medical phobias...

[mshappy]

I think I have a big medical phobia & I really want to sort it out! Does anyone have any info on this?

Basically any time I read anything vaguely medical-related or related to bodily functions I start to feel faint. I once read the instructions in a tampon packet & passed out! I tried to have my blood pressure taken at the doctors & ended up with pre-fainting symptoms (dizzy, dots in front of my eyes)....reading the potential side effects on things like paracetamol start to make me feel dizzy....

Thank God I am very healthy so I've never needed any treatment - I've never even had a blood test (which is lucky cos I think I'd pass out before I even got into the room).

The strange thing is that I can watch programmes like Casualty & Holby City and it doesn't bother me....

Any ideas on what I should do to get over this?!?

Thanks

xxx

[mshappy]

Thanks a lot!

[Gryphoenix]

I've got a pretty nice helping of medical phobia, though I've never actually fainted because of it, I've felt plenty sick and 'freaked out' many a time.

I can't even watch those shows or warnings on the news about some flu or whatever because I'll assume I have it and feel terrible for hours on end. I absolutely detest reading textbooks like Health or Biology for class, I literally put my hand over the pictures casue I can't stand it. I also can't stand reading side effects on medicine bottles, too.

I'm going to take biology next semester, too. Oy, that'll be a barrel of laughs...>____<

And getting my BP checked? Yeah, no good.

What helped me a little was spending some time around hospitals over the last few years for family members like my grandma was in there quite a bit unfortunately, but it did desensitize me to it.

In a hospital I visited a couple days ago for a family friend, I was staring at a heart-beat monitor thingie--yes, I'm not great at the medical terms for obvious reasons--the green thing that measures heartbeats and I was like O____O ughhh...I would never be able to stand it if I saw my own heart beat.

I'm still pretty terrible at this fear but I just want you to know you're not alone!