Fear of rabies. Moth touched me or was it a bat?

Hello everybody!
I am really glad I have found this forum. My fear is getting to much at the moment and I really need to talk to someone who can understand me.

I was in Sweden two days ago and when I was in the bathroom, something touched me on my cheek. There were a few moths in there and so I thought it was one. But then I thought what if it was a bat? However, I didn’t see any bat. I then thought to myself, well, what if it instantly flew out of the room, because the window was wide open. I guess you can see where this is going…
Can anybody tell me, if I would have noticed the difference between a large moth and a bat for sure? I am so scared.

I was at the hospital as well the day after that and they told me that they couldn’t see a wound and therefore there was no risk even ir there would have been a bat. Is this true? I thought that bat bites/scratches are so small that you couldn’t see them?

Thank you so so much for your help!!! I’m so scared it is driving me crazy. And now I am feeling tingles at that cheek as well…

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Originally Posted by Fearingallday

I was in Sweden two days ago and when I was in the bathroom, something touched me on my cheek. There were a few moths in there and so I thought it was one. But then I thought what if it was a bat? However, I didn’t see any bat. I then thought to myself, well, what if it instantly flew out of the room, because the window was wide open. I guess you can see where this is going…
Can anybody tell me, if I would have noticed the difference between a large moth and a bat for sure? I am so scared.

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I've seen some big moths in my time but I'm fairly sure you'd know if there was bat in the bathroom?

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I was at the hospital as well the day after that and they told me that they couldn’t see a wound and therefore there was no risk even ir there would have been a bat

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So you went to accident and emergency because you were convinced you had a bat bite on your cheek despite there being no puncture marks?

HA's got you good and proper, eh?

Rationally speaking...

Bats are bats and moths are moths and the two are generally not confused with each other - especially in a well lit room such as a bathroom - but you have a raging case of HA so I'm not doubting, for one second, that you genuinely believe that you think you encountered a bat. But I'm coming at this from the perspective of a long-term HA warrior who has been in control of the disorder for the last three years...

Also, I have OCD..

Logic: you saw moths..

Conclusion: a moth flew close to your cheek. The little blighter may have even brushed past your cheek? But moths are moths and the only things they kill are plants and cardigans..

What's the situation with therapy with you?

Hello,
thank you very very much for your answer. I am glad someone took the time to answer me!

yes,I think so too that I would have noticed, if I there would have been a bat. But I have never seen one so I am unsure and the „what-ifs“ are driving me crazy.
And yes, no puncture marks. But I always think maybe they are just so small that they were unnoticeable by the doctor?

On one hand I am sure it was a moth. But then I Lied awake yesterday night and felt so much tingling at that spot on my cheek and I thought I am already showing symptoms and started having panic attacks. It is driving me nuts…

But you are correct, logically there is just no way that there was a bat! They have big wingspans so I those would have probably touched me as well I guess. But only something relatively small touched me.

no therapy yet. But I will do one. Those fears just came up this holiday. Didn’t have this before. Other types of health anxiety but not this particular one.

Thanks again for your reply!! Another answer would be greatly appreciated :)

This is the problem with HA. You got an answer, a great answer that was very detailed and showed you a great amount of logistical reasoning. You don’t need another answer. You got the only one you need. Additional reassurance seeking won’t help you, there is no end to reassurance seeking lol - you have to work to reassure yourself. Therapy can and will help if you don’t feel you can do it on your own. Best of luck!

Bats don't randomly attack people - I know cos I sit outside at night and they fly around my garden and do fly towards me as a heat source then quickly fly away.

Rabies is so rare it isn't worth thinking about.

I have a huge rabies fear too, so bad I once convinced myself that it was a bat that brushed off my leg...instead of my flowy pyjamas. I probably spent about an hour in tears before I felt it again and realised the real culprit was my attire!

You would most definitely have felt a bat bite or scratch. Even the smallest bats have pretty big wings, and you'd feel them flapping against your cheek. Think about the impact you would feel if a bat was speeding in through your window, made contact with your face and managed to bite you, while at the same time disappearing out the window before you could look. They're nimble, but they're not THAT nimble!

Ever been bopped in the face by a bee or large insect? You feel that pretty intensely. A bat is much larger, flies faster, and you would have NO DOUBT that it whacked you in the face and bit you. This stealth bat would also need to find purchase on your cheek to bite in the first place. You would DEFINITELY know if that was happening.

A harmless moth on the other hand, would brush off your face and carry on it's merry way as you described.