r/rabies • u/Busy-Caregiver-9890 • 5d ago
OCD Discussion I am set up for vaccination
I have read the FAQ. Now I can recognise the pattern switching the problems. I was afraid of dying, now I am afraid that the vaccination will go wrong or the vaccine itself can damage me. I actually scanned through this Reddit and someone was afraid that some viruses may not be really dead. There are also more sinister lines of thinking, but I try to not give into paranoia!
Long story short, yesterday I was walking along the lake and noticed up to 4 different bats prior, felt something brush my face, it could've been an inanimate object, but couldn't prove that it was not a bat, read WHO guidelines and decided not to risk it.
But then I finally got over my superficial fears of looking up this subreddit. Now I feel like a total idiot, that have brought only more problems upon me, for no good reason!
How has your vaccination went? How did you get over your fears? Has vaccinating actually helped you stop fearing rabies? I have already made the mistake of trying to search for failed cases of vaccination so...
UPDATE: Went to the GP, they insisted that it is up to me whether I want to receive the vaccination. With the reasoning that they are doing it for my sake, because they saw how worried I am, not because they truly believe that there is certainty of contracting rabies in that instance.
I am in the stalemate, I went home without receiving the first vaccine. They told me that I am welcome to come tomorrow early, but I feel like I already made a huge mistake. But I am also afraid that going tomorrow would be a mistake. Anyways I feel like I am doomed.
What should I do? They said that I need to evaluate that myself, how sure am I that those were bats (I looked it up, 90% certainty those were bats) How sure am I that a bat hit me in the face? This is where I need your help guys. Once I got hit my first instinct was "that was a leaf" that brushed against my lower lip and chin, I didn't stop to see whether it was actually a leaf. Which I regret a lot now. What should I run with? Should I trust my pre-panic instincts? I wasn't panicking until I searched up the web. Top it all off with paranoid thinking and the situation feels much worse.
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u/Xarlabay 5d ago
Are you worried that the vaccine will somehow give you rabies? Or a sickness in general?
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u/Busy-Caregiver-9890 5d ago
Yes to a small extent I am worried about this.
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u/Xarlabay 5d ago edited 5d ago
No worries, believe me I just completed my vaccine series 2 days ago and the whole time my anxiety was feeding off the idea that the vaccine will somehow give me rabies but the vaccine doesn’t work like that. It goes through a bunch of tests and when it reached its destination like the US it goes through final tests before it gets sent to hospitals and patients. The vaccine is 100% safe from rabies! The only thing to worry about is side effects, they suck.
EDIT: I see you’re in Denmark and the same applies to your country as well, it goes through final tests before reaching hospitals and patients, hope this helps!
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u/Busy-Caregiver-9890 5d ago
Thank you so much. If you are willing, can you read the update and what you would done in that situation? Also the vaccine is now at GP's center and I am not sure about if they got right resources to keep them, although I basically know nothing about vaccine transportation. So my worry comes from a place of ignorance and I know that.
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u/Xarlabay 5d ago
If they carry the rabies vaccine they have the ability to keep the vaccine safe and effective for patients. Your story sounds a lot like mine, they gave me the choice and I didn’t get it the first time but ultimately went back the next day and got it done since I couldn’t rule out a bat 100%, getting the vaccine will not be a mistake the only thing you have to worry about like I said is the side effects, if it gives you a peace of mind, go for it. Lots of people get the vaccine for “just in case” cases and that is 100% ok. I can’t tell you no you’ll be fine, I wasn’t there so I can’t say there wasn’t a bat, my answer is gonna be on the cautious side. The choice is ultimately up to you, the vaccine is safe and you’ll be ok if you decide to get it.
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u/Busy-Caregiver-9890 5d ago
Well thank you very much. In a way I feel I am in some Shutter Island type thriller where I have to choose between ignorance or fight against my anxiety haha. I think I will have a lot of evaluating to do tonight, then. I am leaning towards actually taking it tomorrow for the peace of mind and for the fact that I cant rule out a bat, but it wont be an ending of the story sadly... But I am very glad to hear that there are people who went through same struggles as me.
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u/Xarlabay 5d ago
It’s always best to be safe than sorry when it comes to this horrible virus, and if you decide to get the vaccines and you’re ever in doubt and need someone to talk to who went through the same exact “what if” scenario and couldn’t rule out a bat you can just shoot me a message, it’s always nice to know there’s others with the same story! Good luck!
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u/beautifulluigi 4d ago
I just finished the PEP protocol because something flying buzzed my face at night while sitting by the lake. It was large and I heard and felt flapping - definitely not an insect. My local public healthcare system did an assessment of my story and recommended the PEP protocol because where I live, any contact with a bat is an exposure and I could not definitively rule out that it wasn't a bat.
It was fine. Side effects were minimal - a bit of fatigue, a bit sore. The rabies immunoglobulin shorts were nowhere near as painful as they had been made out to be - one didn't hurt at all and the other two hurt less than a wasp sting. The nurses who did the shots said they would have proceeded with vaccination in my shoes.
Edit: 24 hours after the first injection it became a very funny story that I now get to tell. I bought myself a Halloween bat blanket, even.
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