Got to airport feeling ill - freak'd out & came home - feel foolish
#281315 - 09/08/06 10:57 AM
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Memmles
Reged: 04/07/06
Posts: 101
Loc: Silicon Valley, CA, USA
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I'm so discouraged...again.
I was supposed to travel today back East to visit my family in NY. I woke early feeling extremely nauseous. Thought I could push through it - thought it was the anxiety over having to fly a long distance and being potentially "trapped" on an airplane with no "out" if I felt really crappy. Tried to convince myself I would be o.k...
Forced myself to go to the airport, but as soon as it came time to get out of the car and go into the airport, I completely lost it. Started crying & everything. I just couldn't do it (fly) feeling like I did. So I made the person who took me to the airport take me all the way back home.
I'm so frustrated. I feel like a fool. This trip has been a tough one to deal with - anticipating it, wondering if something like what happened, would happen. It's the first big thing I've had to deal with since my IBS started wreaking havoc in March. I've never had to do a long trip like this since then.
I just wanted to post in a place where people would actually understand the anxiety. My family doesn't get it, and not sure whether my friends here do either. It's hard to get them to appreciate the amount of anxiety I go through.
If you have any encouraging words or wisdom, please don't hesitate. I'm all ears.
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East Palo Alto, CA (San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley)
IBS-C, pain, nausea
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i understand how you feel, you can take some gravol or something like that which will calm you, make you slightly dorwsy and keep nausea under control. You can also check in in advance online to make sure you get a seat very close to the bathroom, bring safe snacks and tea bags and ask for hot water the second you get on the plane so that you don't have to wait for the attendants to get in gear an hour later.
Bach flower essences also does a thing called rescue remedy whihc calms the nerves in stressful situationc. You can bring candied giger to chew on to keep you occupied and settle your stomach, etc. Hope any of this helps, it really would be a shame to let ibs make you miss seeing your family.
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THanks Miso. I just rebooked my ticket for tomorrow - I still get to go home to NY, and hopefully if I'm super, super, super good today (rest, water, tea, Altoids, hotpad, etc.) I can start over tomorrow. At least I know that I usually can have a really GOOD day following a bad one. 
It's just really upsetting to me - I want to be "normal" again, able to do what I used to do, without the anxiety over potentially bad IBS days. I guess I'll just keep plugging away, one day at a time...
~ Emily
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East Palo Alto, CA (San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley)
IBS-C, pain, nausea
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Don't feel too bad - at least you're trying. When I flew to Arizona this Spring it was the first time I'd even tried to get on a plane in, well, at least 5 years.
Miso recommends Gravol which I believe is the same as Dramamine and I'd definitely second that. It will ease the nausea and should make you a little drowsy which will take the edge off the anxiety.
For future trips, consider better living through heavy duty chemistry. My Family Practice doctor prescribed Xanax for me to take when I finally got up the courage to try flying. I take 1/2 of a 1mg tablet and it really helps. If I start to freak out, I take the other 1/2 and that just puts me to sleep.
Someone in another post recommended taking a sleep med like Ambien on long flights. I haven't tried it, but it's the same idea.
Good luck tomorrow. I hope all goes well and enjoy your visit. We're supposed to be having some very nice weather for the next few days.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Hi,
I agree with everyone else. Don't feel bad! I've had IBS for years, and now I struggle with anxiety and a phobia of planes. Every time I go to the airport my IBS flares up and I usually spend a lot of time in the bathroom before my flight.
I usually take a xanax the night before I fly, and an hour before I board. I bring some with me in case I start to freak out on the plane. You can also try Ativan, which doesn't leave you as groggy when the effets wear off, although I find that xanax calms me better than Ativan. I use to bring tea with me on the plane to help calm my tummy, but with all the new rules I don't know if that's possible now. But someone mentioned asking for hot water right away, which I think is a great idea.
Rest assured you're not alone. My BF wants to take me to Hawaii in december and I'm already freaking out about it!
Jaz
IBS-D
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Thanks so much for the words of encouragement...
If Gravol is the same as the ingredient in Dramamine, I'm all for it. I'm currently (temporarily) uninsured till I start my new job, so anything that doesn't take a prescription is right up my alley!
I also have a bottle of Buspar (buspirone - antianxiety med), but haven't started taking it - for fear of the possible side effect of nausea. Of course. But I do believe it might be time to give that a try. If I'm rescheduling flights 'cause of this anxiety, I'd say it's high time...
~ Emily
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East Palo Alto, CA (San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley)
IBS-C, pain, nausea
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Hi. I'm new to the board and reading crazily to learn all I can right now, so I can't give you any suggestions, but I just want to say that I totally understand and can relate to your panic. There have been so many times that I have had panic attacks (sweating, nauseous, etc.) over IBS and I am currently anxious about a plane trip my family is taking later this month (with my two young children!)...IBS can be dreadful and hopefully we can both find some solutions from these fellow sufferers. In the meantime, please know that you are not crazy or foolish...yes...no one who hasn't gone through this would understand but once you've been there...of course you would feel petrified. Hang in there. Linda
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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
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I'm giving you a high five for even leaving the house! Sometimes just doing that is tough for me. Good job. Don't be too hard on yourself. 
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Courtney (IBS-D)
"Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible." Romans 12:18
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I can totally EMPATHIZE! Airports are THE worst anxiety trigger for me-- all of my family lives elsewhere, so the airport is a place where sad goodbyes happen. A couple of years ago I was anticipating getting an IBS attack before flying from Vancouver, BC to Belfast, N.Ireland-- and I was in the toilets right up until boarding. Imodium was the only thing that saved me. I felt completely controlled by my gut- and since this has happened to me countless times, my family knows and kind of understands. I am going to try hypnosis, because I believe it's psychosomatic...have you tried it? HUGS!!!
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Amy
IBS-A
Stable and thankful!
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Hey guys,
Well, I made it home to NY. The plane trip (the second try!) wasn't so bad at all. Only discomfort came when I OD'd on Altoids on an empty stomach right before boarding the first flight. I was mighty nauseous for a time, but that was my own doing.
Knowing that I successfully made this trip is a big thing. Something I can cling to, knowing "I've done it before, I can do it again."
Thanks so much for your encouragement. My roomates and friends/family were understanding in the end. I tried to make a joke of it too. So...trying to keep a sense of humor about all this.
I appreciate you guys!
~ Emily
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East Palo Alto, CA (San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley)
IBS-C, pain, nausea
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