snschoo
11-06-2013, 08:58 AM
Hi all. I am new to this forum, but have been looking at other posts in regards to rabies anxiety that others have experienced.
I'd like to share my experience in the hopes that it helps me farther cope with the anxiety that I'm dealing with. I apologize for the long post ahead of time.
In the beginning of October, I noticed two little puncture marks of my left ring finger. I didn't worry about it at the time, but then a pharmacist I worked with saw it and told me I should have it checked out, because it could be a bite from an insect. It wasn't swollen or anything, just surrounded by dry skin, which is actually how I noticed it in the first place (I was picking away the dead skin). I proceeded to go to our local express care, and expressed my concern to the doctor. I told her I thought it could possibly be a wood spider bite, as we have quite a few of them in our house once the weather starts getting colder (I live in Pennsylvania). I told her how I had seen bats around our house outside during the warmer months, but that I have never seen a bat inside our actual house. She proceeded to tell me that it could possibly be a bat bite, but that I just needed to keep an eye on it and make sure it didn't get warm to the touch, etc etc. At this point I asked her if I should be worried about rabies, and she then consulted with another doctor. They called the local health department, and the health department suggested that I start the rabies vaccination because the doctor told them it was a bat bite. I proceeded to our local ER at that point, thinking that I would begin the shots, but once I got there, the ER doctor evaluated the puncture marks and told me it wasn't a bat bite, it may be a spider bite, or it could even be dermatitis (deduced from the flaking skin around my fingers). I accepted this and went home. The next day the health department called me to follow up, I explained to them the situation, and he told me he wouldn't be concerned either since I haven't seen a bat in the house and that most bats have begun hibernation or have migrated at this point. He said he would close the case. So at this point, I have two people telling me not to be worried about it, including the health department, who I obviously believe to be knowledgable in these situations.
However, the following week I woke to a painful spasm in my foot, and I thought to myself "Oh my God, I've been bit by a bat!" I proceeded to look in the bed, etc, couldn't find anything, and went back to sleep. The day following, I experienced almost continuous spasming in my foot and back pain. At this point, I began to look at the CDC website and threw myself into a panic that I was experiencing symptoms of rabies incubation. Rationally, this is not very logical, as it often incubates for 20-90 days, and I would almost definitely not be going through the early incubation symptoms already. However, my anxiety took control, and I began to experience spasming throughout my body. I proceeded to go to the ER again, where the doctor checked my foot, rechecked my finger, and also checked my muscle reflexes and lymph nodes to make sure they weren't swollen. He found nothing and suggested that I follow up with my PCP to discuss anxiety issues. At this point, I'm trying to repeat the mantra "I didn't see a bat" over and over to keep myself calm. When I got home, I checked every inch of my house to see if I could find bat poop (seriously, I couldn't think of any other way to make myself feel better about it), and I found absolutely nothing. My husband and I went up to our attic and checked around there for bat poop as well, didn't find anything. My husband even called Home Paramount and had them come out. The man checked our attic and basement and said he couldn't find any bat droppings or any evidence that bats had even been living in our house. Rationally, I should then begin to feel better, because there is NO evidence that there was or ever has been a bat in our house. I should also note that I'm an extremely light sleeper, so I was also trying to reassure myself that I would've woke up at some point if there had been a bat flying around our bedroom at night, as ladybugs running into the walls often wakes me up. Instead, I proceeded to seek out the advice of another doctor at a different ER. He stated the same thing: anxiety and follow up with my PCP.
Yesterday I finally went to my PCP and explained to him the situation. He agreed with what everyone else has said and prescribed me Citalopram 20mg and Xanax .5mg to take as needed. At this point, this stress and anxiety over the possibility of me having rabies is taking over my life. I will read symptoms of rabies incubation, and a few days later I will begin to experience them, so it's almost slapping me in the face that THIS IS ANXIETY, but I still can't get over it. I continue to have muscle spasms, weakness in my appendages (assuming this is from the continuous muscle spasming), joint pain, almost "electric shocks" in my toes and fingers, tingling sensations in my fingers, tightness in my left arm as well as pain, temporary facial numbness/tingling, and neck pain.
My question to you all is this: How in the world do I get over this? I have read and reread threads on here where people experience the same symptoms from anxiety as I am experiencing and thinking that it's rabies incubation. I also know that my odds of actually getting rabies is SO, SO small, but I just can't get over it. At this point, I really wish I had just been more forceful in my request to receive the rabies vaccinations, because then I would be over this, but at this point I'm outside of the viable timeframe for the vaccinations, and I can't very well go in and be like "Hey, I'm going crazy, and you all think it's anxiety, but give me the darn shots". So I'm trying to overcome this, but I just need some reassurance that I am going to be okay, because I don't want this to run my life anymore. I've never had anxiety so badly over anything before, so it's hard enough to deal with, but when I think I'm inevitably going to die, it makes it even harder to move on.
