Flying Anxiety

[ShellBda]

Hello all,

As some of you know, Bermy Girl and I will be travling to NZ in 4 weeks for holiday and fact finding.

I am afraid of flying. Living on a small island out in the middle of nowhere, flying is my only option. The longest flight I have ever been on was 7 hours between Bermuda and the UK. I take Xanax to help me with the anxiety and while I don't fly much, I cannot fly without it.

I am so excited about my trip to NZ. At the same time, I am worried about the 12 hour flight from LA to Auckland. Xanax does not make me sleep. It just relaxes my body but my mind still functions at the same speed. I would like to sleep for most of the fight but not only am I nervous about the flight but I am worried about DVT's. I will see my doctor about my prescriptions as my plan was to take the Xanax before I board, stay awake for the first 2 hours and then take a sleeping pill to knock me out hopefully for 8 hours and then be awake the last 2 hours; get up and walk around, use the bathroom (I rarely use the bathroom because of my fear). Would this schedule be safe? I will not be able to sleep without assistance.

I don't think I can entertain myself for 12 hours without my anxiety building and I am sure Bermy Girl would prefer I was asleep for most of the flight

Does anyone else out there suffer from the same fear? If so, how did you deal with it? I don't like taking medication. I don't even take aspirin when I have a headache unless it gets really bad.

Appreciate any advice and no, I will not be drinking alcohol! I tried it once with the Xanax - not a good combination as the taxi driver from the airport to the hotel will attest to.

Thanks,
Shell

[Taffy]

I don't think 12 hours is unsafe for flying. Just get yourself a pair of flight socks, take some asprin if you're really worried and you'll be fine

All you need to do is remember - 'Dan Carter, Dan Carter, Dan Carter' and you'll forget where you are.

[ShellBda]

Thanks for the advice Taffy. I was thinking about buying the special "socks". While I may forget where I am if I think about Dan, I may embarass myself if I have the thoughts I am sure to have. No telling what I will say in my drugged state!

By the way, a long time ago I had a policeman friend from Wales we called Taff (his real name was Marian). Everytime I type your name I keep having to go back and add the "Y". So, if you see "Taff", hope you don't mind.

Shell

[Taffy]

I've been called worse

[ShellBda]

By Welsh Girl and Mother Bear; no doubt.

[Taffy]

Two of the biggest culprits, for sure

[keeweegal]

Hi Shell

My tuppence worth!

Originally Posted by ShellBda

Thanks for the advice Taffy. I was thinking about buying the special "socks".

Having done a fair few long haul flights now, including UK-NZ, I'd definitely recommend the flight socks. I usually take them off when we stop half-way eg. LA & then put them back on when we board again. I also try to walk around the plane as much as you can, so for me I wouldn't be sleeping so long - not that I can anyway, I just end up dozing - while OH snores for Scotland!

While I may forget where I am if I think about Dan, I may embarass myself if I have the thoughts I am sure to have. No telling what I will say in my drugged state!

To save any potential embarrassment , can you get Rescue Remedy, a natural remedy sold in health food shops (in UK anyway)? It just takes the edge off but doesn't put you to sleep. I used sleeping tablets once & didn't like waking up groggy, so RR better option for me.

I'm sure you'll be fine, Shell - & just keep thinking of those AB's

Sal

& enjoy NZ - you'll love it! whether NZ's ready for the Bermuda Crew yet, is another story

[moggy]

Rather than treat the symptoms,why don't you treat the cause.

You know in your mind that it is an irrational fear - you know the safety statistics.

An irrational fear is a learnt behaviour and can be unlearnt, a therapist will be able to help you over come this

[MotherBear]

Moggy pipped me to the post here. I was about to ask 'Just what is it about flying that frightens you?' Once you know that, you have a starting point to address your fears. All these pills and potions are only temporary measures and you have to go through the same agony each time you fly. So, if you could find a way to overcome the problem once and for all, your way would be open to travel all over the place and explore regions you've only ever read about or heard about. There are people who can help you deal with your fear of flying but I'm not sure whether Bermuda would be big enough to host such a service. You have your little boy to consider, too, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to pass on your fear to him. When you fly to NZ to live, I doubt you'd have the luxury of knocking yourself out with pills when you have an inquisitive and excited little lad to cope with. I'm sure he'll need a lot of attention during the flight so that might eat up quite a bit of time. Add to that a really good book and you'll have music and movies to entertain you. too.

As for Rescue, I've used that in the past, not due to fear of flying but just getting the jitters about finding my way through the airports along the way when I've been flying alone. It doesn't appear to have any side or after effects and is hardly noticeable i.e. you don't fall asleep on your nose (unless you're tired anyway) and it doesn't make you whoozy at all. It just has a gentle, calming influence. I thought it wasn't working at all until I realised that the butterflies in my stomach had fluttered off elsewhere. It's made from Bach flowers, whatever they are.

When I broke my ankle previously, I was given an elasticated bandage (like a long elasticated tube) to help keep the swelling down. Instead of investing in a pair of special socks for flying, I decided to buy another piece of this bandaging for the other leg and now I use that on long flights. I think it's sold by the metre and mine reach right up to my knee. When we had a stopover, I took the bandages off to allow my legs to have a bit of freedom, then put them back on when we took off again. I also take an aspirin every 8 hours to help matters along.

A lot of alcohol isn't really a suitable option for flight nerves or as an aid to sleep because it dehydrates you and you'd need to drink a fair bit for it to have a knock-out effect, therefore, you'd be greeting your new country with a raging hangover, so it's good that you're not going down this route.

Just consider how many planes are in the air at any one time around the world (and, no, they're not going to crash into one another ) and how many make journeys during the course of just one day? You'd be amazed just how many people are flying around, so it can't be that unsafe, can it? And think how many plane crashes you hear about. You only hear the bad news about flying and not how many thousands of flights arrive at their destination perfectly safely.

[kokopeli]

I flew from Christchurch to Wellington about a month ago and sat next to a lady who was in a real state - had the rosary beads out and everything. I've never seen anyone grip the armrest so hard! The approach to Welly was about as good as it gets. The plane was swinging wildly from side-to-side and kept lurching up and down (like it does). We were in the back row of seat, so she was really suffering. Just as we touched down, I leaned across to say "You're doing really well, we're there now" and she threw up. Poor love.