 hours long. Im so scared I will have a mini breakdown again and get ill with anxiety.

What do you guys suggest I do??

[ruthb1]

hi there,

i think you need to try and enjoy yourself, let your hair down, your are living the anxiety before you hasve even got on the plain, we all do it, its the what if this and what if that. its so scary but by letting it play on yuor mind so much you are telling yourself that its going to happen. i know its easier said than done but try not to think about it and try to relax, tell yourself that you are going to have the best time. if you can walk down the aisle with all those people watching you then whats going to mexico and getiing on a plane its like a walk in the park.

good luck

take care

ruth

[Filthy1]

Im sure you cant have a panic attack for 10 hours!! I bet within half an hour you'll be fine, if maybe a little uncomfortable and annoyed by screaming kids! But you will get used to being on the plane, there's nowhere you can go so you've sort of gotta get on with it! In the nicest possible way :)

[Nibbles]

Hi Geishagirl and :welcome:

Firstly, I think booking the holiday takes enormous courage and shows you have the strength to overcome anxiety. Although panic attacks are unpleasant, they can't harm you and writing statements like this down to read during times of anxiety can help.

Plan things to use as distraction for the flight such as an mp3 player or laptop so you can watch your own DVDs. Perhaps you could also go to your GP and see if they can recommend anything which would help make the flight more comfortable.

Take care,

Mike :)