# Poll: What Most Frightens You ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159 "2003-09-27T14:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/41 "2003-09-28T07:55:04Z")
Last month I learned I have a phobia of IV’s. I’ve always disliked things going into my veins -other kinds of shots, blood, etc, don’t bother me at all. But, I went in for surgery last month. I was fine the whole morning, joking, clowning around, relaxed… and then they inserted the IV. Within minutes I had tunnel vision, I was very uneasy, my arm felt cold, and it was all I could do to not run out of there. I have to go back in for another round of surgery and the single thing that scares me and makes me want to not show up in the thought of having another IV. My wife is a nurse and she said she’s never seen anyone react like this before. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/42 "2003-09-28T10:12:16Z")
My nightmares. I wish I could stop dreaming. I’ve watched my husband die in a thousand awful realistic ways. They are so vivd and realistic, it takes ma about an hour or two of effort to redirect my thoughts and stop seeing the images. I can’t wait until someone finds a way to stop dreams. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/43 "2003-09-28T10:47:49Z")
One kid coming home from camp with head-lice. Oh, and those awful ‘elevator’ dreams I have where the bloody contraption malfunctions and threatens to send me plummetting to my death. I’m just not sure which is worse. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/44 "2003-09-28T10:54:59Z")
Suffocation. Having my bollocks injured. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/45 "2003-09-28T10:59:23Z")
Not so much dying as the idea of non-existence. ---
**Author:** ![sajwalke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@sajwalke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sajwalke)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/46 "2003-09-28T11:15:52Z")
Cockroaches. They’re like super insects: they’re the fastest insect on land, they can climb up walls, they’re resistant to bug spray, they can fit into really tight spaces, they can sort of flutter around (although not fly, fortunately), and finnally they’re realy, really, _really_ gross. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/47 "2003-09-28T11:34:05Z")
Timor mortis conturbat me ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Blunty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Captain\_Blunty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Blunty)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/48 "2003-09-28T13:59:06Z")
Flying. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/49 "2003-09-28T16:17:46Z")
The nightmare I had last night. scared the bejesus out of me. (warning, graphic description in spoiler) [spoiler]In the nightmare, I was watching ‘You’ve been framed’ (a UK tv show for home videos where people mess up in amusing ways.) withe the ordinary cheerful music and audience laughter. The difference was, the clips were not of people falling off tables or getting a custard pie in the face. They were of people getting limbs ripped off, and a biker falling off his bike - he is still aware and concious, he doesn’t realize what’s wrong until he looks down to see that his lower half is the wrong way round. His spine has snapped and twisted through 180 degrees I have left out possibly the most disturbing bit, not to mention the bits I don’t remember[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/50 "2003-09-28T16:37:38Z")
You know, **Lobsang** , I have had a similar nightmare, twice. Except that the footage was of People being shot in the head at close range and their craniums exploding. And **Seven** , I had the same experience when I got an IV (tunnel vision, cold arm), except I didn’t have the fear. So maybe the physical effects are separate from your phobia, if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/51 "2003-09-28T16:49:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*The nightmare I had last night. scared the bejesus out of me. > > \*\* Sure it wasn’t Kirsty’s Home Videos? I hate that program … all those kiddies hurting themselves, etc. My greatest fear, apart from something awful happening to my daughter, is BSE (Mad Cow Disease). I’m a Brit who ate _far_ too many burgers in the 80s. ☹ Julie ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/52 "2003-09-28T17:17:35Z")
[spoiler] > [@](#): > > - Originally posted by Shrinking Violet\* Sure it wasn’t Kirsty’s Home Videos? I hate that program … all those kiddies hurting themselves, etc. I like it. except for all the nudity. what is that show’s obsession with nudity?! and it’s always men or old women. I watch ‘kirstey’s _home videos_’ to see _home videos_, not _nude videos_’ It’d be ok if Kirstey herself got nude, but _noooo_. not sure why I am spoilering this,[/spoiler] > [@](#): > > My greatest fear, apart from something awful happening to my daughter, is BSE (Mad Cow Disease). I’m a Brit who ate far too many burgers in the 80s. I have never been too bothered about health scares. Including BSE. It made no difference to my eating habits. ---
**Author:** ![Kieras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a87d85/32.png) [@Kieras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kieras)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/53 "2003-09-28T20:48:18Z")
1. LOVE 2. The fact that “Natural Selection” does not appear to be working properly in the human race 3. Our politicians ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/54 "2003-09-28T21:08:00Z")
Religion and overdone religious people ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/55 "2003-09-28T21:33:47Z")
I have an unrational fear of losing my job and having no money and ending up living in a cardboard box on the street a week later. I know it would take at least a few weeks longer than that - I mean, really. ---
**Author:** ![bojon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@bojon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bojon)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/56 "2003-09-28T23:19:07Z")
Alzheimers…makes me quiver, must smoke and drink more. ---
**Author:** ![G-RAY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@G-RAY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-RAY)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/57 "2003-09-28T23:31:02Z")
Pregnant women and the po-lice. ---
**Author:** ![G-RAY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@G-RAY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-RAY)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/58 "2003-09-28T23:51:17Z")
My bride just kicked in with her biggest fear. Tsunamis. When we go to the beach she has a tough time sleeping. She has awaken me in the middle of the night asking about the tsunami early warning system. I make up some bullshit and roll over and go back to sllep. ---
**Author:** ![RahRahMah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@RahRahMah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RahRahMah)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/59 "2003-09-29T00:14:03Z")
Oh god. Where to start? THE DARK Dolls Clowns Dogs DROWNING (putting my head underwater, even in a bathtub, sends me into convulsions) Earwigs Fetus’s (Please just don’t ask, I don’t know.) HIEGHTS Foriegn creatures invading my body (ie, tapeworms, lice, those disgusting larvae things that burrow into your skin in africa) Needles That every one is secretly laughing at me behind my back Did I forget anything? ---
**Author:** ![terd\_ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@terd\_ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terd_ferguson)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/60 "2003-09-29T06:37:34Z")
People touching my things or anything else I might have to touch with their feet. I hate feet. Losing my teeth. I am 24 and the only work I have needed so far is to have a chipped tooth fixed, so there isn’t anythign wrong with them yet. I am just afriad that they are going to start falling out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159.md?page=4)