Convinced im going to die of rabies or prison

[Anxiouspotat0]

(Yes we have a type of rabies here only in bats)
5 weeks ago I woke up with this mark on my hand.
Google lense said it could be a bat bite.
I went to urgent care who said it doesnt look like a bat bite, who contacted ukhsa / rabies team, who said because I didnt see a bat in the room I didnt qualify for the jabs. Since then I have been convinced im going to die. I even wrote a goodbye letter to my children. I sleep with the window open and I am convinced a bat flew in and bit me and flew out.

I then went on holiday and had a run in with a bat there and came home completely panicked. Id been having rabies symptoms for most of the holiday so I was horrifically anxious the whole time and this was just the cherry on top.

Then I stupidly over exaggerated the exposure/ what happened on holiday at urgent care. This was fueled by ny anxiety from the "bite" here and that id been having what in my head were rabies synptoms, and having another run in with a bat over there also, I wasnt thinking straight and it just came out in the moment. I regret it badly.

Ukhsa then recommended the jabs based on that but I panicked as I read lying/ over exaggerating and getting treatment as is a criminal offense/ fraud against the nhs. But I was just terrified, anxious, not thinking straight and wanted to not be scared anymore. I declined the jabs as im terrified of getting into trouble.i dont want to be a bad person. I just dont want to die.

I just want to be okay again. My mental health is in tatters, im not eating, cant stop crying, cant parent my children, can barely work, my hairs falling out, panic attacks.

I did admit to multiple doctors that I wasnt completely honest about the exposure and thats why I declined the jabs as they probably woukdnt have recommended them otherwise,
and one doctor told UKHSA this also, so there is now evidence I wasnt honest that can be used against me and im so scared.

A a&e doctor recommended I just get the jabs even though UKhsa woulsnt have rexommended tbem if I had not exaggerated, because my mental health is suffering so bad -- I had a full breakdown on him- but im convinced I will be convicted of fraud if I do. Id lose my job and what if I went to prison. I have kids..

But im convinced ill die if I dont get them.
Even though logically I know theres a chance it isnt a bat bite. But no doctors can tell me what it could be. Im just so scared.

Im having really scary thoughts as I just want this all to go away. I feel hopeless and trapped and im terrified

What would you do? Risk legal trouble and get them? Or risk rabies.

I’m sorry but you are talking absolute nonsense, all Travel Clinics can give the rabies vaccine, all the post exposure treatment entails is a few more vaccines than pre exposure. I have had them myself in my sleepy little market towns travel clinic.

There are loads of travel clinics in the midlands, here you go, a two second google search and I found one.

I don't think there is anything that can be said to @Anxiouspotat0 , however helpful or rational, that will make a difference because this is entirely down to anxiety and that is what she needs urgent help with.

I just found one that does it close

But aftee a google-- they will only give it if UKHSA agrees. I looked. You cant just request it.

And being dishonest still can result in legal trouble from them.
I cant win here.

You are probably right, I just don’t understand someone who is convinced they have been bitten by a bat and is convinced they have contracted rabies who then requests the vaccine from medics, gets offered the vaccine and then refuses the vaccine.

Where are you reading this? I’ve had post exposure treatment myself all I had to do was tell the travel clinic they didn’t need to seek permission from anyone at all.

Me neither. Even if she is genuinely worried about legal consequences of obtaining it “fraudulently”, that risk would be a lot less scary than the inevitable death from not having the vaccine.

I dont want to go into detail and I get it doesnt make sense. But there is a lot to it.

Yep I would rather serve time than contract rabies!

.

To be clear, I did see/ have a close encounter with a bat in the US. But it is the UK mark that is causing me this distress.

Just give up. I have. She's not listening.

What are your actual symptoms?

Ring the travel clinic in the morning tell them there was a bat in your room and you think it may have bit you in your sleep, job done.

Op this thread is not helping you. You need medical help for your mental health. Please see a doctor urgently.

Yes I’m getting really frustrated, she’s been offered the vaccine and has refused it and now claims a travel clinic won’t administer it, it’s beyond ridiculous.

Exactly. My post exposure jabs earlier this year cost about £80 in total, in London, and were absolutely piss easy to get. And I was not even remotely high risk. I was slightly grazed by a farm animal's hoof. I explained exactly what happened, asked them to determine next steps, and that was deemed jab-worthy by them.

That’s only if they cause an infection or they fully punctured the skin though causing damage.

@Anxiouspotat0 you said in your original post that you sleep with dogs. There is no way a dog wouldn't have woken up if a bat was in the room with you. You have not been bitten by a bat.

Stop worrying about getting in trouble. Google how many people have been convicted for defrauding the nhs with rabies jabs. It’ll be 0, the nhs have bigger worries.

I understand the severe anxiety over this.

There is no way you will be prosecuted. just put that out of your head.

Rabies in the UK is extremely rare. Most bats do not carry it. Where abouts do you live?

I think you should just get the jabs but probably you are outside the time frame.

if you’re having panic attacks about it you need to go back to urgent care and tell them this whole story again and get some treatment, maybe antibody tests to check for exposure because you land yourself in A&E anyway with a mental health crisis or a collapsed lung.

There’s a lot of bat threads at the moment!

OP I work with bats and have done for over 25 years, I handle them and work with them daily , so I know bats inside out and the strain of rabies that bats have ( I have to know it’s my job ) there’s only 1 person who has ever died from bat rabies in the UK and that was a bloke who was a bat carer in Scotland in 2002 if I remember correctly.

There are only two UK species of bats that have rabies, 1 is a rare bat and hunts around woodlands and the other one hunts over water, I’m based in the midlands too so if you want to private message me I can tell you all the reasons why you don’t have rabies and try and help you with bat anxiety.

If you were bitten or scratched by a bat that had rabies in the UK that strain of rabies would mean you would die within two weeks ish ( give or take) honestly it’s very rare and bats ( and rabies) are not to be frightened of , they are amazing creatures and they are a vital part of our entire planet and ecosystem , without them we will definitely die but honestly you won’t die today or tomorrow ☺️ also we wouldn’t have tequila without them as they pollinate the agave plant 😆

If you will feel better getting the jab, get the jab i really wouldn't worry about the legal implications as nothing will happen

This is the only post you need to listen to@Anxiouspotat0

Op. Do you have anyone who can advocate for you? A parent or sibling? Who can speak to a doctor and explain your mental health issues?

rationally you know you’ve not been bitten, don’t have rabies symptoms, and don’t have rabies. Not least as it would be humanly impossible for you to be functioning or even alive, if you’ve been having symptoms for the time you’ve stated,

so you’re unable to think rationally, and your anxiety has taken over, and there are children involved, who will be subjected to this and it must be scary for them.

if you’ve a trusted person you need to ask them to help you as yoire very unwell, unable to parent, and can’t cope right now. And it is all a figment of your imagination, your rational brain is no longer in control.

i hope you get the help you need.