Lets talk about phobias

[Captante]

shy bladder syndrome aka "pee fright"

AKA: "stage-fright"

 

[Kaido]

I had a bite on my calf around 4 years ago that got pretty inflamed and scary. Was RX-ed a med, an antibiotic IIRC, oral. 95% sure it was a bite, and I figure probably some spider. Probably happened in the house somehow, possibly in bed.

My friend got bit by a brown recluse here in CT while cleaning out her attic iirc. She almost had to have her leg amputated. She was out of work for like 4 months & had a super-gross open wound that was probably eight inches across on her leg. It was really insane, just the most random thing to ever happen! What's crazier is that was the second or third story I had heard like that!!

 

[Captante]

My friend got bit by a brown recluse here in CT while cleaning out her attic iirc. She almost had to have her leg amputated. She was out of work for like 4 months & had a super-gross open wound that was probably eight inches across on her leg. It was really insane, just the most random thing to ever happen! What's crazier is that was the second or third story I had heard like that!!

Usually it only gets out of hand like that when "halfway" measures are taken at the onset .... safest bet is DEBRIDE the bite area immediately (and completely!) then dress it with "drawing salve" for a few days. (this removes most of the venom)

Treating a "recluse" (or similar) spider bite as if it's an infection usually doesn't do a thing to help.

Additionally no matter what you may have heard/read the Brown Recluse (and similar Hobo spider) are NOT native to Connecticut and verified sightings are extremely rare... they usually end up here after arriving in produce shipments.

Bear in mind that spiders are one of the most common "phobias" and thus hyped up "scary" misinformation is rampant on the topic. (while rational/scientific info tends to be rare)

 

[Kaido]

Off the top of my head I figure you might be able to get over this using a technique based on increments. Kind of like putting your toes in the water rather than jumping in the deep end. It would require a plan and increasing exposure by taking 'baby steps.' Get comfortable addressing a very small group of people, say 2 or 3, then 4 or 5, etc. Different circumstances, evaluating logically as the self-directed therapy progresses what the next step(s) is/are. I figure you can get over it, if you really want to. Completely over it. You are all about attitude, I know that because you said so. Whether you do this depends a lot on how much you want to. You may not care enough. Or, you may actually prefer to be the way you are. That might have benefits. Sometimes people have difficulties doing certain things that arise because those "difficulties" serve some other purpose(s) for the individual. That's always something to consider in evaluating personalities.

Yeah, over the years, I've seen a therapist, done exposure training, tried cognitive behavioral therapy, etc. I've been presenting publicly for over 20 years & it's never gone away or gotten better lol. There's just some kind of built-in biological response in my body to these types of situations that I've never been able to figure out. Mentally, things like public speaking doesn't bother me at all...I'm a super chill person IRL & love doing training on topics I like (I do professional training in IT & business efficiency, plus give stuff like cooking classes outside of work to groups), but the neurons in my brain act as some sort of in-line filter for making life more difficult than it needs to be!

It was the same with my Paruresis, except that magically (thankfully!) went away via a seemingly unrelated medical treatment. My histamine treatment eliminated my day-to-day anxiety, but I can still get automatically triggered pretty easily when I have an upcoming speaking commitment! On the topic of the SIBO treatment, the gut microbiome is under HUGE amounts of study these days. They've done a ton of studies on anxiety & its relationship with the gut-brain axis:

Gut Microbiome and Anxiety Disorders: What’s the Connection?

Research suggests that disturbances in gut microbiota — the good (and bad) bacteria and other microorganisms in your gut — are tied to anxiety disorders.

www.everydayhealth.com

Microbiome and Anxiety Is a 2-Way Street A scientific review published in May 2019 in General Psychiatry suggests that gut microbiota regulate brain function by way of the gut-brain axis, a communication network through which the brain can influence the gut and vice versa. Preliminary evidence shows that imbalances in gut microbiota can exert a powerful influence on the brain via the gut-brain axis in ways that affect anxiety. What’s more, disturbances in neurotransmitters — brain chemicals that send signals throughout the body — may play a role in psychological conditions like anxiety. This connection is important because, per research published in June 2021 in Nutrients, gut microbiota are believed to help regulate neurotransmitters.

So it's kind of like we have a fuzzy-logic AI system between our minds, our brain (a separate machine from our mind), and our bodies, which manages emotions & other communication signals, but sometimes gets blocked based on things like unhealthy gut microbiomes! My friend had me talk to his teenager a few years ago about her anxiety, which she had had for a few years but was getting worse. Turned out she had a brain tumor! They were fortunate to get it identified early & had it successfully removed, which eliminated her anxiety! So sometimes there are just goofy things in our body that act like hot branding irons, which bypasses our thinking processes & our choices about how to deal with things!

