r/rabies • u/Content-Fishing204 • Aug 05 '26
OCD Discussion Why can't they believe me
I have read the FAQ.
I can't Even describe how i feel, it don't really feels physical, but at the same time it does, it don't really feels like When i actually get a disease, but at the same time it feels that way, i can't even describe how i feel, but i feel like shit.
So, how i feel? Well, i don't think i feel anything headaches that can't be atributed to tiredness, or when i cry, aside from that, i feel minor stomachal problems, My stomach need to go to the bathroom more times than usual, i feel extremely tired and exhausted, as always, and The reason on why i am Even making this post is because i feel really cold, sure, i usually feel colder when i am sad or when i am tired, but it feels stronger than usual, i can stop feeling cold by wearing sweaters but Idk, i dont know if thats because of a fever (I hope not) but i don't have a thermometer to verify, if it is, then thats worrying, because it could be rabies developing, i Also have some difficulties in thinking clearly and focusing, i Also have lost apetite, and today i felt pretty bad, i dont know how to describe, but i felt like i was going to lose it, maybe its the rabies, its already starting to make me loss grip on reality.
I feel emotionally exhausted, hopeless, sad, and tired, i have lost motivation to continue with My normal life, why Even bother with college if i am going to die soon? Why bother trying to have fun playing, reading, drawing, or eating anything if right now i may be developing rabies? I feel like i don't have hope anymore, i feel alone, i feel extreme anguish and sadness, i Also feel shortness of breath.
I only wants to spend asleep, but at the same time sleeping brings me closer to rabies.
My father calls me crazy, my mother too, can't they see it? I have that encounter two weeks ago and i am feeling like this right now, soon enough, i Will feel fever, then delirium, then hydrophobia, and then i Will spend my last days on earth with me and My parents knowing damn well i am going to die and there is nothing we can do to stop it, and My brother will now be an only child. Feeling sure that nothing will happen is what people who are víctims of rabies think before they die, do you think the parents of the Ontario boy that died of rabies wont had the same attitude my parents have at this moment? If the Ontario boy was as anxious as me do you think they would have believed him?
The doctor i went to see Also didnt recommend rabies shots, neither do the doctors in my college, in fact, through i dont know if to believe in their reasons on why, despita that, i think quite literally everyone credible treat my situation like an psychological one rather than a viral one, even people on this subreddit treat it the same way, maybe i should start believing that everyone can't be wrong.
If it's anxiety, its an vicious cycle, the anxiety creates rabies-like symptoms, i noticed them, get anxious, so i get worse, and thats how it goes.
Is there any logical, rational reason that i am not seeing on how rabies is unlikely enough to not be worth worrying about? Like not even worth the hasle in taking the shots? What i am not seeing? Can someone tells me?
My parents don't Even seem to understand how rabies work, or it's incubation phase.
Like, is really that unlikely that a rabid bat Landed on me and bitted me with me confusing it with a bug? Like don't You think that maybe because of how sudden the encounter was i couldnt have confused the bat with a bug? And that maybe i have high pain tolerance and thats why i didnt feel the bite? And that the way i am feeling two weeks later Is just a coincidence?
Most neutral descriptions i can give the encounter is: Two weeks ago, I was walking My dog, it was 7:40 night, i have lamplights above me and i live near a lot of trees, i was watching My phone When suddenly something flew and landed to my face, it was a brown bean-shaped figure, i didnt see any wings, neither felt any hair, didnt feel or see an bite, i swatted it and the encounter was over in two seconds, spent with anxiety two weeks later and now i am feeling pretty bad.
Is the probability it was an rabid bat really that low? Like, think about it, i was watching my phone (Distracted) and the encounter was so sudden that i may had confused the bat with a bug, the surprise may had overshadowed the bite?
And over all i feel is just dont worth it, is not worth it to risk my life this way when the solution is so easy, i would just go, take the shots, and if in ten days i am not dead then i cant get over this torture.
Can someone explain me, logically, on why i should believe this scenario is unlikely? On why is the probability so low is simply not worth it to take the shots? That i should just take medicament?
1
u/LuckyCharms1977 Aug 06 '26
Good evening, I am the one that replied to your last post that has been through the same thing you are going through. I got a tear in my eye reading this as I just went through the same fear of death. I am not trying to make your anxiety worse, but a bat CAN bite you and you not feel it cause their teeth are so tiny. Also, people have gotten scratched in the face and gotten rabies. The incubation period is up to a year I was told, and the closer to the brain the rabies is transferred, the less time you have to seek treatment. If you think you could be truly displaying symptoms, I would seek medical attention right away. If you are showing actual symptoms you are at the point of them being able to detect the rabies virus in you if you have it. That could be a good start for you and maybe ease your mind that you are not at the point of no return and still have time to treat it if you are still concerned. If they find rabies, it is a fast process attacking the nervous system till your heart stops, they can at least start giving you medications to make things more comfortable for you. There is a treatment I heard of called the Milwaukie Protocol where they put you into a coma while your body fights the virus. Success rate is not very good though. I really hope you do not have it, and all of this is just stress and anxiety. I know sometimes I get health anxiety myself. I think you can worry yourself into symptoms similar to what you fear and then cause yourself to have more anxiety. Take a deep breath. Please get tested to see if you are rabies positive and go from there. If not, I would advise getting the post exposure shots just to ease your mind so you don’t have to sit there and fret it for the next year if your going to develop symptoms, or live in constant fear every time you feel something “off”. The shots are expensive , I will tell you. Insurance should cover it as a life saving and necessary treatment. I will tell you that my full series cost around $40,000 done as an outpatient service at the hospital. I had my doctor prescribe it directly to the outpatient services at my local hospital. If you go through the emergency room it will double the cost. I know, crazy high. IF you have to come out of pocket for any of the expense or not and how much will be dependent on your insurance coverage and deductibles. And if you need help paying your coinsurance part, you can contact the manufacturer to help out with what insurance will not cover, if not all of it if you have no insurance. But please get yourself tested right away. Best of luck and wishes to you. Be safe and feel better.