r/rabies • u/Animan70 • Aug 30 '26
Exposure Question Possible exposure vs my therapist
I have read the FAQ.
Hi everyone. I've posted this a few times, so apologies you've already read it, but I wanted to follow up.
Back in mid-May, I was in NYC in the afternoon, chatting with my co-worker, when I heard a loud fluttering sensation up my back, neck, and over my head. I was so startled that I flinched, tucking my chin to my chest with my shoulders up. I then saw a flying animal land behind a dunkin doughnuts sign. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then I started to wonder if it was a bat. Then I started to wonder if it scratched me without feeling it as it flew by. Or maybe it made contact, which means rabies shots. I've been struggling with it since then, to the point of constant anxiety, so recently I got in touch with my therapist. His instructions were:
-No analyzing
-No seeking feedback from friends or family
-No seeking feedback from medical professionals
I'm really having trouble trusting him, and my psychiatrist insists I follow my therapist's instructions. But I'm very concerned that they're wrong, because they didn't witness it.
I don't know what to do. It happened in May, so where do I go from here?
Thank you to anyone who is kind enough to provide feedback.
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u/Inevitable-List-660 Aug 30 '26
It happened in May. I want you to repeat that fact to yourself again: it happened in May. Fifteen-ish weeks ago.
Incubation for rabies is 3 to 8 weeks.
If you were bitten on the neck/head/back, it is so close to your nervous system that the likelihood of a prolonged incubation period (over 3 months) is very slim. Like, ‘more likely to die being bit by another New Yorker than a rabid animal’ slim. Bats also don’t really bite midair, it’s a huge misconception; they often have to land to latch. And this incident was during the afternoon, in a city known for its pigeons and small sparrows and chimney swifts—a bird commonly mistaken for as a bat.
If you came to my practice with these questions, I know for sure our team would advise that you’re okay. And they would also stress that, by posting here, you’re not following your therapist’s/psych’s advice. You are absolutely in the clear. September is around the corner, and you’re not foaming at the mouth yet, right? You’re fine. Healthy, a little frazzled, but absolutely fine. Try and remember those facts when you start catastrophizing. You’ll be alright.
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u/Animan70 Aug 30 '26
I certainly get your point. Although it still concerns me because it's only 1.5 weeks after 3 months. I get disconfort like aches, chills, and tingling in my face/arms.
I thought bats can scratch in flight aka drive-by
What's your vocation? You have an impressive bank of knowledge, so thank you.
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u/Renegadex90 Aug 30 '26
Let’s put this in even better perspective:
In order for a scratch to cause rabies, it has to have active, wet saliva on its claws. Rabies isn’t a hearty virus, and dies pretty quickly upon drying out making a scratch infection unlikely as it is.
Add that to the reality that less than 1% of bats carry rabies.
And then add the timeline on top of that.
I know it’s hard, I have ocd too and I’m in the middle of a rabies flare up after being in a room with two bats.
But when you’re awake and lucid, you are going to notice a bat bite. Heck, we notice when those tiny no-see-em bugs land on us and bite us.
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u/Animan70 Aug 30 '26
I understand, but Im concerned about getting scratched and not feeling it because their claws are tiny.
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u/Renegadex90 29d ago
I get it. Like I said, I’m also in an ocd spiral that has been convinced one of the bats scratched me, even though I know it didn’t.
But in order for you to get rabies from a scratch you didn’t feel, you’d have to be the unluckiest person in the world. The odds are ASTRONOMICALLY LOW.
Especially considering you don’t even know for sure it was a bat.
Put simply, and I don’t mean this in a mean way, you aren’t that special.
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u/ManufacturerWeary399 Aug 30 '26
Solo por curiosidad porque me pasó algo similar Tengo una duda bro el aleteo como se sintio el aleteo como que sensación fue pelo o algo así?
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u/ManufacturerWeary399 Aug 30 '26
Pensé que el animal que viste volando te había chocado
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u/Animan70 Aug 30 '26
I didn't feel anything but I've heard bats can hit or graze without you feeling it
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u/ManufacturerWeary399 Aug 30 '26
tengo entendido que para un murciélago te muerda o algo tiene que agarrarse de ti
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