commitment on anything
Nursing homes. Not hospitals, not retirement centers, nursing homes. Care centers.
I spent two weeks working as a secretary at the care center where my mom is the DON. I couldn’t handle it more than that. I’d look at all those people, and I saw myself, my son, my mom, etc. in that situation. It literally made me ill. I absolutely cannot stand the thought that someday, someone I love, or possibly even me, will have to live in a nursing home, having to call a tiny, shared room “home”, having to eat that crappy institutional food, not having any control over funds or bodily functions. It’s awful. I don’t care how good the staff is or how pristine the facility. It’s an eerie thought that provokes the overwhelming realization of my own mortality – something that, especially as a mother, I don’t want to have to recognize.
On that note:
Death. I’m scared to death of death. I don’t want to die. I don’t want anyone I know to die. I’ve been known to say (well-disguised in a joking manner) that I’m never going to die, because it’s not possible that a wonderful person such as myself could ever cease to exist. I’m really good at helping others through their losses, but when confronted with my own mortality, I become clammy and shaky. I don’t know if it’s because I’m afraid of the manner in which I’ll die, afraid that I won’t be remembered, or afraid that there’s nothing more after this.
Veni, Vidi, Visa … I came, I saw, I bought.
Cess, I’m that way too. I once had this jacket, and the cuffs would rub right against my wrist. I ended up giving it away, because I would always get squeamish when I wore it. The doctor had to take my pulse on my wrist today, and even that bothered me. Now that you’ve reminded me of it…shudder…I can’t handle anything to do with veins or tendons. I remember watching one of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies where Freddie was using this kids tendons as puppet string…faint
One time at school, over lunch, my friends started talking about needles and IVs. One of them noticed that I had stopped eating, and they later told me that I had gone completely white. I had to sit cross-legged on the floor with my forehead on the floor for about 5 minutes before I could walk again.
I’ve never had an IV put in, and I’m squirming in my chair at the thought of it.
I’m starting to feel little a lightheaded now. I’m going to look at some porn to get my mind off of this.
Zu
I get stage fright, but only if I have to read or recite something specific.
There’s no problem if I’m just speaking my mind, or if I’m allowed to improvise as I go along But when friends recently asked me to read a certain poem at their wedding, the thought of it made me all queasy, and I had to back out at almost the last minute.
Tengu:
Exactly! My mother gave me this beautiful watch to help me get to classes on time, and I keep it on a keyring. She was so annoyed, but I just can’t wear anything on my wrists!
Zulu:
Your post gave me the creeps. No offense. I always get this sick feeling whenever I think about having children and my mind wanders to that part where I get put in the hospital and they. . . Almost makes me want to never have kids at all. And Carl wants 15! Anyway, I have a kind of similar story to share. You know how in hs biology there are always some girls who get kinda grossed out by dissection? I tried so hard to convince my teacher that I wasn’t just afraid of the “gooey gross stuff” inside a frog. The very idea of cutting open the flesh makes me sick. She didn’t believe me until I was sitting on the edge of the table curled up in the fetal position humming to myself. Then some guy thought it would be funny to grab me by sides and yell “Boo!” I screamed so loud that she never ever made me sit in the same room as a dissection again.
I dunno if it rises to the level of a phobia, but I’m kinda afraid of chickens.
Cessandra wrote:
Heh, that’s the best thing anyone has said to me all day!
I know what you mean about the frogs. Where I live, we just take general science from grade 8 to 10. We only get to frog disecting and autopsy videos if one choses to take biology in grades 11 and 12. If the students have a problem with murdering frogs, the teacher tells them that the frogs were found dead in the creek, of natural causes. Puh-leez!
The only thing we had to disect before that was an eyeball. Sheep or cow. EW! Eyeballs creep me out. I can’t stand the sight or thought of anyone putting in contacts. I can’t read passages in horror novels that feature the slicing of an eyeball (ie. “The Dark Half” by Stephen King).
I once tried to read “Gerald’s Game”…NEVER AGAIN! The imagery was just way too much for me, and I almost became physically ill. I got about a third of the way through the book, and I just couldn’t do anymore. I didn’t sleep at all that night.
Zu
::Shudders:: Disections. Great…yet another thing that bothers the hell out of me…
I barely passed biology because I got ill while we were trying to do the disection. ::Gets woozy::
And Zulu…thanks for bringing up Gerald’s Game. ::Shuddershuddershudder:: That’s twice tonight one of your posts here has managed to creep me out. 
‘They couldn’t hit an Elephant from this dist…!’
Last words of General John Sedgwick
Yeah, looking inside at people’s bits makes me feel all icky too. I hate needles and having blood drawn, though its happened plenty enough. Ugh.
The only time I have had an IV, I must have been zonked when they put it in cos I don’t remember that part.
But taking it out, on the oother hand, was horrific! The tube wasn’t a needle, it was a HOSE PIPE! It was huuuuuuuge! And it was forced under my flesh? EEEEeeeeuuuuggghhhhh… yik.
