Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Bat Attack!

Wow. I went on that site for animal control. I can't believe there are 465 hits just on that page alone. You know it's funny, given all of the misunderstanding about bats, wouldn't you think the state would try to educate the public a bit.

I have a good friend who is a game warden. FYI: bats can see just fine so that stupid bat could see me. You know what's creepy -- the bat attacking me scared the hell out of me. The bat attached to the wall just weirded me out.

I am reluctant to ever disclose the contents of a PM, especially without the consent of the sender, but I think it is safe for me to quote John who in the midst of a flurry of batty posts yesterday said "It is interesting that the most active thread on the board is about bats, while the possible solution for the major issue for version 6 has a few posts." The expression "TGIF" was also part of the discussion. John, I apologize for posting this without asking first.

But Gene...can't you read? Bert got attacked by a bat! How dare you imply this is not a serious issue!

Thanks Jon. Actually, while sharing this story was partially meant to be humerus, a byproduct of my style of writing with dry wit, it was meant more to elicit information and comments to make me feel better about the situation. Others sharing their experiences with "bat attacks" went far to do that.

Everyone's stories and advice have been helpful, but I have found it particularly heartwarming to read John Howland's posts which truly conveyed his concern for my well being. It must be comforting to be a patient in his practice.

Bats I know something about. Version 6...not so much.

Jon,

I have looked and looked through Meaningful Use requirements, and I cannot find anything about bats. If it's not there, it is not a serious issue.

I do have a bat story from med school days in Philly...but not nearly as interesting as Berts.

Seriously, Bert, glad you are OK. You are truly appreciated for your contributions. Thanks again. Gene

Dr. John (ryanjo),

You are too much! You had me rolling with the .Net joke. I see you are somewhat of a comedic.

I am a little hesitant to start down this road, but...

Gene, you can forget about getting any MU money until you learn how to do your bat-testation.

Jon, thanks for that insider tip...I probably would have missed all the stimulus money without it.

Your comment brings me back to my undergrad days. One of the college laundry rooms somehow became the "Rat Room". Virtually every square inch of wall space was filled with graffiti on a rat theme, mostly puns. There was some artwork, too. It actually made waiting for a washer or dryer enjoyable!

Gene

How far is Cumberland from Baltimore?

Bert....I know this can be scary!

About 8 yrs ago (very rural area on the beach), I was asleep and woke feeling something go by my foot (my foot is my temperature control device...it peaks from under the quilt and comes back in as needed. I don't even need to be awake ). Anyway, I peaked from under the covers knowing that some monster must have crawled from under the bed. But in the dim light, I could see a bat flying around. What I finally did was get up with the quilt covering me from head to toe and ran to the front door and opened it. The bat was very cooperative and followed me right out the door. Was not attacked but was definitely followed closely!

The only think I could figure is that the bat came in via the chimney.

Hope you and the bat are healthy!

Bert, about 2 1/2 hours, far enough that we are fans of the Steelers, not the Ravens! You may agree, you may not want to root for anything that flies....

Gene

I think Ravens are worse, but they don't get rabies.

@Barbara,

Wow! That is way worse than mine. How did you know he didn't nick you. I thought about my chimney, but it gets stopped by the wood stove.

No, I am fine, the bat it not. He is heading to the capital as we speak.

You all crack me up!! In Indiana, Indiana bats are protected. Nail one with a towel and the HIPPA police will be the least of your worries.

I've been told that a bat can sometimes nick you and you not even notice it (say, if you were asleep you might not wake up).

The bat's saliva contains a local anesthetic and anticoagulant. Bite and let it flow while the victim sleeps. Usually they don't bite humans though. This is the bat's normal style of attack.

More bat attack news!

Interesting that they use an anticoagulant. Because this is how authorities decrease rabies in an endemic area. This is from John's article. They glue Coumadin on the backs of the bats who then go back to their roosts. Since they do communal grooming, all the bats ingest the Coumadin and their INRs go up to 5.0. Genius.

Yes but the Crows, Ravens are hosts for the West Nile virus!!! A couple of summers ago we had Crows and Blue Jays too dropping dead like flies in our part of the state for awhile. And of course contact with an infected animals fluids could lead to you contracting it too... And yet the county refused to come and get them, it was up to the home owner land owner to pick them up and dispose of them!!!!

BTW, one day when I have more time, I need to add my teenage "Hockey Camp" "There's an F'ing Bat in Our Room!!!" story to this thread... I still get a kick out it 35 years later. Damn I'm getting old....

Paul

The latest on the bat story. This is unbelievable. So, the bat attack occurred late Thursday night/early Friday morning. The bat was "killed" early Friday morning, placed in a small, white trash bag which was tied in a double-wraparound knot to be air tight. It was then placed in a no longer needed New Egg box which was taped with wrapping tape and was likely air tight as well.

The bat was then taken to work less than 24 hours from the attack and picked up by a game warden. Strangely, but fortunately, the bat was still alive (keeping brain and Negri bodies more intact). It was then placed in a refrigerator at exactly 36 degrees. The game warden then called the courier company to deliver the bat to the state lab at the Maine CDC in Augusta the following day. Given that it takes one day to test it, I should then know the status of the bat in under 96 hours so I can make a decision on whether to start PEP.

