different bites in different apartments *for the experts*

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different bites in different apartments for the experts

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probablyparanoid

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 22 2009 0:06:01
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I am reposting this because I found most of the commiseration I got previously to be irrelevant, as none of the people who responded had ever had a positive ID. Here's the story:

My bf 's apartment is being treated for a light infestation and before they sprayed he got a bunch of big, red, itchy bites. Since then I haven't been to his place but I've started getting tiny not very itchy red/pink bumps here and there. Recently my boyfriend stayed at my house and in the morning he had 2 or 3 bites just like mine--very small, round red or pink areas with a raised bump in the center and not very itchy. Look like flea bites sort of.

So, if his bites were the "classic" bb bites @ his house and now he has ones like mine @ my house, what the hell does that mean? He hasn't had enough @ home for his reaction to change, but my cat isn't itchy so fleas don't make sense. Still it seems like quite the coincidence given his recent bb situation.
megan.orange

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 22 2009 2:48:24
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He could have possibly brought them to your place. I found one in my purse and freaked out, it's not uncommon. They live for traveling. And blood.... human blood. eck.
probablyparanoid

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 22 2009 23:06:54
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Well, I'm aware that he could've brought them to my place, which is why I am concerned. BUT he got DIFFERENT itchy spots at my place than he got at his, and this is only a few weeks apart. I'm aware that bite reaction can change, but not THAT quickly. So I'm wondering what the hell else it could be?
megan.orange

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 22 2009 23:24:55
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I get hives along with my bites. My bf came over one time and got little itchy dots. I get full-on large reactions. Depends on your system I think. Don't worry, we are here to support you, you could have mites or fleas also. Any animals?
bait

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Posted 3 years ago
Tue Dec 22 2009 23:25:00
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I think that bite reaction can change that quickly. There is no set rule as to how a body adjusts to poisons. Just a few days of cigarettes is all it takes for a nicotine craving to develop. (I know that's brain chemistry, but a commonly accepted example just the same.)
buggedmama

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Posted 3 years ago
Wed Dec 23 2009 2:22:52
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Without a confirmed case at your apartment yet, all I can offer is: stay diligent, follow protocols, inspect your bed and not your body. There is a good chance the bugs will transfer if your boyfriend has a confirmed case and you two spend a lot of time together.

Unless you live near someone with a bed bug lab who can test your reaction to bites, there's no way of knowing why you and your boyfriend are having different reactions, or whether some of your marks are bed bug bites at all. There are zillions of posts on here about bite reactions, or lack thereof, in one person and between two people and there is just no conclusive information. For example, in the heat of my bed bug problem I had enormous red welts that left scars, but they must have been feeding on me for a few weeks before and I had no visible reaction. My daughter and her father had no bite marks ever.

I know it's hard because you want to prevent it or know what's going on or know how severe your problem is based on the size of your bite mark. I get it. But you just can't. So put on encasements, white sheets, vacuum, stay tidy, follow protocols.. it helps you feel in control.