{"id":872613,"date":"2026-08-26T22:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T22:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/872613\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T22:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T22:34:10","slug":"virginia-doctor-woke-up-with-a-bat-in-her-mouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/872613\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia doctor woke up with a bat in her mouth"},"content":{"rendered":"

A U.S. gastrointestinal doctor recounted in an Instagram post how she woke up one morning to find a bat crawling into her mouth. <\/p>\n

A U.S. gastrointestinal doctor is sharing her story online after she woke up to a homeowner\u2019s worst – and unexpected – nightmare. <\/p>\n

On Friday, Dr. Krista Feldman posted a video reel to Instagram<\/a> where she recounted waking up that morning from a \u201cvivid dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a dream that there was a little mouse get into my mouth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Feldman, who is based out of Richmond, Va., said that while she was \u201chalf-asleep,\u201d she reached up to her mouth and touched something \u201cslimy and a little hairy and cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI immediately somehow knew it was a bat,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

The creature had been trying to \u201cburrow\u201d between Edelman\u2019s lips and past her teeth, into her mouth. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not normal,\u201d she said. \u201cNever heard of anything like this. Never seen bats in my house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. Krista Feldman says she woke up to discover a bat trying to ‘burrow’ between her lips and into her mouth. Dr. Krista Feldman says she woke up to discover a bat trying to ‘burrow’ between her lips and into her mouth. <\/p>\n

She said she grabbed the bat and \u201cthrew it across the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI screamed and I told my husband \u2018there\u2019s a bat trying to get into my mouth,\u2019\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

He went to find a T-ball bat. <\/p>\n

As a physician, Feldman said she recalled that the bat had to be captured alive so it could be tested for rabies. With gloves and a bucket, the couple caught the bat. <\/p>\n

Edelman said she handed the bat to local animal control for testing, but the results could take up to a week to get back. <\/p>\n

In an interview with WTVR, a Richmond-based news station<\/a>, she described calling a friend who was an infectious disease specialist for advice. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was anxious, and he\u2019s not a very anxious person,\u201d she said. \u201cSo when he got anxious, I started to get anxious, and what I didn\u2019t fully realize at the time was that the closer to the brain the exposure, the markedly accelerated risk of transmission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"”There’s a bat in my mouth!’ U.S. doctor wakes from dream to discover a nightmare scenario ”There’s a bat in my mouth!’ U.S. doctor wakes from dream to discover a nightmare scenario <\/p>\n

Edelman and her husband visited the local emergency room, where she received both an immunoglobulin and a rabies vaccine. <\/p>\n

Immunoglobulin is a treatment to immediately neutralize an infection to give the body time to develop a long-term immunity to the virus. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason why it\u2019s so important to be proactive … in this scenario is because rabies has a very slow rate that it inoculates, and can cause issues in a human,\u201d she said, adding that it can take up to three months before a person shows symptoms of the disease.<\/p>\n

WTVR reported that Edelman tested negative for rabies. <\/p>\n

On Instagram, Edelman concluded her story with a takeaway.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoral of the story: get an exterminator to come out to check your attic and your your chimneys and attics especially if you live in an old house in Richmond like I do,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

WTVR reported that Edelman lives in a 100-year-old Victorian house. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you are exposed or if you are sleeping and there\u2019s a bat around, you don\u2019t know if it could have bit you or had contact, you need to be proactive,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n