Fear of being bitten by a bat or some other animal

Hi, sorry for bothering you guys with this sort of stuff, but this is consuming me so much I don't even know what to do anymore.

Basically, about four to five years ago I developed an irrational fear of rabies. For some time it was unbearable, I thought for sure I was going to die because I touched some fruits which some skunks had eaten and I didn't remember if I washed my hands before scratching my nose after that (now I know that it was almost impossible for me to get rabies like that, but at the moment it felt so real). For about a year or so this fear came and went as I was deep into researching about the disease and read some articles saying how bat bites can go by unnoticed and how I was afraid that some bat bite me while I was asleep and I'd never know because I couldn't see the bite (which is ironic giving the current situation).

For the last three years or so my fear has calmed down, I felt that I was finally free from it, but nevertheless it came back this week.

I noticed two very small scratches on my thumb, divided by a small gap in the middle. At first it didn't alarm me as I thought back on my previous experiences, but for some reason, starting yesterday, I couldn't take this off of my head.

It all began again, the overwhelming fear of the disease, thinking about how a bat could have entered my home and bit me while I was asleep or something (which is ironic, since I've said it myself that I've read about bat bites going unnoticed because of how small they are), imagining myself in the hospital being sick, etc, etc.

I own a cat, and he would probably have noticed if a bat had found a way into my home, and no, I doubt that he was the one who bit me since his teeth are to large for the size of the scratch. But I keep thinking "what if he at the bat, though? Then I wouldn't know for sure".

Here's a picture of the scratch: https://i.imgur.com/naWfxPd.jpg

I would go to the doctor if that was possible, but the healthcare here is really bad (and it's really overloaded because of the pandemic) so I could have to wait for months before I actually got an appointment, and I currently can't afford a private doctor visit.

I don't really know why it started again, but I have a guess: I've been battling with Pure O OCD for pretty much all of my life up until now, I've tried several medications and, up until now, none of them worked as they should. My doctor has prescribed me Luvox, which is a drug that potentially has caused me severe side effects in the past, but the doctor said that those side effects I've felt were probably not because of the drug itself, but because of the fact I had just stopped taking Venlafaxine (which dosage was slowly lowered for a smooth removal, and I had few withdrawal symptoms) and because I was taking Bupropion along with it, which could have caused some of the side effects.

I decided to give Luvox a try again but I'm still so afraid of taking it that I kept pushing back until I decided to put a time limit, which expires tomorrow. So I think all the worry I'm having about this drug is making my anxiety worse (I've been having dizzy spells, which were common before too but came back this week, plus I've been feeling a lot more anxious for no reason whatsoever).

I just need you guys' opinions, am I worried for nothing or should I really be worried?

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks in advance.

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Originally Posted by mikhailivankov

I just need you guys' opinions, am I worried for nothing or should I really be worried?

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You're worrying for nothing.

FMP

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fishmanpa

You're worrying for nothing.

FMP

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Thank you very much.

That doesn't seem like a bat bite to you?

There are no such things as ninja bats ;)

FMP

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fishmanpa

There are no such things as ninja bats ;)

FMP

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Yeah, I guess even with a cat I'd notice if a bad ever entered my home. Thank you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mikhailivankov

Yeah, I guess even with a cat I'd notice if a bad ever entered my home. Thank you.

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Yep... We have a Pixie Bob and he's the best hunter and spider killer :winks: (And thank goodness because my wife has an extreme phobia of spiders! :scared15:)

FMP