Rabies scare (full on irrational)

[worriedk]

Hi NMP Forums,

So recently I've been dealing with elevated health anxiety - tick encephalitis, tetanus, covid and etc. various infections which all of them I worry about but I have vaccines (and still worry).

But a few days ago I visited a friend and he has a year old puppy pug, cutest little dog ever, he was so playful he jumped on my legs a couple of times and I'm worried I might have gotten scratched (either from the pug with his little paw nails or when I was fixing my bike in garage which is far more likely honestly) because there is a small scratch mark on my leg.

Boom - it overwhelmed me, keeps stressing me out a classic episode of health anxiety where I am looking for answers everywhere.. Even though I have collected several facts which SHOULD calm me down I cannot release this fear somehow:

* I asked the friend (it was pretty embarrassing) and the dog is vaccinated.
* The dog was not showing any irregular symptoms, just a playful young pup - he even slept on my leg later that evening a bit.
* The dog was fine two days after even I asked my friend how is the dog (again, super embarrassing, but hes a mate from university who knows I have GAD)
* There's no bite. And then - I'm not even sure there is a scratch, but let's say the dog scratched me - still the saliva needed to not be dried up on his paws and get into my skin etc...
* My country (Lithuania) has declared itself a rabies-free country, with results from last 5-8 years or so 1 or 2 rabies cases in animals near border with Belarus where hundred thousands tested or vaccinated (there was a dead fox on the border and some other wild animal found in 2018 or something). No human cases for like 10 years I believe.

Adding a picture of the puppy just to make it even more ridiculous:
pug.jpg

Even considering all of this my mind is not letting it go and thinking of various what if's - and I'm feeling super anxious, dreaded, sad, mad and etc. When I usually calm down from health anxiety I get a click on some factual information that helps me put 2 + 2 together on the disease I'm scared of and why I don't have it. Another thing that helps me is stories of people who go through similar stuff and came out fine. A part of me KNOWS that this is irrational and anxiety, but the other part insists of reminding me of this fear and not letting it go, hindering my daily life.
Help me calm down please :(

P.S. I have GAD (diagnosed for 7-8 years now), take medication and go to therapist regularly.

[BlueIris]

I think you know you're being ludicrous here. You don't have rabies - where would the pup have got it from in the first place?

[worriedk]

I think you know you're being ludicrous here. You don't have rabies - where would the pup have got it from in the first place?

That is actually a very good point which leads me to calming down - thank you. Exactly where would it even catch it, the owner would tell me an encounter or something where it has been bitten etc.. and then still it is vaccinated.

Yes I fully know I'm being ludicrous, but at the same time I'm feeling this stupid anxiety which is not letting go... :/

[BlueIris]

This is what you need to hold onto: the anxiety is your only problem. It feels awful, but anxiety is all it is.

[worriedk]

Hi guys, around 5 days have passed. I'm still with my worries - I'm wondering would it be correct if the dog is completely fine and not showing any symptoms to know its definitely not rabid and couldnt have infected me? (On top of everything else above)

[worriedk]

Update: I've managed to reassure myself the pup was ok when the friend sent me vaccination papers... then a week passed.. I was fine again until I went for a walk with a friend at night. We were walking and then it triggered when I looked into a dark corner of a building: "hey, maybe theres bats here.."

Im not sure how from there It went to my current mood, googling obviously helped. But for the record as far as I can remember:
* i did not see a bat, hear a bat, feel a bat bite, see a bite (im pretty sensitive)
* i dont spend much time outside, occasional bike ride
* i live in europe, where this is insanely rare (5 cases in 50-60yrs, mostly bat handlers)

This started about two weeks ago and since then i've spiraled insanely hard to the point that I had a few panic attacks and now I'm constantly fearing for my life while awake from moment I get out of bed to sleep. I can't focus on anything else. I get thoughts of me in the hospital etc.. I don't want to die!

I feel super hopeless right now on constant panic. My therapist changed meds (added fluanxol) that should help with the thoughts. In my 8 years of GAD, HA and OCD i've never felt so clueless, scared and without a plan.

Please advise something