Nerve damage from an infection from a rat bite

[piratecat]

I was bitten in the hand by a feral Norwegian Brown Rat (Sewer Rat) about 10 years ago and the wound became severely infected. I had to receive outpatient IV treatments for 2 days in the hospital and take oral antibiotics for a month. I had fevers from the bite and had to deal with my hand being puffy (like a balloon) and unusable for 2 weeks.

The bite marks were very tender for years, especially one that is on the inside of the pinky finger. If I touched the bite scar or handled anything that touched it I would get a painful spasm in my entire hand and arm.
I still get a spasm on the sensitive bite if it is touched, but it is not as horrible as it used to be. Ten years have passed and there is a sore tingle in my hand all the time. My hand on the side of the bite marks is stiff and numb, but has feeling. I guess it feels like one side of my hand is constantly "asleep" and aching.

I can't wear gloves without them rubbing the bite scars and it's reduced the quality of my life. I'm assuming that this is nerve damage. Is there anyone who has experienced this terrible problem? What options do I have to finally have peace?

[Dr J Singh]

Hello,
It looks like the nerves of the hand had been damaged due to the bite(if severe) or there is a continuous irritation of nerves. But to rule out all other medical conditions causing numbness/tingling like diabetes, peripheral neuropathy,hypothyroidism,vit B12 deficiency ,autoimmune or neurological diseases which may cause the same, I would suggest you to consult a neurologist and get MR neurography and nerve conduction velocity tests done. Treatment will depend on the confirmation of diagnosis.

I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and keep me posted Kind Regards.

[caregiver222]

My goodness, you have my sympathies.  This is one of the reasons I devoted a specific section to killing rats in the emergency preparedness section. They are not a "minor annoyance".