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Dr. Hive - Something tried to eat my foot


Mergath
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It didn't get very far. 😂

I woke up with this on my foot five days ago, and at the time it itched and ached. I googled and, naturally, now I'm convinced I have rabies. Thanks google. 

Any idea what might have bitten me? No chance it could be a stealth bat bite, right? That's what I'm mostly worried about. My dh thinks it's a spider, but that would have to be a pretty hefty spider. The bite is about a centimeter across, give or take.

It still aches a bit and it isn't healing very well. Also, we're getting like two feet of snow dropped on us tonight, so if I go have a doctor look it has to be today. 

Any advice? Thanks!

20190410_095410.jpg

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Just now, Seasider too said:

Your rabies shots up to date?

Seriously, that looks like a bat bite. Any chance of that?

 

Um, no. My rabies shots are definitely not up to date. *hyperventilates*

I have no idea. I didn't see a bat or anything else that could have bitten me.

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I don’t know what it is, but I wouldn’t take any chances, especially if the weather is going to turn bad. I think you should see a doctor.

Also, if it does turn out to be a bat bite, you would need to check your kids and. your dh for hidden bites, as well, and search the house to find the bat and try to figure out how it got in.

I hope it’s not a bat bite!!! Now I’m worried about you!

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Ok, this is going to sound totally stupid, but is there any chance that you could have gotten a little sharp splinter stuck in your sock and it cut you and the little holes got infected? 

I’m sorry. I’m just desperately trying to think of a reason for those marks that don’t include the words “possible rabies.”

Definitely go to the doctor today. This isn’t something you can take a chance on. And think of what a nervous wreck you will be if it looks worse tomorrow and you can’t get out of the house to a doctor.

Edited by Catwoman
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Sorry to keep posting, but here’s one argument against it being a bat bite... When could it have bitten you? It’s cold outside, so wouldn’t you have been under the covers all night? A bat would have had to crawl under the covers and all the way down to the bottom of the bed to have bitten you on the foot. That seems highly unlikely.

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One more thing and then I will shut up!

Have you checked your shoe or your slipper for anything sharp? Even one of those thick clear plastic threads could cause a couple of nasty scratches — it wouldn’t take much of anything to cause those marks on your foot if it was inside a sock or a shoe, because it would keep rubbing against your skin all day. It might not even feel very uncomfortable until it got infected.

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I woke up with it with no idea where it came from. I haven't seen a bat anywhere. I'm in Minnesota, so we don't have massive bat populations like some places, but we do have them. 

Nothing in my shoe or sock that could have scraped me. I went to bed fine and woke up with this whatever it is. I originally noticed it because it was itching and hurt.

I'm freaking out now you guys, just so you know. Lol

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Call the health department; if bats are active in your area at this time I would absolutely treat it as a bat bite and get the rabies post exposure prophylaxis. The shot series isn't as bad as it used to be (fewer shots; one of my kids had to do it a couple of years ago).

It's likely to be expensive, but honestly if I thought I had even a 1% chance I had been exposed to an always fatal disease I'd spend the money. I don't necessarily think the chance you have been exposed is higher than 1%--that could be a spider bite, or an accidental scratch (I get those all the time without realizing) but rabies is just not a thing to take chances with.

So sorry you have this stress to deal with!

Edited by maize
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Bats get into very tiny openings.  When we were shopping for our cabin we loved one place but didn’t buy it, partly because we found out in the disclosures that the owner had been occasionally finding bat droppings inside overnight but did not know how the bats were getting in.  We looked into what it would take to mitigate this, and found out that bats kind of flatten out and slither through very small slit like openings that are diffficult to find.  

Also, in general, animals act weirdly when they have rabies and go places and do things that they normally would not.

Lastly, there are several documented cases of rabies in which there were no bite marks noted but the only possible exposure mechanism is bat bites or possibly bat guano exposure (which they are not sure is actually an infection pathway) while sleeping in a place known to be inhabited by bats.  Mysterious and deadly stuff.  I would not mess around, go to the doctor.  Early treatment before symptoms is the only way to survive this kind of exposure.

