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Thread: So you think you have Rabies.....

  1. #21
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    Mar 2014
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    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Quote Originally Posted by mn_guy View Post
    As someone getting over a rabies fear, I agree with this sentiment. The whole point (I assumed) of an anxiety forum was to post what your symptoms of anxiety were to get support from others who have been through something similar. When I posted my story, I was reasonably sure that my fears were overblown and that I was suffering from anxiety (or else I would have posted on patient.info or some other non-anxiety medical forum). I realize the chances of getting rabies is very small to infinitesimal without a recognized animal bite. People not in the US should be aware, though, that our media and CDC government agency actively put out overblown statements warning about undetected bites and getting bitten in your sleep. If you are already inclined to anxiety, reading some of the stuff online can easily send your anxiety into a tailspin. Posting here for support and being told "that's an absurd fear and you're an idiot for worrying about it" may be technically correct but not exactly helpful.
    It's something I find odd. This argument about probability which is this sense appears to attempt to validate more commonly expected diseases when in the case of each neither have the symptoms or exposure. It's sometimes a "worry about the more likely" which is flawed when there are many more likely diseases/conditions to have than the cancers seen to be more acceptable

    As a non HAer I sometimes wonder given these views how the majority of the anxiety spectrum is viewed by those holding these beliefs when the vast majority of the spectrum cannot harm you in any way. Agoraphobia doesn't kill anyone but it's just as bad as any other fear can be.

    But then I find such views are limited to some people only and are not representative of NMP.

    Frequency is mentioned. At work you can spend much of your time dealing with repetitive queries. Do people groan at their customer? It's a lack of patience.

    It's understandable that on a forum dealing with lots of emotion that things like this happen. Admin have told us all plenty of times how to avoid frustration over this issue but it keeps happening. Anxiety can sap your patience, you can snap easily. But others would do well to remember that they could be raising a thread that is viewed by others in the same way.

    I spent over a year attending weekly walk in groups and never witnessed any of this. It suggests a lack of governance, something the internet is well known for when it comes to emboldening those would think twice in person. That has certainly been well proven when it comes to arguments on the forum.
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    For free Mindfulness resources, please see this thread I have created to compile many sources together http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168689

  2. #22
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    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    I have emapthy. And I understand rabies fear because I had it once myself 15 years ago.
    But I am also just human; I am not a therapist and not working in customer service where you have to answer; sorry the excpression; "silly questions" over and over. Note that I dont mean that those who fear the disease are silly; but their fear is silly and when they ask "can I get rabies from invisible bat bites" or "can I geet HIV from touching a doorknobs" or "can I get brain eating amoebas from getting clean tap water up my nose" not only once, but hundreds of times and each time your respond "no, you can not get HIV/rabies/brain eating amoebas that way", you get tired from repeating yourself. After all; we are all humans; even though we struggle with anxiety itself.

  3. #23

    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Thank you for this post. It's helpful! I was bitten by a stray dog 3 weeks ago (had to go to the ER) and I live in a city with positive cases. It still hurts and even though it's been going on for a while I still get scared about it.



    The pain's not big nor constant but it's occasional. (Once a day but it lasts longer if I overuse my knee (even though the bite occurred just under it, behind it.) It's a VERY slight pulsing pain and it's scary. Even though I had the boosters (because this same thing happened earlier this year with a different dog. Same leg/knee too!!)


    Luckily it's healed nicely and I'm thankful that it's not infected at least.



    Sometimes what helps me through it is I watch Rocky movies. I try and TRY AND TRY to tell my brain (almost yelling out loud to it) to knock it off. I pretend I'm Rocky, and that the anxiety is Apollo, Thunder Lips, etc. Sure I get beaten up, and I know I've almost lost to my anxiety, but I am DETERMINED TO WIN. By nature I am no fighter. I cower at anything. I am not even exaggerating when I say that I've been scared by my own shadow! While I am terrified at night and need all lights and extra nightlights on, there's something about the daytime and seeing the sun which makes me literally want to fight. I want to literally take this, and wring its neck. Thinking about the next day brings anxiety but also strength when I think of it being sunny and beautiful.


    Sorry for the long post. I guess I just really wanted to rant. I've been holding it in for a while now. I need to invest in a punching bag!

  4. #24
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    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Quote Originally Posted by hellsingokami View Post
    Thank you for this post. It's helpful! I was bitten by a stray dog 3 weeks ago (had to go to the ER) and I live in a city with positive cases. It still hurts and even though it's been going on for a while I still get scared about it.



    The pain's not big nor constant but it's occasional. (Once a day but it lasts longer if I overuse my knee (even though the bite occurred just under it, behind it.) It's a VERY slight pulsing pain and it's scary. Even though I had the boosters (because this same thing happened earlier this year with a different dog. Same leg/knee too!!)


    Luckily it's healed nicely and I'm thankful that it's not infected at least.



