Extreme fear of Rabies

[Niran Ben David]

Hey guys,
I'm going crazy and i relly need your help !

60 Days ago i was bitten by a stray Cat in my home-town (Tel Aviv, Israel).
I ran home, washed my wound with soap and water and went straight to see a doctor (As you can see on the pictures)

Picture url (the forum dosen't let me to post links for some reason):
srv2.jpg.co.il/3/560e029210dc1.jpg

When i went to see my doctor and the city's animals health care department's doctor (i saw 2 doctors in total, the second one was 6 days later because i didn't worried about rabies after the first doctor), both told me that there is no Rabies in my city, only on the rest of my country (hmm... yeah.), and therfore there is no need for rabies vaccination.
I have tried to make them give me the shots anyway, but they refused, saying that there was no case in Rabied animal in Tel-Aviv for over 20 years or so (except one case in a fox in 2004 or something like that). They do said that about 30 cases of rabied animals are found in Israel every year, 100% of them on the north of the country.

Since then it went down hill for me...
I'm spending about 6 hours a day on google reading about rabies and how it is impossible to treat it and you die after 2 weeks when you have the symptomes (which takes 1-6 months to happend, but usually 2-12 weeks).
I'm now 8.5 weeks after the bite, so i still have about one month of heavy anxiety and 3 months of (hopefully) less anxiety.

What can i do to make it better ?!?!
I'm Going CRAZY !
Nothing like that has ever happend to me !!!! I'm not afrid of anything, not afrid of dying, it just this stupid thing that making me lose my mind worring !
Please help me
cry

[Kuma]

.אנשים רבים בתל - אביב כבר ננשכו על ידי חתולים . יש כל כך הרבה חתולים ברחובות ! אבל הכלבת היא מאוד נדירה בתל - אביב , ולכן אני לא חושב שאתה יהיה חולה . אתה צריך לסמוך על הרופאים שלך

[jessed03]

Sorry you're going through this.

If it's any consolation, the chances of you catching rabies in Europe are so very low. I know you've already been told that.

Quick question: Is this the first time you've struggled with anxiety? I ask this as health anxiety is something that can unfortunately keep rearing its ugly head. Sadly severe anxiety is rarely a one-time thing.

[Nowuccas]

Sorry, but I'm having computer problems, so see below:

[Nowuccas]

Hey Niran Ben David,

I suppose you are aware that you are past the usual incubation period, and your location means that it would be extremely unlikely, so your fears are unrealistic; you face far greater risks from auto accidents, or terrorism.

Also, there is now the Milwaukee protocol as a treatment; check out http://www.google.com.au/search?client=opera&q=rabies%3B+successful+treatment&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

If you want to minimise your chances of becoming infected, or having a recurrance of existing ones, you can make your body an inhospitable environment for the microbes causing them to reproduce in; see http://alternative-health.weebly.com/homemade-antiviral-antibacterial--antifungal-product.html

Some info follows that may help:

Learn to identify, and confront your fears: a fear confronted is a fear reduced, but a fear avoided is a fear strengthened. Read: Triumph Over Fear: A Book of Help and Hope for People with Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias, by Jerilyn Ross, & Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear by Max Lucado, & The Fear Book: Facing Fear Once and for All, by Cheri Huber and June Shiver, & Feel the fear, and do it anyway, by Susan J. Jeffers. Your library, bookstore, or amazon.com may be able to supply a copy.

It is important to deal with a negative internal monologue (self talk), or mental process, such as disturbing thoughts, or images, or even an emotion, by the process of (a): recognising it, and (b): challenging it immediately.
When you notice something negative, such as: "I'm never going to get over this!" or: "Why am I always so pathetic/useless/such a scaredy cat?" or even: "I can't handle this fear!", or a disturbing image, *recognise that this is part of your negative mindset, from the deep, primitive, animalistic recesses of your brain, which needs to be balanced by the use of higher mental functions.

After identifying and labelling it, visualise a large red "STOP!" sign, and/or possibly a stern faced person wagging an index finger at you in a negative manner, then say to yourself as forcefully as you can, even aloud in a big voice, if alone: "I know this tactic: GO AWAY FOR A WHILE !!!" You may want to use either: "ruse", "ploy", "game", or "trick", instead of "tactic". In the case of an image, visualise a large "STOP" sign, or your preferred version.

Some people go so far as to keep a wide rubber band in their pocket, then put it around their wrist, when they catch themselves backsliding, stretch and release it, as a method of reprogramming their mind sooner, but I don't regard it as being strictly necessary. Remember to remove it, afterwards, if you use this method.

"Just for today, I'll not be afraid of anything. If my mind is clouded with nameless fears, I'll track them down and expose their unreality. I'll remind myself that only I am responsible for, and in sole charge of my life. What happened yesterday need not trouble me today. Do I accept the fact that it's in my power to make today a good one just by the way I think about it and what I do about it?"

Give EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at http://eft.mercola.com * or www.tapping.com (13 free videos), or www.emofree.com or YouTube EFT. Professional is best. - There is a version for use in public places*, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: "Even though I am sometimes unnecessarily afraid, I deeply and completely accept myself."

Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind; view http://myfavoriteinterests.com/hypnosis/ about what it is, and isn't. 85% of people are suggestible to some degree; 15% - 20% highly so, and 15% - 20% aren't much at all, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, hypnosisdownloads.com has one on overcoming fear and anxiety.

[Gino02]

Good day everyone. Please "excuse" this post as to be able to see by people who can help me with this matter also, I don't know where to put this topic on but I came here at General forum. The reason I joined this site because I want to chill out my problems because I'm like exaggerated person. I have an anxiety problems about dogs also, specifically about who are roaming homeless in the streets here at my country (PH), because I felt like being very vulnerable to a dog bite anywhere, it just came out unexpectedly to my head when I suffered to be like this over more than a year now. I know this is really anxiety but how can I deal with this matter? I could barely calm down myself but sometimes it comes back very badly like on and off. The first time I suffered like this is when my friend's dog scratched me a very little abrasion (without a bleed) over more than a year ago and it triggered an abnormal reaction in my head as to became an anxiety.. And as time passes by I was becoming too aware of my surroundings thinking that a dog might be near to me and will bite me, another situation that struck and triggers my anxiety is just more than a month ago when a stray dog was wandering behind me thinking if he bites me or not or is it even close to me as if it bites to me behind. If it was, is this really exaggerating reaction of mine? How long does a possible rabid animal takes time before it shows symptoms or kills the host? Can someone help me with this problem matter? I'll be very happy and calmed if someone answers me right! Thanks in advance!

[Catullus]

Dear Niran,

I once had a similar reaction! My cat lightly scratched me once, and since he goes out and was not vaccinated against rabies at that time, I started worrying that he infected me with rabies. I live in a big city and chances of rabies in animals are minimal, let alone my cat who goes out sometimes, but does not fight with other cats. To make matters worse, some three weeks later I got a flu and really panicked. Naturally, I was not infected by the virus. This is extremely unlikely in big cities such as Tel Aviv, it's not like wild rabid animals are roaming around infecting cats.

I am really sorry you are going through this, health anxiety is literally hell. I seeked professional help when it happened to me and the therapy really helped. I hope you are ok and working on your anxiety! Get well soon!