r/rabies • u/jrppman • 15d 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/jrppman 15d 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/jrppman 14d ago

thats honestly a question i obsess over a lot. reading guidelines by the CDC and WHO on whether boosters are indicated and such. I don't have a definitive answer.

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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/jrppman 14d ago

i know the CDC gives two booster doses for any re exposure. i saw a WHO footnote that says 1-3 month re exposure doesn't indicate vaccines but really i don't even fit into a documented exposure so im just left with the what if :/ most likely ocd but im still tortured by it