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I slept in a room on October 5th or 6th. I had a window open. I fear a bat could have bit me. I just have really bad anxiety because my right wrist itches and my right palm below my pinky tingles a bit as well as feeling icyhot. I am having the same sensation in my shoulder as well. I don't know why I am having such weird sensations. I am freaking out. I know I do have a problem with my right hand, but fear that this palm and wrist tingling and itching is a rabid bat bite or something. It just started the other day as far as I noticed. I need reassurance. I am freaking out! Can anyone ease my fears?

I am freaking out so bad. I was sleeping around an open window on October 5th. I was up doing my laundry and waiting for it to be done because I needed new clothing. I slept very lightly until I heard the buzzer on the washer. I was in the room and sleeping, I fear I got bit by a bat. I was up to my face in bedding. I have an itching on my neck which is very annoying. I fear it might be a bite because they are unseen and sometimes unfelt. It feels itchy and other than that it is sonetimes hot feeling. I have been havibg this weird sensation for a week. It has been about three weeks. I fear I will die of it. I am shaking at night so violently with anxiety. Only other weird sensation is my hand feeling icy hot. I feel like I have gotten a run down feeling. I know they go to hibernate in October, but I fear for my health and safety. What is the probability of a bat getting into the room through the window, biting my neck, and leaving the room without me knowing? My family loves to have the window open and I am always checking for bats downstairs... Because they could easily make home down there with the open window making easy access. ??? I am still so anxious.

I was hiking with my dogs when one of them found a dead animal. It looked old, mostly fur and bones and some putrid black stuff. Before I noticed he licked it, and took a bone and began chewing on it. The bone looked fairly meat-free. I promptly told him to put it down and kind of forgot about it. Later in the evening (1-2 hrs later), he and I were playing. He got riled up and ran into me, and his tooth scratched my arm and formed a small scratch (it appeared to break the skin, think thin red line). I washed it, but have been worrying ever since that I could catch rabies from the scratch. My dogs are vaccinated, but I am worrying it could persist inside of his mouth just long enough to enter the scratch and infect me. Is this possible?

It's comforting to have people reassure me and understand this unexplainable fear. I was wondering how you guys deal with these panics and fear? I have never been actually diagnosed with any true anxiety issues by doctors. Every time I bring it up any "problems" with the doctor it's usually shot down as imaginative thinking common in children. I have intense anxiety attacks and general nervousness whenever I think I have a health related issue. My usual hypochondria revolves around rabies: Anytime I go out at night, and I feel a tingle or pinch; two-three weeks of my life is again obsessed with the possibility of being bit by bat. The most recent event was two weeks ago where I went to a party. Slightly intoxicated, I roamed around the outside of the house with tall grass and to my bad luck, sandspurs. Because it was pitch black and all I could feel were sandspurs jabbing me in my legs and hands, I freaked out, ran around, and eventually my friends guided me back in the house. Once inside, I immediately freaked out that I got by an animal because I didn't notice the sandspurs covering the entire lower half of my body. Now I'm obsessed with the possibility I got attacked by animal. When I got back inside and when I got home, I checked intensely under bright lights (with the help of friends and my parents) for any marks on my legs and hands (I was wearing pants and short-sleeve) or anywhere I felt I jab. I didn't see any marks, but I still have this deep resonating fear that evolves into my throat being very tight, sweat, feverish feelings, and itchiness in my legs. I few moments ago, I felt heat and starting sweating. I have had these fears before, but it's hard to calm down when I start panicking. It's even more difficult when the symptoms and my anxiety issues kind of line up. Thank you so much for your time and help, I really appreciate it!

Gahh I know, rabies is rare and shouldn't have any fears about it but.. it's just bothering me. I was outside walking and it was getting dark. I noticed a few bats flying back and forth across the tree and whatnot and moments later I felt something wet drip onto my face around the eye area. I shrugged it off at first but then it made me think if it was bat saliva possibly?? And if it was, was that bat rabid? I'm worried that I'm at risk because it fell in my eye.. any help? Thanks!

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this - I apologize if it is in the wrong place. I was hoping I could get a few insights in regards to a little problem of mine. On Saturday I was walking around the Winter Island campground area (in Salem, MA) with some friends, wearing flip-flops. We sat in the dark at a little picnic bench and I was unaware of anything biting me. Then Sunday I noticed an itchy little spot on the inside of my foot. It couldn't have been an insect bite, as there was no puncture wound and no lump and no redness. Later that day, I started noticing pain in the same area (almost like a scrape). I do recall slipping off the sidewalk to make way for a dogwalker and scraping my foot a tiny bit on the pavement, but I would expect to see evidence of skin damage in the area (which I did not) and I also can't see how that would cause itchiness. I've read that people can be bitten by bats and not notice, because of the size of the teeth. I've also read that puncture wounds from bats can disappear within minutes. Is it possible that there could have been a dying bat lying in the grass, and that I stepped on its wing or something and was bitten without noticing? Again, I did not feel anything biting me and I am worried because of the pain/itchiness I have been feeling ever since, which I have heard is the first symptom of rabies. Would it be possible for symptoms to start that early? I first noticed the itchy spot probably about 12 hours after going to the campground. Another reason I am concerned is that today I noticed my temperature was slightly higher than normal (98.5 - 98.8 instead of about 97.5) and I fear that this may also be rabies. I know I can't go to the doctor because 1) symptoms have already started, so if this is rabies that means I am a dead woman walking and 2) she wouldn't give me shots, as I didn't see any bats. Do you think I have anything to worry about? This has been tearing me apart ever since and I can't sleep or function. Thank you.