    Sometimes what helps me through it is I watch Rocky movies. I try and TRY AND TRY to tell my brain (almost yelling out loud to it) to knock it off. I pretend I'm Rocky, and that the anxiety is Apollo, Thunder Lips, etc. Sure I get beaten up, and I know I've almost lost to my anxiety, but I am DETERMINED TO WIN. By nature I am no fighter. I cower at anything. I am not even exaggerating when I say that I've been scared by my own shadow! While I am terrified at night and need all lights and extra nightlights on, there's something about the daytime and seeing the sun which makes me literally want to fight. I want to literally take this, and wring its neck. Thinking about the next day brings anxiety but also strength when I think of it being sunny and beautiful.


    Sorry for the long post. I guess I just really wanted to rant. I've been holding it in for a while now. I need to invest in a punching bag!
    When tempted to Google just imagine Mick shouting at you "if you use that arm I'm going to chop it off!:

    A good message from Rocky was when telling his son how you win. I always like that one.
    __________________
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    For free Mindfulness resources, please see this thread I have created to compile many sources together http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168689

  5. #25

    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Quote Originally Posted by MyNameIsTerry View Post
    When tempted to Google just imagine Mick shouting at you "if you use that arm I'm going to chop it off!:

    A good message from Rocky was when telling his son how you win. I always like that one.
    Ha ha!! Great idea!! Mick's my trainer and he wants to see me thrive.


    Also I love that quote. It just makes me want to try harder. Often I tell myself "I want to last passed 3 more weeks." But my mind says, "You're not going to be around passed next." Sometimes it makes me panic, but then I think of Rocky and I can actually picture myself next month playing around, watching tv, finishing coding, etc. They're slight pictures but I hang on to them so I can try reminding myself that things are going to be fine.



    Oftentimes when I get out of the rut I put myself in due to anxiety, I feel stronger, thankful, and picture the referees holding up Rocky's fists at the end of a match with the theme song playing.

  6. #26

    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    So I've had a relapse... and would like some feedback to help me calm down. I'm especially emotional since I just lost my rabbit :(

    So my rabbit is a mostly outdoor rabbit, but he's been coming in to stay in my basement for the past week since it's been far too hot during the day and he was older to my best understanding (adopted, so not entirely sure). Anyway... he passed away very suddenly today for reasons I do not know. My mom said to me exactly a week ago that he seemed to be really slowing down. Of course, this made me panic and I started paying attention to a lot of details. He was still getting up and moving around but did seem somewhat stiff in his movements at times. He was still eating & drinking even yesterday (though now my mind is questioning if I really saw him eating last night).

    However, I read somewhere (yes, I'm bad and I googled stuff) that rabbits don't necessarily show the signs of rabies and do just suddenly die. And it is entirely possible he has scratched me, or I came into contact with anything within the last week. I have 3 rabbits and scratches just happen, sometimes without noticing until later. So now my mind is on overdrive on "what if" because I also know something had flown inside his enclosure several weeks ago (we know a bird HAD been roosting in there, but I haven't seen it in a while and whatever had flown over me had done just that and left so I couldn't see it at all).

    I wish I could just mourn the loss of my rabbit, but instead, I am obsessing over this possibility. I even asked the vet when I took him up to have him cremated if a possible scratch was a concern (because I had to sign a paper that said he hadn't bit anyone in the last 10 days). They said it wasn't a concern and that he didn't need to be sent in for testing. I am highly regretting agreeing about that and leaving.

    Rabies in rabbits is very rare, but I live on the East Coast USA and I believe there have been cases of it here and there... so I am absolutely terrified at the moment. This has been an ongoing fear for me for a long time, but I've had a really bad spike of it over the last month and this is really doing me in. :(((( Should I call the health department for a second opinion on whether or not I am in danger? I mean, lots of people farm rabbits, have rabbits outdoors, etc. and I know these people probably wouldn't blink an eye... but ya know.

    I have a doctor's appointment next week because I want to talk about my anxiety and such, but unfortunately, because I am changing doctors I cannot get it moved up any sooner to discuss my concerns.

    Thank you so much to anyone who reads this. I really would have liked to not bother anyone, but just getting it out there makes me feel a bit better.

  7. #27
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    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Quote Originally Posted by Crevan View Post
    So I've had a relapse... and would like some feedback to help me calm down. I'm especially emotional since I just lost my rabbit :(

    So my rabbit is a mostly outdoor rabbit, but he's been coming in to stay in my basement for the past week since it's been far too hot during the day and he was older to my best understanding (adopted, so not entirely sure). Anyway... he passed away very suddenly today for reasons I do not know. My mom said to me exactly a week ago that he seemed to be really slowing down. Of course, this made me panic and I started paying attention to a lot of details. He was still getting up and moving around but did seem somewhat stiff in his movements at times. He was still eating & drinking even yesterday (though now my mind is questioning if I really saw him eating last night).

    However, I read somewhere (yes, I'm bad and I googled stuff) that rabbits don't necessarily show the signs of rabies and do just suddenly die. And it is entirely possible he has scratched me, or I came into contact with anything within the last week. I have 3 rabbits and scratches just happen, sometimes without noticing until later. So now my mind is on overdrive on "what if" because I also know something had flown inside his enclosure several weeks ago (we know a bird HAD been roosting in there, but I haven't seen it in a while and whatever had flown over me had done just that and left so I couldn't see it at all).

