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How's your appetite? "I know I need to see a psychiatrist or a therapist to help me get over these irrational fears, but you guessed it: I can't afford to." I happen to have fear for needles just like you. It makes me light headed that I almost faint, I literally cringe, I can't see such scenes in movies, etc. A good year ago I was due for a dentist treatment (my last wisdom tooth (I'm in mid 30s), and removing an abscess which was there for about 7 years). So I went for an intake, and the dental surgeon suggested oxazepam (4x 10 mg, 1 before sleep, 1 when waking up, then 2 right before the medical procedure which has to occur in the morning), and was quite reassuring that we would succeed. I had to go twice, once for each issue however it went great both times. I slept like a rose! I was jolly. No fear whatsoever. While on the drug I was actually excited to get the treatment! I could also barely walk, so if you follow this route I recommend a driver or taxi. I don't know how expensive it is in the USA but my insurance didn't cover it here in NL. I think the drug cost like 30 EUR, but I forgot the exact amount. That's quite doable compared to a psychologist, right? And these positive experiences also give me more hope that I can do it without the drug. Just to put it in perspective: the treatment before that cost 600 EUR for full sedation (via a mask) which was partly covered by insurance because of a letter from my psychiatrist. I did get two complications from the oxazepam treatment treatment: due to Iboprofen usage I got ulcers (took 2 months till I got rid of it, took meds after 2 weeks), and the other problem is that the scars from the operation seem to cause a little white pus every other day but its stable and nothing near the level it used to be. I was disappointed that the post treatment _only_ looked at the place the abscess was and not its surroundings even though I did report the problem. All in all, I'm happy I went this route though. My mother also had narcolepsy. Turned out she had sleep apnea. Her basic insurance covered a mask she has to wear during the night. I forgot the name. |