Acrophobia.....

dread31

dread31

Addicted Member
Well, today I attempted to fly again, after a 13 year hiatus. The last flight from Philly to Norfolk in 1996, was an absolute nightmare of panic and hallucination.

Despite the fact that I had already bought the ticket, gone to the doc and got a prescription for Xanax that was supposed to keep me calm, and really, really, really wanted to join my siblings in Kansas for my brother Erics college graduation-------I didn't get on the damn plane.:tears:

I got all the way to the terminal and began sweating profusely, my heart pounding like a sledgehammer. When they called for boarding I couldn't move until the last passenger went into the tube. The agent motioned to me to come along and, as I stood up, I became dizzy and light headed---nearly passed out. Sat back down.

She asked if I needed medical help.

A few minutes later, I was in the parking lot watching my plane take-off.
I have never felt so low in my entire f**king life.

Now I'm out a big chunk of change, a vacation day, and my dignity. I feel like such a loser.

Life sucks,

Dave
 
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personally, i have taken my last plane ride/flight

i have flown a couple dozen of times, small Cessna and Citabria, to jumbo passenger jets,

i have no desire to step on an plane again,

to each his own, i understand completely
 
You are not a loser.Panic attacks are not a choice you would make for a lifestyle.The Xanax probably didn't work because you didn't have enough in your system.It takes a build-up of Xanax for it to work.

Your Dr. might try you on .50 mg of paxil.Much better for panic.Xanax and paxil are also a good marriage.

In the meantime,forgive yourself,you are not alone.

Pm me if you need more info.

Alan
 
You were in a rough situation that you are apparently ill-equipped to deal with. You should NOT blame yourself (adding insult to injury).
 
A very difficult situation and a lot of stress on top of not enough of the Xanax built up in your system as stated before. It takes a week or so for it to build up in your system. Hey it`s not your fault Flying is scary to say the least, let alone these days. You have nothing top be ashamed of. Besides there are a lot of folks who cannot or will not fly. I can`t say as I blame them. I have flown since I was 13 in all types of aircraft from commercial to military to private and it still gives me the willies sometimes.
 
I feel your pain.

Let me give you a little perspective into my life (and fear) of heights that didn't happen until I was an adult after a traumatic accident.

I'm a former Army paratrooper with over 25 jumps during my enlistment. Never had any issue with jumping and found it very enjoyable. I get out of the Army in 1987.

In 1988 I was driving in the Blue ridge mountains with my family. It was raining and a car from the opposite side of the road hydroplaned went airborne almost landing on top of my truck. I took some evasive action in an attempt to avoid the crash which almost put us over the side of a mountain. The car never hit us and ended up slamming down in the median spraying my brand new truck with Granite and breaking out the windshield. Happy ending and life goes on.

I live in Florida which is very flat no mountains and no real height situations to get into accept one... The Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It's about 1990 and I've pretty much forgotten about the accident. I start over the bridge and by the time I get to the top I'm about to pass out and my wife has to hold the steering wheel while I look directly ahead. I felt as though I was going to pass out and lucky I didn't.

Since that time, I forced myself to drive over that bridge after driving over smaller ones many times in an attempt to manage my fear. The fear is still there but I can control it.

Don't feel anlone or that you're a failure... I'm sure youre a rational person and you know that plane won't crash but the fear you have is overwhelming. You're going to have to seek help and beat this and you can do it but it will take time.
 
Dave

Hang in there and don't beat yourself up.
I fly often and see alot of people with the same fear of flying you do. Many of them have worked with their doctors to find medicine or other tools that help them control their fear of flying. Perhaps another visit to the doctor and you can still get out there for some of those family events.
 
dread31 said:
Well, today I attempted to fly again, after a 13 year hiatus. The last flight from Philly to Norfolk in 1996, was an absolute nightmare of panic and hallucination.

Despite the fact that I had already bought the ticket, gone to the doc and got a prescription for Xanax that was supposed to keep me calm, and really, really, really wanted to join my siblings in Kansas for my brother Erics college graduation-------I didn't get on the damn plane.:tears:

I got all the way to the terminal and began sweating profusely, my heart pounding like a sledgehammer. When they called for boarding I couldn't move until the last passenger went into the tube. The agent motioned to me to come along and, as I stood up, I became dizzy and light headed---nearly passed out. Sat back down.

She asked if I needed medical help.

A few minutes later, I was in the parking lot watching my plane take-off.
I have never felt so low in my entire f**king life.

Now I'm out a big chunk of change, a vacation day, and my dignity. I feel like such a loser.

Life sucks,

Dave
Click to expand...

Don't beat yourself up, just take notes & learn from it. We all "work around" different aspects of ourselves to function & appear normal to those outside, each of us has our own unique collection of strengths & weaknesses to deal with. Figure out how important this phobia is to you (how much it limits 'getting what you want/need' or how much it really ultimately affects your happiness) and either work on it or work around it.

Best of luck, and kudos for even trying.

je
 
Yeah, don't beat yrself up. Flying is still an "unnatural" act-We, as humans, can walk, swim, ride a horse, a bicycle, etc, but flying...We've only been doing it for 100 years, it hasn't had time to get into our collective subconcious that its OK to fly...Another thing, I think, is that we cede control to another to do something mysterious that most of us can't do. In actuality, flying a plane is little harder than driving a car-But if you've never done it, you would have no way of knowing that.
 