    I wish I could just mourn the loss of my rabbit, but instead, I am obsessing over this possibility. I even asked the vet when I took him up to have him cremated if a possible scratch was a concern (because I had to sign a paper that said he hadn't bit anyone in the last 10 days). They said it wasn't a concern and that he didn't need to be sent in for testing. I am highly regretting agreeing about that and leaving.

    Rabies in rabbits is very rare, but I live on the East Coast USA and I believe there have been cases of it here and there... so I am absolutely terrified at the moment. This has been an ongoing fear for me for a long time, but I've had a really bad spike of it over the last month and this is really doing me in. :(((( Should I call the health department for a second opinion on whether or not I am in danger? I mean, lots of people farm rabbits, have rabbits outdoors, etc. and I know these people probably wouldn't blink an eye... but ya know.

    I have a doctor's appointment next week because I want to talk about my anxiety and such, but unfortunately, because I am changing doctors I cannot get it moved up any sooner to discuss my concerns.

    Thank you so much to anyone who reads this. I really would have liked to not bother anyone, but just getting it out there makes me feel a bit better.
    Sorry to hear you have lost your rabbit

    I expect the loss is likely a driver in your current emotional state as it is going to throw you off like any loss can and then anxiety finds it's foot in the door. Seeing your doctor about your anxiety is a good idea anyway.

    The vet doesn't seem concerned and doesn't want to test. If he/she had a concern yet failed to test which later resulted in harm to a patient, or other animals, they would be in serious trouble that would surely risk their licence.

    I think it's also likely that symptoms your rabbit experienced could raise a number of possible causes to a vet that they would have worked through if they saw him/her when still alive. The fact it was too late means they aren't going to go that far and may just give opinion on potential causes. And your rabbit was old so sometimes illness just hits and it's their time. I suspect if he/she had stopped eating you may have found it easier to attribute it too illness.
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    For free Mindfulness resources, please see this thread I have created to compile many sources together http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168689

  8. #28

    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Thank you for your reply. It was an emergency clinic so they don't know him, and they didn't really want to talk about it at all so I keep thinking "what if they knew THIS detail (him slowing down, for example) then would they be more concerned?" I actually did call them back to ask about it again and he just kind of laughed and said "No, no, I promise you, you will be fine unless you know he was attacked by something rabid" -- and I'm like ok but that's the problem, I don't know with certainty that he somehow didn't get scratched by something where I wouldn't have noticed an injury somehow. I also don't know with certainty if he did or did not even scratch me this week. This just drives me nuts!

    Side note: Does anyone know if online therapists are any good? I'm going to look around the forum a bit to see if there have been other topics on it but figured I would ask as well. I don't know if I can wait to see a doctor first before trying to start some kind of treatment :( Ugh. I am really trying my best to not call local health authorities or the emergency room over it.

  9. #29
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    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    It's that situation where you have no evidence for our against. Doubt then has a field day. But you know that statistically it is very rate so you're back to the other doubt about you being that one person who pops up in the media.

    Something to consider is that if your rabbit had been attacked by an animal carrying rabies wouldn't you spot a wound of some kind?

    And why must this be rabies? Have you checked out every disease a rabbit can due from with these symptoms? If the answer is no, you can't discount any other disease and therefore can't rank rabies above any of them. What sets rabies above all these others? Is it that your mind latched onto it and you've researched it to make associations to your situation, which is very open to Confirmation Bias?

    Online CBT is considered as having evidence of being as effective as face-to face-to therapy but I would suspect it depends on complexity & severity (over here it's a lower level treatment). It must also be supported, many of them are unsupported courses therefore are not accepted as evidence based. Any can help though but it's a question of being able to apply it when facing fears is hard and we naturally seek to avoid that.

    But there is also online therapy in forms such as Skype and these are more like traditional therapy.
    __________________
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    For free Mindfulness resources, please see this thread I have created to compile many sources together http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168689

  10. #30

    Re: So you think you have Rabies.....

    Hey I don't know anything about rabies at all but my fiance has a big fear of it and although he's mostly gotten over it, he still gets panic attacks about it sometimes. I think he gets worried when he feels overly tired or has a headache (I'm not sure, I don't know the symptoms). His biggest worry is that our cats could be carrying it one day (we live near a woods so I think that might be why) and when they get their claws out when they're on our knees or whatever, and scratch him, that it could pass on to him. He's not worried about the wild animal part because we don't go to the woods and haven't been near any. I just feel bad for him because I don't know how to reassure him and he gets worried for days sometimes wondering if he's getting the symptoms yet. He avoids the cats clawing him but it must still happen occasionally as he still gets the panic attacks so I'm assuming he's worrying about his symptoms because he's been scratched? Because I don't know anything about rabies, does anyone have advice on how I can help and reassure him about how it's not possible for our cats to ever get rabies? We live in big town in England so I don't see it as possible at all even with the woods, but I know from my own experience that fears can be irrational. Thanks to anyone who can give me some advice and thanks for this post I'll show it to him next time he's worried.

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