Irrational Fear Gripping Again: Rabies

[emain1]

Hey everyone,

I made a post on here a few months ago about ALS fears, good news is I’m still alive lol. I still have the twitchy muscles all over my body, but there’s no accompanying weakness from what I can tell. In the 6 months since my cough started, it’s much better. I may cough some gross stuff up a few times a day, but I’m chalking that up to being overweight and what might be a little bit of sleep apnea. I’ll be getting a sleep study at the beginning of next year.

Back to the twitches. More recently, I’ve been trying to associate certain things going on in my body more rationally, such as me being overweight and also dealing with anxiety. I can’t get past the twitching though. It’s especially been busy on my left calf, in the exact spot where I was bit in September 2016 by someone’s pet beagle. The area of my leg is also tender to the touch, but I’ll be honest, I just noticed that today. I may have hit it against something and not realized it.

The wound was immediately cleaned and the woman told me that the dog had been up to date on its vaccinations. I have no reason to not believe her, she was very nice, and I didn’t do anything about it at the time. It never festered, and healed rather quickly. Once the twitching started in June 2018, I got concerned and remembered the dog bite. Among ALS and other possible diagnoses, Dr. Google gave the worst of the worst news, “could be rabies”. Freaking out, I went to the doctor and asked him if he thought it was rabies, and he said no, not for a bite that long ago. They asked the CDC to contact me and they also said that it was unlikely. Neither of them recommended post bite procedures such as shots.

I know that no one on here is a doctor, and I know the odds of me getting rabies two and a half years after the original bite is about .0000001% lol. But I’m concerned. And embarrassed to bring it up again honestly. My mom has banned me from bringing it up and even my friends think I’m crazy. Can anyone offer some advice or thought to my situation? One day I’ll be off this site for good I hope...

[AMomentofClarity]

Here’s some advice: It’s absolutely positively not rabies.

[emain1]

You sound like my mom, haha. Thanks for the positivity. I wish I could get my head away from this endless loop of worry. But I guess time is the only thing that will convince me in the end. I’ve told myself numerous times, “when you’re alive in five years and haven’t been thinking about these things for awhile, you’ll laugh at yourself and think about how trivial it was”. Again, thanks for the reply.

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239

[Double_Rainbow]

September 2016???? :scared15: You have good memory. I am sure most people wouldn't even remember that this has ever happened, let alone worry about rabies from that bite. It is almost nearly biologically impossible.

---------- Post added at 15:58 ---------- Previous post was at 15:49 ----------

I got bit almost a week ago by a pet bunny and am on my wits end with the rabies fears. I am watching that bunny every day and it looks healthy so far so I am holding it. I was trying to estimate how long will this bite keep my anxiety alive. I thought maybe 3 months? This topic is bad news, as it indicates that even 2+ years later this can still come back to haunt me. :weep:

[emain1]

Double Rainbow, your best bet is to see a doctor. I did, and they didn’t think much of it. It’s always nice to hear a professional’s opinion. Along with the CDC’s. It was actually DHEC that called me, not the CDC. The only reason I am dealing with it now is because I have health anxiety. If you’re not an anxious person, go see a doctor and they will straighten you out. You may be recommended to get some shots, but if it gives you peace of mind, it’d be well worth it. My bet is if that rabbit hasn’t died yet, you’re OK. Go see the doctor though! I’m praying for you, keep me updated!

[Double_Rainbow]

Double Rainbow, your best bet is to see a doctor. I did, and they didn’t think much of it. It’s always nice to hear a professional’s opinion. Along with the CDC’s. It was actually DHEC that called me, not the CDC. The only reason I am dealing with it now is because I have health anxiety. If you’re not an anxious person, go see a doctor and they will straighten you out. You may be recommended to get some shots, but if it gives you peace of mind, it’d be well worth it. My bet is if that rabbit hasn’t died yet, you’re OK. Go see the doctor though! I’m praying for you, keep me updated!
I have crippling HA. That rabbit has never been outside according to the owners. Rabies in pet rabbits is very rare, so rare they don't even vaccinate rabbits against rabies. I didn't go anywhere, simply because they will recommend observing the healthy animal pet for 10 days before giving me shots (in case it becomes ill), or killing it immediately for testing which I don't want. Why even bother if I can observe it every day without going. Plus everyone else around me thinks that I am nuts for even thinking that rabbit can have rabies, but as I said, I suffer from crippling HA.

[emain1]

I know how it feels ��. I really didn’t develop any of this H.A. until a few months back. It’s disheartening. For some reason my body doesn’t feel like it did a year ago, and I’ll go through numberous thoughts trying to figure out what is going on with me, even though it’s probably all in my head. Ive racked up around $2000 in medical bills in 2018 because of it. Ive got to get a grip on reality and just accept things for what they are and realize I’m fine, but it’s hard. I know what I need to do, but I’m struggling with the execution.

---------- Post added at 20:25 ---------- Previous post was at 20:24 ----------

Those question marks are supposed to be a frowny face lol

[AMomentofClarity]

Double Rainbow, your best bet is to see a doctor.

I’m actually going to disagree with this 100%. When you know your fear is as irrational as rabies, particularly from domestic pets, visiting the doctor just exacerbates the HA cycle by feeding your need for reassurance. You should be confronting and challenging your anxious thoughts.

If you do need to see someone, You’re much better off spending your time and money treating the illness you know you have...Health Anxiety.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I’m actually going to disagree with this 100%. When you know your fear is as irrational as rabies, particularly from domestic pets, visiting the doctor just exacerbates the HA cycle by feeding your need for reassurance. You should be confronting and challenging your anxious thoughts.

If you do need to see someone, You’re much better off spending your time and money treating the illness you know you have...Health Anxiety.

Absolutely, it's just another form of reassurance seeking. Not easy to resist but part of recovery is about not turning to doctors for HAers and learning to trust their own instincts.

[emain1]

Thank you both for your advice. Just like the last time I visited with the ALS thing, I’m going to have to trust that everything is fine. It’s just really hard. I just need to give it time.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thank you both for your advice. Just like the last time I visited with the ALS thing, I’m going to have to trust that everything is fine. It’s just really hard. I just need to give it time.

Yes, we realise it's a matter of change and it takes time & effort. That doesn't mean if you do need that reassurance that it should be viewed as a failure because at the start we are always going to be avoiding & seeking reassurance until we make some headway with our anxiety.