Rabies (showing symptoms. Really scared)

[Flowerpower681]

About 12-13 weeks ago I was scratched by a homeless woman’s dog downtown in a big city in which I live in. The dog was not violent but was obviously untrained and when I sat down with the woman after buying her food and water her dog got excited and scratched my arm but since I was drinking I can’t remember if that’s exactly where. I didn’t think anything of it until about a month ago when I came across a reddit post about humans with rabies and now I’m terrified I have it and showing symptoms. I have panic attacks daily, my left arm hurts and I feel I have muscle aches. I’m pretty sure I had covid earlier this month so I’m not sure if the muscle pain is from that or the rabies virus. I just feel different mentally and I’m 100% I’m infected. I’m terrified and everyone I talk to tells me I don’t have it but I just can’t shake the feeling that I do. Please help, it’s effecting my mental health which has lead me to alcohol abuse and that in itself has caused me to make many bad decisions I wouldn’t make sober which only fuels the fire that I have rabies because I’m “going crazy or rabid”.

[.Poppy.]

I know how scary it is, and it’s hard to think rationally when caught in an anxiety web. But you absolutely, 100% cannot get rabies from a scratch. You have to be bitten. Besides which, rabies in pets (even unvaccinated ones) is rare, and as there are clinics that offer free/cheap vaccines it’s possible the dog was vaccinated anyway.

[Flowerpower681]

So my symptoms are most likely anxiety because my left arm does actually hurt and I’ve been having anxiety. I’m just really really concerned because this woman seemed like she was maybe on drugs and wouldn’t take her dog into a place to get vaccinated

[.Poppy.]

Yes, it’s honestly amazing what anxiety can make our bodies do. Rabies symptoms are far more severe than just body aches or a sore arm. Also, even in the US, rabies in pets is incredibly rare and rabies in humans is even more rare. Like 3 cases a year out of 300+ million people, and those people don’t get it from pets.

[Flowerpower681]

Thank you for the replies. I’m just really scared because I feel definite muscle pain/aches and sometimes I wake up feeling hot. I just get really nervous because a lot of people on here are scared they were bitten or exposed but I actually was. I was drinking so there’s no memory of the scratch was bleeding or if the dog seemed super rabid. The only thing holding me together is knowing I would of seen it in the news if the dog did have rabies especially because of how big the city I live in is

[Fishmanpa]

Ok... time to come to reality here. Regardless of your memory of the situation, think about this for a moment. You sat down with a homeless woman who you were helping. She had a dog. The dog got a little excited and you got scratched. Do you really think a person, homeless or not would have a rabid dog as a pet? So first off, the dog would actually have to be rabid, have been licking it's paws immediately before the scratch and even then, the chances are a kin to winning the lottery. That and the fact that 1-3 cases out of 330 million per year and I think you see where I'm going with this.

I don't doubt you're having some physical symptoms but they're not from rabies. The stress you're putting yourself through along with the alcohol consumption is a combination ripe for feeding the dragon.

What are you doing to treat your anxiety?

FMP

[Flowerpower681]

I take anxiety medication which was working for a while but once I started getting panic attacks out of nowhere it’s just gone downhill from there. I have a therapist but I feel I’m so convinced I’m sick the only thing that makes me feel better is being told I’m not. I don’t mediate or try to eat healthy because In my mind I’m rabid or about to be so it won’t help. Deep down I can rationalize these things might help but I’m so exhausted mentally I just turn to the things I know will relieve the pain instantly because I can’t mentally bring myself to try healthy coping mechanisms

[Catkins]

I know it's really hard, but do try to do some guided meditation. Write when you're going to do it in a list of activities for the day, also try and get out for a walk. Do anything to distract yourself from how you're feeling.

You haven't got rabies, it's just your anxiety latching onto it. Maybe everytime you start thinking you have rabies, repeat the mantra 'I have not got rabies', write it down on a piece of paper, leave it where you'll see it.

[graham58]

I agree with the others who say you're worrying unnecessarily. It's very very unlikely that you actually have rabies - there are on average three cases or fewer in the US every year. And besides, as the others have said the virus is transmitted through an animal bite so you won't get it from a scratch.

[Flowerpower681]

Thank you all for the support, I really appreciate it. I had some tingling in my shoulder earlier which really scared me but I’m starting to just accept my body is going to have sensations time to time and I’m so hyper aware of them that they seem more significant than they probably are.
I’ve been having “symptoms” for over almost two weeks now so I’m trying to remind myself that I would probably be dead by now if it really was life threatening. Just terrified if I ignore stuff and chalk it up to anxiety that it’s truly rabies and I’ll end up dying without saying goodbye to my family which is a really scary thought. I wish I would of just gotten the shots from the scratch so I could move on

[.Poppy.]

You can move on - the max you’d live if you had rabies after showing symptoms is 10 days; it usually closer to 4. So not only is it incredibly unlikely to get rabies (and impossible from a scratch) but even if you’d beat the odds and had it you’d be gone by now - more evidence that you are fine.

[Flowerpower681]

Update!!!
When downtown and the woman and the dog were there doing well. I feel a lot better now. Thank you everyone who replied!!