u/bodz2424

Im getting IV sedation for a wisdom tooth extraction tomorrow and spiralling. My anxiety hasn’t been this high in a long time. Im scared it’s going to make me really nauseous and vomit. I already asked them for anti-nausea in my IV but I’m worried that it won’t work. I’m scared about being very dizzy. Im sitting here literally trembling in fear and bawling my eyes out. I feel like I can’t do this. Im such a weak person

Disclaimer: I am not seeking reassurance. I just really need to vent and talk to some people who can relate to this phobia. Every person I’ve talked to about my fears about this IV sedation don’t have emetophobia and so they don’t understand how big of a deal this is for me.

I’m scheduled to get my very impacted wisdom teeth removed next week with IV sedation. Anxiety is putting it mildly. Not to sound dramatic, but I haven’t enjoyed a single day in the past 2 weeks because all I have done is ponder and worry about this upcoming appointment. Now it’s getting so close and I’m falling apart mentally. Why am I so afraid? I’ve never had any kind of sedation or anesthesia before. I’m the type of person that gets a little nervous when I take Advil… that’s how bad my emetophobia is in relation to taking medications, especially new ones.

I think what ultimately makes the idea of IV sedation so scary for me is the loss of control. Which, if you don’t already know, is the underlying fear behind the vomit phobia. It’s the fact that I have no clue how my body is going to react to sedation. It might not react badly at all, and perhaps I’ll be one of those lucky people who says it just felt like an awesome nap. Or maybe I’ll be one of those people who got extremely dizzy and nauseous for hours afterward. What’s killing me is that I won’t know until it’s already over, and there’s no turning back. This may sound weird, but it feels like once I lay down in that dental chair, I’m “giving my body away” to the medication. I really, really don’t like that and the more I think about it, the more I spiral.

I have cancelled this appointment in the past. I’m 25 and have needed to get my wisdom teeth out for 5 years now. I know I need to just do it so that I never have to worry about it again. But it’s so much easier said than done. I would’ve had these teeth removed long ago if I didn’t have to get IV sedation. Getting my wisdom teeth out causes me ZERO anxiety. It’s literally just the sedation that is freaking me out. I actually told my dental office that I didn’t want to be sedated and I wanted local anesthesia instead, but they refuse to do it without me being sedated due to the complexity of my case.

I have requested they give me anti-nausea meds in the IV, and they said they are going to give me IV gravol and send me home with some Zofran if I need it. I thought this would calm my nerves, but it doesn’t. I don’t know why. I am worrying about every worst case scenario right now and it’s keeping me up at night. I just wish I would’ve done this a long time ago so that I wouldn’t be worrying like I am right now.

But I’m NOT cancelling this appointment. My emetophobia isn’t going to control me, because getting these teeth removed is beneficial for my health and keeping them in is only going to harm me long term. But that doesn’t mean I’m not worrying myself sick every day leading up to it. I’m not sleeping very good, I’m having nightmares about becoming violently ill after I wake up in the recovery room. I’m genuinely not handling this well but I’m forcing myself not to cancel it and prolong this misery.

I’m truly hoping it isn’t as bad as I’m imagining it to be. If anyone with emetophobia has had this done before, please give me any advice or tips on how you dealt with it. Also how to be less anxious about it… the anticipatory anxiety is killing me