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Thread: Rabies fear

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
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    278

    Re: Rabies fear

    Thank you FMP, I appreciate your words. I truly do want to fully take in everything you are saying and snap out of this nightmare but I don't think I would have these issues in the first place if I could be just remove these anxious thoughts from my mind.

  2. #22
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    Sep 2011
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    2,363

    Re: Rabies fear

    Health anxiety is awful. I have absolutely been down that well and it is not a fun place to be. The only thing for me to help combat it when I am struggling is to fight my wild ideas with facts and ground myself. There are days I have to repeat it over and over and over again but it does get easier. Medication has helped me a ton as well.

    I seriously doubt that there are stories of people with no animal contact contracting rabies - they have to get it from somewhere. They may not remember the incident or may just have written it off but it doesn't just spring up.

    Yes, my colleague has been vaccinated as has another of my colleagues who works in animal research. They don't get scheduled boosters, they get titer tested yearly I believe and once it dips below a certain level they get their booster. They were just discussing the other day if we we would move toward Covid titers or just consistent boosters, who knows. I do know that it is much more than a year before they have to get their boosters due to low titer levels; the actual amount of time varies from person to person. I know in animals here they give boosters every three years and that is purely due to precaution as the vax lasts much longer than that period of time.
    __________________
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  3. #23
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    Re: Rabies fear

    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.
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  4. #24
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    Aug 2015
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    278

    Re: Rabies fear

    Thank you Poppy, I have calmed down a bit not from this and feel a little more secure, I am however very much still on the lookout for bats so that has not subsided but I feel like I am much more accepting of my situation even though I still feel I need to look absolutely everywhere to make sure I didn't accidentally see or step on one
    I do feel like the vaccine will probably still be active from what I have read and thanks to you as the fact that even your colleagues only get checked once a year even though they work with animals makes me feel more calm.
    I really appreciate your help.

  5. #25
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    Aug 2015
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    Re: Rabies fear

    Thank you Nicola, I understand they wouldn't but my worry was more as I was walking around leaves and if a bat was present in them and I didn't see it, then it could have bitten me out of self defense.

  6. #26
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    Aug 2015
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    Re: Rabies fear

    Hey guys, I have been doing quite a bit better these past few days. I have still been having worries about rabies but have managed to keep them away however I had a scare earlier so I wanted to post to get it out of my head and see that I am being unreasonable. Earlier I was on the bus coming home and already had my mind somewhat on rabies and bats as it was quite late and so I was worried about having to walk home because of a bat I wouldn't notice biting me. On the bus I was quite happy and felt comfortable but as I was getting off I see something small underneath the seat on a bit of a curved surface and I immediately start panicking in my mind. This thing seemed small but I wanted to make sure it wasn't a bat as I know how my mind can be so I tried to push it behind and went to look so I stepped on it and noticed it left a brown trail (meaning it could have been tree bark or mud or something) but then I could no longer see it so became worried about where it could be but I tried to pull myself away and say that it was just some tree bark or something but as soon as I got home the questions started. Could you not have noticed it being a bat? What if I didn't see it properly. I know bats can be as small as 3.5cm so what if it was a small bat I didn't judge as being big enough to be one. I also notices one of my shoes had wet patches on the sole so i thought what if that was bat blood from when I stepped on it. I am trying not to panic but this reoccurring fear is really affecting me these last few weeks and I am considering getting a booster for my rabies vaccine as that was the only time where I felt free from this fear, would you guys think this is a good idea? I am in contact with mental health services but am still waiting for a call from them so am trying to deal with everything by myself in the meantime.