I still do presentation work all the time, but it yuckos me out pretty good due to the automatic physiological response I get. Wish I didn't have to deal with it! I get through it, but I sure don't enjoy the negative effects lol.

 

[Kaido]

Usually it only gets out of hand like that when "halfway" measures are taken at the onset .... safest bet is DEBRIDE the bite area immediately (and completely!) then dress it with "drawing salve" for a few days. (this removes most of the venom)

Treating a "recluse" (or similar) spider bite as if it's an infection usually doesn't do a thing to help.

Additionally no matter what you may have heard/read the Brown Recluse (and similar Hobo spider) are NOT native to Connecticut and verified sightings are extremely rare... they usually end up here after arriving in produce shipments.

Bear in mind that spiders are one of the most common "phobias" and thus hyped up "scary" misinformation is rampant on the topic. (while rational/scientific info tends to be rare)

I grew up with a huge fear of Black Widow spiders, kidnappers, quicksand, etc. Turned out I watched too many Saturday morning cartoons growing up LOL

 

[Captante]

Crazy thing is that even the so-called "deadliest" spiders are pretty much not actually "deadly" at all.

Even black widows, funnel-webs and brazilian wandering spiders are not likely do serious harm to a healthy adult if you somehow manage to get bitten by one IRL. (although you 100% will not enjoy the experience!)

It you want a critter you can be afraid might kill you with complete justification it's venomous reptiles/snakes!

 

[igor_kavinski]

getting treated with SIBO medication resolved this issue permanently after just a week on it!

Do you remember the name? Sounds interesting for further research!

 

[igor_kavinski]

No amount of thinking my way out of it has cured it; it just happens. It's weird because I'm not mentally afraid of public speaking & do it all the time

I don't have stage fright per se but I also don't want to speak in front of an audience unless it's something I'm really passionate about and I know enough about the subject not to be embarrassed if someone asks a question.

I had to give a mandatory presentation for a learning module at the start of this year. It was going well until I saw this guy in the audience grinning and then whispering something to his friend by his side. Automatically, my brain figured they were joking about my monotonous voice and crappy presentation skills so my brain froze. Few moments of awkward silence before I was able to recollect my thoughts and continue. Thankfully, the professor looked at me weird but didn't say anything and let me continue, way past my five minutes of allotted time. That was kind of him.

 

[Captante]

Since I was apparently cutting class when god was passing out "shame" and "humility" I have no issues whatsoever with public speaking.

Or sing-alongs for that matter!

 

[igor_kavinski]

It you want a critter you can be afraid might kill you with complete justification it's venomous reptiles/snakes!

Forgetting scorpions?

 

[Captante]

Forgetting scorpions?

The vast majority of scorpions are completely harmless to humans.... most are not even as serious as a bee-sting IF they even bother to sting you.

Having said that, there ARE several very dangerous species, although only one is native to North America ... the Desert Bark Scorpion.

Even the most mildly venomous snakes OTOH will fvck your $hit up if they deliver a "full dose" bite. (their venom is frequently designed with killing mammals in mind)

 

[igor_kavinski]

I still do presentation work all the time, but it yuckos me out pretty good due to the automatic physiological response I get. Wish I didn't have to deal with it! I get through it, but I sure don't enjoy the negative effects lol.

You could try presenting in a fasted state where you haven't eaten for more than 12 hours prior to the presentation. Or you could try doing it while in ketosis with keto diet, preferably presenting on the third day.

 

[Kaido]

Do you remember the name? Sounds interesting for further research!

Yes, Rifaximin (Xifaxan). It was originally created for dealing with food poisoning (often prescribed for Montezuma's Revenge from traveling to Mexico). They found that it nuked the bad (and good) bacteria in your small intestine, which made it effective for many people suffering from SIBO. I was on it for a week or so & my paruresis went away. It was almost more life-changing than getting my stomach treated! I don't know if it would work for anyone else in this capacity. It's a weird thing to talk about & an even weird problem to have, but not entirely uncommon! I have zero issue mentally going to the bathroom in public bathrooms, but my brain sure did for some reason! lol

In the U.S., Xifaxan is professionally-prescribed ($1,500 for a 2-week course), so you have to go through a GP or GI. However, you can get it from Canada (Rifaximin) for $80 with a prescription, FYI.

 

[Kaido]

You could try presenting in a fasted state where you haven't eaten for more than 12 hours prior to the presentation. Or you could try doing it while in ketosis with keto diet, preferably presenting on the third day.

Yup, have done all that! I currently do monthly 24-hour dry fasts & annual 14-day wet fasts with electrolytes. Have also tried every diet on the planet over the years (keto, paleo, even fruitarian lol). Doesn't help at all, unfortunately! There's something baked into my body & brain that triggers the public performance anxiety. I can get through it, I just feel terrible doing it! And terrible leading up to it & terrible after doing it! hahaha

 

[Kaido]

I don't have stage fright per se but I also don't want to speak in front of an audience unless it's something I'm really passionate about and I know enough about the subject not to be embarrassed if someone asks a question.

