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.

Thank you both so much for your support. Last night was very rough and it took me a few hours before I could escape my negative, doom and gloom mindset.

The tingling has mostly gone away again, but the back pain is still there. I read previous posts from members that said they had back problems as well. Reading those made me feel a little more at ease.

As I said, your support means the world to me. Hopefully I can return the favor if you guys are ever in a really bad spot like I was.

Peaceful Day,
You have a good weekend and stay busy okay? Read books, color, watch movies, but best medicine is really social activities. Human nature is to hide away but I think you'll be amazed what happens when you take your mind off things.

I promise you'll be okay
Me and BatBite are here. She's a wonderful person too with a heart of gold



God Bless Us All

PS- wanted to tell you you're a good person too Peaceful Day. This vaccine made me question my sanity and confidence, and I had a horrible support system in my boyfriend. He wasn't there for me at all and made me feel much worse. But- I got through it though and it made me a lot better person.

I have decided to leave Phoenix and my boyfriend. He's a jerk and I ignored it and made excuses for him for far too long ( 2 years to be exact )

If you go through this roller coaster like we all have, there will be some life changing moments for you! But remember- it's just a ride. We're on a long flight with smooth sailing and some bumpy turbulence thrown in. But we're still going to land at our destination :)

Part of this whole experience for me was processing the fact that I'd been bitten by a bat at all. Never in my life did I imagine something like this would happen. With modern animal control and most people being responsible pet owners, you kind of think the scourge of rabies would be relegated to long ago history...not so.

BatBite,
I was bitten by a bat too, what are the odds. (Maybe we should start playing lotto instead. Haha :)

I was walking my dog in phoenix at dusk and I saw the bat, thought nothing of it. Figured he'd fly on to his next spot!
Next thing I know something is flapping in my face unrelentingly and I'm swatting away and feel a tiny little prick. Went inside and saw two puncture wounds (which are still on my thumb to this day)

I am pretty sure it was rabid or it wouldn't have attacked me like that. My dog is current on vaccs so she had a booster to be safe. (She didn't even feel her rabies shot at the vet- lucky dog. Lol)

You should see the reactions I get from people when I tell them the story and show the bite 😵 🦇

We had in our area 2 yrs of rabies in skunks! In a densely populated city no less. My son used to see them emerge from a street drain at his bus stop and often with kits. The kids used to PLAY with them sometimes, as they can be quite docile. The next most common vector is raccoon.

The CDC website has some interesting statistics if you want to look them up. Basically the US has the lowest reported rabies
stats compared to other countries.

In the recent past, the UP of Michigan did a bat survey for the little brown bat, and found 25% caught were carrying rabies.
I never saw stats for the lower penninsula.

YIKES!!!!! 25%!!!!! The stats I am familiar with put the percentage of rabid bats at 4 or 5%. This is my bat story; we were staying with my daughter and her fiancé who live in a large 3 story drafty old Victorian house in lower Michigan over Christmas. The goofy kids know there is a large bat population in their neighborhood and remove a couple of bats from the house every summer. (Yes, I've preached at them from my "Mama pulpit" to no end on how dangerous this situation is!) There were huge ice dams on the edges of their roof, and on Christmas Eve there was a warm up and a big thaw. All evening huge chunks of ice rumbled and crashed off the roof, even taking out a section of the edge of the roof. That night after going to bed, our dog, who sleeps with us, would NOT settle down...barking, jumping, running all over the place...totally off the rails crazy until 2:00 AM. We couldn't figure out what her problem was. She NEVER before or since has behaved that way. TWO DAYS LATER we're sitting in a booth at a restaurant with really bright lights over the table, and I see two sets of fang marks in my right hand...1+1+1=3!!!!! Bats in house, probably in the attic or the chimney, sliding ice dams and crazy dog, and bite marks. Went right to the E.R. with our story and had the vaccine series...my husband too, just by virtue of the fact that he was sleeping in the same bedroom. You can be bitten by a bat and not know it, and they can bite on the fly. We never found bite marks on my husband, but we did find a bite on the dog's belly. Called the vet and she said the dog would be fine as she had just had her 3 year rabies vaccine the previous July. I've always loved my dog, but I feel now as though I very well may owe her our lives! Eight months later, and I too can still see the bite marks on my hand. Mrs. D. how odd that you should quote statistics from the U.P. of Michigan...I LOVE it up there! We own properties in and around Marquette and plan on retiring there.

And...
 

When we took the dog to the vet for her regular check up this July, I brought along photos of my bites and the bite on the dog that I had taken on a macro setting as they healed. The vet said definitely bat bites. She also said that she and many other veterinarians think that a lot of cases of "encephalitis" are actually rabies that isn't correctly diagnosed. Not all cases of rabies are "furious rabies" with drooling, foaming, and fear of water.

Here is some interesting statistics:

Emerging Disease Issues - Maps of Rabies Positive Animals in Michigan

The bats that were studied in the UP were deliberately caught
in nets. I seem to recall they were considered carriers, and were not ill themselves at the time.

The skunks in our area, made it into the papers, and people were urged to not approach or touch one.