Got bit by a rat while sleeping in my bunk when I was stationed at NavCommSta Greece back in 1969. We had no doctor on our 300 man base only 2 Corpsmen. The Chief Corpsman kind of shrugged it off when i showed up with a bleeding toe. My section Chief threatened him so I got taken to the Air Force Base Hospital in Athens. When i told them I got bit by a rat, they handed me a sheet of instructions and the first line stated, "Rabies is 100% fatal". I got taken into a treatment room and a gorgeous woman walked in and told me to lower my pants to expose my abdomen. She pulled out a black magic marker and wrote 1.2.3.4 on my stomach. Me, being a typical horny sailor made a suggestive remark, something like Gee we haven't even been introduced. She said "I'm a Captain in the Air Force and a doctor and I'm going to take any thoughts of a sexual nature right out of your mind." She hit me with the first shot of the rabies vaccine and I thought the world exploded. The treatment at that time was 14 shots, one per day. Every day, the same excruciating pain for the other 13 days.
I had to take the doses back to my base. A corpsman there told me he had given them before and to trust him. He said he'll shoot he whole dose at once and it'll be painful but short. He did that for about 10 days and one day, he was off and that Chief Corpsman ( a filipino) gave me the shot but injected it very slowly. By the time he got it halfway into me, I had him by the throat.
Speaking of Rabies, Hydrophobia occurs due to the rabies virus affecting the nerves that control swallowing and breathing. When a person with rabies attempts to drink water, the virus triggers painful spasms in the throat and mouth muscles, making it extremely difficult or impossible to swallow. Does that apply for Bourbon as well?
The Ontario govt has been inoculating wildlife by dropping rabies vaccine baits from airplanes since the '60s. When I was in school every year we were warned about contacting wild animals especially if it was a fox or raccoon out in the daylight. Al_in_Ottawa
Unfortunate that the only in depth story of the first Milwaukee Protocol patient (Jeanna Giese) is from Petal Palmer. Shes often a bit annoying in my opinion
There's been a declared rabies epidemic in my county for longer than I remember. There is at least one group I know that hires out (for cost of ammo) to get after roving gangs of feral dogs. The Sheriff gives his blessings, unofficially.
My great-grandmother died of rabies, my grandmother described everything that happened. It was a terrible experience and death. She went insane and was eating her fingers off. People now days think they have problems, right?
All comments are moderated due to spam, drunks and trolls. Keep 'em civil, coherent, short, and on topic. Posted comments are the opinions of the commenters, not the site administrator.
Got bit by a rat while sleeping in my bunk when I was stationed at NavCommSta Greece back in 1969. We had no doctor on our 300 man base only 2 Corpsmen. The Chief Corpsman kind of shrugged it off when i showed up with a bleeding toe. My section Chief threatened him so I got taken to the Air Force Base Hospital in Athens. When i told them I got bit by a rat, they handed me a sheet of instructions and the first line stated, "Rabies is 100% fatal". I got taken into a treatment room and a gorgeous woman walked in and told me to lower my pants to expose my abdomen. She pulled out a black magic marker and wrote 1.2.3.4 on my stomach. Me, being a typical horny sailor made a suggestive remark, something like Gee we haven't even been introduced. She said "I'm a Captain in the Air Force and a doctor and I'm going to take any thoughts of a sexual nature right out of your mind." She hit me with the first shot of the rabies vaccine and I thought the world exploded. The treatment at that time was 14 shots, one per day. Every day, the same excruciating pain for the other 13 days.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the shots were painful as hell.
DeleteGot the same 14 shots in 4 locations treatment after getting bitten by a raccoon. It's not something you'd want to repeat.
DeleteI had to take the doses back to my base. A corpsman there told me he had given them before and to trust him. He said he'll shoot he whole dose at once and it'll be painful but short. He did that for about 10 days and one day, he was off and that Chief Corpsman ( a filipino) gave me the shot but injected it very slowly. By the time he got it halfway into me, I had him by the throat.
DeleteSpeaking of Rabies, Hydrophobia occurs due to the rabies virus affecting the nerves that control swallowing and breathing. When a person with rabies attempts to drink water, the virus triggers painful spasms in the throat and mouth muscles, making it extremely difficult or impossible to swallow. Does that apply for Bourbon as well?
ReplyDeleteThe Ontario govt has been inoculating wildlife by dropping rabies vaccine baits from airplanes since the '60s. When I was in school every year we were warned about contacting wild animals especially if it was a fox or raccoon out in the daylight.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
Maybe look into this as the source of rabies, not the cure?
DeletePardon me, but I don't trust any government anymore. Zero, nada, zilch.
The modern series is far more tolerable, thankfully. HRIG on day 0 at bite site and distal IM, followed by 4 shots of Rabavert on days 0,3,7, and 14.
ReplyDeleteNot nearly as painful as the old stuff was reported to be.
Unfortunate that the only in depth story of the first Milwaukee Protocol patient (Jeanna Giese) is from Petal Palmer.
ReplyDeleteShes often a bit annoying in my opinion
There's been a declared rabies epidemic in my county for longer than I remember.
ReplyDeleteThere is at least one group I know that hires out (for cost of ammo) to get after roving gangs of feral dogs. The Sheriff gives his blessings, unofficially.
My great-grandmother died of rabies, my grandmother described everything that happened. It was a terrible experience and death. She went insane and was eating her fingers off. People now days think they have problems, right?
ReplyDelete