Freaking Out!

sparrow13

sparrow13

Cathlete
Monday morning around 1am DH and I woke up to a bat in the bedroom. We googled how to catch it - we were going to do catch and release - and discovered that the CDC among others recommends that if you wake up with a bat in the room, you get the bat rested for rabies because apparently people can be bitten and not even know it, bat's having tiny tiny teeth. So yesterday we took the bat to a state lab for testing.

Well today I get back from being out all day to THREE messages from the director of the health department. In the last one she leaves her cell phone and says it's extremely urgent that she speak with me, so I am guessing the bat was rabid.

Here's why I'm freaking! I saw my niece and nephew today and of course kissed them both hello!! My mom is in hospital for knee surgery and I saw her too! I am completely terrified that I could have passed it to them with the kisses. My niece and nephew are my LIFE and I am so scared. :(
 
Don't worry. They probably just want you to be checked for bites and I would bet you most likely are okay! I would think that you would have felt the bat on you unless you are an extremely heavy sleeper!

I'll send positive thoughts and energy your way! I lived in an area where there were always lots of bats. They never bothered me, but it was usually outdoors where they were well fed on all the mosquitos!

Tricia
 
{{{{{Sparrow}}}}}

First of all it is HIGHLY unlikely that you transmitted rabies to your niece, nephew, or mom. There are no reported cases of human-to-human transmission. The only reported cases involved cornea transplants from infected persons. Here's an article I found that might put your mind at ease concerning transmission http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/785543-overview

Now, call that woman ASAP and see WTH she wants. I hope to God you haven't contracted rabies, but if you have you need to take action ASAP! Please keep us informed, okay?

{{{{{Sparrow}}}}}
 
can't you take a test to see if you were infected in any way? this would put your mind at ease. you're lucky you have a husband. if i woke up and found a bat in my room, i'd go out of my mind. so scary.
 
How scary. As soon as I read you woke up with a bat in the room I knew where this post was going. I'd be freaking out too. Try to stay calm (I know I couldn't) I don't think you could have infected anyone. Please keep us posted. You will be in my thoughts.
 
Gosh Sparrow, that is a harrowing story. I'm sure Michele was right about there you not having to worry about person to person transmission, but you need to call the health department. Please let us know what's up.
 
Oh my!!! Please let us know the outcome as I will be thinking about you until I know!!!! I cannot imagine....:(
 
I have a message in to the woman from the health department's cell phone.

Tricia, I agree! I think I definitely would have felt a bat crawling on me. Though it could have I just thought it was one of the cats. Gadzooks, the thought of it!

Michele, THANK YOU. Your post and the article have made me feel 100 percent better and I can breathe again. {{{Michele}}} Don't worry, if the bat is indeed rabid there's no way we are not going to get the shots....too much to risk!!

Ikl, I think we can't take a test because the test happens on the brain, which is why the poor bat had to be dead before they could test it. And yes, DH certainly came in handy!! Though he was totally confused at first. I poked him awake and told him I needed to turn the light on, something was strange (I woke up to noises and Maggie the Cat freaking out). When I turned on the light all I could see was a big black splotch on the curtain but couldn't see what it was without my glasses. I screamed and fled the room while DH stood in the middle of the room in his shorts saying "What! What!" Then he saw it and much swearing ensued...:)

Thanks for the good thoughts. I will keep everyone posted. I swear, never a dull moment!

Kate, "yikes" is not the word I've been using but I certainly agree with the sentiment :D This is CRAZY.
 
So sorry to hear you had to deal with that. I would freak if it happened to me.

A few years ago we had a high incidence of bats in peoples houses in our area. There is a local "bat man" (an exterminator who specializes in bats) and he said it had something to do with the heat at the time and the climate, etc, etc. Anyway...we had 3 different friends have this problem. All lived in older houses within a 1/2 mile of each other. 2 of the couples got the shots. No one had any side effects from them but said they were painful. They also had to get them on certain days and the health dept is very strict. For instance if you get a shot on day 1 and the next one is supposed to be say 10 days later, it has to be exactly 10 days later or you have to start the cycle again. I do not know anything about risks involved with the shots and can't comment on that.

