Anxiety sky high today - Rabies Now!

[Munchlet]

Ok this is probably going to sound bonkers.

I had this scare a few years back but I had been to Spain so thought it was just due to that.

This is the situation. Today I woke up and noticed I have two small marks on the bottom of one of my fingers. they are tiny and looks like the skin has just come off the top.

Now I'm thinking I've probably just scraped my finger and not remembered but the last few hours I've started thinking what if it's a bat bite! I sleep with my bedroom windows open and I'm thinking what if one got in and bit me in the night.

I know this probably sounds ridiculous but I know in the UK bats have been found with the Rabies virus and they also say people don't always know they've been bitten.

These two small marks could be a bite and I'm torn as to whether I should go to the GP?

I live in a street which is very urban and have to say think I've only ever seen a bat once in this country and that was no where near my house but I have this wave of panic that's saying one could have got in through my window.

Does anyone else get marks like this, I do remember having one like this a few months ago and I looked at it then and thought "oh that looks like a bite" but because I knew how I did it, I didn't panic. This time these two dots have appeared and I'm having a meltdown because I'm not sure how they got there!

Sorry I know I sound completely unreasonable I daren't tell my hubby as we went through a Rabies scare a couple of years ago which nearly caused the break down of my marriage!

[MRS STRESS ED]

Munchlet I don't mean to sound rude or un sympathetic but really ,what are the chances of that happening think about it logically do you actually believe this ,do you really believe you would not of felt it if you had been bitten. I am pretty sure you would of felt something or woke up,we all get marks and lumps at times doesn't mean something bad ,I have a bruise on my leg can I remember how I have done it know, should I let my anxiety take control no ,try and think rationally I am sure you know this isn't what happened its just your anxiety xxxx

[themr87]

It's probably nothing at all and, as mentioned above, it's so very highly unlikely.

If you're really stressing about it then let the doctor take a look but it's most likely just one of those things that we all experience.

[.Poppy.]

Just a question: do you have a health department in your area that you could contact? They would know if there were any instances of rabies in your area, or bats, or how likely it would be.

My father works for the health department here (I am in the US) and I know we have had issues where people were bitten by bats that were living in their homes and they had to have rabies vaccinations at the hospital but rabies is much more common here than where you are, and probably bats too. But a health department would know the statistics that would probably quickly put your mind at ease.

If you're concerned, a doctor's visit is always a possibility if it would truly make you feel better.

However, as others have said - it is probably about a 0% chance that is what this is - especially if this has happened to you before.

[MyNameIsTerry]

To give some perspective, the last recorded case of rabies in the UK was in 2012 but the patient was infected by being bitten by a dog in India.

Bats in the UK can carry rabies but its a single species of bat and we have quite a few.

You also have to remember that bats eat insects & fruit over here, they don't like us. I've been in a bat house in a zoo in the UK where they fly freely around you very close and I've also been on a nature walk to see them. Would they do things like that if we were even at the tiniest risk given how serious rabies is?

Its rare for bats to infect other animals and the risk to humans is considered low on the whole.

There are other possibilities anyway such as certain insects and spiders, again all harmless.

[Emilym80]

Hi there,

This is quite an unusual fear, I guess, but I actually have it too!

There have been two instances this year where I've woken up with two puncture mark shaped welt things, once on my chest and once on my finger. They were only visible after a shower and the area itself felt bruised but after the swelling went down there were no visible wounds (that I can remember, but there could have been the second time) or any real indication that anything had bitten me, I don't think.

My initial thought was that I'd been bitten by a spider, but then I remembered that rabies is a thing. In Australia, we don't have rabies, but we have the bat lyssavirus, which is pretty much the same thing. There have only been 3 confirmed cases (!) since 1996, but of course I like to worry about it nonetheless!

I'll probably ask my doctor about what could possibly have caused it when I see her for my flu shot this week. She probably thinks I'm mad already, so I may as well!

I can't offer much help other than letting you know that you're not alone. If you've only ever seen a bat once, I highly doubt it was a bat bite to begin with, let alone a rabid one. We see bats pretty often here as they live in the parks.

I hope this helps somewhat :shrug: best wishes!

[Munchlet]

Hi

Thanks for the replies.

The rational part of my brain knows how crazy this sounds but then my HA voice is saying "but what if".

I hardly slept last night just through feeling really anxious and I've woken up this morning with a whopping cold sore and a burst blood vessel in my eye, I feel like I'm falling apart.

