SL761

Hi, I hope you're all doing well. Over the past two years, I have been terrified of bats and rabies, and that fear has been ruling my life. I've been to the ER three times, gotten a full run of rabies vaccines because I found a mark on my hand while walking through the forest, freaked out because I thought a bat had bitten me after walking directly over a wasp nest and being stung, and just tonight I've been terrified that I'm going to die because I found a faint scratch on one hand after being outside at night and hearing some chirping noises. I was hauling splintery wood around with my bare hands before that, but I guess that explanation isn't good enough for my brain. I'm just so tired of this. Sleep is a relief in that I can at least stop worrying for a while. I don't want to feel this way any more. I want to be able to hike through the forest and go camping and even step foot outdoors without hyper-focusing on any little sensation on my body, or to make it a day without running the same situations through my head a dozen times, searching for things I could've missed. Knowing that I could get an injection and that I could be immune to dying in a completely preventable way is the worst feeling in the world. Have any of you been in a similar situation? Was there anything at all that helped? It seems like I'm cracking up, and that my brain is just choosing to ignore the real world. I'm afraid to lose control. I've been told I should see a therapist, but I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks for listening. I'm sorry if this post comes out sounding like a rant or something. I hope your day / evening's going well.

Hey folks, hope you're doing well. I was out on a walk tonight to see the sunset when I felt something touch my ankle, and then a sting on my left thumb. I felt a burning pain for around a minute or two around the mark, which soon turned into a tiny red dot surrounded by a white circle. I am almost positive that a wasp or bee stung me, but I can't get the possibility out of my head that a bat bit me. The area still stings a little. I feel so angry at myself for even going out in the first place. I've just been recovering from the last period of HA, and this is the last thing I need. I just want to be free from this fear, so that I can live my life properly. I'm sorry, this is more of a vent post than a question. I guess I just feel like any kind of reassurance would help.

Hi there, I've been afraid of bats for quite some time, and I guess I was wondering if you all had some advice on how to deal with that fear. It started when I visited the beach of a lake at night, about a year ago- I saw some bats flying around, felt something touch my arm, and discovered a scratch on the back of that same arm the next day. The next few months were spent worrying about rabies, and making multiple trips to the ER asking for treatment. I never received the vaccine, but about a year later I'm still around, so hey. Today, while out on a walk through the woods, I felt something touch my lower arm. Looking at it, I noticed three tiny red marks like pinpricks arranged in a line about 1-2cm long. Although I found one other similar-looking mark on my arm, and although I didn't feel any pain on my arm or see a bat when I felt something touch it, I'm terrified that a rabid bat may have bitten me. Looking online (a cardinal sin, I know) it seems that although you'll usually notice a bat bite, their teeth are so tiny that it's possible not to notice at all. Although I doubt that the doctors would give me a vaccine with this story, I know that however scummy it might be, I could exaggerate it in order to get the shot. I'd feel guilty as hell abusing the system, but when my mind is treating this like a life-or-death scenario it seems like the hardest thing in the world to just keep going and hope nothing happens. Am I confident that I didn't see a bat? Yes. Would I stake my life on that? I really don't know. More than anything, I just want to be free of this fear. Last summer, I broke down in a way I never have before, and I don't want to go through the same thing again. I've been nervous entering forests / going out at night, and I cancelled a hiking trip with a friend just because I was afraid we might encounter a bat. At this point, I think it'd be better to see some kind of counselor for this anxiety. What do you think? Should I get medical attention?

Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it. I'm glad to say I'm doing a lot better now. The twitching and soreness isn't nearly as bad as it was, and taking a few days to go hiking around outdoors and get myself out of my own head helped a lot. There will definitely be bad days in the future, but I'm glad I have all of you here to talk to whenever things get bad.

Thank you all so much for the replies. It's funny how even just spending one day without worrying about my own premature doom can make me feel so much better. I'm sure this fear will come back again sometime, but at least now I've got a little more knowledge on what kind of messed up symptoms my brain can create out of nowhere. Thanks again!

Hi there, I'm a 21-y/o male. About two weeks ago, I noticed what feels like a stiffness in my right foot and a burning / stinging pain located in my right arm / right leg sometimes. Both limbs seem weaker than usual, and today I noticed some mild twitching in both my right arm / leg as well. This is about the third time I've been anxious about ALS / other degenerative diseases.The first was in 9th grade, and the second lasted for around four months in my 12th grade of high school. This time around, it almost seemed like a joke at first... I thought to myself "Huh, my arm seems sort of weak today, I guess I have ALS". Fast forward to now, and I can't get it out of my head... This time around, it feels like I'll be lucky if I don't have the disease. I'm scared to plan for the future because I don't know if I'll live to experience it or not. If I can be reasonable for a moment, I guess it's possible that the large amounts of stress generated by some university exams and a recent heat wave could exacerbate my anxiety to the point that I could invent these symptoms. Still, I'm scared that even anxiety couldn't create feelings of soreness, stiffness, weakness, and twitching only in my right arm and leg. Is that even possible? Really, I'm just scared... Should I visit a doctor? Since I've come to the family clinic with unfounded concerns a lot in the past, I'm worried that my doctor will just brush me off this time. I don't want to end up like the boy who cried wolf.