Ive committed to a big trip in March and am getting scared

I know I always encourage every one else to go and not be held back by their disease.  But in addition to CD I am very very afraid of flying.  I do fly, but am miserable.  I make myself sick from fear (which is not good for the CD) and will shake and sometimes cry.  Its embarassing.  Ive learned that Im more afraid of the lack of control then I actually am of crashing and dying.  Well my hubby isn't a good flyer either and I feed off of his anxieties too.  I do ok when Im w/ calm people who calm me down.  Anyway we are flying to Georgia in December and I have signed up to speak w/ my school's therapist and my doctor also said she would give me medication.  I am not too worried about that trip.  It is my dream trip that scares the poop out of me, literally.  My husband grew up in Singapore and for my spring break he is taking me to Phuket, Thailand (where the plane just crashed) and to Singapore to see where he lived.  I am soooooo happy and excited but petrified at the same time.  I get anxiety just thinking about the TWENTY TWO hours on a plane.  I know we have some layovers so it wont be exactly that long but I just have to relinquish all my control.  I am limited to what I can bring on the plane.  What if I cant eat the food? What if I feel sick the whole time?  What about when we land in Phuket and have to take a 20 minute taxi ride to our hotel when our driver may not speak English.  I went to therapy a couple summers ago to get my anxiety associated with this disease under control.  It really helped.  But I still get lots of anxiety when I am entering unknowns.  And for me this is a huge unknown.  Its not like going to a wedding where I can call ahead and find out where the bathrooms are.  My husband told the travel agent I need an aisle seat.  I am also going to call the airline when we get our tickets and confirm this.  I am afraid of the long waits on tarmacs you see on TV.  The whole time your thinking you could take off at anytime and the plane is taxi-ing so you are not allowed to get up and walk around.  But then it really takes hours.  I cant go that long w/o the bathroom.  I guess I can tell the flight attendants about my issue but will they even care? Oy.  If I can get the anxiety under control I am sure I will be totally fine.  But between the going to a new place, a ridiculously long flight, fear of flying, and crohns I need all of your help.  Remind me of all of that good advice I give everyone else.  Share your coping mechanisms.  Its only 7 days of my life but I really want to enjoy it.  (PS: we also have travel insurance so if something horrable happens we can get our money back but I would need to be hospitalized or something so its not like I can use it as an excuse if I chicken out.)

Ok, so I can't help with the anxiety, but maybe your doctor can give you some nice little pills that might make it easier.

As far as the traveling with CD. I have the big D and it is a huge concern for me when traveling for all the reasons you stated. I'm assuming you are dealing with D and not C so disregard everything if I am wrong. Depending on how severely you are affected there are a number of things you can do. Try immodium OTC. I take up to 8 a day on a regular basis, because I won't take Questran unless I have to travel. I do have Questran that I take when I have to travel, but I have bile salt issues. Probably can't get a Rx for that if you don't have bile salt issues. You might be able to get some Lomitol (sp?) that would make traveling easier. Also, I started taking Xifaxan about a year ago and it made a huge difference in the number of trips to the bathroom a day. basically cut my trips in half. It is an antibiotic for travelers D that is used off label for CD. You might be able to try that even for a month or two just as some added insurance while out of the country.
My last suggestions, while not pretty, would give you a little security. Wear some loose clothing with adult diapers underneath. That way, if the worst did happen, at least your clothes would stay clean until you could get to the bathroom.

Oh and if possible, I would try the meds in advance. You don't want to find out that lomitol stops you up for days and makes you miserable on the trip of your dreams. Better to find out at home so that you can play with the dosages to find a happy medium. Just enough for safety and comfort.

And congratulations on taking the trip of your dreams!

Please try to enjoy it and don't let your fears overcome the excitement!!!  Just think that statistically (sp?) speaking there are more chances that you get hit by a car when you are crossing the road, than crashing with a plane.  Now, do you honestly think that something bad will happen every time you cross the street?  I know that what we watch in the news really affects us, because we think that we could have been in their position, but on the other hand, if we were afraid to travel or cross the street we would stay home forever and not enjoy life.  everyone of us could have an accident even when we are home, so don't panic and try to enjoy life and your vacations!!

I would suggest to take something before you board, and then on the plane, take deep breaths, take a really nice book with you, or listen to music so you don't have to listen to all the sounds the plane makes.