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Anyone have increased sensitivity of skin?!?!
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BrooklynNurse
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Dec 29 2008 8:59:00
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Hey I've noticed after this whole ordeal that I have been having an increased sensitivity of my skin. Like everything seems to make my skin itch. I know it's not bug bites but I can't help but being paranoid. Even if I get bit by a mosquito or other type of bug it's now worse than it used to be, like my hand will swell up.
I just had thermal treatment of my home last Tuesday so I'm still living in fear that a few have survived. -
Overwhelmed
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Dec 29 2008 10:42:28
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I definitely have increased skin sensitivity. I break out in a rash of itchy bumps or get isolated itchy bumps that I know can't be bed bug bites. Heat, moisturizer, some soaps, my parents dog who has scratchy fur, even the seams and edges of my clothing, all now set my skin off complaining. I can understand how it would make you paranoid--and also problematic: I wonder how I will be able to tell if I do get bitten again, not because I don't react to the bed bugs, but because I react to everything.
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I responded to another thread with the same story, but when I was in Hawaii 2 weeks ago, my old scars flared up again. They weren't itchy, just red. Some looked like pimples and some like bites but none of them were in the traditional "breakfast, lunch, dinner" formation like they were when I was first attacked.
I've had spray #3 done on a mild infestation so I'm hoping like mad that any new bumps are just old battle wounds.
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Yes. At times, but not all the time, a hair brushing across my face would cause excruciating itching.
I think that is all part of the allergic reaction some folks have.
It should go away when the bed bugs do.
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Overwhelmed
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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Dec 30 2008 13:52:57
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I think, for me at least, it also partially mental. I've gotten itchy rashes when extremely stressed for years now and I think this might be somewhat similar. I suspect that once I'm no longer worried about having an infestation I'm just not finding my skin will calm down significantly. I'm sure in the case of many people it is an allergic reaction but I also think that the mind is a powerful thing.
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losingit
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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Dec 30 2008 14:19:01
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I had a 9 month problem at my workplace (nothing at home), got it treated in early july, the sniffer dog has been out 3 more times to my workspace since that treatment, most recently 3 weeks ago and has not found anything.
I also had them check my apt too just two weeks ago, nothing there. Yet at work, just now, I got a big honking pink welt, I got one earlier too, looks exactly like bb bite. I get them almost every day or second day. I got one Sunday night but it completely vanished by morning. Sometimes they leave a red mark sometimes they don't.
Do I have bbs? I've been inspected several times (home and work) 6 months apart and nothing is found (by the dog).
I'm sitting here in a state of zonked-out-pissed-off-given-up-depression. I've tried eliminating foods from my diet, not much help, changing soaps/detergent, it just doesn't make much of a difference.
My skin insists on getting these 'bites' or whatever they are constantly. I have no idea what to do after 1 year and counting with this nightmare. Maybe it is hyper-sensitive skin, stress or something. I also really hate my job so I'm sure that isn't making it easier! But sadly, without a lottery win, I need the job:(
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BrooklynNurse
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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Dec 30 2008 16:53:06
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Hmm losing it, that's a tough one because you've already used a bed bug dog. Maybe you can do another inspection in a few weeks. I does sound suspicious. Bed bugs can come back, like mine that came back after 3 months, guess they went into hibernation.
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aballen
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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Dec 30 2008 22:31:42
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YES!!!! Seeing a Derm, using all hypoallegenic products, Aveno and Sarna Lotions, Aveno shower gel. I put the lotions on twice daily. I must admit, the products and lotions have helped alot, but stil notice a rash every now and then, mainly when I get a scented facric softener in my laundry by accident (sometimes my sister forgets). Now I can't stand to smell my very subtle perfume, but I miss all my scented shower gels. The Sarna, Aveno Lotions and hypoallergenic products worked almost immediately.
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losingit
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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Dec 31 2008 9:36:44
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I doubt my workplace will call the dog back, 3 consecutive all clears over 5 months and at this point I can understand their position. I also doubt they would treat given the repeated all clears. I felt so awful having to ask this last time in early Dec, I felt SURE they'd find them this time cos it had been 2 months since the last all clear and surely they'd have multiplied enough for a dog to pick up?
But I was stunned when they said 'all clear' so then I figured I must somehow have brought them home. One week later I get the 6th (yes, 6th: I had called him out several times to my apt before they bothered checking my workplace in July = idiots) all clear at home too.
So how do I know for sure I don't have them? I honestly don't. Logically the time frame suggests that between mid aug and early dec there'd be a fairly large bb population at work by dec, right?
I can understand a dog missing a small infestation, maybe once but really, three times in a row?? When they'd HAVE to have bred like rabbits during that whole time?? I don't get it. It's the only thing that I can cling to and somedays it doesn't comfort me at all.
Oh, and the dog and handler are both certified/trained with Bill Whitestone (I think it was with Bill) and have several years experience with bbs.
aballen: I have my doubts about derms, as I saw a derm at the height of my problem in june pre-workplace discovery and was told none of the marks (100's plus) were not bites at all, they were papules caused by an allergy of some kind. Yeah, right... That said I think I'll venture to find hopefully a better one who can do their job!
