Is anxiety causing my symptoms?

[Kellyly]

I live in eastern canada. A few weeks ago I was walking in the evening (still light out) in a small field with long grass and with my mother and something bit my but I stomped down and the "bite" looks like a scratch mark. I was wondering what could have bit me makin me obsess over it and the thing that I thought was a bat even though when I looked around after an my mom looked when I said ow that we didn't see any bird or bat fly by.  Though I've tried to tell my brain this it won't believe me and now a few days ago my head felt heavy and for four days I've had malaise. But I've had NO headache, vomiting or any of the other early or late symptoms of rabies.
I'm just wondering if what I have is caused from anxiety because though we didn't see anything. My body felt a bit sick one day and I've been obsessing over it since and now for four days like I said my stomach and sometimes my chest instead has a feeling like I'm hungry all the time without the grumbling.
So basically since its a scratch(that's still on my skin) I keep looking at it and the most recent conclusion from my obsessive thoughts was that I was walking towards a path at a fast pace an a bat decides to come fly sideways from either an angle or side and bites me but when I feel it stomp down and cause his fangs to give me a scratch like bite.
It sounds silly but it's just on my mind

Remind you we didn't see anything right after. So could it have been a plant that scratched me? What bug causes scratch like bites because it felt like a mosquito.

Sorry for rambling you could probably tell this is all that's been on my mind. Could these symptoms be caused just by my anxiety level or something worse(rabies)

We didn't see anything but what if?
Thanks

[Kellyly]

So I went to the hospital it turns out I have a virus and a mildish form of bells palsy but probably not rabies

[Kellyly]

Yeah nothing is bad it just looks like a scar
It's actually made me feel a bit better to read all of your comments thanks

[remar]

You've gotten some great advice from the above posters.
I'm wondering if this is truly a bite or maybe you were scratched by something like the grass. You did say it looked like a scratch mark.
I would'nt worry about it too much if it's not getting red or looking worse.
Anxiety can sure do strange things to us and make us really freak out.

[Kellyly]

Both Of you thank you

[Kellyly]

Thank you. And normally something like this might happen in the summer but normally I'm not as worried.  I'm going to get an appointment with my physician and ask about the mental aspect of this since my mom and alot of her family has anxiety disorder. I also read that when symptoms first show its about 2 to 10 days till you pass on and the amount of time I've had the symptoms has surpassed that.
Again thank you for taking your time to answer me

[BluCrystal]

If you had contracted anything serious from this 'bite', you would certainly know by now.  You don't mention anything that would ordinarily be alarming symptoms.  I know it's upsetting not knowing what caused your scratch.  But as long as you feel okay otherwise, don't worry. Blessings - Blu

[nursegirl6572]

Hello and welcome!

In my unofficial opinion, sounds like anxiety.  I would highly doubt you would miss a bat if it bit you.  I think it would have been very obvious if a bat had been that close to bite you...both to you and your Mom.

Have you had these kinds of obsessive thoughts before?  If so, you may want to seek professional help, as you may suffer from an anxiety disorder, or OCD.  Anxiety can cause a myriad of very real physical symptoms.  

"I keep looking at it and the most recent conclusion from my obsessive thoughts was that I was walking towards a path at a fast pace an a bat decides to come fly sideways from either an angle or side and bites me but when I feel it stomp down and cause his fangs to give me a scratch like bite.
It sounds silly but it's just on my mind "

This is indicative of irrational "what if" type thinking.  You can always seek medical attention to ease your mind, but I think your focus is probably going to need to be from a mental health angle.

The problem you face is that there is no test designed to diagnose rabies after a bite, without being able to test the animal involved.  Usually, if someone has been bitten by an animal suspected to have rabies, but the animal has not been caught, rabies treatment commences prophylactically.  I personally wouldn't recommend that as there is simply not nearly enough evidence that rabies is a risk at all, and rabies treatment is nothing to take lightly.

To give you some added reassurance, the incubation period of rabies varies a good bit, but usually, initial symptoms aren't seen until 1-3 months after exposure.  The timing of your symptoms don't point to rabies, plus the nature of your symptoms do not either.

You have to decide how to best proceed.  You can get an evaluation, hopefully a doctor will be able to put your mind at ease for you.  And again, like I said, if these kinds of worries are something you have struggled with in the past, it may be a good idea to seek help from a mental health professional.  

If this is the first time you've had these kinds of thoughts, you may be able to move on by staying busy, and by distracting yourself with other activities.  The more you spend time thinking about this, or searching the internet about rabies, the more it will fuel your anxiety.  If you feed the thoughts, you will have a much harder time putting this fear behind you.

Best of luck...let us know how you're doing!