Quote:
Originally Posted by peacefulday
Trippin2,
Thank you so much for your post and for taking the time to give me some really helpful advice during this difficult time. Your post was probably the only bright spot in a very dark day. The tingling/pain in my left hand and particularly my left index finger (where the bite was) came back from a few weeks ago. I had some pain in my left arm too. I'm still dealing with some back pain as well. I spent a few hours in bed just dealing with my fear.
I've had so many people tell me that I've done everything correctly when handling rabies exposure, but I'm still so so worried. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with these feelings?
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peacefulday, I don't know what to tell you on this one...wish I did. Against all logic, I too had an awful fear of vaccine failure for a long time. Everything I researched and read, as trippin2 stated, re-enforced the fact that vaccine failure is extremely rare and only happens when something was done incorrectly, like giving the vaccine itself in the gluteal area, or not thoroughly cleansing vicious, deep, tearing bites around the head and face. The most reassuring data I found was a study done on Imovax in Iran, where large numbers of people were treated up to 14 days post being bitten by rabid dogs and wolves, and all of them survived just fine. trippin2's advice on distracting yourself with something positive is right on the mark. The time frame you are in now is probably the worst. This situation is one tough bugger, as you not only have physical symptoms, but the vaccine definitely affects your state of mind too. Hang in there, it's very difficult, but things will get better.