  7. #27
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    Sep 2011
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    Re: Rabies fear

    It's good you're seeking help. Some logic for now:

    - Bats don't ride the bus.
    - Even if there was a bat on the bus, somehow, it didn't bite you so you are fine. Rabies is not airborne.
    - The rabies virus only lives outside the body for a few seconds, max, so even if there was a bat on the bus and you were covered in its blood, you still wouldn't get rabies.
    - You don't need a rabies booster. Those things last a ridiculously long time, you are fine even if you were exposed, which you were not.
    __________________
    On the road of experience, join in the living day. If there's an answer it's just that it's just that way.
    When you're looking for space and to find out who you are...When you're looking to try and reach the stars.
    It's a sweet, sweet, sweet dream; sometimes I'm almost there
    Sometimes I fly like an eagle, sometimes I'm deep in despair.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Posts
    278

    Re: Rabies fear

    Quote Originally Posted by .Poppy. View Post
    It's good you're seeking help. Some logic for now:

    - Bats don't ride the bus.
    - Even if there was a bat on the bus, somehow, it didn't bite you so you are fine. Rabies is not airborne.
    - The rabies virus only lives outside the body for a few seconds, max, so even if there was a bat on the bus and you were covered in its blood, you still wouldn't get rabies.
    - You don't need a rabies booster. Those things last a ridiculously long time, you are fine even if you were exposed, which you were not.
    Hi Poppy, thank you for your many helpful messages. I appreciate everything you are saying and it has helped me realise that I was probably being irrational and I am trying to convince myself that if no one has gotten rabies in the UK in 20 years then I (vaccinated and less likely to get it) are probably unlikely to get it in my lifetime. However I can also see that my issues run deeper. Every hour there is a new worry. For example just this morning I went into the bathroom and felt itchiness and discomfort in the back of my ankle from my sock being tight but ofcourse it was bats and this morning as I was awake early I head some noises (probably chirping as from what I have heard on youtube bats sound similar to birds at times) from outside my window and immediately connected the two as being a bat which bit me as our bathroom window was open with no screen. I was doing well with not being as stressed yesterday but have woken up today and am back with this rubbish again, I am so tired. I am trying to address this with getting a therapist however here in the UK it takes a while to get in touch with one. Hopefully I can find a way to get out of this as it has been a nightmare.
    Last edited by Jamie123; 13-10-21 at 07:54.

  9. #29
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    Aug 2015
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    278

    Re: Rabies fear

    Hi guys, I am feeling quite a bit better now that I have been started on fluoxetine however I am still having some anxieties occasionally but I expect this to get better with time and as I start therapy. The past 4 days I have been feeling amazing and even enjoyed some time with my friends however this morning I was back on the anxiety train a little bit.

    I was feeling behind my ear just as I was looking at my computer at work and felt some small bumps. Upon taking a picture I noticed it looked like 4 puncture marks in a relatively normal rectangle just behind my ear. I am attaching a link of the picture (not for diagnosis but just so you guys can see what I mean) https://imgur.com/a/zyt3ZIS. Now I am not sure if this could be a bat bite but I believe the shape is what has caused me to be concerned. I know I have occasionally scratched behind my ear on that side so that could be the cause but every time I look at the picture the shape and size of the puncture wounds sends me into a bit of a panic. The room I sleep in has all the windows covered with a screen but I remembered that yesterday as I was walking outside I felt like I heard something buzz past my ear on that same side and checked the ground and didn't find anything but I it was broad daylight and I did not see anything else so I don't think it was a bat but my mind is telling me it could have been. I have seen a lot of bat bites online during my worries and have noticed they are at most only 2 marks which has reassured me somewhat but I am not sure if this is just the case in those I have seen. If anyone knows anything about bat bites or can help me find some reassurance on this I would be very grateful.

    I am vaccinated however I believe my concerns also stem from the fact I have been referred for a lupus test to check if I have it and I understand this can cause you to be immunocompromised so changes your rabies vaccine schedule and this is another part that is not letting me just brush this concern off as I feel like I may still be vulnerable.

  10. #30
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    Nov 2018
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    Re: Rabies fear

    Okay, here's a question: would you notice if someone threw a pencil at you and it hit you behind the ear?
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