I have an appointment later on this afternoon with the dentist to take care of a couple of problems. For the last month or so I have not been taking the four o’clock dose of Seroquel as the Effexor puts me into a weird head space so I did not really want to add to it (I still take Seroquel three times a day) but with the anxiety that comes with each dental appointment I am going to take the “extra” dose today and hope it does not put me to sleep or in that funny head space where reality is not really reality at all.
The dental staff are really nice people and they have done nothing less then making sure I am as comfortable as possible so my anxiety level should not be effected the way it is but like everything else it has to do with issues from the past and not the present. I have a lot of problems with people touching me and also standing in my personal space circle. I know where it comes from and even though it is not related to a dental setting it still manages to spike the anxiety rate.
When I was in the hospital the nursing staff figured out rather quickly it is better to approach me from the front and even a warm gesture such as a pat on the shoulder will provoke a physical reaction from me (my hands ball up and my elbows get ready to strike but thankfully I do not swing) automatically. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder keeps my brain on constant alert getting ready to attack if threatened. When I enter a room I know where everyone is sitting, the fastest way out and the overall feel of the room within seconds and each time a new person enters I add it to the mental report then reevaluate my safety level. One of the constant comments from the nursing staff was that I spent too much time on my bed with all of the curtains drawn around me which they believed was a form of isolation related to the depression and they were half right for I was trying to isolate but it had more to do with controlling my environment then not wanting to interact with others.
Back to the dental appointment the thought of being stuck in a chair, in a small room with two people standing very close to me plus having to be hands on to complete the procedure should be no surprise to anyone that my brain is not going to be too happy about it. Yep that extra dose of Seroquel is coming into play today. Take care.
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OMG – I HATE the dentist, too. I’m better than I used to be, but I used to say to my family that they need to knock me out with a frying pan before taking me to the dentist. Now, I don’t necessarily need that anymore, but it is still a very anxiety-inducing thing to have to do. Good move taking the extra Seroquel; I hope all goes well.
I have problems with touch too. For some reason I feel very uncomfortable when being hugged. I generally don’t enjoy it.
Well I just have BPD and BP until awhile ago if some-one went to touch me I would flinch. Then I'd have to be embarresed because I flinched. Some-one trying to cuddle me would send me into what I now know to be a panic attack. I'd start to feel like I was suffocating and I was so desperate to escape.