It is now Friday, exactly one week since the bat was given to the game warden and still no word from the state lab. So, I spoke with an official at the Maine CDC who then forwarded me to a senior official at the Dept of Vaccine Preventable Illness and Infectious Disease. She then took my story and went to look for my results. First she asked if I were a veterinarian. Vet = high chance of exposure. I said no I was a pediatrician. I would think that pediatrician = high chance of having patient with bat bite, but as soon as I told her I was a pediatrician, she said, "So you had a bat in the house?" What, was it in the papers?

Anyway she returned to the phone and informed me there was no record its being delivered! I was horrified. All that work to get the bat. I should have driven the bat myself, and she agreed that she would advise that but since they generally don't know bat bitten humans are out there, they can't contact them. She told me she would call the game warden at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Hampden division and get back to me. Thirty minutes later I was on the phone with her again. It seems the bat was taken back to MIFW and refrigerated, but the game warden forgot to call the courier.

After a long description of the events on Thursday night, she told me, given how often the bat flew at me and his proximity to me and given the fact that I was not sure if I had been bitten or scratched and given the fact that the bat seemed intent at cutting off all escape routes from my house including hiding behind the toilet in the downstairs bathroom and, furthermore, sleeping in a dark corner of my home theater room where the fact that I am likely to be playing an action movie, loudly while inebriated making at attack much more likely to be successful, and my pension to write long run-on sentences, she recommended I start the immunization series. She stated that there was now a 50% chance that the lab would be able to successfully test the bat.

Which I did. I just don't know about the ten 1 mL shots of Rabies Immune Globulin.

The irony is the game warden is the husband of one of the medical assistants at the family practice office in the same building. And, also ironic due to the fact that this same game warden severely disciplined the boyfriend of one of my medical assistants for having deer antlers on his garage wall. Apparently, it is much more important to lecture antler mounters than to deliver possibly rabid bats.

Sounds like you are having LOTS of Fun out there in Maine these days me bucko.... NOT!!! Good thing you can laugh about it instead of cry....

As for the game warden, that is what happens when you spend too much time alone in the deep woods with no real company except for a few wild animals you are a bit too intimate with....

"Quick, hurry up and paddle faster, I think I hear Banjos.... Aaaaahhhh!!!!"

Great movie.

@Steven, so I guess it is long posts and short posts.

Bert, I am pleased to announce that I have run my own patented "Bat Sh*t Crazy" rabies test and the result is negative!

I can tell you with complete assuredness that my test has exactly the same likelihood of being correct as the Maine lab test. Exactly 50%. And mine is free.

You can't mount antlers on a wall in Maine? Seriously??

This was on an outside wall, so the game warden wanted to know where they came from. Maybe the word "wall" is the wrong word.

That strikes me as very weird, and highlights how much cultures can vary, even within the US. Probably 1/3 of the families I know have at least one set of moose antlers mounted on a shed, cabin, or out back of the garage. No game warden would give them a glance. Do they drug test enforcement officers in Maine?

So is the rabies vaccine.

Our county does not supply the vaccine, for laughs you should look at how much they cost.

I am ready for a laugh. How much do they cost?

For the record, I am not sure if our state/county pays for them, but I knew that my insurance company, Harvard Pilgrim would.

The entire thing and no copay. I guess they figure I am no good to them dead.

I believe 275 per dose plus admin fee

I guess it's supply and demand.

Less likely to pay the premium.

Bat on Wisconsin flight prompts rabies probe

http://news.yahoo.com/bat-wisconsin-flight-prompts-rabies-probe-173327212.html

Bats are on the attack!

This board is fast becoming the pre-eminent source on the internet for bat attack news.

Really? Well, in the interest of maintaining our bat attack pre-eminence, should we include this?

Thanks Jon, now we are truly the Bat News Network.

That story is so similar to mine except it was a plane not a house, there were a lot more people, and the plane got away.

I find it coincidental that I hid in a bathroom, while here the bat was confined in a bathroom -- sort of like the JFK/Lincoln similarities.

How did the bat get away? I must have missed that. If it were trapped in the bathroom, one would think authorities would have made sure they captured the bat to save a lot of vaccine and phone calls.

Also, why could the airline only give the names of the 15 people who reboarded the plane for Atlanta? Did they lose the names of the other people or is it a HIPAA rule that once off, names cannot be given.

I was running for my life. That guy with the video camera either has scared of nothing or has already had his rabies vaccine series.

So, the CDC tested the bat.

OK. So, I'll end the drama. It tested negative. Now, I'll probably come down with Gee Ann Buh Ray from the one shot.

Glad to hear that the great rabies scare of 2011 is over. Seriously, I know you were sweating so I am glad the result is good.

I know that some people (hopefully not too many) think that some of us don't take this board seriously enough and the occasional joking detracts from the business at hand. Since we are already well into a thread that clearly is a diversion, I will go further afield....your Gee Ann comment reminded me of some interesting things patients have said over the years. Has anyone ever had a patient taking "peanut butter balls" for seizures (usually if they couldn't tolerate dilantin)? Got any others?