Oh boy..another flight...pass the Xanax!

[Jennasis]

So I'm flying back to NY tomorrow from NC for my sister's college grad party. I am dreading the flight. Maybe it's the lack of control I have over the aircraft and the feeling of helplesness, or maybe it's because I'm flying alone without DH. I just HATE it. I'm white-knuckled the whole time. Every bump makes me want to have a heart attack. A plane crash is just about the worst possible way to "go" in my book (maybe drowning, or shark attack). And of course I saw Superman Returns and that whole plane scene just about killed me.

I used to love flying as a kid. I loved airports and the whole take-off and landing thing. Now I'ma huge wuss! I am already actually feeling "grief" for my family if something did happen to me! It's insane!! I was like this last year when DH and I flew to WDW but since he was with me I wasn't as bad. The thought of dying and leaving DH alone and sad is awful (aside from the fact that I don't want/am not ready to DIE yet!).

I have my Xanax and I will be medicated. I actually keep an eye on the flight attendants in-flight to see if they ever look concerned (especially when there is turbulence. I figure if they aren't worried, I shouldn't be). But I wish I could just relax and enjoy it like I used to. Anywho, if you guys could just say a quick prayer for me, that'd be great.

I KNOW I KNOW the odds of your plane crashing are totally crazy and that I'm more likely to die in a car crash on the way TO the airport. That'd be my luck. Nope can't win the lotto...but plane crash? No problem!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I just came back and I hated it too. On the way there...serious turbulence....

Oh and did I mention the 2 times it was bad I was in the bathroom with my 9yodd. She accidentally punched me in the face.

The way home wasn't bad except for the part our flight was delayed due to serious thunderstorms and the fact I was watching the TV about North Korea missle launches.

Hope your flight is better than mine was!!!

 

[RadioFanatic]

I'm like you. As a kid, I LOVED flying. Actually, I loved it until 9/11. Ever since then, I panic easily and have to be medicated as well. It's the only time I truly get anxious. I feel absolutely everything and hate knowing I'm in the air. So I feel for you.

 

[Jennasis]

Glad I'm not alone. Imagine...when i was a kid I thought turbulence was FUN! On my last solo flight to NY we hit a massive air-pocket and the p[lance literally dropped like a hundred feet and was vibrating. I started crying. Oh man...God give me strength! Not even reading the drivel in Cosmo can make me take my mind off of it. I wish someone was going with me.

 

[JimFitz]

Xanax is my friend. Whenever I fly, I take enough to put down a small horse.

 

[cheyita]

Nope - you're not alone. Information I've read on flying phobias states that it's one of the rare fears that typically develops in adult life - averaging mid- to late- 20s. There seems to be a connection to becoming a parent as well.

I, too, take meds to fly. I've flown many times as a young adult. In fact, DH had his private pilot's license and we used to go up in 2- and 4-seaters all the time just for fun. I think I'm actually more comfortable in those than in the commercial jets because of the control issue.

I'm thankful there are options out there to help us with our fears. At least you are continuing to fly and not allowing the irrational fear overtake you and keep you from traveling in that mode. Trust me - I'm tempted to drive everywhere. But particularly when it comes to WDW, the opportunity to spend more time there usually overshadows my fears!

 

[juligrl]

I figure my chances of living through a car crash are greater than my chances of living through a plane crash just because I'm at least on ground level to start with. I totally understand the control thing though. When I have to fly now I just envision angels on the wings. It helps a little. Good luck!

 

[budbeerlady]

Good luck, I hate to fly now also. It is all I can do to get my rear on the plane. I am curious did you get your perscriptions from your physicians and how the heck did you ask for one? I would love to take the tension off our next flight. I was fine untill I had DD and didnt fly for 3 years.

 

[cheyita]

Good luck, I hate to fly now also. It is all I can do to get my rear on the plane. I am curious did you get your perscriptions from your physicians and how the heck did you ask for one? I would love to take the tension off our next flight. I was fine untill I had DD and didnt fly for 3 years.

Fear of flying is a very common phobia and all physicians have patients who require assistance with this. Just call and explain to the nurse what your situation is and that you had friends suggest you ask for medication to make it through the flight. The doc will typically prescribe a small quantity with no refills - a few for the flight out and a few for the return. Which medication and the quantity depend on the physician.

 

[budbeerlady]

Thanks! I will give him a call. Generally I fill up on motion sickness pills about an hour before the flight so I sleep most of the way. I had this great logic that if the plane went down that way I wouldnt know about it untill I woke up at the pearly gates. I know its twisted but it got me on the plane there and back.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I don't mind flying myself. But I feel immense guilt when I take DD with me. I figure if I die then I've left behind a beautiful daughter. But if she's with me I have this huge fear that something is going to happen to the plane.
Unfortunately, this is since 9/11 that I feel this way. Pre 9/11 I flew with her about 4 or 5 times and she wasn't yet 2 (all grandparents out of state). Now, we drive almost everywhere!!

 

[DznyFan]

You guys are so not alone!! Like some of you, I've flown all my life, and didn't develop my phobia until I was an adult. I'm not too bad, but it makes me just nervous enough to have to medicate. My doc knows it, and knows to expect me in her office about once a year for a new 'scrip. I usually try to sleep once we're in the air, that way I can wake up and be close to Orlando!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

If you have a fear of flying check out this site: www.takingflight.us and their message board: www.takingflight.us/forums .

I've been on that board since it started and there are several other DISers there too!

