u/WhatIsEconomicGoods

How likely am I to die of rabies several years post-exposure?

Hey folks!

I'm a 29-year old male from Australia. About 7.5 years ago I went to Vietnam with some friends and late one night, a banh mi stall owner's small dog ran up to my foot and lightly bit my toe.

We couldn't really see a clear bite mark or blood - despite this, I became riddled with anxiety and absolutely convinced that I'd just contracted rabies, especially given the prevalence of the disease in Vietnam. My friends thought I was being absolutely crazy for worrying about it so much, given we there was no clear bite mark or blood drawn - though I've heard the disease can enter our bodies through non-visible micro-punctures of the skin.

They also didn't think the dog had rabies to begin with, although we were all drunk, meaning no one could clearly remember every detail from that night, and I know dogs can have rabies days before showing symptoms. For whatever reason, I didn't see a doctor until about a week afterwards, and he basically just said: if you have it, you're dead, anyway. Super reassuring, right?

I also didn't bother with the vaccine, cause it was going to make the rest of our trip really difficult to navigate, as it requires 5 shots on specific days across the space of a month, and our itinerary meant that we weren't always going to be near a hospital. In retrospect, I really wish I'd just gotten it.

In the weeks following, I started spiraling and becoming increasingly convinced that I was experiencing intermittent tingling in my toe; I even developed a fever, which led me to go to hospital. But then nothing further happened from there, and my friends seemed to think I just stressed myself into those symptoms (possible).

I go very, very long periods without thinking about it. But every now and then, I come across articles or videos that talk about rabies, or show someone in their final days, and I go back down the rabbit hole.

You then read that rabies can have an extraordinarily long incubation period, with there being documented cases of 6, 8, even 25 years post-exposure! I know those are the exceptions to the role - but what if I'm one of them? Maybe the fact that it was my toe where I was bitten could make longer incubation period more probable?

So in short - am I being a hypochondriac or do I have reason to still be concerned?

Hey folks,

I'm a 29M that's been struggling with suicidal depression and anxiety for years now. I've been in and out of therapy, on and off anti-depressants. Still struggling.

Lately, I've found myself closer to the precipice than I have been in a little while. I'm hoping to find some kind of book - be it an autobiography, novel, or self-help book - that's helped bring someone else back from the brink.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Hey folks,

I'm a 29M that's been struggling with suicidal depression and anxiety for years now. I've been in and out of therapy, on and off anti-depressants. Still struggling.

Lately, I've found myself closer to the precipice than I have been in a little while. I'm hoping to find some kind of book - be it an autobiography, novel, or self-help book - that has helped bring someone else back from the brink.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Hey folks!

I'm a 29 year old guy from Melbourne that's been working in marketing for the past few years and, frankly, have been hating it. I work in the social team at a big media agency and honestly all I do is pump out influencer campaigns for brands - don't know how I ended up here.

I've become cynical about the advertising industry as a whole, don't feel any connection to the work we do, and am sick of the incessant competing deadlines and self-aggrandising attitude that so many people within the industry embody (we literally put ads on the internet).

Thing is, I don't know what else I could move into. I'm passionate about mental health as a cause, and I'm good with people, i.e. presenting and building relationships, that kind of thing. Is there something adjacent to what I'm doing that I haven't considered? (Not real estate.)

Do I even need a traditional career? Could I work as a support worker? Or an English teacher abroad? Or am I closing too many doors too early by doing this? Are these not viable lines of work in the long term if I want the house and the kids etc.

Would appreciate any and all insight. Thanks!

Hey folks!

I'm a 29 year old guy from Melbourne that's been working in marketing for the past few years and, frankly, have been hating it. I work in the social team at a big media agency and honestly all I do is pump out influencer campaigns for brands - don't know how I ended up here.

I've become cynical about the advertising industry as a whole, don't feel any connection to the work we do, and am sick of the incessant competing deadlines and self-aggrandising attitude that so many people within the industry embody (we literally put ads on the internet).

Thing is, I don't know what else I could move into. I'm passionate about mental health as a cause, and I'm good with people, i.e. presenting and building relationships, that kind of thing. Is there something adjacent to what I'm doing that I haven't considered? (Not real estate.)

Do I even need a traditional career? Could I work as a support worker? Or an English teacher abroad? Or am I closing too many doors too early by doing this? Are these not viable lines of work in the long term if I want the house and the kids etc.

Would appreciate any and all insight. Thanks!

Hey folks!

I'm a 29 year old guy from Melbourne that's been working in marketing for the past few years and, frankly, have been hating it. I work in the social team at a big media agency and honestly all I do is pump out influencer campaigns for brands - don't know how I ended up here.

I've become cynical about the advertising industry as a whole, don't feel any connection to the work we do, and am sick of the incessant competing deadlines and self-aggrandising attitude that so many people within the industry embody (we literally put ads on the internet).

Thing is, I don't know what else I could move into. I'm passionate about mental health as a cause, and I'm good with people, i.e. presenting and building relationships, that kind of thing. Is there something adjacent to what I'm doing that I haven't considered? (Not real estate.)

Do I even need a traditional career? Could I work as a support worker? Or an English teacher abroad? Or am I closing too many doors too early by doing this? Are these not viable lines of work in the long term if I want the house and the kids etc.

Would appreciate any and all insight. Thanks!