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sickandtired
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jan 1 2009 14:31:27
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hi, i'm really grateful for this thread today because i'm kind of freaking out a bit, and i'm glad i'm not the only one who has experienced strange skin sensitivity. at least i can read this board and know i'm not going insane.
i just moved for the 2ND TIME since having bed bugs last april. i moved first time last july, into a brand new suite (never lived in). didn't bring a bed or furniture, but did not realize how careful you had to be with EVERYTHING, so i moved my computer, CDs, DVDs, books etc. Then i started seeing strange red marks, kind of like welts, mostly on my chest. i seem to get them in the same place all the time, around the bra line mostly, a few red marks on my back. occasionally elsewhere. thinking that i had possibly brought some eggs with me, i went through the whole ordeal of sprinkling DE, spraying a DE mixture, bagging everything, yadda yadda, in my brand new place.
now for other reasons, i just moved again yesterday. again, i moved into a brand new suite, never lived in. i did the most careful move you can imagine. anything that couldn't be wiped down with alcohol or washed & dried, i either put in storage, or left out on my balcony to freeze before i moved it. (ie. put my computer/stereo/dvd player outside for 5+ hours in -18 temp. should've left it longer, but that's all i could do. i left some stuff out there for 2 days.)
anyway, so i wake up this morning in my new place, on a brand new airbed-- all clothes still in bags, anything that's in here has been disinfected with alcohol. even wearing a new bra. and AGAIN, i have these strange red marks on my chest!!!!
i could cry. quite honestly, i think it's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE that i could still have bed bugs, that i moved them with me twice. even if there were eggs or bugs in my stereo or my computer, after leaving them outside to freeze-- they would be there from last APRIL. so wouldn't they have grown and matured by now? wouldn't i be seeing regular aggressive bed bug bites by now? These welt-like marks i get aren't like bed bug bites. the first bites i had were aggressive and itchy and in a very obvious 3-pattern. the marks i get now are more like faint red welts, occasionally there's a few random ones together, but often just one on my breast. it's just weird.
Brooklyn Nurse, if you as a health care professional have any insight into what may cause this post-BB skin sensitivity, i'd appreciate your thoughts. if anyone else has insight into this, or has any suggestions or advice, i'd appreciate it. at this point, i'm thinking of calling my doctor on monday to get a referral to a dermatologist, but i'm afraid they're going to think i'm whacked, like one of those phobias where people think they have bugs crawling in their skin.
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sickandtired
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Joined: Aug '08
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Jan 1 2009 14:39:19
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Also, aballen, what did the dermatologist tell you when you went to see them? Why Aveno products, is it just because they're fragrance free? What is Sarna, is that a drug store product?
Thanks!
P.S. I should also mention that I have NOT seen any bugs in either of my new places. Just keep getting the same red marks, and the good old creepy-crawly sensations. So again, wouldn't I have SEEN some evidence by now if I did move some somehow? Thanks.
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IveBeenBugged
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 11:20:11
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I also experienced an increase in skin sensitivity that lasted well after the bed bugs were gone. I had the same reaction to the seams in my clothing and switched laundry detergent - fabric softener and my bath soap. It took about 5 months after the bugs were gone before my skin seemed to finally get back to "normal".
Putting things outside in the cold will not kill bed bugs they go into a hibernative state and can easily survive freezing temps. 5 hours is nothing for bed bugs even in -18 degree temps.
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losingit
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Joined: Nov '08
Posts: 292
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 11:39:24
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It's kinda reassuring to know that others have experienced the same thing. I've had friends who had bbs and once they were gone, the bites just stopped. Wish, oh wish that would just happen already!
I'vebeenbugged: was it really 5 months for you? I'm at that point now - just need a bit of hope I guess:) Seriously considering going to see a derm/allergist to see if it could be anything else!
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sickandtired
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Posts: 77
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 13:01:07
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hey, i'vebeenbugged, thanks for the reply.
i was wondering how long it takes to freeze those suckers, i knew 5 hours would not do it. i just had a limited amount of time between having to use my computer and moving. i figured freezing for at least a few hours wouldn't hurt, but i was definitely aware that it may not work if there was still a problem in there.
i'm doubtful whether they are in my computer or stereo. i've been using them all along since i first moved back in july, and the CPU sits on my desk, which i use every day. wouldn't i have seen something crawling out of it by now if they were in there?
the red marks i get aren't like my original BB bites. they're more like faint welts, not 3 in a row, and kind of random, but almost always on my chest. a few on my back. so it leads me to think it's not BBs anymore. Plus, i've had NO evidence of bugs, haven't seen a bug, haven't got bloodstains on sheets, no flecks. just the red mark/welts on my skin.
it's been 6 months since the last treatment i had in the BB apartment. 6 months since i moved out of there. now i just moved again. i could be having some kind of post-stress reaction on my skin, since i'm constantly checking it for bite marks. but it's weird-- yesterday i went for a walk, came back and noticed a new large red welt right in the middle of my chest. i immediately threw my winter coat in a hot wash. i'm re-washing everything, vacuuming my brand new place AGAIN, 2nd time in 3 days.
i just want to unpack my clothes in my new place like a normal person (ie. not keep them in ziplocs!!) and start over. that's my new year's prayer. i might lose it if i keep seeing these red marks.... i wish i could figure out what causes them.
