ever since my cat brought in a bat in may 2003 I have an severe hypochondria, primarily relating to Rabies although also it did manifest with other things but mostly the hypochondria was to do with rabies.Despite the fact that rabies is not in the u.k but for the possible chance of it being in Daubetons and Serotine bats, neither of these were the bat my cat dragged in..it has also been nearly 28 months.Despite this I have this irrational fear that despite me knowing it is stupid I still suffer badly ad it can quickly get me down. Now someone I am getting close to has just come back from Kenya and knowing I amy kiss them I am again worrying that she may have rabies, despite the fact she has not got bitten by anything at all and has absolutely no cause to have it. Now itr is starting to disrupt my personal life I need to do something about it. Can someoe in the medical profession confirm to me that -1 can you only catch rabies once its in its infectious state ie the person or aimal your catchig it from is rabid and not just incubating the virus. Because I am likely to be kissing and having other contact with the person in question. With my hypochondria I often need constat reassurance and so being reassured that I cannot catch it from another person at least not til he/she is in the rabid stage would greatesly help me.Other help to do with my fear would also be grealy appriciated.-Rob
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Hypochondria
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admitting its irrational is the first step and finding the cause of this fear is the second which you have already made which is good. personally though i dont think you could get over it completely without seeing someone. it may diminish dealing with it yourself but something will trigger it off again in the future and may be twice as bad so its better to completely eliminate it than temporarily stifle it. good luck with it. take care
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I would recommend you see a psychiatrist to help you sort out this irrational fear. 2 years of "severe" fear, as you put it, is not reasonable.
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You had me confused you posted the thread twice LOL So I will make my post again.Not sure if theres helps ya but I found this artical that you might find useful:What should I do if I come in contact with a bat?If you are bitten by a bat -- or if infectious material (such as saliva) from a bat gets into your eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound -- wash the affected area thoroughly and get medical advice immediately. Whenever possible, the bat should be captured and sent to a laboratory for rabies testing (see: How can I safely capture a bat in my home?).People usually know when they have been bitten by a bat. However, because bats have small teeth which may leave marks that are not easily seen, there are situations in which you should seek medical advice even in the absence of an obvious bite wound. For example, if you awaken and find a bat in your room, see a bat in the room of an unattended child, or see a bat near a mentally impaired or intoxicated person, seek medical advice and have the bat tested. People cannot get rabies just from seeing a bat in an attic, in a cave, or at a distance. In addition, people cannot get rabies from having contact with bat guano (feces), blood, or urine, or from touching a bat on its fur (even though bats should never be handled!).
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Thanks for the replies, yes I had seen that article before and it did help me since I didnt actually get bitten but just stepped fairly close to it and it had blood on the floor. I have seen every article and piece of information to do with Bat Rabies and that by now, I will say one thing, hypchondria gives you real in depth knowledge of certain things! The Bat thing however is not my new concern its the fact I want to be close with someone who has been on holiday in another country recently(Kenya) and of course the irrational fears come in again , even though millions go on holiday year and she wasnt bitten by anything.-Rob