My experience with Anxiety. Rabies Edition

Well said. For many ur story can be a great deal of help.

thanks you for sharing. 

Many cannot control others to change the trigger that set them off.mthe only way to control our anxiety triggers is to control them ourselves thru change and education.

many reasons and causes uses for anxiety. Many of us haven't the luxury to choose to change the triggers outside forces that causes anxiety. 

Anxiety can lower your immune system. Meds can help as well as exercise to push thru and produce endorphins the good hormones.

take care 

Seriously? Only the fear of rabies and you are a wreck?  I have the same fear of pretty much any and ALL diseases known to man. Get in line LOL While my treatment has been successful and i no longer lose it when a thought starts to sprout in my head, I am well aware that i am by nature afraid. More afraid of things than my husband, mother, father and various other people i know well. With me it is managed well enough now but i believe it is pathological. I had a crippling fear of rabies when i was still very young. Like 7 or 8. It started after seeing a rabid dog, followed by watching an educational program about rabies and finally further encouraging my fear by reading a copy of a thriller book entitled...rabies! I remember the feeling all too well. I got bitten by a sick stray when I was 10 (in a country where rabies was not that unusual) and though he drew no blood, just broke some skin (nor did he appear rabid) I was virtually paralized. It took me ages to stop waiting to die from an atypical rabies infection while i kept checking in on my 'difficulty swallowing and wiping my chin in case i salivated' . And this is just rabies. I have panicked like this over stuff like (brace yourselves whoever is still reading) : polio (vaccination could fail theoretically), aids (after having one partner because, hey, condoms could have tiny holes, various cancers (interestingly i recently had 3rd grade changes on my cervix and had to have surgery but i managed not to fall apart...woop! , MS, hepatitis, brain worms, atypical pneumonias, meningitis, death by tonsilitis, toxic shock syndrome, deep vein thrombosis, anaphylactic shock, heart attack, strokes, lyme disease (in a country there is not muuch of it), other tick borne diseases (i own and work with dogs...), water in lungs, spleen rupture, inhalation pneumonia, exotic diseases, toxoplasmosis (i own cats too and have done since toddler years and am STILL toxoplasmosis negative!!! looking forward to that one)....i could go on but i am sure you get the point. I tested for all sorts of things - lab folk love me!  Then on to accidents, violent deaths, all sorts of lethal unpredictable events, natural disasters, free falling planes/elevators, falling off the stairs (i still freak out a bit on tall stairways) death by malfunction on an amusement park ride, death by mauling by a wild animal in a zoo, nuclear bombs, other bombs, mad cow, flu, the plague (yup), previously undiscovered diseases pffff .....no wonder i am tired - i have lived through all of these in my head. Now i am at the stage since, like you, i so intensely felt all symptoms of diseases i didn't have, wondering how death will actually come when it does. I pretty much have all the bases covered now. Let me know if i have missed something so as to prepare for that one too PLEASE.   And let us know when you survive rabies and develop immunity I trust i am immune to it now that i survived for 30 years following that bite. My friends and family love to tease me but the truth is i have become so well informed that they always double check their own diagnoses with me and place bets Blessings to fellow hypochondriacs and anxious minds. Keep your smiles on. xxx

On a separate note - awesome post. Reading it should be a real eye-opener for many. Our minds can really create infinite things. It is as beautiful as it is unsettling x

I don't know if your still active on here, but I need help! I, too, am having a rabies scare...I'll tell you what happened:

Back in October, my car was having radiator issues. I was having financial strain, so I didn't fix the radiator leak right away...so, I was having to put water in every day. On October 7th, after picking my husband up from work, he asked me when I had hit the bat?! There was a bat stuck in my grille. It had to have been there for a few days, as it was very dried up....and I wondered to myself if I had probably touched it while putting water in. It worried me, but not horribly at the time.

Around a week before Thanksgiving, I had a weird symptom, and since I have health anxiety, I googled it. It came up tetnis, but I didn't think I had all the symptoms of that, and it had some links to similar symptoms...one of which was rabies. I started to research hot and heavy, and found out that bat rabies are responsible for 90 percent of rabies in the US since 1990. One particular bat is responsible for almost 90 percent of those rabies cases. I started looking at pics, and sure enough, the one on my car was the very worst one to be in contact with! I called my local health dept, and spoke with the guy about shots...he said he wouldn't recommend them for me, that my exposure risk was very low...but he knew less than I did, at that point...so he didn't make me feel any better. I then called my state Capital health department, and spoke to the guy there, he said he wouldn't recommend post-exposure treatment for me, either. He said he could not say my risk was zero, but that it was low. Same thing with my Dr. Here's the thing....I keep thinking that a lot of time I was in a hurry taking my husband to work, appt, etc....and I didn't wash my hands after putting the water in....as a matter of fact...a couple of times taking my husband to work at 3 am, and not getting backl home until 5 am, I would fall in bed and hands would go unwashed until morning. I have dry skin on my brows that I constantly unconciously pick at, and all I can think is saliva or brain materiql has gotten into my eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin! 4 days ago my right hand started pins and needles, and since then I've had shoulder, neck pain (probably from constantly tensing that arm looking at my phone) today my pointer finger and thumb are sore and stiff....and I am just freaking out!!! I can't sleep, I'm having trouble eating, my heart rate is through the roof!!! I can't stop thinking I have rabies, and need someone to talk me off of the edge!