I'm going to make an appt to go to our walk in GP centre today as about 6 weeks ago I asked my surgery if I could change my medication because my mood felt quite low and they were going to write to the mental health team and get back to me.

When I went in on Friday they said they hadn't heard from the mental health team and the GP I had seen was off and they don't know for how long.

I just feel really run down and stressed and my Health Anxiety always kicks in when it's like that.

How ironic that I got discharged from CBT last week as the Therapist said she couldn't treat me as I wasn't having symptoms!

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, send her an email now saying you are ready in her terms and I bet there is a wait in the queue!

You said on another thread that you have come down with cold/flu so its likely that is making things seem worse right now but it won't last long.

[Munchlet]

That made me laugh MyNameIsTerry, I did think this morning, I'll ring them up and refer again just to see how long it takes!

Well I went to the walk in centre and the GP said that having a virus of some kind is probably not helping my anxiety as you said!!

She also said something that really hit home. When I explained how irrational my thinking was and pointed out my two little dots on my finger she said "if you had never read on the internet that there had been cases in other countries where people had found bats in their rooms, would it have ever crossed your mind that the mark on your finger could be a bite from a bat?". I of course said absolutely not, she then said "what would you think it was" so I said a small scratch of some sort and she just nodded at me.

It really seemed to hit home and I thought she's absolutely right, I've never even seen a bat anywhere near my house, I live in a street which is constantly noisy/busy, we have no parks/forests/lakes or canals nearby so I'm sure that there are a lot more habitable places for the bats than my little two bed terrace! She also said if you lived next to a forest and you told me that you had a lot of bats around your house and you'd seen one in a room then I might be concerned but you haven't.

So I think I need to put this to bed now. I'm feeling better in terms of the virus, despite looking like an ogre with a whopping cold sore and a blood shot eye, I think I'm run down, anxious and having a lack of sleep for the last few nights has really taken it's toll on my anxiety.

The funny thing was she said "you need to have CBT", I had a little giggle and told her the story to which she said " Your GP needs to sort that out, that is not right"

So she did offer to do me a prescription for some sleeping tablets which I politely declined, she said to just get some rest, let the virus take it's course and to up my dose of escitalopram.

Apparently she will do a report to my GP and she just said to make sure I follow up with them regarding the CBT and get them to review my meds asap!

So thanks for the replies guys, I know it sounded absolutely bonkers but it's amazing how your mind can run away with one crazy thought!

[dlou84]

I get like this about dieseses and stuff too, and no one can tell you you don't have it it's self torture!

BUT I recommend you become an out reach patient with the crisis team, they can help and come and see you and have nurses and stuff too and they can help ease your concerns, I'm currently going through something similar with dirt under my fingernail which pierced the skin leading me to believe I have tetanus.

For the past 10 days I've been running around like a mad man with proper mania (voices in my head telling me I've got it etc)

Crisis team also offer phone support too so they call me to see if I'm ok :)

[MyNameIsTerry]

I'm really glad the GP said that, its another more qualified person telling you thhat therapists behaviour is not on! I'm sure your GP won't be happy about that situation.

You are not the first on here that I have seen have this worry, there was someone in the US a month or so back.

When we have these disorders we often maximise the bad and minimise the good, disqualify positives over negatives, then it becomes a matter of catastrophizing or we emotional reason or generalise. A useful way to deal with this is to get it out of your head and write it down just like you did on here. Did it seem you could work with the thought more once you had wrote it? Thought Records are useful for this because you then write down the evidence for & against.

Sometimes rationalising in our heads doesn't seem to work as well.

[Serenity1990]

This has to be one of the most creative bits of HA I've ever seen on here; top marks for effort!

A mind as creative as yours is clearly wasted on health anxiety. Have you considered becoming a novelist, or a playwrite?

[Munchlet]

Thanks Serenity, I have to admit I do even surprise myself !! A few people have said I need to find something to occupy my mind and it is very true with me that my HA is at it's worse when I have time on my hands.

I obviously just have a very overactive mind that I should try to keep busy more. As MyNameisTerry said writing the thought is good and does seem to help me get things into perspective more.

The fact that I can write on this board and know no matter how crazy it sounds people on here understand and can in some way relate is also a massive help.

dlou84 thanks for the advice about the crisis team I think I will look into that.

Today I'm feeling more positive, been at work all day though so once again too occupied to be worrying about ninja bats sneeking into my house!!! :winks: