VERY VERY concerned about Rabies now. :(

[Seaster]

I've been feeling a bit off all day and my stomach has felt like bloated, stomach pains, maybe like i'll gag/throw up. Then the bowel movements came and now I feel fine as far as stomach issue BUT one big issue. I'm still lethargic somewhat and my temperature is 100.4, which is concerning because at first check getting home, it was 99.3. How did it get so high in that short a span? Got home around 6:50, it's not 7:39.

My face does feel warm but i don't know if it's because of my job out in the heat all day or not. But my temperature being so high is concerning to me. Yesterday it checked out fine, why the sudden change?

Can someone explain what might be happening here? Is a possible sunburn know to make you feel temps that high? I took Tylenol and took a cold shower not long ago so i'm hoping i can reduce it but i fear I might have rabies.

Currently, the fever and the feeling a little bit exhausted is the only symptoms.

[AMomentofClarity]

Of the thousands of relatively harmless viruses and bacteria that can cause mild fever and upset stomach.....you go with rabies....

[Seaster]

Because I did get bit by a dog so it's in my head it's possible. I had gloves on and the wound was minor but i still never found out if the dog is alive or not so it is a bit concerning.

[AMomentofClarity]

Because I did get bit by a dog so it's in my head it's possible. I had gloves on and the wound was minor but i still never found out if the dog is alive or not so it is a bit concerning.

I’m a former smoker, if I get a cough, does that mean I’ve got lung cancer?

[Seaster]

It's just very strange my temperature is this high all of a sudden out of nowhere. Yes, it probably could be something else but having to hope its not rabies is worrying enough. I have heard stories of people thinking they are fine and then they get sick and eventually die from rabies. The doctors I saw said there wasn't any worries and I took them to heart until tonight. Now i'm concerned about this high temp.

[jules321]

Not sure where you're located, but I came down with a high fever, bad cough, horrible sore throat, and some stomach issues a few days ago. My doc said there is a nasty virus going around that could be the flu (but it's so early they aren't testing for it yet). So chances are high that you just have some yucky virus.

[NervUs]

It's just very strange my temperature is this high all of a sudden out of nowhere. Yes, it probably could be something else but having to hope its not rabies is worrying enough. I have heard stories of people thinking they are fine and then they get sick and eventually die from rabies. The doctors I saw said there wasn't any worries and I took them to heart until tonight. Now i'm concerned about this high temp.

It is inevitable that you will get sick multiple times after a rabies scare. Yes, it is true. There is no way to tell if you have rabies at the beginning of the illness. They say initial symptoms are the same you would get with any virus. That is the way it is for MOST serious illnesses. That is because the body is the body and symptoms are the immune system reacting to whatever germ and the immune system doesn't really care if it's reacting to rabies or the common cold-- it reacts the same way.

So, you are going to have to learn to live with whatever uncertainty you feel until you know your cold/fever has passed. You can either freak out and assume it's rabies, or find a way to take it day by day. I have learned to take it day by day when I am in a panic, and focus on the little improvements I see as each day passes. This has never happened, but I also know that if I worsen or things seem really out of the ordinary that I will take myself to the hospital (something I don't normally do) and let them know about whatever exposure I felt I had. Really out of the ordinary means cognitive problems, sensitivity to light, salivating, searing pain, etc. Even then, it is more likely to be viral meningitis or something more commonplace.

There's really nothing else to do in this situation. I mean, yeah, a miniscule number of extremely unlucky people get rabies and are misdiagnosed at first. But you are not going to be one. Plus, you are lacking a symptom that most rabies sufferers seem to have in common at the beginning of the disease. Fever isn't even universal with rabies.

Run of the mill viruses are going around right now, in the US at least. I just got over a cold...so....please take the day by day approach. I am sure that you will start improving in a day or two!

[Seaster]

I know my brother and his GF stay over at my parents house, which I do too. And they had the stomach flu just recently. Not sure how long it takes to get to you but yeah, it's possible I have that. It's just unsettling the temperature sometimes shows higher than 100.4, because that seems to be the cutoff for a low grade fever from what I read.

I am experiencing constant feelings to have a bowel movement or when eating, noticed it was hard to eat the food to the point where I wanted to throw it up.

Sounds like a stomach bug but the rising temperature might be worrisome for me. I guess if it's under 103, i'm okay still.

[MagpieWitch]

It is probably a normal virus, most likely stomach flu.
I know it says rabies has flu like symptoms but so do literally all other diseases. And rabies doesn't technically have a sore throat, that's more or less a lost in translation kinda situation - the throat hurts cause the muscles contract so most people describe it as sore throat but it's not the same thing as the one you get from a cold or a flu.
Also the upset stomach from rabies usually comes because of the virus it doesn't precede it.
Also rabies causes a lot of pain and tingling at the site. Don't google stories but take my word for it from someone who read over 30 rabies reports in the past 2 weeks, those people were in a lot of pain and tingling and paralysis. You don't have that.
You probably got the stomach flu. And rabies get's bad really quickly, it won't let you just be here posting, it is a fast killer.
Please don't be scared of something like this, I know it's hard but I am convinced this is just a stomach flu. And you will see once you start to feel better and there will be a great relief!

[NervUs]

I am experiencing constant feelings to have a bowel movement or when eating, noticed it was hard to eat the food to the point where I wanted to throw it up.

Sounds like a stomach bug but the rising temperature might be worrisome for me. I guess if it's under 103, i'm okay still.

That also sounds like abject fear and anxiety. I have to poop A LOT when I am in a spiral and also am unable to eat except for tiny amounts. I have also thrown up from health fear, so embarrassed to admit all of that.

Your symptoms don't sound like rabies symptoms, btw. Maybe it's a stomach bug and maybe you have yourself so worked up about the fever that you are causing yourself gastro distress. I have been there too many times to count. I always come out of HA spikes svelte and looking fine, the one bright side of this!!