I am also struggling with rabies anxiety. I know all the facts. I know that most of the 'exposures' I fear I've experieced could not have transmitted rabies, and most occurred too long ago to still be active concerns. But it is a fear that continues to spring up. My first round of fear started about five years ago when a bat flew into the building where I worked. And I've found at least one event per year to trigger the fear.

Most recently, I visited a shelter to adopt a cat. I love animals, and knew all of them would have had their rabies shot. This one cat was very sweet and kept crawling into my lap. I don't know why, but after sitting in my lap for a bit, he randomly bit my arm. Really latched on. But I didn't think it broke skin because it didn't hurt and I had a thick jacket on. I adopted a different cat.

When I got home, I realized the other cat had broken skin. I knew the cat had a rabies shot and talked myself out of calling the shelter. I was afraid I would condemn the cat to death if I reported it. It was a very shallow bite, through a jacket. It seemed insignificant.

I did call seven days after the incident and they gave me the date of the cats rabies shot (~2 weeks before the incident). But the cat had been adopted so it's current status is unknown but optimistically fine. I didn't want to push to contact the new owners for an update because I know it is just my fear striking up again.

But now I have that globus sensation really strong. Just a constant lump in my throat the last two days. And I'm about ready to call the shelter and ask them to check up with the new owners for my peace of mind. Although... given my history, it probably won't do too much to ease my mind.

I really wish I could stop this fear. I know the facts about rabies. I know how rare it is, incubation periods, etc. But it just won't go away.

New cat is settling in nicely though! She is the sweetest.

Thanks for sharing your experience with rabies anxiety. It helped me a little to read and know I'm not alone. 

I know it has been a while since anyone has posted on this thread, but I am having a rabies scare, and this thread has helped me so much.

My dog was attacked by 3 large dogs from next door 3 days ago. As soon as my husband got home from work, he found her and let her in the house (she is usually an inside dog). She had several bites. It looked like they had knawes on her back. Let me also mention, I am 99% sure these dogs have never been vaccinated, and my dog's vaccinations had lapsed. When we finally got her up and in her bed, there was some dried blood on the rug. I went to get something to clean it with, and when I came back, my 3 year olds hand was centimeters away from the dried blood. It must not have been close enough for me to worry at the time or I would have washed his hands right then, but I cleaned the spot then washed his hands. (I've kicked myself a million times for this)

Soon, the panic came in. The next day I spent time on the phone with our vet, pediatrician, and the head vet of our state at the CDC. He basically told me that

1. It's very unlikely that those dogs had rabies

2. Even if they did, it would be too early for it to have been in her blood

3. We don't know if he even touched it

4. It would be "more than difficult for him to have gotten it. Next to impossible."

So, I know the chances are extremely low, but I'm petrified. I'm so scared that my little boy or my husband or myself are going to wake up with a fever. I adore my dog, but I'm ready to take her to a no kill shelter ( after I watch her for 10 days to be sure she doesn't show any symptoms- if she doesn't, it was too early for her to have spread symptoms the first day-which I know it was, but what if we somehow got it from her since?) because I can't deal with the stress of being so scared of her. And, bless her heart, she is hurt and hasn't been petted or anything.

On top of that, one of our neighbors that own the dogs is the same one who broke up the fight. After that, they dropped one of the dogs off somewhere and they haven't let the other two out, so I haven't been able to watch THOSE dogs.

Sometimes I'm okay, and sometimes I'm so scared I can't function. The CDC told me if the pediatrician decided to override it, there's a possibility he could and us get the post exposure treatment. My dad told me there is a higher chance of my son reacting to the shot than getting rabies. I was okay with that for a while, but I can barely handle my thoughts or function right now. I'm having trouble swallowing too. I don't know when I will feel like the chances have passed for the most part. Anxiety is the worst. Thank you all for sharing! I have found some comfort here.

