Got scratch marks on my elbow and think I got rabies.

Posted , 4 users are following.

Thursday night when I was taking a shower I felt a stinging feeling on my elbow and when I got out noticed I had scratch marks on my elbow. Here’s an image of them: https://m.imgur.com/SO9chjn The picture was taken Friday night. Now I have no idea how I got these scratches, but I keep thinking some rabid animal like a bat might’ve scratched me without me knowing. But where I live in Central New York there isn’t any bats around my house, and I didn’t go outside all that much or feel anything scratch me from what I remember. Wouldn’t I have felt something like a bat scratch me and look at it? And I was nowhere near any animals. I can’t shake the feeling though that I’ve got rabies now. Do the scratches look like bat scratches? They’re not as evident today so it’s healing. I was rough housing with my brother Thursday but can’t remember him scratching me there. May be weird but I even had him try scratching my arm and he didn’t leave any marks (unless it wasn’t hard enough). Even had my arm scratch against something at the store today and it was pretty hard yet no mark. So I’m even more worried that something did it.....

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    As someone who worries about stuff like this, I get where you’re coming from, but there’s about a 0% chance that you were attacked by a rabid animal and didn’t realize it. On the other hand, the probability that you bumped or scratched your elbow without realizing it is pretty high (especially when roughhousing with your brother!). Those scratches look really minor, I wouldn’t even worry about them, there is a massive list of potential causes, but I’d say animal attack is the least likely. 
  • Posted

    you probably got scratched messing about with your brother or brushed passed something. if you had rabies you would be sick by now with the virus. those scratches look minor and if they havent already gone they will pretty quick. i get where your coming from with anxiety trust me. im sure your fine though
  • Posted

    You both have made me feel a bit better, thanks. But I noticed on my elbow where the scratches are near it seems bigger? I guess it’s called the bursa and it sort of pokes out and if I put my arm straight and feel the bursa it’s a little bigger than my left arm. It said an infection would have pain, but there’s no pain, and the scratches were a little above it. Is this a sign that rabies has infected my skin and elbow or something?
  • Posted

    Staining is like the feeling of a bat I got that last friday better to get the shots then gamble with the almost certain death rate
  • Posted

    Today I feel kinda crappy. I feel nauseous and weak. Late last night I started worrying about the scratch again, and now today I just feel like utter crap. Is this just anxiety? I don’t think rabies symptoms show up a week later, most of the time it’s 1-3 months right?

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