Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

Last night I lost it and couldn't keep it together.

I am PG so I can't take any medicine so I have to go on this flight with no medicine.

DS is going with us because we are going to Disney and I think that is making me worse.

I keep getting all this awful images in my head of crashes and having to say goodbye to Andrew. I am freaking out.

How am I ever going to get on this plane? I already asked DH if I can drive and he said no way. He makes fun of me all the time which makes it worse.

I don't want to be like this but I can't help it.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I'm the same way about flying.. the tiniest bit of turbulence sends me into a panic and I start crying. We were just in Florida last week to visit my mother and I was a wreck with all the awful thoughts in my head. I used to pop a xanex, but now that I'm pregnant of course I couldn't. I *think* Tylenol PM is okay to take while pregnant. Is that a possiblity and to have your husband take care of your son while in the air?

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I understand how you feel too. I hate flying. The last night of our trip to DR, I was awake, thinking how can I hold onto DD if the plane crashes. I was a wreck. I was nervous the whole plane ride home until we landed.

Try and remember that flying is very safe and you will all be fine

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I am so sorry. A lot of your fear I'm sure comes from not understanding what's going on. The little bumps and noises and smells can be very anxiety inducing. I used to be a very nervous flyer until I met DH. He is a pilot and was able to explain a lot to me.

Most of the noises and bumps especially while taking of and landing are the sound of the flaps on the wings going in and out and the landing gear going into the hold and out again. Smells are usually coming from the galley kitchen or bathrooms (). I also had someone explain turbulence to me as currents in the ocean You don't get scared when a boat bounces in the water right? It helped a bit to think of it that way, I still don't like bad turbulence though!

Flying is also very very safe. Much safer then driving a car or walking down the street. It's freaky and unnatural being so high in the air and going so fast but it is safe.

The more you do it the more you get used to it too. I fly at least 3-4 times a year and every time it's easier. I leave for london in less then 2 weeks and am really looking fwd to the long flight.

If there is anything in particular that really freaks you out that I didn't mention please ask me about it. DH knows all about this stuff and can give me a great answer to relay back to you.

I hope this helped even a little bit

ETA: I'm not sure where your seats on the plane are but being near the wings will cut down on turbulence. You won't feel it as much in these seats. You will also be be able to look out and see when the plane is turning if that feeling makes you a bit nervous.

Message edited 10/6/2008 10:46:44 AM.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I have to fly in two days and i'm nervous too. I'm a terrified flyer but decided a long time ago that it won't stop me from going places. Once i'm through the waiting in the airport and take off i'm usually fine, but I get so anxious waiting to take off that I make myself sick.

I really have nothing to say that will calm you down (I don't like medicating myself), but it definitely helps having my DH there. He actually likes flying and tries to make me laugh/calm me down. If you're flying with your DH just tell him to try to distract you.

I also make sure to bring headphones/ipod/nintendoDS so I can blast music so I don't hear the plane noises. And cards/travel games that DH and I can play to make the time go faster.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I'm not a nervous flyer, but I always watch the staff on the plane talking to each other, and I think about how its just another day in the office for them. Sometimes I listen to them talking about their plans for that evening when they get to where they are going.

I think, if they do it everyday, and if they aren't scared, why should I be???

Also, my MIL took a fear of flying course, she hadn't flown in years and years and now she goes on holiday to America every year.

Good Luck!

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

you can take benedryl when pregnant - that should get you to sleep

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

i am terrified of flying but still manage to get through it. This website helped me a lot. It is a free course that goes through the steps of being a frightened passenger and addresses almost everything that may make you nervous. Its free. Believe me, if i can do it, you can do it. I also recommend benadryl, that is my safety net.

http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

Something that also helps me a lot is looking at the relaxed, calm , smiling flight attendants during turbulence. As long as they are still calm and still tending to passengers, i figure its likely we aren't in danger.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

omg i DREAD going on planes from the moment i book a trip until i'm landed, safely, at my destination.

it is the worst - i cry every time during take off and i basically shake in fear the entire flight. i can't even move or i feel like something bad is going to happen. i don't have any words of wisdom b/c we are in the same boat -- just know that you are not alone.

we go to jamaica on december 1st - i can't wait and that the same time i dread the thought of going everyday.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I hate flying!!! Hate it!!

I usually take Tylenol PM and buy wine, but I cant do that preggo

I also hate flying without DH and DS which I have done several times over the last year and a half

I blast my IPOD and pray

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I get nervous when flying now that i'm pregnant. i used to take medicine too.

now that i am in my 2nd trimester, my dr says i can take benadryl to calm me down.

see what your dr says about that.

good luck!

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I used to be terrified of flying. Never enough to medicate, but I'd actually start shaking.

You know what cured me? My husband got his private pilot's license. NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING about flying on a jet is as scary as it is in a small plane. You feel every single bump and wind gust.

But what made me REALLY feel better was to have DH tell me what the odds REALLY are of something going wrong. Think about it: When a plane crashes, it makes the news. That's because out of the hundreds of thousands of planes that take off each day, they land safely very nearly 100% of the time. I don't know if that makes you feel any better. But now that DH knows how to fly a plane, I also know that there are very few situations that can come up where an emergency landing would NOT be possible. Did you know that even if BOTH engines were to die, you can still the land the plane VERY safely without losing comfort in the cabin?

Just some stuff to think about.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

i hate flying too
with any kind of anxiety i think the best thing to do is stay in the moment. don't give yourself time to think about the flight. play with your son, read about where you are going, watch the movie, do crossword puzzles, talk to unexpecting travelers on the plane - whatever works! i know what it's like when people try to talk you out of being afraid. it doesn't work because your fear is not rational so rationalizing doesn't help! so just try not to feed the fear by thinking about it as little as possible.

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I am not a nervous flyer, but I am a very nervous passenger in a car. I am a good driver, but an awful passenger. Your chances of something happening in a car is far greater than something happening on a plane. So try to sit back, relax, and think about how much fun you will have at Disney!!!

Re: Totally flipping out about flying!!!!!!

I'm so scared to fly so I can sympathize