I had to give a mandatory presentation for a learning module at the start of this year. It was going well until I saw this guy in the audience grinning and then whispering something to his friend by his side. Automatically, my brain figured they were joking about my monotonous voice and crappy presentation skills so my brain froze. Few moments of awkward silence before I was able to recollect my thoughts and continue. Thankfully, the professor looked at me weird but didn't say anything and let me continue, way past my five minutes of allotted time. That was kind of him.

Yeah, I get into that "flight or fight" mode & my brain just seizes up. It's super annoying. Answering questions in public groups is incredibly difficult for me because my brain basically cryptolockers access to my memories & access to my ability to think clearly lol. It's sort of the "Sabertooth tiger, RUN!" response.

It's crazy because I'm an introvert (not antisocial, I just have a social battery that runs out quickly & then I need to be alone for awhile lol). My old roommate was extroverted. He sang in an acapella band & sometimes we'd do presentations together. For him, being in front of people was like a battery that charged UP around other people! The COVID lockdown was really difficult for him because he's not a low-energy home-body like me. It was really shocking to meet someone who actually ENJOYED being up in front of people & got a charge out of it, because all it did for ME was make me SICK! Hahaha.

You watch people like Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, etc. who all LOVE getting up in front of people & can clearly see that their batteries get charged up by putting on a show. They don't suffer from excruciating anxiety, they can think on their feet, and they actually enjoy the process! I wish it was that easy for me!!

 

[igor_kavinski]

They found that it nuked the bad (and good) bacteria in your small intestine

So it acts as a gut resetting agent and then you can populate your gut with the good bacteria. However, you would need some time to do that with normal food. Maybe you regularly take pre/probiotics?

 

[igor_kavinski]

It's crazy because I'm an introvert (not antisocial, I just have a social battery that runs out quickly & then I need to be alone for awhile lol).

Yeah, that describes me pretty well too. Though for me, a while may as well last forever.

 

[Kaido]

So it acts as a gut resetting agent and then you can populate your gut with the good bacteria. However, you would need some time to do that with normal food. Maybe you regularly take pre/probiotics?

Kind of the opposite, you actually avoid pre/probiotics & let it naturally populate. When I was a kid, I had invasive surgery, which messed me up with SIBO & histamine intolerance. I have recurring SIBO, so the medication only works for a couple months & then eventually quits working, so I have to do another round. The latest technology is Atrantil, which I'm currently on for SIBO. It only works about 80% as good, but it works consistently:

https://atrantil.com/

It's available on Amazon. I don't know if it would work for Paruresis or not because Xifaxan is what cured me of that. For Atrantil & SIBO, the latest recommendation is to take it for life & go on a gluten-free diet. I was off gluten for a like ten years & really, really, REALLY don't want to go off it again. I'm managing pretty well with my DAO enzyme for my HIT & Atrantil right now. It's kind of crazy because our bodies are no different than a computer system, where you need a motherboard, a CPU, memory sticks, etc., but we are just on the brink of figuring out how everything works, how food & GI processing is tied into things like our energy levels, anxiety levels, etc. The next 10 or 20 years should be pretty interesting on the medical front!

 

[Kaido]

Yeah, that describes me pretty well too. Though for me, a while may as well last forever.

 

[Captante]

"The most direct path to a man's heart is through his stomach!" (Traditional)

 

[igor_kavinski]

"The most direct path to a man's heart is through his stomach!" (Traditional)

And woman's heart?

 

[Kaido]

"The most direct path to a man's heart is through his stomach!" (Traditional)

 

[Captante]

And woman's heart?

 

[nakedfrog]

Yup, have done all that! I currently do monthly 24-hour dry fasts & annual 14-day wet fasts with electrolytes. Have also tried every diet on the planet over the years (keto, paleo, even fruitarian lol). Doesn't help at all, unfortunately! There's something baked into my body & brain that triggers the public performance anxiety. I can get through it, I just feel terrible doing it! And terrible leading up to it & terrible after doing it! hahaha

I just use whiskey as a crutch

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

The vast majority of scorpions are completely harmless to humans.... most are not even as serious as a bee-sting IF they even bother to sting you.

Having said that, there ARE several very dangerous species, although only one is native to North America ... the Desert Bark Scorpion.

Even the most mildly venomous snakes OTOH will fvck your $hit up if they deliver a "full dose" bite. (their venom is frequently designed with killing mammals in mind)

This is all true. Recluses get an exception for me because if you get bit, it will eventually lead to amputation or death unless you go to a hospital immediately, and who the hell does that. Otherwise danger noodles are just the worst. My grandparent's ranch (tornado one) used to get fucking 8' long rattlesnakes. Fuck those things.