Agoraphobia and going to the dentist and doctors?
Friday, August 20th, 2010 at
10:27 pm
I have had horrible mouth pain for a few weeks now and I need to go see my doctor and dentist the only thing is I have agoraphobia and I dont leave the house much. Just the thought of going to the dentist or doctors shakes me up and I keep canceling my appointments. I do relaxation visualizations to help my relax but it doesnt help for this. Any suggestions?? Thanks
Tagged with: Agoraphobia • dentist • doctors • going
Filed under: Agoraphobia
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I suffer from agoraphobia and found myself in the same position last year. I know you’re not going to like this answer, but you just have to force yourself to do it. I had to get an emergency root canal, and I was in so much pain that there was no way around it. It was brutal.
I did do a few things to make it easier one me, though. I took someone with me, which helps a lot when I have to go out into the public. Also, I let the dentist know that I suffered from agoraphobia so he would understand if I started having a panic attack. After that, I just shut my eyes and let him do what he had to do. I thought I was going to lose it, but eventually it was over, and I was extremely happy to be out of pain.
So my suggestion — if you’re in that much pain — just do it. You may panic and it will probably be horrible, but it’s not going to kill you. Once it’s over, you’ll be glad you went.