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A sibling in Iowa had a bat in their house last month.  After the unusual warm streak they could absolutely be active in Minnesota. They just follow drafts. Is your chimney flu open?

After googling bat bites it does look like one.  Sorry.

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Thanks everyone! I walked to the clinic down the road and they got me in right away. Thankfully I got the doctor who has been practicing for like forty years and has treated several bat bites. He said bat bites tend to be the same size as mine but look like two distinct  punctures, whereas mine looks more like I was attacked by a baby bunny. 😂 His guess is that I scratched myself the day before, didn't notice, and it became irritated overnight and that's why I noticed it in the morning. He also said that with four cats, if a bat had gotten in it would have been mass chaos and there's no way none of the cats would have noticed, lol. 

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9 minutes ago, Mergath said:

Thanks everyone! I walked to the clinic down the road and they got me in right away. Thankfully I got the doctor who has been practicing for like forty years and has treated several bat bites. He said bat bites tend to be the same size as mine but look like two distinct  punctures, whereas mine looks more like I was attacked by a baby bunny. 😂 His guess is that I scratched myself the day before, didn't notice, and it became irritated overnight and that's why I noticed it in the morning. He also said that with four cats, if a bat had gotten in it would have been mass chaos and there's no way none of the cats would have noticed, lol. 

 

I’m glad you got in so quickly and the doctor put your mind at ease.

What a relief!!!

My mind always goes to the worst possible scenario, so I can understand why you were worried. 

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Yes, I was going to say that that doesn't look like a bat bite.  Plus, I don't think bats have woken up yet in Minnesota...  I've had funny scratches that itch.  Anyway, it sounds like your doctor wasn't concerned, so now you can just settle into hibernation mode during this 3-day snow storm that has begun.

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14 minutes ago, J-rap said:

Yes, I was going to say that that doesn't look like a bat bite.  Plus, I don't think bats have woken up yet in Minnesota...  I've had funny scratches that itch.  Anyway, it sounds like your doctor wasn't concerned, so now you can just settle into hibernation mode during this 3-day snow storm that has begun.

 

I can't even believe we're going to get this much snow after several days with temps in the 60s. Ugh. Happy spring. 😞

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I'm somewhat late to the party, but I'll chime in anyway.

I had a mark like that from a slightly ragged toenail on my other foot. My mark's origin was also a mystery until I hit it in the same spot with the other foot while in bed getting comfy the next night and then it was clear what happened. Most likely, I had cut it in my sleep the night before. Said toenail was a stealth baddy in that I didn't even know it was ragged until I realized it had cut my other foot. 😏  The placement of the cut/mark did tend to be reddish for a few days like yours as it healed. The bad toenail got an immediate tending to.

I'm glad you saw the doctor and he set your mind at ease. 🙂

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if it's NOT a bat bit,

soaking hot water as hot as you can stand can be very effective in drawing out infection. it will also help with a sliver.  if you have Epsom salt, better, and tea tree oil and Epsom salt is top notch.

if there is even merely a bare remote chance of a bat bite - see your dr asap, and check every one else.

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4 hours ago, Wildcat said:

I'm somewhat late to the party, but I'll chime in anyway.

I had a mark like that from a slightly ragged toenail on my other foot. My mark's origin was also a mystery until I hit it in the same spot with the other foot while in bed getting comfy the next night and then it was clear what happened. Most likely, I had cut it in my sleep the night before. Said toenail was a stealth baddy in that I didn't even know it was ragged until I realized it had cut my other foot. 😏  The placement of the cut/mark did tend to be reddish for a few days like yours as it healed. The bad toenail got an immediate tending to.

I'm glad you saw the doctor and he set your mind at ease. 🙂

That was my thought, too -- that Mergath's foot itched during the night, she scratched it with the other foot and . . . the "bite."

Or at least that's what I would have assumed had it been on my foot (or anywhere else on my body, really). I wake up with scratches and other odd boo boos on a regular basis and never give them a second thought. But I have super dry, itchy skin.

I'm very glad it wasn't a bat bite!!

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