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Old 02-20-2019, 08:37 AM
Thaitraveler Thaitraveler is offline
Newly Joined
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3
5 yr Member
Thaitraveler Thaitraveler is offline
Newly Joined
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 3
5 yr Member
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I read all the posts in this thread and while currently experiencing a rollercoaster of anxiety and weird symptoms decided to sign up and share my story. Some comments already helped me a lot but I'm really looking for some comforting words that everything will be okay.

A month ago I was lightly bitten in the knee by a street dog in rural Thailand. As I was traveling and the wounds were only small I didn't really pay much attention to it.
6 days later I found out that the area the attack occurred is endemic for rabies. I kinda panicked and quickly started vaccination at a local public hospital. 5 doses on day 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28.
I was not prescribed immunoglobulin. Later that day I decided to visit a private hospital for the immunoglobulin. I opted for the purified equine version for budgetary reasons.
Since then I have had awful bouts of nausea and general malaise and weakness and all kind of weird other short lived symptoms such as a rash and swollen lymph nodes in the groin. It mostly comes a day or two or three after the vaccine injection and gets a bit better 3 days later. Never any fever though. I also had a near pass out on one of the good days after drinking a beer. Everything suddenly became black with heavy sweating and heart palpitations. Passed after about 15 minutes lying down though.

Exactly a week ago I had my 4th injection and as expected the same symptoms of tiredness, malaise and nausea happened but it faded after only two days and thought the worst was over.
Then yesterday I started feeling an annoying light pain in the bitten knee and I get myoclonal spasms when I relax the leg. Mostly in the affected leg but occasionally also in the other leg and in my abdomen.

So now I'm started to freak out again. Did I wait too long with the PEP? Could it be paralytic rabies? Or is my anxiety just causing these symptoms in conjunction with a bad vaccine reaction? Apart from the heavy feeling in my arms and legs I also have quite a bit of muscle pain in both shoulders and my right leg and buttocks.

I started vaccinations 3 weeks ago, am I correct that by now my antibodies should be sufficient to fight of any rabies in my body, should I be infected? I asked and called around for a RFFIT titer test just to make sure, but the quickest option is a day travel to a lab and then waiting 17 days for the result. That's kinda useless if I am actually starting to show rabies symptoms.

I am prescribed Lorazepam to deal with the anxiety, and it works fairly well, but don't want to take it too often for obvious reasons.
Someone please ease my mind!
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