This is identical to what I went through when I first developed anxiety. I started off with thinking I had ms, which a neurologist assured I don't have. after my visit to the doctors i was feeling pretty good until one night we had a sick racoon show up in our yard and even right up to our front door. I didn't think anything of it until a couple days later when my neighbor came over asking if we could help get rid of a sick racoon in their yard. I ended up being the one to help (I'll spare the details on how) and didn't have any issues and never came In contact with it, but good ole anxiety kept giving me every possible way I could have came In contact with its saliva or brain matter. The main issue was the raccoons both showed signs of distemper, not rabies and I knew this and know distemper isn't transferable to humans, but still couldn't get anxiety to accept it. After a couple weeks of this my anxiety gave up with rabies and went back to trying to convince me I have ms.

Thank you for this Cory.

Every once in a while, my wife and I hear a scratching noise outside the walls/ceiling of our bedroom at night.  We live in a woodsy area, so it could be birds, squirrels, bats, etc., who knows?

Anyway, I woke up yesterday, went to work and started itching my leg.  It looked like there were two tiny holes.  I assumed it was a bug bite.  Now, I'm sure you're familiar with this! Here comes the crazy!!!

I immediately made the assumption that the scratching outside our bedroom was not just bats, but rabid bats that had gotten into our bedroom, bitten me on the leg, and them escaped somehow into the night. Seriously.  

I am having the attic checked for bats regardless, but fought myself not to panic and call my doctor.  The "bite" area now appears to be more of a scratch.  Let me note that I was under the covers all night AND that there were no bats found anywhere in our house.

Please do not be ashamed or think it's ridiculous that you thought you contracted rabies from a medium-rare steak.  It is the condition that we are both living with.  

In the past 30 years, my mind has CONVINCED me that I have cancer (brain, pancreatic, lymph node, etc.). ALS, MS, in short, all of the most horrible diseases imaginable.  I am still alive.  Fortunately, the meds (Lexapro) have kept me from going completely nuts, but I STILL struggle with this anxiety/depression from time to time.  Hell, the bat removal guy even reassured me that there was no reason to believe I had been bitten and that I was indeed "Freaking out".  

It's still running through my mind as I write this, and I've been looking at websites despite the fact that I know this will only exacerbate my anxiety. Stay strong brother, you are NOT alone!

I know you posted this a year ago... but I came across it trying to put my mind at ease for a very similar panic attack I am having. Thank you for posted it. It helps.

Hey there I read your post and I hope it's ok info talk about my own anxiety and fears and why I'm here looking for an explanation

First of all I too suffer anxiety(that i havent seen a doctor for yet)and as a result I worry about things all the time.

when I was little I worried about the sun blowing up the earth,when I got older I worried about a fake planet made by the internet smashing into the earth,I worried about black holes,tumors,and now rabies. my mind doesn't quit.

I look things up to assure my mind about whatever I'm thinking is wrong but so far it just fuels it further making me fight in a battle I can't win. I was told not to worry about this because it won't last forever, but somehow I feel it will.

I am too scared to tell other people about the way I think now and the way I feel I often become cross with my own thoughts. This whole rabies anxiety started not long after my last anxiety,brain tumors left me alone.

My cat bit me so hard it caused a bruise so naturally I joked and thought something like "oh well now I got rabies" and just like that I started a storm of confusion.

I looked up rabies symptoms and found out some things on it matched( or thought matched) a description of me. So instead or rationalizing the situation I got myself thinking and still thinking I'm gonna die of rabies from my cat friend that's not only vaccined but lacks most of the symptoms of rabies not to mention she's an inside cat. The reason my mind thinks this is because a symptoms of rabies is anxiety(which I had before I was bitten) dizziness which I'll get most of the time,stiff neck which I'll get from not sleeping on a pillow,mental confusion( which I don't know is), drooling( again doing before the bite). And headaces( everyone gets them somtimes).

Thanks again for teaching me wisdom I wish i had before I dug my own mental state

Im glad that im not alone. I have anxiety in rabies, almost 4 weeks ago i was sitting on our terrace my cat jumps to my legs lay down, i started to cuddle him. When i grab him and put him down he scratch my legs accidentally, and the wound is likely deep. What i do is i pinch the wound to elevate the blood and i wash it by alcohol. And then 4 days or 5 days o started to panic, cant sleep or eat. And then 3 weeks after the deep scratch i decided to go to doctor, and he says that the cats dont have any rabies, only bat. Dogs, rats etc. So when i hear that i started to calm. And he gave some med about anxiety. And after 4 days i started to panic again, because i feel my wound is like burning and itching but the wound is actually heals. And i feel my throat is have lump. And i started googleng again if cats have rabies like that. And my panic is getting worst. I started to cry, and started to loss the fight, and then i found this article. And gaves strenght again. Tomorrow ill go to a different doctor again so i can have my peace of mind .. thank you a lot for this article. By the way one last thing, when im drunk my anxiety goes away and the other day it goes back again even worst. I think drinking alcohol is not good for the people who have anxiety. (Sorry for my english guys)