Omg.
I know where you are at.
But I don't . If you are in my whole town I'll go with you and keep
you stable. My zip is 92543. Are you here?
But if not, here is the info you need: You need a "beta blocker"
heart BP pill, not a regular BP pill.
You probably have a beta blocker. A beta blocker wont lower your BP.
It will only affect and prevent SPIKES IN YOUR BP.
Mine is called Propanolol 20 mg. It is one of the weakest and it
works great. (My hubby's is stronger. His is Attenolol).
You need the weak one I think. Lice mine, the "Propanolol 20mg"
AND TAKE A SOBER DRIVER WITH YOU ANYWAY.
And get and keep a blood pressure cuff with you.
Do gauge (calibrate it) it with your doctors arm cuff, they won't
mind. See how accurate it is.
Mine (that is misplaced) was from Sharper Image online. I took best
reading out of 3, because I saw that some were not accurate. So get
one, use it, get used to using it so you know it's quirks.
I don't mess with the schedule and record keep features of it. I
just keep it simple BP reading only. I keep my charts on my
computer.

To go to dentist with a BP pill, think like this. (Always have a
second plan) you will probably be able to drive fine. (I DON'T DRINK
AT ALL or take downers. AND--MY DAUGHTER AND HER DAD ARE GENETIC
ALCOHOLICS. IF ONE IS SOBER I TAKE THEM. Only my daughter is in town
now tho. Her dad's been gone for 10 years.)
It's not personal who is sober, high, crashing, who has anxiety who
does not. Whatever tapering works for you that is what you need.
There are tapering drugs too though. And you can obtain medical
withdrawal (detox it's called although it should not be called detox
in your case, lol!) withdrawal services where they monitor everything
in patient if you need them.) Inpatient medical Detox usually lasts 3
days. Non medical (social model) (ie. 12 step model, etc. ) detox is
not as safe so stay away from those in your case.
Let me tell you about tbe beta blockers and they are not addictive.
Musicians hand these beta blaockers out and share them like candy.
Shrinks prescribe them for speech anxiety, test anxiety, etc. Look it
up. It's candy. (Some people cannot take the written exam for their
Driver's Test!)
Don't get stressed out over a beta blocker. It's safe.
But I'd take a sober driver anyway, if you are not used to the
blockers. My hubby's beta blocker makes me tired and spaced out. Mine
is milder. I have lose thyroid, my BP runs low. But I take ADD meds
and that can kill you see.... I take an amphetamine. I'm not angel. I
have Attention deficit. I have had it since age 6 that I know of. I
don't not have the hyperactivity part of the syndrome though l I need
to have a beta blocker on me at all times,. I carry them on my key
chain., I'm 5 ft. 4 inches. about 130-135 pounds. I'm 56. I'm a
grandma. I can tell when my heart is racing, I'm lucky. I stop and
take my heart meds then. I do this about once or twice a year
average.

Now the bridge: You had it on too soon. It was before the area was
healed. It was still swollen and stil swelling up more even prolly.
I've been there. Done that. Swelling, infection you name it. Ice on
the face for a week, crying on the couch, 2+3 vicodins at a time not
working, wrong antibiotics, dentist 200 miles away, you name it,I
been there.
The bridge wont hurt a bit this time. He'll file the bridge down to
fit with a drill file it will sounds scary but it's the bridge
getting filed, not you. You won't even need lidocaine unless he's
doing a masterpiece and it will only be 1 1/26 of an inch of gum he's
be working with. HE needs to blow air to dry it so the cement will
stick (basic dental cement). And the cement smells good, not bad.
Accept it. It smells good.
HISTORY ISN'T DESTINY.
I have to get one of those shots soon that goes into your back jaw.
Until I can research it, (that takes a lot of the mystery and fear
away for me) I'm prolly not going. Its some kind of a nerve block and
half your face goes numb (better numb than pain I guess).
Almost any dental procedure can be attached on youtube.com by they
way!
Just take someone who is medically literate with you and that should
keep you calm, too. The bridge will be a re-cement job. Anybody can
do those, It is not invasive and it is painless unless he does a
masterpiece which is still only 1/'2 to 1/8 of an inch of gum!
Let me know how you are doing, what you are thinking, any more
questions. didn't know it all, I get busy on Mondays, But I'll try
to be here! And I do want to read that paper from the UK!
I'm in th US.
-Sue

PS. Get a BP cuff, and calibrate it (against an arm one). Get extra
batteries and get a driver for that day. Ask for a beta blocker.



--- In 000-Fear-Of-Dentists@yahoogroups.com, "Genie P., Ph.D."
<genie1moose@...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>  
> I have a pathological fear of dental work.
>  
> I also have Graves' disease, and I've been taking Valium for about
a year and a half now for insomnia and anxiety related to Graves'
disease. The Valium suddenly turned on me (i.e., it doesn't help much
anymore except with sleep), and, about a half year ago, I had to
start slowly tapering myself off the Valium at the suggestion of my
doctor. I think my body just doesn't want the benzo anymore, as I
keep breaking out when I take it.  I went from 40 to 22 mg of the
drug, just so everyone knows where I'm at.  Going cold turkey off
benzodiazepines is not an option, even though some people might think
it is. I tried it once and wound up almost dying of kidney failure.
Slow tapering is the way to safely get off these drugs. If you don't
believe this, I encourage you to go to www.benzo.org.uk and read the
Ashton Manual.
>  
> The problem is that I recently had an abscessed tooth, and I needed
oral surgery. It turned out that three of my teeth were bad, and the
surgeon pulled all of them. I was in a state of major panic prior to
the procedure, since I have become tolerant to the Valium and it no
longer helps me with anxiety.
>  
> To make a long story short, I was put under general anesthesia for
the procedure which took two hours, and later the doctor told me that
my blood pressure was so elevated during the surgery that he had to
give me additional medication. My problem is that I need to see the
dentist next week because the bridge I was given no longer fits in my
mouth. My regular dentist inserted it too early and it was painful
and I had to stop wearing it. I am afraid to see the dentist because
I believe the Valium is making my teeth go bad and I am afraid I will
need either a filling or more extractions.
>  
> How can I overcome this dreadful fear of dentists? I can go to the
doctor with no problem. I even recently had a rectal exam and wasn't
scared. How can I go through with my visit to the dentist next week?
Every time I need to go, I have terrible IBS attacks and panic
attacks.
>  
> My regular doctor told me that, if my blood pressure is elevated
prior to seeing the dentist, I could take a blood pressure pill, but
the problem is that my BP is unstable and sometimes it runs low.
>  
> Any suggestions would help. I TELL myself that I am only going for
an exam and to have my bridge readjusted, but my logical brain and my
emotions are not always in synch.
>  
> Regards,
> Genie
>  
>  
>
>
> I celebrate myself today. I am alive. I am growing. I am willing to
do all I am able to do to be the best of who I am.
>