Thank you for your help.
~Singerjttm11
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Singerjttm11 |
Asthma and Anxiety |
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Hello, I am a woman who suffers from anxiety attacks because of trauma that I had as a teenager from asthma. I suffered two sever asthma attacks which have
lead me now to having severe anxiety attacks and has left me not able to fly by my self. I must fly with my husband at all times. I would like to learn
techniques to "put the tiger in it's cage." I cannot fly because I am so fearful of what will happen if I get into an anxiety/asthma attack on
the plane. I believe that if I had an idea of what could happen in that type of situation it could possibly help me to get over my anxiety.
Thank you for your help. ~Singerjttm11 |
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MeghansNerves |
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Hi Singerjttm11:
Although you name a fear of panic rather than a fear of "flying", the SOAR course, i think, would still help you. After all, we all came here for a variety of reasons worried about a variety of things happening on our flights. The techniques and info you learn through SOAR helps with this emotional side of things, and I find participating on the boards helps as sort of a back-up for the intellectual side of things. You are in the right place. Consider doing the course! Meghan |
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Singerjttm11 |
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Hey Meghan,
First "thank you" for even talking to me it really means alot. Second I think that I am going to start the program. I just am having issues because the cheap side of me says why am I spending this money to deal with this, while the scared, traumatized side of me is saying "uh, you NEED this!!!!! Tara, you can't go on living this way!!!" So, I'm betwix and between but I think that I am going to start today...... I hope that this is not a scam. But I don't think so because so many folks seem to have bought into it..... ne-way Thanks again. :~) |
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MeghansNerves |
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I had the same reservations, Tara, but I do think it has helped. I hope it will help you too.
It's not magic. You won't be fixed. But I can fly with SO much less anxiety now than I used to. That alone is worth every penny to me. Meghan |
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esprit12 |
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Hi Singerjttm11, It definitely is not a scam. SOAR is the only thing that has every helped me deal with my fear of flying and I have absolutely no connection to Capt. Tom
and his program other than having purchased it and used it. I would recommend calling him and discussing how SOAR might help you. You also might try the
Rapid Relief (short program), attend the chats and continue to post on the message board. All these things have helped me face my fears. Have you participated
in a Wednesday night chat? It's really helpful and you can ask any question you would like.
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ginaLA |
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Hi,
I don't have a clear answer to you, but I know this (I also have asthma): because the air gets thinner in a plane, your breathing will get heavier -not on a short trip, but on a transatlantic flight it will for sure. This can be quite scary of you don't know how to deal with it, and how to deal with your anxiety. The most important thing is to learn techniques to separate your anxiety attacks from your asthma attacks. Anxiety from your fear of flying will trigger your breathing which, when the air is thinner, can make you hyperventilate and eventually cause an asthma attack. This is not a problem for the air personnel, they know very well how to deal with asthma attacks. You have your medication, they have their bags of breathing into to avoid hyper ventilation, and they have extra oxygen. Please don't ever worry that they won't know what to do, they are trained. And if they are unsure, or you are really ill, they will put the plane on the ground and get you to a hospital. This is not what you should think about though, what you should think about is to get your anxiety under control, when you have done this, your asthma will not be a problem. When, in the middle of the flight, your breathing gets heavier, because it will on a 10-15 hour flight, you are prepared to take extra medication doses of your medication (which you have talked about with your doctor), this is necessary and will help, and you will NOT get a panick attack... I promise, this is how millions of asthma patients travel on airplanes every day across the globe. You asthma is not your problem, your fear of flying is, and this you can learn to deal with and avoid in the future! Good luck! Gina
Last Edited By: ginaLA
06/13/09 23:57:38.
Edited 1 times.
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Singerjttm11 |
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Gina,
YOU SOOOOOOO BLESSED ME!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! For YEARS I have looked for someone to "break-it-down" to me they way that you just did and I cannot tell you thank you enough!!!! I have always felt like no one REALLY understood what it meant to have what I always feared as a deadly combination. But with the background that you gave it really helped me because I was always afraid of ok what happens if I DO get into distress.....for me anxiety and the beginning of an asthma attack FEEL the same and therefore I have panic just thinking about getting on a plane and being alone with no one there to understand that it's just not anxiety but possibly asthma. I've been intubated 2x's once that put me in a drug induced coma for almost 2 months and the 2nd time I was in college and after a night of pizza and wine (remember I was in college at the time) it landed me in a drug induced coma for about 2 weeks. Either way I still have flash backs of those traumatic times for me not to mention that while in college I vividly remember being being in my room and just somehow going into an attack where I had to do my EPI pen and wait for the paramedics to get to me I was still conscious but suffocating! I have never got over that time, even now as I'm sitting here typing this I can remember what it felt like..... but you made me feel better when you said to "never think that they will not know what to do...." You are completely correct I HAVE TO get my anxiety under control because in reality I have not had an asthma attack such as the ones that I talked about earlier in over 12 years. And as a matter of fact, since that time I have discovered that those incidents happened because of the foods that I ate and when I fell asleep or in the first case burped I brought up acid from my stomach and it' caused my airway to constrict. While I realize that I have asthma I don't have the same type of asthma that I thought that I did before. Anyway I said all of that to say this......"thank-you" what you said really was the catalyst for me signing up for the program. I believe in GOD and I believe that HE is telling me that I need to do this right now, today and so I am going to sign up. Thanks again to EVERYONE, for being so encouraging. ~Singerjttm11 |
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Capt Tom Bunn MSW LCSW |
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Just so everyone knows I didn't ignore this post, Singerjttm11 and I were able to talk all this over today.
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Note from Capt. Tom I know everyone worries about weather, but pilots really do not worry about it. We simply - instead of worrying about it - completely prepare for it. Before going to the plane, we review the weather at the destination. If it is not 100% sure to be within legal limits when we arrive at the destination, we must specify an alternate airport in our planning documents, and load on plenty of fuel for going to the destination airport, and then if need be, diverting to the alternate airport. The legal limits are conservative. Even when weather is slightly outside the legal limits, any airline pilot could still land safely. You can rely on the captain never to land when the weather is not legal, and legality limits are reached prior to safety limits. If you are still anxious, call me and we can talk it over. I'm at 877 332-7359 from 10 AM until 7 PM Eastern time. For effective help, even if you are flying in a day or two, sign up now at www.fearofflying.com/fasttrack and call me when you finish Clip 9 so I can make sure you are all set. |
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Using Weather Information If you enter your ZIP Code or City at the top of the weather presentation, it will give you weather for your area. Or, you can enter your destination ZIP Code or City.
Click on the "LOCAL RADAR" button to see whether or not there are thunder- Turbulence, though it may cause anxiety, does not mean anything is wrong. Turbulence does not mean danger. The plane can handle far more turbulence than Mother Nature can dish out. Though flying in turbulence is safe, it doesn't feel safe. And here is where the SOAR programs come in. We can help you feel as safe when you fly as you actually are. You can see these programs at www.fearofflying.com/store. |