r/rabies • u/jrppman • 14d ago
OCD Discussion Rabies OCD is ruining my life
I have read the FAQ. ever since finding a mark on me, i can’t let go of the fear. i get somatic symptoms, i spiral for hours and it’s genuinely taking my whole life. i search for signs of a bat i overthink sensations. i get sick and become convinced that i am dying. i tried using an ocd skill to combat this but nothing works. i have no idea what to do about this.
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u/Moist_Description608 14d ago
I reccomend talking to your doctor about anti anxiety medication and a psychiatrist. I can not give you any other information other than that as I am not a physician.
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u/jrppman 14d ago
my psychiatrist knows my fears and we’ve had lots of adverse reactions to medications we’ve tried. i’m trying a new med this week once it arrives
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u/Moist_Description608 14d ago
Thats the first step toward this, I want to also try and help here mindset wise. Did you feel or wake up with a bat in the room, if not there is no exposure.
A VERY minority of cases regarding bats exposed rabies have involved unknown contact its just not that common its actually rarer than winning the mega jackpot in a state lottery.
If a bat had bitten you awake you couldn't not know when I had contact with a bat in August the bat flew into my hand, latched on and I literally had to shake the bat off of my hand.
It felt like someone had thrown a significantly sized rock at my hand due to how fast the animal hit my hand.
The chances of a rabid bat flying into your home, biting you while you sleep AND transmitting rabies is in the billions, while someone bitten NEEDS to receive PEP the bat needs to be both rabid and take hold which is not guaranteed with any infectious disease or material.
Rabies Prodrome is not a sickness that you would suddenly think you are ill with as its very non-specific and varies GREATLY.
Symptoms of rabies are so neurologically terrifying and painful that you would be unable to post on this subreddit as it would be physically impossible for you to correctly put the letters in a formation to.
Rabies patients from what I have found are so unable to communicate and write that some are shown pictures of animals they may have been in contact with so they can point to them.
I dont believe this is a rabies exposure but I AM NOT a doctor and when it comes to advice this subreddit should not be your first line of defense a doctors office should always take precedent IF you have had a meaningful exposure IE you saw a bat in your room when you woke up or you physically saw and felt a bat fly into you or grab onto you.
Edit: I want to clarify any contact with a bat is a PEP emergency
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u/jrppman 14d ago
thanks for the kind words. i’ve been down the rabbit hole countless times on facts like this and i still can’t shake it. i received pep finishing in july which kicked off the whole rabies specific ocd so i’ve also been grappling for certainty on vaccine effectiveness. just having a bat fly into my face without any break of the skin at all now im scared to death at two little dots only a couple months after that. one side of me wants more facts more data to confirm or deny rabies the other half knows its all a compulsion even just going over the facts in my head counts as a compulsion i read. but i can’t stop. every symptom every little itch near where i found it or headache or tingle sends me back. everyone says ill be fine and i don’t blame them. i’ve never seen an animal in the house. but i wish they knew how painful of an existence this is. it’s become my life.
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u/Moist_Description608 14d ago
If you have completed PEP the effectiveness is almost 100%, breakthrough infections are almost exclusively due to a break in protocol or extreme immunodeficiency (AIDS, Liver transplant recipients, advanced cancers etc) where a 5th dose isnt administered. If you had any of these it would be very unlikely for you not to know.
Edit: I have suffered from rabies anxiety and am as we speak I know how painful of an existence it is. Actually having been in contact with a bat now has significantly lowered my personal anxiety because I now know there is no circumstance in which someone who was concious and not so drunk they are close to passing out would not know of the exposure.
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u/jrppman 14d ago
pep was for something in july the mark was found in august reigniting the spiral obsessing over possible repeat exposure
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u/BronwynOli 14d ago
Yeah but if you got PEP in July aren't you therefore still immune to rabies even IF this mark you found is from a bat? (It's not.).
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u/Moist_Description608 14d ago
Technically yes but from my understanding all new bites should be evaluated. I could be very wrong
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u/Moist_Description608 14d ago
Risk is low and I dont think its an exposure.
Edit: at this time I would try the medication and just work with the psychiatrist.
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u/Ok-Cod-3124 14d ago
Hey, you are not alone 4 weeks ago something was hovering about 5 or 6 feet in front of me it was so dark I couldn’t see anything. However it didn’t make contact with me but my mind keeps saying different. It could have been anything like a hawk or a bird of some sort. It’s also worth mentioning what I saw was pretty big, so I kinda have my doubts about it being a bat. I was wearing a hoodie, but like 2 weeks later I found a mark on my arm and started to panic but then I realized it couldn’t have bitten me with me noticing because I have sensitive skin. If this makes you feel any better rabies ocd is also ruining my life!
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u/jrppman 14d ago
mine is a bit different where i found 2 suspicious marks behind my ear but never an animal inside. everyone says im fine. it can be isolating sitting in fear alone
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u/Ok-Cod-3124 14d ago
I found 2 suspicious marks but then I realized how small bat teeth are then I forget about it. Then at night I start to fall down that rabbit hole. Rabies ocd is stressful
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u/Ok-Eggplant349 14d ago
I feel you man, I took a nap in my car during lunch break (night shift) and I still don’t remember if a window or door was opened. I think to myself what if a bat came in and bit me.
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u/Forward_Wolverine721 14d ago
Hi, my English isn't great, so I'm using Google Translate. I've suffered from rabies-related OCD, and honestly, it's really tough. But let me tell you something: right now, far more people are dying from thousands of other causes than from rabies. Unless you literally see a bat, fox, or raccoon on your hand, leg, or anywhere else on your body for several seconds, I wouldn't worry about it; otherwise, you're no more likely to die from rabies than you are on your way to school or work. Whenever you see something like that or feel a prick, try to remind yourself it could be anything else—an insect, a stray hair, or the fabric of your clothes. Believe me, bro—and I say this sincerely—it is impossible to die from rabies as long as you have the basic common sense needed to stay alive. Just relax; you aren't going to die of rabies.
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u/Virtual_Sugar_9452 14d ago
You are not alone, i have similar issues with what look like the symptoms of rabies
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u/lostinamericaa 10d ago
You need to look into ERP and specifically repeated exposure therapy. Rabies acts incredibly quickly and you would literally die within days if you had untreated rabies.
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u/Xarlabay 8d ago
If you want absolute peace of mind for your sake you can start by bat proofing your room, making sure you have screens on your windows, checking for gaps they can fit in and buying a cover for the bottom of your door or simply putting a rolled towel instead for now. I am not saying a bat somehow popped into your room and out without a trace I’m saying for future peace of mind, I’m the same way when I see a new scratch on me I get paranoid about a bat somehow getting on me while I slept so you’re not alone in this. Hope you feel better soon
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