Hi everyone,

I'm new here and I just finished my 3rd rabies vaccine shot 5 days ago. Ever since, I've been feeling tingling sensations on my left hand and because of it, I've had a lot of anxiety and am feeling pretty stressed out about it. Finding this forum was a huge relief for me and I'm hoping that it'll continue to help me find peace of mind!

For those of you who have experienced these tingling sensations, how would you describe them? And would you say that the location of your shot (i.e. whether you had it on your left or right arm) impacts the place at which the tingling sensations start? I had my last Imovax shot on my left arm. However, the sensations seem to have started close to where the bite was (in my palms, close to the base of my left thumb), but now I can feel them every now and then, along the edges of my palms and close to the base of my fingers. I do have tingling sensations occasionally on my right hand and both of my feet, but it is not as frequent.

Also, for those of you who have done titers, how far along in your treatment did you get your blood test? My doctor initially recommended against doing a titer for antibodies, saying that if it comes back negative, then it could simply mean that my body is taking longer than average to created the IgG and that it would be a source of severe stress for me. However, after seeing how anxious I was about this whole ordeal, he said that we should probably do it 3 weeks after my last shot. Is that in line with what you've experienced?

Just a bit of background, I was bit by a stray cat (it was not unprovoked, as a few of my classmates and I were petting it). The cat seemed pretty affectionate, as it was rubbing its body against our legs, but it may have been overstimulated by all the attention when it bit me on my left hand. Although there was no puncture wound, there were 2 pink lines (which disappeared the next day). I was still freaked out about it, so I started PEP immediately (within 3 hours of the incident) with rabies vaccine injections (along with HRIG), another on Day 3, 7 and I will have my last one in 2 days.

Glad you found this community, and welcome to a small, exclusive group you never wanted to join. Take a deep breath, hope for the best, and realize that each person's experience may be a bit different. The great majority of us have come through and are much better. Improvement takes a long time, and sometimes things get worse before real improvement sets in. My bat bites were in the back and palm of my right hand, the tingling and burning began in the palms of both hands, and eventually the feet, it all has to do with the nerves being affected not so much by the bite as by the vaccine. I can't address your titer questions as I never had a titer done. Hopefully other veteran posters are still checking in and will contribute. The anxiety can be horrendous, and I think some of it is a natural response to a truly frightening situation, and some of it is neurological caused by the vaccine. Hope it doesn't get too bad for you. For me it was like riding out a hurricane in a rowboat, but that storm has passed. I'm now 15 months out and doing well. At this point I'd call it tiny setbacks and large improvements. I'm much stronger, less fatigued, and have only tiny little reminders of this whole experience when I really push myself very, very hard physically. Hang in there, and hopefully the course this runs with you will be mild. We're here for you.

Thanks for the welcome, Batbite! I've been doing better and am glad to hear that you're doing well. I saw a doctor who specializes in Infectious Diseases yesterday and he reminded me again of the effectiveness of the vaccines, which seemed to calm me down a lot more. He did say that the tingling sensations could be a result of anxiety. While I know most of us probably hate the idea that "it's all in our head", he did say something to the degree of - how you feel when you're stressed can cause the spinal cord to send signals down to your hands and fingers, resulting in the tingling.

Thanks again for the support and I'm hoping we all get through this!

trippin2, please let us know how you're doing. Hope the relapse/flare is mild and brief!

I seem to be on the same schedule as ATX_man...exactly 16 months out and I'm in agony from a flare up. Legs...So. Much. Pain. in the legs and they just don't want to move. Did 20 gentle minutes on the stationary bike, crying all the way, literally. So frustrated. I'm determined to get better or die trying. Thank goodness and the Good Lord it's only the legs and not the siezures et al. Thank goodness for all who have posted here.

The flare lasted about 10 days. Much better again and working back to a higher activity level.

This is a fascinating thread. It proves that chemical poisoning (for whatever reasoning) can affect many people in a multitude of ways. I have always suspected that the allergy shots and prescription/over the counter drugs for over 40 years have contributed to my PN. But I know there will never be a way to prove it so it is what it is.

Batbite, your contribution here is essential and informative. Hang in there, keep fighting and get out an do as much physical activity as you can stand. So far that seems to really help me and my minor symptoms.

I am going through the same thing now. How are you? Did tingling go away?