Escape the trap of anxiety and claustrophobia

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, particularly the one on “When the physical pain gets to be too much,” you’ll see that I’ve experienced a series of health problems over the years. This involved numerous doctor visits across various specialties and a myriad of testing procedures on different parts of me.

Are there any medical situations that make you feel particularly nervous or apprehensive?

For me, I prefer to be doing just about anything else than going to the dentist. LOL. My Dentist is good, but my last appointment (a crown replacement), was very unpleasant. It started out with a pinch and pressure to my gum area as she injected me with a numbing agent. For some reason, I completely forgot about the need to numb the area. As she proceeded, she commented that I have “a petite mouth.” I know she was talking about the physical size of my mouth, but I found this sort of amusing, as I have never thought of myself having a small mouth. LOL!

Anyway, given my small mouth, she had to put a pediatric bite block in to keep my mouth open while she carried out the procedure. It became increasingly difficult for me to keep my mouth open, as I was having a challenge breathing normally, in addition to the postnasal drip in the back of my throat. 

Unfortunately, my crown was in one of the most difficult areas of the mouth (top and back), not to mention the dental hygienist aggressively pushing air into my mouth with the syringe. After 10 minutes or so, it all became a bit too much for me and I started to panic. 

Prayer was a natural part of my preparation for the procedure. However, as I lay there feeling suffocated and grasping for air, my prayers were of an urgent and pleading nature, but then I was reminded of who I am in Christ and who God is in my life. A boldness deep within me began to rise up. Right then, I remembered what we were taught in Tae Kwon Do, and that was, in order to maintain steady balance on one leg for long periods of time, we were to pick a spot directly in front of us and focus solely on that area. I decided to put that same strategy into practice. I began focusing on the white clouds and blue sky on the ceiling of the room and continued to thank God for helping me to be peaceful and overcome this. Within a few minutes, the fear subsided, my heart calmed down and I was able to breathe again. Peace was felt again.

In addition to my tiring dental appointment, the previous week I had to get an MRI of my neck. My least favorite medical imaging procedure is the MRI (or Magnetic Resonance Imaging). I don’t mind lying still for an extended period of time, especially if it is on the beach or in front of the TV (LOL). However, I have found that I dislike the enclosed nature of it, as it is slightly claustrophobic. The most gut-wrenching and agonizing part of it is the “jackhammer-like” sounds that reverberate or echo throughout my body, causing my heart to flutter and overwhelm my entire being. 

As with my dental appointment, beforehand I prayed for God’s peace and that He would help me stay still and get through it successfully. As the pounding began, I began to think of one of my favorite scriptures, found in the book of Philippians, chapter 4 and verse 8, which says “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

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I was pretty proud of myself as I was purposely thinking about things that made me happy or trips that I had taken or those that I wanted to take. I was hanging in there, up until the last two minutes of the procedure. All of a sudden, a jolt or burst of anxiety came over me, as the noises went from the jackhammer to thumping and pounding, and I began to think of the enclosed space I was in. At this point, I began quietly humming the melody of one of my favorite songs (What an awesome God by Phil Wickham), over and over and over again. Although the two minutes lingered a bit, I got through it and was extremely happy that I had made it through it and that it was done. 

A few days later, I came across an IM clip by Bill Johnson (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMiJUzuR_XX/?igsh=OTR6cHNxdDkyYTVx ,) which put these last two medical episodes into perspective. He said that "Anxiety comes from feeding on a problem, feeding on a lie, feeding on inferior things…”

Moral of the story: If or when you have to go through medical situations or other things that you don’t like, pray, as God always answers; serenade yourself with a favorite song; or distract yourself with things that are joyful, calming, and peaceful. 

Escape anxiety and step into the light of hope!