I had a super scary flight that left me grounded for 12 years and with the help of the people on that board I got back in the air and now fly over 100K miles a year for my job.

They have commercial pilots, business travelers, general aviation pilots, ground ops Airline workers, doctors, nurses, psychologists and a flight instructor. It is a very active forum and they don't sell anything so check them out if you really want to work on overcoming your fear.

 

[Jennasis]

I got my Xanax prescription about 3 years ago when I developed an anxiety/panic disorder. I would wake up about an hour after falling asleep with SEVERE pounding in my chest, numbness and tingling in my extremities and the feeling of "falling through the bed". After a series of bloodwork and heart tests, my doc settled on the A/P disorder. I was afraid to go to sleep at night because I hated waking up shortly afterwards feeling like a heart attack was coming or I was dying! I RARELY need the Xanax for those now, but always have a supply on hand.

You can go to your doctor and tell him about your travel anxiety and he will give you enough pills (with a prescription) to get through your flight there and back.

I think I developed this phobia shortly after DH and I moved away from NY (where we grew up) to NC about 3 years ago. I am so scared of leaving him alone...lonely and sad. I would be scared if he was with me on the flight, but not NEARLY as bad. Also, I worked as a cameraman (hehehe woman!) for 5 years at a New York newsstation and got to cover MANY airline disasters (TWA 800, EgyptAir, Air France, 9/11, and the other one that crashed into Queens after 9/11). It is truly frightening. The thought of seeing the ground speeding towards you, knowing you are out of control and KNOWING you will die in a few seconds is just awful. Certainly not how I want to go out.

On that note...I'm leaving for the airport in a few moments. Thanks for the encouragement guys! I'll check back in WHEN I get back on Sunday afternoon.

 

[Sleepy]

I hate flying and never would even if it meant a difference between getting to Disney in 2 hours vs 12 hours. However, moving to Italy changed me. I can't afford to get across the Atlantic via cruise ship. Flying is my only option. I just sit in my seat quietly and pretend I am on a train. When we get a bit bumpy, I just think the tracks are rough. Just made a trip from Naples to Crete, then back to Naples and then to Virginia....all in 48 hours. In 2 weeks we will be heading to Orlando for our family vacation and will be flying again. I am happy knowing the flight is not 10 hours and there will be land under us in case the plane runs into any problems.

 

[Tracey1974]

I used to love flying as a kid. I loved airports and the whole take-off and landing thing. Now I'ma huge wuss! I am already actually feeling "grief" for my family if something did happen to me! It's insane!! I was like this last year when DH and I flew to WDW but since he was with me I wasn't as bad. The thought of dying and leaving DH alone and sad is awful (aside from the fact that I don't want/am not ready to DIE yet!).

I'm glad I am not the only one! I thought it was my imagination running away with me feeling the way I do about my family when I fly. You will be fine!

 

[ILUVMYBRIT]

I am another one who never had a problem with flying til I was an adult and a parent. I didn't fly for 17 years and then I went to work for an airline and had to fly to Charlotte NC for training for three weeks. I would fly out on Mondays and back on Fridays. So in a space of three weeks I had 9 flights because the flights back were connections. I still am not the best flyer...but I do it. I fly for free because of being an airline employee and its important as my fiancee lives in England. I did my first Transatlantic flight about a year ago....SOLO. I do much better when I am with him flying but its still hard.
I try to think about the turbulence as pot holes in the sky because essentially its all they are. I know its really safe to fly...when you consider how many planes take off and land every hour and how many of them have problems, but its still tough and I still take my xanax...and when I know I am going to be flying over the water for 4 hours....I add a couple glasses of wine to that and sleep like a baby.... Just dont tell my doc.

 

[keishashadow]

sympathies - the older I get = more I hate to fly. Keep saying I'm going to have a shot before I get on the plane but, 8:00 a.m.'s a little early for me to start drinking.

On last return trip we got to land in a thunderstorm & sit on the tarmac for a long time. They said it was unsafe for the crew to unload us. Kept hoping the plane had a lightening rod type device while we watch the "fireworks" all around us.

Hope your flight is smooooth.

 

[ead79]

I can totally relate! I too used to love to fly as a kid, but now I hate it. I don't like feeling that out of control, and turbulence scares me. It's not so much a fear of the plane actually crashing as a fear of being stuck on a terribly turbulent flight that is making everyone ill and dropping quickly then popping back up. I realize that the percentage of flights with severe turbulence is very small, but I panic every time there's the slightest bump. I never considered medication before, but I hate how anxious it makes me. I think I will ask for some meds the next time I have to fly. It is starting to stop me from going places I'd like to visit (like Disneyland in CA). Well, my wallet stops me too, LOL.

 

[Jennasis]

THANKS for all the support people. The flight in was relatively uneventful. There was some "minor" turbulence, even though it was lovely clear skies all the way. Even so, those little vibrations and occassional bumps just about did me in. I tried very hard not to look out the window and see how high up we were. As we approached NYC and began our descent I actually became MORE anxious...like we couldn't get on the ground fast enough. If you are familiar with Laguardia Airport, you know that the runway has a VERY large body of water at the end of it as you are landing. So we were practically skimming the water on approach. There was actually a flight YEARS ago that skidded off the runway and into the water, but I believe everyone lived.

The nice lady next to me kept me company for a while too. She understood my issues.

So now I'm ramped up again as I prepare for my departure back home to NC. Trying not to think about the flight too much, but I just want to be back at home with my DH and have no more flights to worry about (except maybe one in November...to WDW...but that's NECESSARY!!)