For those of you afraid of needles, have you tried laying down when you get any blood work done? Also, not looking at what’s being done helps.
I’m one of those rare few that is not bothered by needles. When I was a kid, I went to a dentist who never used nitrous oxide. He had a lot of elderly patients, and nitrous was bad for a lot of them. Then when I was 16, I had my firt grand-mal epileptic seizure, and have been getting blood work done on a regular basis. Just got used to needles, I guess. But I have many, many friends & relatives who are petrified of them. I certainly don’t enjoy being poked, but it’s just one of those things that I have to do, like taxes. Friends & relatives have sworn by the laying down & not looking. Also by eating something before you have to get blood work done (unless it’s something that requires fasting). Helps keep the blood sugar up, and decreases the lightheadedness that sometimes occurs with having one’s blood drawn.
I have this really bizarre conditional fear of heights, conditional largely on how likely I am to fall off of/out of something. For example, I love to fly. Love it. Any size aircraft. But get me onto the observation deck of a tall building, I won’t go near the edge. And when I have to sit in the upper deck at the ballpark, I get very nervous; I get this idea that the deck is going to collapse onto the street below.
Conversely, however, I have a weird deal with bridges, too. I don’t mind walking over them, but I hate driving over them.
Underwear. Can’t wear them.
Other than that… driving on a narrow bridge at the same time as another vehicle… hate that…
Eating at the same dinner table as my father.
“Argue for your limitations; sure enough, they’re yours.”
Having a car match my speed at my side. Having an eighteen-wheeler beside me freaks me out.
I can’t stand needles. I’ve learned to deal with them for the most part, but going to the dentist is still a thrill for me. Don’t get me wrong, my dentist is fantastic; she hardly hurts at all, but when I see that freakin horse tranquilazer(sp) needle coming for my mouth, I still have to stiffle a panic attack.
I have a fear of heights that I’ve managed to tone down, as well. The thing is, I still have a fear of flying. I’m flying to Canada in two weeks, and I’m looking forward to it like a kid looks forward to Christmas, but I know that when I’m in the air, I’m gonna be nervous about that landing.
I also get a twinge whenever I post, because I know I’ve misspelled some words. < Watching in amusement as the posters fight over who gets to be the first to point them out THIS time. >
You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing.
In my dreams I’m afraid of heights. But it’s usually because I’m being told that I have to climb up on something that looks rickety/slippery or stand close to the edge of the roof of a very tall building.
That’s it. I’m not phobic about anything else.
Most common question I ask: “What?”
Most common question I get: “Are you really hearing impaired?”
I ride buses a lot.I hate it when a driver gets out,and closes the door.I am sure the brakes will fail,and the bus will start rolling(off a cliff!)Now,when a driver gets off,I say keep the door open,or I get off till the driver gets back on!
Hawk moths. Those enormous flapping THINGS that make that horrible, horrible sound when they fly…they completely freak me out, and are the only insect that unnerves me. I’ve got this phobia that they’re going to get in my hair. ACCCKKK! When I was 16, I bleached the carpet (whoops) when I took one out with my only available weapon–Tilex.
Heights. This is my worst phobia. I get a bit light headed and sweaty palmed on plane takeoffs, on the initial climb on a roller coaster, in glass elevators, etc.
And now, semis. My car was totaled by one just about a year ago, and it was the kind of accident where there was nothing I could’ve done. He nailed me when I was at a complete standstill in traffic–so now, I’m paranoid being around a semi, and paranoid about anyone coming up behind me too fast (when I was in the accident, I actually saw that 18 wheeler screeching toward me in my rearview).
Oh, and I’m a bit flipped out by flying…it’s a combination of a fear of heights, and the lack of control. I keep thinking about Flight 800 et al, and imagining falling out of the sky from 30,000 feet in a big fireball. Whee!
“My cat’s breath smells like cat food.” --Ralph Wiggum, hero and icon
Like Michelle, I too am thalasaphobic; although, my desire to be in the water often overcomes my fear of it. With that said, the instant I see anything in the water other than myself or friends, I am out of it Jesus-speed.
SC
What I hate is having anything around my neck. I have this primitive fear that someone will grab a scarf or necklace and strangle me with it, and I’d hate for my last thought to be how easy I made it for my murderer. When I put on a necklace in the morning I always end up taking it off on the way to work. Since I’m allergic to nickel and can’t wear earrings, either, it makes me a rather sparsely accessorized person (sigh.)
Catrandom
Ho ho ho…do you really think I’m going to give you fellers this much power over me?
I’m carefully noting down every post on this thread, so’s I can torture you all later.
How about a little…UNDERWEAR, OfficeGirl? We’re casting a SDMB version of HAMLET, and AURASEER gets to play the title role…
Hey, is that a spider in the corner?
Uke
Spiders
Flying stinging insects
Heights
in the words of Steven Wright “I’m not afraid of heights, I’m afraid of widths”
Don’t let the loveless ones sell you a world wrapped in grey.