Thanks so much in advance for all responses, I appreciate everyone taking the time to read my novel in regards to this issue.
I'd like to share my experience in the hopes that it helps me farther cope with the anxiety that I'm dealing with. I apologize for the long post ahead of time.
In the beginning of October, I noticed two little puncture marks of my left ring finger. I didn't worry about it at the time, but then a pharmacist I worked with saw it and told me I should have it checked out, because it could be a bite from an insect. It wasn't swollen or anything, just surrounded by dry skin, which is actually how I noticed it in the first place (I was picking away the dead skin). I proceeded to go to our local express care, and expressed my concern to the doctor. I told her I thought it could possibly be a wood spider bite, as we have quite a few of them in our house once the weather starts getting colder (I live in Pennsylvania). I told her how I had seen bats around our house outside during the warmer months, but that I have never seen a bat inside our actual house. She proceeded to tell me that it could possibly be a bat bite, but that I just needed to keep an eye on it and make sure it didn't get warm to the touch, etc etc. At this point I asked her if I should be worried about rabies, and she then consulted with another doctor. They called the local health department, and the health department suggested that I start the rabies vaccination because the doctor told them it was a bat bite. I proceeded to our local ER at that point, thinking that I would begin the shots, but once I got there, the ER doctor evaluated the puncture marks and told me it wasn't a bat bite, it may be a spider bite, or it could even be dermatitis (deduced from the flaking skin around my fingers). I accepted this and went home. The next day the health department called me to follow up, I explained to them the situation, and he told me he wouldn't be concerned either since I haven't seen a bat in the house and that most bats have begun hibernation or have migrated at this point. He said he would close the case. So at this point, I have two people telling me not to be worried about it, including the health department, who I obviously believe to be knowledgable in these situations.
However, the following week I woke to a painful spasm in my foot, and I thought to myself "Oh my God, I've been bit by a bat!" I proceeded to look in the bed, etc, couldn't find anything, and went back to sleep. The day following, I experienced almost continuous spasming in my foot and back pain. At this point, I began to look at the CDC website and threw myself into a panic that I was experiencing symptoms of rabies incubation. Rationally, this is not very logical, as it often incubates for 20-90 days, and I would almost definitely not be going through the early incubation symptoms already. However, my anxiety took control, and I began to experience spasming throughout my body. I proceeded to go to the ER again, where the doctor checked my foot, rechecked my finger, and also checked my muscle reflexes and lymph nodes to make sure they weren't swollen. He found nothing and suggested that I follow up with my PCP to discuss anxiety issues. At this point, I'm trying to repeat the mantra "I didn't see a bat" over and over to keep myself calm. When I got home, I checked every inch of my house to see if I could find bat poop (seriously, I couldn't think of any other way to make myself feel better about it), and I found absolutely nothing. My husband and I went up to our attic and checked around there for bat poop as well, didn't find anything. My husband even called Home Paramount and had them come out. The man checked our attic and basement and said he couldn't find any bat droppings or any evidence that bats had even been living in our house. Rationally, I should then begin to feel better, because there is NO evidence that there was or ever has been a bat in our house. I should also note that I'm an extremely light sleeper, so I was also trying to reassure myself that I would've woke up at some point if there had been a bat flying around our bedroom at night, as ladybugs running into the walls often wakes me up. Instead, I proceeded to seek out the advice of another doctor at a different ER. He stated the same thing: anxiety and follow up with my PCP.
Yesterday I finally went to my PCP and explained to him the situation. He agreed with what everyone else has said and prescribed me Citalopram 20mg and Xanax .5mg to take as needed. At this point, this stress and anxiety over the possibility of me having rabies is taking over my life. I will read symptoms of rabies incubation, and a few days later I will begin to experience them, so it's almost slapping me in the face that THIS IS ANXIETY, but I still can't get over it. I continue to have muscle spasms, weakness in my appendages (assuming this is from the continuous muscle spasming), joint pain, almost "electric shocks" in my toes and fingers, tingling sensations in my fingers, tightness in my left arm as well as pain, temporary facial numbness/tingling, and neck pain.
My question to you all is this: How in the world do I get over this? I have read and reread threads on here where people experience the same symptoms from anxiety as I am experiencing and thinking that it's rabies incubation. I also know that my odds of actually getting rabies is SO, SO small, but I just can't get over it. At this point, I really wish I had just been more forceful in my request to receive the rabies vaccinations, because then I would be over this, but at this point I'm outside of the viable timeframe for the vaccinations, and I can't very well go in and be like "Hey, I'm going crazy, and you all think it's anxiety, but give me the darn shots". So I'm trying to overcome this, but I just need some reassurance that I am going to be okay, because I don't want this to run my life anymore. I've never had anxiety so badly over anything before, so it's hard enough to deal with, but when I think I'm inevitably going to die, it makes it even harder to move on.
Thanks so much in advance for all responses, I appreciate everyone taking the time to read my novel in regards to this issue.