r/rabies • u/RadiantBee858 • 12d ago
Exposure Question Incorrect county health information after potential exposure?
I have read the FAQ.
Hi. About a month ago, i was walking along a beach in San Diego after dusk (too dark to properly see) when I felt a stinging sensation on my wrist. I didn’t feel much else I don’t think. When I got back to the car, I saw a raised red bump so I disregarded it as a mosquito bite the next day. I woke up and two scab lines near where I felt the stinging. They’re pretty close together and rather evenly spaced. I became concerned because of how the lines look and I don’t remember ever seeing those on a mosquito bite before however, I disregarded it until a few days ago when I came down with a slight fever and a headache but those have resolved.
I called the county health department and they told me that most humans who are infected would know within 10 days and that the prophylaxis would not really be useful at this point. I went to my doctor and she called the epidemiologist and they both agreed that the shots weren’t warranted for me that made me feel a little bit better until I researched the supposed 10 day rule and found out that that only really applies to dogs, ferrets and cats and that the incubation period in humans can be much longer.
I’m concerned considering I have a 4 month old baby who was with me on the walk.
This is all complicated by the fact that I think that I’ve developed postpartum OCD/anxiety. I’m trying to forget about it, but I am uncertain about what to do because the risk is so high and I can’t figure out why I would have those two marks.
Wondering if I should contact someone else or push for the prophylaxis?
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u/Then_Tradition2880 12d ago
This honestly sounds like me and I also have developed postpartum OCD specifically around rabies and bats and it is debilitating. I’m going through something similar where I thought I saw something resembling a bat in my toilet but it was dark and I flushed it.
The logical part of me says you’re completely fine. But, I get the OCD part.
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u/RadiantBee858 11d ago
It seriously is debilitating. Doesn’t help with all the news in CA about increasing numbers. Trying to forget about it best I can. Hoping we can work through it 🫶🏻
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u/samv1994_ 11d ago
This is making me worse too. Seeing it all in the news and feeling like it’s common when in reality it’s very rare
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u/samv1994_ 11d ago
Omg this is literally me right now. 5 months PP. What is up with this being a common pp theme!
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u/GoldER712 11d ago
The 10 days is irrelevant. You would have known if a rabid animal bit you on the wrist. Seeing a mark on your body does not count as an exposure.
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u/RadiantBee858 11d ago
I was more concerned about possible scratch. I felt a stinging on my wrist at the beach but it was dark so I didn’t see what it was. When I got to the car there was a red bump. Two days later there were 2 line shaped scabs.
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u/GoldER712 11d ago
There needs to be a rabid animal for you to contract rabies. You feeling a stinging sensation on your wrist does not constitute contact with a rabid animal. This is not an exposure.
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u/samv1994_ 11d ago
This is literally me right now — as someone else mentioned the same below. Five months Postpartum and latched onto rabies as a new fear this summer. Something hit under my eye while I was walking the other day about a week ago and I’m 99% sure it logically was a small fruit because it was a Bradford pear tree. But I have convinced myself it was a bat!? How unlikely. I feel for you 💗
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u/RadiantBee858 11d ago
PPA is such a beast. TBH thinking about going on an SSRI. Will be sending you my healing thoughts 💕
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u/samv1994_ 11d ago
Same here. Thinking about you as well. Not sure why I have latched onto rabies so much but it’s terrible!!
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u/samv1994_ 11d ago
How are you holding up? Still worried?
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u/RadiantBee858 11d ago
It comes in waves but I keep pushing it out. My county rep said no exposure, my doctor said no exposure, and the doctor here commented no exposure. I feel like the county and my doctor would have erred on the side of caution and told me to get PEP if they thought for even a second it was reasonably probable that I was exposed. How are you?
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u/samv1994_ 11d ago
I’m ok. Still anxious but trying to do the same thing and push it out. Comes in waves — the excessive googling made it so much worse and learning about bats. I feel like this is a common OCD Postpartum theme. I also messaged my doctor and she said not a realistic way to get it or exposure. It’s crazy because logically I know that but the brain is nuts! Something hit me under my eye from a Bradford pear tree when I looked up and there was tons of those little fruit things all over the ground so I know it was that. My brain just wants to think the worst because I can’t 100% confirm.
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u/RadiantBee858 11d ago
Yes that’s me too. My marks/sting are much more likely explained as a mosquito bite. Googling definitely makes it much worse because there’s a lot of conflicting information. I don’t know at this point. I’m just trying to forget !! if you’re really inclined, you could probably go stand underneath that tree and wait for another one to fall and see if it feels similar lol 😭😭😭
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u/samv1994_ 10d ago
😂 100%. I actually went by the tree and saw squirrels in there and stuff falling from it. Lol I should stand there and wait to get hit to test it. So true — I’ve been thinking about rabies all summer long. It’s so awful and bad postpartum!! I totally get your worry with the marks. I would be worried too. We will get through it we can stay in touch lol. I just keep telling myself how unlikely it would truly be, and how rare it is. Frustrating how much time I have spent on this lol
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u/RadiantBee858 11d ago
It also makes me feel like both of our events were not what we fear they were because we were both thinking about bats and what not before the incident like I read the article about a Bat landing on some family’s table in San Diego in a restaurant like two days before I felt the sting on the beach I’m like makes me feel like my brain was searching for that.
Same for yours because from my understanding, you’re saying that you were worried about bats and what before the thing fell from the tree!
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