Phobia

clibb

Forum Captain
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I am extremely afraid of lightning due to being so damn close to the strike so many times. When a thunderstorm comes in I get a little scared. It's not a fear that will stop me from assessing a patient, but it still freaks me out.
Does anyone else have this? It's so weird. I used to never be afraid of lightning until I started doing Insulation in attics, then we'd always see where the strike was when the doors were open.
Or do you have any other phobias or fears?

And how the hell should I deal with this? I want this GONE!!!
 

firetender

Community Leader Emeritus
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Is that all?

Use your head and figure the odds of your being called to a scene that involves lightning. Factor in the number of lightning strikes in your call area per year, divide by 365, minus the days you don't work and then go somewhere on the internet and look at the odds of having it occur on any one of your shifts. (You think I'm gonna do ALL the work?)

Now, go to your heart. Ask it "What will I do? Freak out? Run? Become ineffective? Become dangerous?" Then listen. If you KNOW you'll respond in such a way as to endanger a patient that is in the vicinity of lightning, then be honest with yourself and get out.

If, however, you use your head AND your heart and figure out a way you can work around that PHOBIA (not real) if such a situation arises, then get back to work; you're fine! But you have to take responsibility for facing this now and figuring a plan of action, before the lightning strikes and the thunder rumbles!
 

lampnyter

Forum Captain
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being struck by lightning is pretty rare. but if it bothers you that much try to do your assessments in the truck.
 

Aprz

The New Beach Medic
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Fear of getting a shot. I don't mind shots, but I do mind getting shots. Fainted twice already from that. Once from my tb test, and the first time somebody did an IM injection in class on me. Got many shots after that and didn't faint, and I've gotten more comfortable with SCs and IDs. IMs still scare me since I hit the bone of one student once, and I fear that will happen to me. It's like the anticipation of pain that kills me. I didn't faint right when I got the shot or saw it too, but about 15 minutes afterward. Smart me signed up for Phlebotomy this Fall, but I am optimisitic about it since I was able to get through last quarter of shots every tuesdays and thursdays.

I fear daddy long legs, crane flies, and alcohol (or any drug that will alter my mind - I don't like the idea of not being all there) also.
 
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clibb

Forum Captain
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Use your head and figure the odds of your being called to a scene that involves lightning. Factor in the number of lightning strikes in your call area per year, divide by 365, minus the days you don't work and then go somewhere on the internet and look at the odds of having it occur on any one of your shifts. (You think I'm gonna do ALL the work?)

Now, go to your heart. Ask it "What will I do? Freak out? Run? Become ineffective? Become dangerous?" Then listen. If you KNOW you'll respond in such a way as to endanger a patient that is in the vicinity of lightning, then be honest with yourself and get out.

If, however, you use your head AND your heart and figure out a way you can work around that PHOBIA (not real) if such a situation arises, then get back to work; you're fine! But you have to take responsibility for facing this now and figuring a plan of action, before the lightning strikes and the thunder rumbles!


I really like what you said in this and it has received my attention. I know all about the percentage of me getting hit by lightning since my dad is huge into Science. It still frightens the crap out of me. Like I'm just waiting to get hit by it.
I've been on calls when there is a thunderstorm and I'm still scared when I walk out of the ambulance but once I'm with the patient I'm totally fine and it doesn't harm my ways of assisting the patient and putting them in danger.
 

bstone

Forum Deputy Chief
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Bunny rabbits. They are horrifying.
 

Pneumothorax

Forum Lieutenant
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I am extremely afraid of lightning due to being so damn close to the strike so many times. When a thunderstorm comes in I get a little scared. It's not a fear that will stop me from assessing a patient, but it still freaks me out.
Does anyone else have this? It's so weird. I used to never be afraid of lightning until I started doing Insulation in attics, then we'd always see where the strike was when the doors were open.
Or do you have any other phobias or fears?

And how the hell should I deal with this? I want this GONE!!!

in all seriousness, i have a horrifying fear of thunder/lightning.. (not the crappy rumbles), but the loud paparazzi flashes & house shaking type stuff. i cannot explain why..but i am. anti anxiety medication works wonders tho. might want to look into it.:)
 
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clibb

Forum Captain
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in all seriousness, i have a horrifying fear of thunder/lightning.. (not the crappy rumbles), but the loud paparazzi flashes & house shaking type stuff. i cannot explain why..but i am. anti anxiety medication works wonders tho. might want to look into it.:)

Yeah, I'm thinking about getting the anti anxiety medication. I am a server right now at a local restaurant and last night it was thundering here and I had to take care of the patio customers. I was almost :censored::censored::censored::censored:ting myself.
 

dudemanguy

Forum Lieutenant
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I've always found the best way to overcome a fear is to confront it head on, but I'm not sure running around on a golf course holding a metal pole high in the air during a lightening storm is a good idea.

You could always move to the desert.
 

EMT11KDL

Forum Asst. Chief
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those scary beeps you hear in the middle of the night that right after you hear that, voices saying xx respond to 123 abc street for some dumb patient who has waited 12 hours to call you in the middle of the night for a cut on his finger....
 
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