A funny side story to go with this though. One of my friends has really long curly hair and her and her roommate stayed in one room because they were afraid to sleep alone in case the bat came back. So the roommate kept tossing and turning. My friend asked her what is wrong and she told her that she was afraid a bat was going to get stuck in her hair. So she asked my friend to put on a hat while she slept. It was 85 degrees and my friend was sleeping under covers without AC with a wool hat covering mounds of hair. The things we do for our friends!
 
sparrow13 said:
I have a message in to the woman from the health department's cell phone.

Tricia, I agree! I think I definitely would have felt a bat crawling on me. Though it could have I just thought it was one of the cats. Gadzooks, the thought of it!

Michele, THANK YOU. Your post and the article have made me feel 100 percent better and I can breathe again. {{{Michele}}} Don't worry, if the bat is indeed rabid there's no way we are not going to get the shots....too much to risk!!

Ikl, I think we can't take a test because the test happens on the brain, which is why the poor bat had to be dead before they could test it. And yes, DH certainly came in handy!! Though he was totally confused at first. I poked him awake and told him I needed to turn the light on, something was strange (I woke up to noises and Maggie the Cat freaking out). When I turned on the light all I could see was a big black splotch on the curtain but couldn't see what it was without my glasses. I screamed and fled the room while DH stood in the middle of the room in his shorts saying "What! What!" Then he saw it and much swearing ensued...:)

Thanks for the good thoughts. I will keep everyone posted. I swear, never a dull moment!

Kate, "yikes" is not the word I've been using but I certainly agree with the sentiment :D This is CRAZY.
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Ah! I didn't know you had cats! That may be a good thing! Perhaps, your cats were able to keep the bat restless so it couldn't settle down on you or your DH!

I would check around the house for small openings to the outside or the attic if you have one. That's how they get in. A friend of mine had one in her third floor apartment and they found a small spot where there was access under the eave at the front door! She swiftly sealed that up!

Hope you get good news from the Health Department - and SOON!

Tricia
 
Hi Sparrow - wow, that is SO scary! I couldn't imagine how frightening it would be to wake up to this, and then to have these urgent messages from the health department. Please keep us posted on how it all turns out.
 
Well, the bat was definitely rabid. Just talked to the health department. Now I've got to call our doctor and get the course of treatment started. What a drag.

That said, never have I been so grateful for modern Western medicine.
 
sparrow13 said:
Well, the bat was definitely rabid. Just talked to the health department. Now I've got to call our doctor and get the course of treatment started. What a drag.

That said, never have I been so grateful for modern Western medicine.
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Thank goodness you did everything right - could you imagine if you found out later, after you set the bat free, that you should have had it checked for rabies? You would have had no way of knowing it had rabies. Oh the bright side, I am so happy that you are able to get treatment this quickly. :) That is a good thing!

Missy
 
sparrow13 said:
Well, the bat was definitely rabid. Just talked to the health department. Now I've got to call our doctor and get the course of treatment started. What a drag.

That said, never have I been so grateful for modern Western medicine.
Click to expand...

You have to be treated regardless of whether or not they know you were bitten? Better safe than sorryin this case!

How do they do it now? When my mother was achild (in the 50's) she went thru the series of shots in the belly.
 
I thought they could test you and your DH for rabies and then, if it came back positive you would go through treatment for it??
 
From what I understand the only way to test is on the brain, and you have to be dead for that...at least the bats do, I'm assuming it's the same for humans. If it's just a matter of a test I will be over the moon.

No more shots in the stomach at least. Today it's a course of I think 5 shots over a 28 day period. I've been reading that it's very expensive...sadly we have a HDHP! Oh well, at least I know I will meet my deductible for the year! :D
 
Wow, I would think you could just get a blood test taken and it would show whether you had it or not. I hope the shots aren't too painful for you.

I am curious, how did you dh catch the bat?
 
OH my - Sparrow!

Let us know what the treatment is, so we can all become educated about this.

Have you figured out how the bat got in the house?

HUGS to you and your DH.
 
This is very scary! I'm sorry you have to go through this, but I'm thankful you posted your ordeal on this forum.
I was freaking out when I read this last night. I see bats fly around our house at night all the time. Mercedes (boxer girl) can open our exterior doors and often does it without us knowing they are left wide open. Now I will OCD about locking the doors so she can't open them.
Also, all the more reason to keep my dogs rabies vaccine up to date:eek::eek:

I would have never thought you would have to go through shots. So very sorry(((hugs))
 
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