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Avatar universal

Disgusting but True

I live underneath the world's most disgusting dude and my apartment has hand laid  wooden floors.  I am pretty sure that since he has been gone, (waiting for management to clean out his apartment), with the cold weather his apartment has rats or a rat. I discovered this because yesterday I set a bowl of cereal on the table, went to answer my phone, and saw what I assumed was a pecan on the counter that may have dropped from my cereal bowl.  I ate the pecan and noticed it has a odd taste. I just assumed it was burnt.  In VA, I have never seen rats but the pictures I saw online looked like what I had assumed was the nut.  Then earlier today, I found another "nut" on the floor near my couch which is located underneath his kitchen.  Mildly freaked out, I used a napkin and showed it to my neighbor who was raised on a farm and HE CONFIRMED IT WAS A RAT DROPPING.  I called poison control twice and she told me it was fine....but I can't believe that...besides I am soooo grossed out and angry.  I waiting form Tuesday so I can file a formal complaint with my apartment leasers.  Am I really fine, I understand the gut bacteria in my stomach will kill the bacteria and everything but still ugggggggggggggggggggggg.  She said if i wasn't feeling sick today (it happened yesterday about 24hrs ago) I should be fine.  I would hate to do a emergency .room visit over this but the just the thought of it has me tempted,
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Avatar universal
Omg sounds horrible poor baby! I think you will be fine. As for the land lord he should give you 1month rent free!!! For sure.
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Avatar universal
In addition to what mkh said, the feeling sick part would easily be explained by recurring memory of what you did. Powerful enough situations can generate the same physiological changes out of thin air.
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1415174 tn?1453243103
Hi and I agree very gross. There are some infections you can get from eating or breathing in rat droppins. But since you don't have any symptoms  I wouldn't worry about it. If you do get symptoms such as high fever, with headache nausea etc. I would go in and report it to your doctor. Some rare things you can get are rat "bite" fever (can get it from injestion of rat dung too) but it is very very rare in the US. Also, Hanta (from inhalation of dung but usually a certain type of mouse not rat, and murine typhus. All have similar flu like symptoms. Well, in Southern California we get a lot of tree rats. So once or twice a year we get a rat in our attic. The droppings are there if you go up in the attic. My husband and the pest control went up there with no mask and they didn't think much of it. So, I would say only, if you get symptoms would I worry about it and even then these things are very rare and not likely at all.
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