TW: So I am absolutely TERRIFIED of rabies. To the extent that I can't even be around my dog anymore and I don't know what to do. I'm scared that I might have contracted it because 2 days ago I picked up a stray cat that's been coming to my house and gave it a kiss on the cheek. I'm so scared that I either have rabies or will contract the virus somehow. I'm too scared to go outside at the point. I don't know what to do.
animals with rabies are typically aggressive and it doesn’t sound like the cat was. it’s also more common in animals like bats and raccoons. it’s also highly unlikely your dog would have it without you knowing because it’s behavior would change. rabies is also usually only contracted through bites. My boyfriend got bitten by a lion cub in Mexico and we were afraid for awhile and did lots of research. I hope this helps and isn’t harmful considering it might be reassurance so if so I can try to delete my comment. I’m new to the app.
The car was not aggressive but it's behavior was a little different than usual but that might because it's a declawed stray and has babies to take care of. My dog has had her rabies vaccine but I'm still so afraid of her contracting the virus. Rabies is one of my biggest fears because you'll never know if you have it and when you start showing symptoms it's too late.. I know it may be a compulsion but I want to get a vaccine just in case because it is a life or death situation. I'm also about to start working with dogs which is going to make my fear much more worse.
@🪷 cat* not car LOL
@🪷 Yeah I honestly don’t think you have it at all. But I completely understand the fear as me and my boyfriend were so scared for awhile. I’d say you could always talk to your doctor next time you have an appointment if you’ve been bitten or anything but otherwise I think you are safe. (Again sorry if this is reassurance I’m new to all this and OCD in general I’m just learning about and just got diagnosed so I’m not sure what is super helpful)
Seeking reassurance will not help you in the long run, so instead check out these links about ERP and OCD: -Read this article about ERP scripting: https://www.shalanicely.com/aha-moments/erp-scripting-for-ocd/ -Read The Hidden Power of Swearing at Your OCD: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/beyond-the-doubt/201711/the-hidden-power-of-swearing-at-your-ocd -Read Taking The Power Away From OCD: https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/taking-the-power-away-from-intrusive-thoughts
Yes but what if I was actually in danger ?? If it was a life or death situation I don't think seeking reassurance is a bad thing.
@🪷 Not only that but I do have valid reason to suspect considering I came into contact with a stray cat
Between my apparent inability to read and your typo, I had a little laugh here. I thought you said you were terrified of BABIES and I was thinking "what does that have to do with your dog" Then the aggressive car... oh boy. Not to make light of your fear, I understand how intense this kind of OCD can be since it is about your health. I'm so sorry you're going through this 🩷
LOL yeah I laughed so hard when I realized. Thank you so much!
I’m pretty sure you have to be bitten enough to break the skin and have saliva go into the wound. So I think you’re fine but if this is an OCD thing then reassurance might make it worse but if it’s a genuine fear of danger then I think you’re okay but you can always talk to your doctor
I have extreme fear of rabies and it triggered my usually bearable ocd to the point i cant function normally. Whenever I pass by something on the ground resembling a bat my brain tells me its a bat and that I have touched it with my hand and that I have rabies now. Sometimes I take a photo of potential triggers to be sure I wont ruminate later aka ask myself what if it was this or that and i just look at the photo i took and be sure its nothing. The triggers are also becoming harder to bear everytime, for example 3 days ago it was night and I saw something small and dark on the ground and didnt see it clearly, phone was almost dead and i couldnt take a photo of it, probably wouldnt anyway because there were two people nearby so i just left myself a note in the phone that it was nothing and I didnt touch it, but you guessed it, my brain says its a bat and that i touched it, creating a false memory and now i feel like i cant know what actually happened..rn i cant think of anything but being terrified of dying of rabies because i cant trust my memory. I feel like Im going crazy
An animal in my county tested positive for rabies in my county last night. I’ve been feeling so weird and all that since getting bit by a cat on the 6th I’m actually gonna end it all if I have it. I can’t do this anymore oh my god
I recently saw a tiktok about rabies and now I can't stop thinking about it. I'm so scared a bat bit me and I didn't notice and now I have rabies. I haven't seen a bat in a long time and in my country there hasn't been a case since 2018. But I'm so scared what if I have it or what if I get it. What if I wake up tomorrow and I have hydrophobia(one of the symptoms). I can't stop thinking about this:(
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