I looked up "Rat Bite Fever" just after I was bitten and this was the reference that left me feeling that it was not likely to be what I had contracted. I will put in bold those sentences that seem to be most pertinent to my own situation, or NOT as the case might be:
Most people acquire rat bite fever through contact with urine, oral (mouth) or conjunctival (eye or nose) secretions from an infected animal (usually rats, but rarely other animals such as squirrels, weasels and gerbils). This most commonly occurs via a bite, yet some cases may occur without an actual bite.
In rat bite fever due to Streptobacillus moniliformis, fever, chills, headache and muscle pain usually occur within 10 days of exposure, followed within 3 days by a diffuse rash primarily in the extremities. One or several large joints may become swollen, red and painful. If untreated, several complications including infection of the heart valves may occur.
In the form of rat-bite fever caused by Spirillum minus (Sodoku), a particular skin rash characterized by red or purple plaques is frequently seen, and the previously healed wound at the site of the bite may reactivate and open. Joint involvement is rare.
Since I had no fever or chills, and only localized muscle pain in the region of the bite, this led me to believe that it was not what I had suffered. Since it's communicable, if one of my year-old mice had it, I would imagine that many of the others would have it, which would have led to my having problems with all mouse and rat bites. However I have had no such reaction to any other bites. The actual bite is now completely healed over, not even a scab left. If I apply pressure to the actual joint I have LOW levels of pain (1 on a scale of 10) but all the parts and pieces of me that were hurting so badly have quieted down. The actual BONE has felt "itchy" and my self-diagnosis of what happened is threefold... I'm not sure of the actual situation, but I'm pretty sure that the mouse actually contacted the bone with his teeth, possibly nicking a nerve and/or tendon, setting up a severe reaction. This is why I had limited mobility in the hand and finger, and such extreme pain. But the GREAT news is that I am 99% recovered from the ordeal. It was WONDERFUL to wake up Wednesday morning and discover how much I could move my thumb without pain. IF it happened again, I WOULD see a doctor. It was too scary and difficult for me and I wouldn't do it again. But you must realize that my own future career was on the line on Saturday.. If I didn't take that test, I would have lost my job, which is something I cannot emotionally afford. I have the education and abilities to get a much higher paying job, probably paying three times my current salary, but I'm MEANT to be a high school teacher.
Anyway, as far as the tetanus shot... I got one just in August, after I got a little tipsy and accidentally SAT on one of my ten gallon aquariums that housed my Rosy Boa. Luckily he survived the destruction of his home, and I don't have any more than 20 or 30 scars on my REAR due to the incident! But I got a tetanus shot (had a reaction to that too.... that hurt for six weeks!) at that time, so I'm very up on Tetanus.
Who would have thought that owning critters could be so DANGEROUS!
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~Sasheena
