Rabies fear from trash

[Moso13]

Or other random animal on me. I was just walking back from the library and I felt something on the back of my leg and I tried to look but it was too dark and my book bag was covering my view. i looked and there is a purple spot on my leg, but that might have always been there.

[42Falcon]

Well, question one should be, where do you live? Because bats either hibernate or migrate south during the winter months. None are going to be flying around my college in Pennsylvania for instance.

Also, purple spot does not mean bite. Bat bites may be hard to spot, but with how sharp their teeth are you would know.

But, let's assume you live in, say, Texas and it's warm so there may be bats around. A rabid animal (because that's what I'm assuming you are fearing) would not run up, bite, and run away. A rabid animal would attack repeatedly in most cases.

Even then, only around 0.5% of bats contract rabies. And bat populations are already low due to a plauge amongst bats that cannot spread to humans known as white nose syndrome.

Still, if you have reason to believe that you were bit, see a doctor sooner versus later. Once symptoms show the disease is neigh unstoppable. Odds are you were not though. Take a search around the forum about rabies and bats, the nefarious "Invisible bat" seems to get all of us at some point, and we are still posting for now.

[NervUs]

I've been down Invisible Bat Road. Its really hard to think clearly when this thought grips you, but my experience is that- eventually- the intrusive thoughts will pass.

If you didn't see a bat, there is no legitimate reason to conclude that there was one. This thought is your brain craving tragedy and drama. It is because you have a good imagination. It is because your brain gets stuck on thoughts that other people can easily let go of.

I wish it was easier, but all the facts aren't going to make this better. You need to try and challenge the thoughts, or even some people say focusing on the worst until you become desensitized (that's how I have had to deal with rabies fear). You are not a candidate for the shots anyway, if you didn't see a bat. So, there's really nothing to do about it. Just about every case of rabies from bats in the US, the person had seen a bat in the home or had picked up a bat. You have no idea if there was a bat....hence...your imagination has filled in the dots.

Plus, this is recurring for you, right? I feel like I've seen you post about rabies in the past. If you are having this fantasy repeatedly (the invisible bat fantasy), even more evidence it is your brain making up garbage, and you are falling for it.

[Elen]

We are unable to merge posts atm. Please add this to you previous post on the same subject.

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213354

[Moso13]

I was in the lounge today at my dorm standing by the trash can and i felt something go over my foot and i looked and didnt see anything or feel any pain, butt now im afraid it was mouse because there was one found at the dining hall right by my building. And now that i am looking at my foot i see these tiny red marks on it ad i cant tell if they are red freckles, just red marks, or blood. So now im afraid that i got bit. If i did get bit, what would my chance of getting rabies from it be?

[jrcoleman]

Rabies would kill a mouse very quickly. You have a better chance of getting the plague from fleas on a rat.

[schmol]

Hi there,
You were not bit. If you were, you would definitely feel it! Feet are a big center of nerves, meaning you have a lot of sensitivity there, and something as bad as a rat bite would definitely leave a lasting impression. Red spots on your feet are also something you should not worry about, as they are relatively common and can happen for a variety of benign reasons. And, of course, rabies is not commonly spread through small animals like rats and mice. On top of that, a mouse with rabies would not carelessly run over your foot. It alters their brain in a way that would definitely be noticeable, and that's not even taking in the fact the little thing probably never had the chance to bite you while he was running over your foot in the first place.
Best wishes

[Elen]

Moso this is an ongoing phobia for you.

I see that you have deleted previous posts on this subject where people have taken the time to try and re assure you.

This is not fair on those people and it also hides your real problems regarding rabies from people, therefore they are not seeing the full story.

I am sure that you have received very good advice on this subject on your previous threads so perhaps so you should re-visit those.

[Sparky16]

I have tiny red spots on my feet, too. No mice. Must be a feet thing.

[AMomentofClarity]

How's the rabies from the phantom squirrel bite a couple weeks ago?