Help - Bad Wisdom Tooth Again

[Adam1987]

Hi HoneySkye. I'm kind of in the same boat. Fuerteventura next month with my then 24 week pregnant girlfriend and 18 month old son. I've been a mess for 3 months now and need to get my head straight for this holiday. I'm hoping my anxiety and ailments may have waned. Maybe familiarise yourself with the area and see where the local doctors are. It may help. Cyprus is quite an anglicised place so they will probably speak good english too. Its easier said than done but maybe try and see this as a holiday from your anxiety too. Holidays are meant to be breaks to be enjoyed - we should at least try.

[NotDeadYet]

Honeyskye

I'm so sorry you are going through this. American psychologist Dr. Brene Brown calls what you are experiencing "foreboding joy." It's where something exciting is happening or is going to happen but you begin catastrophizing. Her recommended remedy is gratitude. Take a moment each time you have these anxious thoughts and challenge them by expressing verbally thing that you are grateful for related to the experience you are having or are going to have. I've done this multiple times and it has helped me wonders. It does take practice but it is an excellent coping mechanism.

Best Wishes

[Honeyskye]

Thanks for your responses. I've just developed a huge fear of anything health related. Because I was hospitalised a few times during my last pregnancy I associate any ache or pain as something serious and think that I'm going to end up in hospital. Even having a period scares me. I think what has also had a huge impact on my anxiety is the fact that I work in a law firm who deals with medical negligence for the NHS so I have read some pretty scary things. That plays on my mind a lot.

[mocata]

hii i can sympathise with ur situation xx a new doctor im seeing on friday, idk what they will be like :-0
i would say, in a sense.... the anxiety is harder to pin down than it first seems. to feel like you are over reliant on a doctor itself might be causing alot of anxiety... it's very strange... even though illness is a more substantial --> obvious worry. with persisting symptoms it can b prudent to go to a gp but in your situation there is no need xx even for someone in much worse general health than u, i would suggest not to worry about this trip but enjoy themselves
i would advise just to give your anxieties an external focus, focus on the anxieties of others and ask them things and this will help u alot to feel less alone maybe
and ofc anything absorbing like a crossword if ever you feel you might panic

[Honeyskye]

Hi all I've posted a few messages of late about my health anxiety and how I'm struggling at the moment as I'm off on holiday abroad at the weekend for 10 days. I've just got an uncontrollable fear of myself or my children being I'll whilst we are away.

I've got a dodgey tooth that has got to come out when I get back and I've recently been on antibiotics for it for inflammation so I'm really paranoid it's going to get infected whilst I'm away.

I've been urinating non stop all week and of course I've been worrying that it's because I've got a water infection but my dr said she thinks it's my anxiety playing my bladder up. I went back today so they could test my urine and nothing showed up but the dr took my temperature and pulse and I told him not to tell me what they were as I'd obsess about the numbers and he said "your pulse feels fine and your temperature is ok". Because he said "ok" I'm worrying that it's because it's actually raised a bit.

I just feel so panicked right now, I'd love some sound advice or any thoughts on what I can tell myself in order to cope.

[sarahsarah]

Didn't want to read and run. I'm going through a bad patch of Health Anxiety right now so not sure I can be of much help but I just wanted to say you're not alone and that when I am at my lowest, I always tell myself that I *will* get through this and so far I have been right. It is some comfort to me and I hope it is to you too x

[Carys]

OK, heres a thought - and something I have done in the past when I've been abroad and just got over some infection, and was worried it might return (your tooth). I asked the GP for a prescription again for the same med that dealt with the infection last time (I had a bad UTI and was worried about its return), to take as a back-up 'just in case'. I promised that I wouldn't take it without absolute certain need and would visit them upon return if I did need to take it. This gave me the back-up plan and security of mind. I didn't need it, and infact many years later the anti-biotic is still sat there unused and out of date ;o)

You need to keep reminding yourself that you still have good access to medical treatment whilst you are abroad, just because you aren't at home doesn't mean that doctors can't be accessed and hospital treatment given. Take a comprehensive first-aid kit with you - including some extra things like hydration fluids, childs pain relief etc etc blah blah and then you know you are covered in the event that some 'standard' illness happens. Anything else would need a doctor visit anyway and there will be mechanism for you accessing that on your holiday.

[Carys]

Here is some info about Cyprus health-care, I am presuming you have travel insurance and your EHIC cards? There is probably much more out there, lots of it if you do a search, so another tip is to make a list of the telephone numbers and information you might need in any emergency. (There is more on gov.uk as well.) I presume you have booked with someone privately, or some holiday company, so ask them what the contact details are of the local GP. Infact holiday homes and rentals have this information in a file for your access anyway and hotels will deal with all that for you. Stick that list into your first-aid kit and you are sorted. You need to not transfer your HA fears, but then you will know this, so keep all the 'fear stuff' away from your children who will be very excited and without fear. ;O)

Finding help in an emergency

If you have a serious or life-threatening emergency or you need an ambulance, the police or the fire brigade, dial 112. Calls are free of charge.
Visiting Cyprus