Dave,
Propanolol (Inderal) is a cardiac/blood pressure medicine that is often used as single dose for performance anxiety, such as stage fright. It has many potential side effects (hypotension/dizziness/bradycardia/fatigue/depression etc.) and is not indicated for use by asthmatics. These side effects, of course, are more likely for those using propanolol daily. Some people have used propanolol in combination with xanax to alleviate the tachycardia during a panic attack. Propanolol is strictly a prescription product.
I would certainly do a trial run to see how you tolerate propanolol before you commit yourself to a flight...especially if you try the combination of propanolol and xanax. You should not drive. Also, someone should monitor your blood pressure. You can purchase an electronic BP cuff at Costco for around $20.00.
Since your bro's graduating college, I suspect that you are young and that you don't have too much medical baggage, yet again, be very cautious. Talk to your doctor about your health (blood pressure, heart condition, asthma, etc.)!!!! Know the side effects of the meds. Your xanax dose may have also have been on the low side...I'm just speculating.
Again consider a trial run with someone checking your blood pressure...talk with your doc about that.

Some people wrap a thick rubber band over their wrist. When they feel anxious, they snap the band, thereby diverting their mind towards the pain, not their anxiety.

Finally, tell Eric to go to Grad school, so you can go to that graduation ceremony!
Good luck!
Mike :thmbsp:
 
I have a similar problem with heights. Gave me a real problem with the ropes course in gym class at my school. Anything above 8ft or so and I get the willies and start to not feel well. The big mall nearby has openings in the second floor main isle surrounded by glass railings. I won't go anywhere near them. :no:

Now, the odd thing is I am OK with flying. No idea why. And I prefer small light aircraft to big ones and love looking down at the world out the window. I don't get that.

Sandy G said:
In actuality, flying a plane is little harder than driving a car-But if you've never done it, you would have no way of knowing that.
Click to expand...

I flew a plain before I ever drove a car. I was 12 or so when I flew one. :thmbsp:
 
Actually, my brother is 52. And I am 45.

I was once an aircraft mechanic, I was a jet mech in the Navy, and I still have my A&P liscence in my wallet. I have flown in many airplanes large and small, a couple helicopters too. But not since 1996. And never, ever again under any circumstance. I've given up. Air travel doesn't even exist anymore as far as I am concerned. If I can't get there by foot, wheel, boat or hoof, I am NOT going. I would rather crawl on my hands and knees dragging a hundred pound anvil behind me than get on one of those winged deathtraps, and that's just how it is from here on out.

I appreciate everyones concern and helpfullness, but I've made up my mind. I've tried. I've tried the therapy, drugs, etc. To hell with it, none of it works.

Maybe it's because I know too much? More than the average person who just hops on and goes?

I'm sorry. Don't mean to scare anyone................
But this **** is just so confusing.

Dave
 
Don't feel bad. I'll ride any roller coaster ever built, but a ferris wheel scares the bejesus out of me.

As a little of a thread hijack, don't be too casual about using alprazolam (Zanax) to help you out. They put me on that stuff for a few days before my heart surgery, and the side effects are still following me four years later. Most people have positive results, but for some it has the opposite effect. I'm one.
 
I don't know if this will be of any help or not Dave, but I offer it up for whatever it's worth.

I think most people accept that human beings change over time and one of the things that changes are the things we fear. I am very fortunate in that I am not afraid of public speaking, any animal (especially dogs), or making a fool of myself. I am however, terrified of roller coasters. I tried beating my fear by forcing myself to ride them for a while, but later decided that since there was no real need to ever ride roller coasters, then why torture myself.

If this situation were keeping you from regular necessary activity, then I could see trying to find a medicinal or therapeutic solution to the problem. The simplest way around the problem (as I see it) is to do just what you've decided to do: stay off airplanes.

As others have said before me; don't worry or fret over it. In any group of people, you're in good company. We all have our fears, some a great deal more crippling than a fear of flying.
 
Originally posted by dread31: Maybe it's because I know too much? More than the average person who just hops on and goes?
Click to expand...

+1 And there in lies the rub. Yes it still bothers me to this day and I don`t hold an A&P but have a lot of first hand knowledge having grown up around it.
 
I don't need to fly for work,....anymore, the change of careers changed that.

But that is the point. I've changed careers because of it, I missed my fathers 80th Birthday because of it, I have friends that live far away that invite me to visit--but I never go because of it, and now this. I feel that I am missing a chunk of life.

I guess that's just how it is.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

Oh, BTW: Roller Coasters? Always hated them. Even when I was a kid. So, maybe the fear of heights has always been there, it's just gotten worse with age?

Dave
 
Would hypnotism work in this situation, if it was done by a professional?
Just a thought, maybe it could find the root of your fear and help you overcome it.
 
There are a lot of reasons for phobiae. Some are experience-based, others are just a phobia based on the unknown, or projections. I knew a real estate lady, who was in general, a tough and brave woman. But she was terrified to fly, and would have driven to Germany if the polar ice cap were thick enough. But since she was the 'self-help' type, she decided that her fear of flying must have been based on not understanding flight. So she went to flight school, and the classroom time eased her fear just enough to get into a small plane, and within a year, she had her license, and in 5 years, won her first airplane race in Hawaii!

Your situation may be different, and I don't know you from Adam, but I know you can find a way to resolve it if you really want to..... My fear is heights (ladders, roofs, etc). And that was reinforced when I was trying to ignore the fear, and I happened to be on the roof of a 2-story house when it exploded and knocked me off! I still have the fear, but haven't REALLY wanted to fix it enough to work on it.

Other phobiae can be resolved by facing whatever the thing is, and just letting the worst happen (go out and get stung by a bee, or fall off a horse/motorcycle, or etc). Once you realize the worst isn't so bad, the fear subsides. Naturally, you can't go crash an airplane for practice, or we'll be reading about you in the terrorism news. What if you read a flight instruction textbook? Not take lessons and fly, but read how to fly...

Charles
 
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