Don't be like me

[unicornduke]

Do not try to touch the stray dog! 

Anyway, it's not a bad bite, but I did spent four hours in urgent care and the emergency room getting the first rabies shot.

To be fair, the person who caught the stray dog had been handling it for a while but I should have known better. It barely broke the skin but sigh. Unknown, possibly dumped dog, not messing around.

I was working out in the field (we finished strawberry planting late last night, woot!) and just finishing up things like hooking up the drip lines when someone who used to work for the farm pulled over her car and asked if we knew anyone who had lost a dog, who was in the back of the car. She had found it the day before in town, had posted on the town facebook page and was wondering if we had heard anything. I called my mom and asked, no news of any missing dogs.

It seemed curious and interested in me, so I put my hand out to sniff and then (even dumber) went to pet it  and it bit my wrist. I was able to get my arm away quick, but it did break the skin. I wrapped up the conversation and went and cleaned my wrist with soap and water and went and found an urgent care. Urgent care gave me an updated tetanus vaccine (cool, I wanted one anyway), an antibiotic and a referral to the ER for rabies.

A bit of waiting around later, got some reading done and got my immunoglobulin, my vaccine and instructions to come back three times. I have no idea what the bill will be, I am technically uninsured, but gave them my previous insurance anyway and will send the COBRA check and paper tomorrow in the hopes that it will help. I applied for state health insurance the other day, but this would happen in the gap.

sigh

Comments

[graydon]

Well, bother. (and bother the gap!) May the bill be small!

I understand that there's always a wait for immunoglobulin because they have to warm it up.

[reedrover]

My rabies series ended up costing me about $2k, and I’m insured.
Be sure to talk to the hospital about getting any possible charges waived or put on a payment plan asap.

[unicornduke]

Yeah, I'm going to have to do that even with the COBRA I think.

[radiantfracture]

Oh no! a bite for your pains is no cosmic balance.

[unicornduke]

I know better, it was dumb. Thankfully it happened after the big important strawberry planting and while it was extremely wet and rainy day, so it wasn't a huge loss on productivity.

[reeby10]

Oh no! Glad it was minor injury, but having to do all the rabies stuff is a pain. I hope insurance stuff works out and make it manageble.