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BrooklynNurse
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Joined: Dec '08
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 16:44:09
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Hey Sickandtired,
I think what you have, if I'm correct, is an actual skin irritation either from your bra or sweating. You may even have stress related hives, I get that too every now and then during the summertime on my chest. Keep a look out for the bed bugs though.If you don't see any sign of them on your sheets or feces then I think you're alright. I think it's impossible for you to have transfered them to your new home after moving twice, but then you never know with these pests.
I don't know what to do with my computer, printer, and keyboard when I move (the only electronics that I own).If anyone has any suggestions on how to de-bug these items let me know. Advice would be highly appreciated. Take care all. -
BrooklynNurse
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Joined: Dec '08
Posts: 82
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 16:48:36
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Another question for your Sickandtired, does the building have bedbugs???
Just making sure, cause what if you moved into an infested building??? -
BrooklynNurse
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Posts: 82
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 16:49:10
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*you
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myLifeinZiplocs
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 17:07:53
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I itch all the time now. Maybe I did before but never really paid attention, but now I am hyper aware of every single skin irritation. I have noticed tags on clothes bother me and when I get "creases" in my skin from laying on stuff then I itch there too.
I found a rather large welt on my wrist last night and I freaked out because it looked like a "mosquito" bite. But this morning the swelling is gone and I just see two very small scratches so I don't know what the welt was/is. It is driving me crazy.
Last treatment was about 7 weeks ago and I am having a k9 do an inspection next week because I want to either put my mind at ease or know if they are back/still here.
But yeah, I am always itching now.
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Overwhelmed
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Joined: Nov '08
Posts: 42
Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 20:39:34
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myLifeinZiplocs - 3 hours ago »
I found a rather large welt on my wrist last night and I freaked out because it looked like a "mosquito" bite. But this morning the swelling is gone and I just see two very small scratches so I don't know what the welt was/is. It is driving me crazy.Ugh. I had a couple on my legs the other day that looked like hives and they're stressing me out because I originally thought my bed bug bites were hives. But I've inspected and can't find any sign so I'm in holding mode for now. (Like you, I'm planning on hiring a bed bug dog if I can't find any new signs 2 months from my last treatment. A month until that would be the case though so I'm not counting my chickens).
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sickandtired
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Jan 2 2009 20:59:49
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hi brooklyn nurse, thanks for your response. i'm 100% positive i didn't move into an infested building because it is a brand new condo. both in july and just recently i've moved into brand new suites that have never been lived in.
the only way i could still have them is if they came in with me, in my computer or stereo. i was neurotically, obsessive-compulsively careful about everything i brought this time. everything was wiped down with alcohol or washed/dried on hot. i don't have much stuff left, i threw a lot out, and i still haven't replaced furniture.
brooklyn nurse, have you looked into vikane for your computer etc.? I'm not sure if that's possible for something small, i know i've read on here that people have vikaned whole trucks of their stuff. i'm in canada, vikane isn't an option up here, but it is in the US, so you might want to look into that. if i could do that, i would.
to overwhelmed and my life in ziplocs, i itch all the time too. after my first move, i literally felt like things were crawling on me all the time, especially in the evening. i still get that feeling occasionally. i spoke to a public health nurse once whose co-worker had gone through BBs, and she said it took her a good year to get over it. so i think if someone who works in public health and is acutely aware of the problem takes a year to get over it... it must be a somewhat ... normal... experience.
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IveBeenBugged
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Posts: 280
Posted 1 year ago
Sun Jan 4 2009 12:27:41
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yes losingit it was around 5 months and to be honest I'm not sure if it was my own brain doing it to myself or actually old bites flaring up. I will say since my bed bug problem I seem much more obsessed with any marks on my body. Even now after 6 months clear. A mark that before the bugs would not have caught my attention still throws me into inspection mode. After I moved and had my things vikaned I know for at least 3 months I could still make out old bite marks. They would be much more obvious if I had been sweating or taken a hot shower. After that it was an occasional bump or two that would appear but they never itched and I couldn't realy tie them to anything I had done or used. Looking back I really think some of the spots that appeared after the treatment may have been more stress related to what I had just gone through. I also went to the dermatologist who kept assuring me that none were new bites. He had known of my problem when it was going on.
BrooklynNurse I would think some of the companies doing vikane would do smaller amounts than a moving van. I'm not sure what the price would be though. The place I used in florida would also have done a regular size van besides the moving type (the regular van with less stuff would have been cheaper). It couldn't hurt to call around and get prices on it. That assuming your moving into a new place though. It would not work to have things vikaned and then move back into an infested place.
mylifeinziplocs the welt you had where you just see the scratches now sounds like how I react to spider bites. Everyone reacts differently to bites though. Just thought would want to know.
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