Flying! aruggghh!

Lasardo

Regular Member

Joined : Jan 2011

Posts : 373

Posted 4/29/2011 1:14 AM (GMT 0)

Flying to LAX next week and am so nervous, have had anxiety attacks on planes before, no fun. The other thing that terrifes me is that I have a colostomy and when I get anxious it fills up, would if I can not get to bathroom in time, and when I pass everyone on the way to bathroom they can smell me? Trust me it smells! Any advice would be appreciated!

melodee

Veteran Member

Joined : Oct 2008

Posts : 800

Posted 4/29/2011 3:11 PM (GMT 0)

The best thing to do is simply talk to the flight attendant before the plane departs, and explain to her/him that you have a health problem and you can get sick from flying. Flight attendants are on the plane to help/assist you. That's why they are on the plane. They have dealt with tons of sick passengers before. They know what to do. Let them know you have anxiety...And you will need to use the bathroom often. Let them know! It's makes a huge difference!

Scaredy Cat

Elite Member

Joined : Sep 2006

Posts : 28868

Posted 4/29/2011 3:42 PM (GMT 0)

Hi and welcome to the A/P forum! I recently went on a cross-country trip with many delays and flight issues, and yeah it can be rough!

Have you had any therapy for the panic episodes? I ask because if you learned any calming/coping techniques, now would be the time to practice them. When I was flying, I used my progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises and positive mantras to get me through.

If you need some instuctions on these, you can look at the top of the main A/P page under Anxiety Resources. There are several good links to get you started.

Melodee gave you great advice, and I agree with her idea of enlisting the help of the flight attendant. Also, I am assuming that you have checked into HW's ostomies board? They would be really helpful for questions like this.

Good luck, and safe travels. Often the anticipation is the worst part of the event, and I bet you will be absolutely fine:)

Take care, and post with us anytime!
Scaredy Cat

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