Make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance if you're planning to visit Cyprus. The government always advises UK nationals to take out comprehensive travel insurance when going overseas. Your EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance and you should have both when you travel abroad.
An EHIC enables you to access necessary state-provided healthcare in Cyprus at a reduced cost, or sometimes for free, if you are staying there temporarily.
Emergency medical care is provided to anyone requiring urgent attention. You can expect to be charged in full for any care provided if you do not have an EHIC.
Make sure that you are treated by a healthcare provider in the state system. Your EHIC will not cover you for private healthcare.
Remember to keep all receipts and any paperwork.
Pre-existing health conditions

You should buy medical travel insurance before visiting Cyprus if you have a pre-existing health condition. You must tell the insurance company about any pre-existing health conditions you have, so that you can get the cover you need.
The Money and Pensions Advice Service has information about buying travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions.
If you have a pre-existing condition that will need treatment while abroad, ask your doctor in the UK for advice before you travel. Take any documents about your health condition or medicine with you.
Your EHIC will be valid until the UK leaves the EU. Your EHIC can also be used to access UK-funded treatment if your visit or treatment started before exit day until you return to the UK.
Your EHIC may not be valid after exit day if there is a no-deal Brexit. This will depend on whether the UK has an arrangement with Cyprus and might mean to need to pay in full for treatment.
If you are travelling to have planned medical treatment, read our guide to seeking medical treatment in Europe.
Hospitals

You need to be referred by a doctor for any specialist treatment.
You'll need to present a valid EHIC when you're admitted to hospital, to receive treatment at the same cost as a resident.
The Ministry of Health provides a list of state hospitals, including phone numbers.
Prescriptions

If you don't have a Cypriot medical card or alternative means of cover you will be charged the full cost of a prescription.
Pharmacies in Cyprus open from 9am until noon, close for a few hours and reopen from 3pm to 6pm or 7pm. Some may not open at all in the middle of the week.
Bringing your own medicines to Cyprus

Some prescribed medicines contain drugs that are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs legislation in the UK. This means that additional legal controls apply to these medicines.
You may need a personal license to take controlled medicines abroad. Specific requirements also apply to:

• the information that you must take with you
• how you carry your controlled medicines

Visit GOV.UK for more information about travelling with controlled medicines.

[Honeyskye]

I've posted a few times over the last couple of weeks with the same issue. I've got an impacted wisdom tooth that's got to come out and I was on antibiotics a couple of weeks ago for inflammation on the gum around it. I'm going on holiday tomorrow for 10 days and am terrified that it is going to get infected whilst I'm away and I'll end up in some dodgey dentist or hospital. I called the dentist this morning to explain and asked if they could give me some antibiotics to take away with me in case I feel I need to take them and she said no, she can't prescribe something that's not needed just on the off-chance.

It's put me in a right state. I am terrified I'm going to have some deep rooted infection that's going to cause sepsis whilst I'm away. My head always feels hot and me pulse is all racey so I'm convincing myself I've got some of infection in my blood stream already from it. I just need someone to give me some sensible advice as I've read things about untreated dental infections causing blood poisoning. This is going to ruin my holiday, right now I can't even see myself getting on the plane tomorrow.

I'd be so grateful for some friendly words right now.

[MrLurcher]

I've posted a few times over the last couple of weeks with the same issue. I've got an impacted wisdom tooth that's got to come out and I was on antibiotics a couple of weeks ago for inflammation on the gum around it. I'm going on holiday tomorrow for 10 days and am terrified that it is going to get infected whilst I'm away and I'll end up in some dodgey dentist or hospital. I called the dentist this morning to explain and asked if they could give me some antibiotics to take away with me in case I feel I need to take them and she said no, she can't prescribe something that's not needed just on the off-chance.

It's put me in a right state. I am terrified I'm going to have some deep rooted infection that's going to cause sepsis whilst I'm away. My head always feels hot and me pulse is all racey so I'm convincing myself I've got some of infection in my blood stream already from it. I just need someone to give me some sensible advice as I've read things about untreated dental infections causing blood poisoning. This is going to ruin my holiday, right now I can't even see myself getting on the plane tomorrow.

I'd be so grateful for some friendly words right now.

Sorry you're stressed about this, I worry like you about small health things.

But 8 years ago I was on the waiting list for an impacted wisdom tooth operation for nearly 18 months - the tooth had only partially come out, and was half covered by gum. It never caused me too much bother, apart from when food got stuck between the gum and tooth and the gum got a bit irritated. I just used antiseptic mouthwash daily to help keep it clean - sometimes I would use like a calpol syringe to squirt water into the gap to flush out any gunk. If I went 18 months with this, I'm sure yours will be fine as well.

Regarding the racey pulse and feeling hot, I've suffered from episodes of racey pulse for years because of my anxiety - had heart tests and all fine. And the feeling hot, I'm going through this now with my current health worry. I swear at times I'm burning up and I've got a temperature, but then when I take my temp it's fine. Maybe psychosomatic, as a fever is a symptom of my current health fears.