Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed Bug Success Stories
Dispair, now hope - for those suffering together
(6 posts)-
Portland Oregon
October 2008 - discover there actually is something called bedbugs, see bug, identify on internet, research, begin to realize I am so screwed! Neighbor infested me through careless community hygiene. Maybe what I was attributing to menopausal hives, is them, or?
November 2008 - researching how to eradicate, begin getting rid of stuff. (Studio condo, 2 closets, kitchen, bathroom and entryway, 416 square feet of what used to be sweet haven.) Ignorance, move some infested items (in retrospect) to storage unit in basement of 14 unit 1923 conversion. Losing a lot of sleep, averaging 3.5 hours a night, terror, soaked in alcohol, worried about spreading to friends, work. Purchase awesome vapor steamer to prepare for treatment - makes prep so much easier, well relatively so.
December 2008 - decide on Pest Co that seems to know a lot about these things. Schedule treatment. Then things change, come home to find them not localized to bed, but running amok on floor in entryway, kitchen, living area, they are everywhere! What changed? (find out a month later that neighbor who never mentioned it, had treatment, probably on those days, infested couch on adjoining wall, her PCO drove them into my house even worse) Spend days and days cleaning them up, no where is safe to sit, lay. Find car is infested from naps during lunch time at work. Have first treatment, adults seem mostly gone, but tons of nymphs, lint on legs. Even more bitey, no peace,virtually no sleep. Continue to get rid of junk - that feels good! But feelings of hopelessness and despair are hard to keep at bay. Have to trust PCO, they use Demand, Sterifab, and Crack and Crevice 3.
January 2009 - How much more of this can I take? Laying in bed waiting for them to bite the bait. More sleeplessness, total exhaustion, back is full of tiny bites, it feels like it's vibrating with bites. Why are there so many? How can I be so clueless! How did I let this happen? Get so out of hand? Ignorance, why would I know anything about this? Think back on moving infested items to clean, small house, hard to isolate anything. Can sit on sofa from 6pm to 8pm before biting becomes too crazy. Feel like I'm losing my mind. Have a second treatment, things are better for the first week, second week more eggs hatching, more nymph bites, seem more hungry. Armies at night coming up on sheet. "No where to run to, no where to hide" on radio program.. No room to isolate, they are everywhere.
Depression, hopelessness, how much more can I take? Cannot give up, there is nowhere to go. Sometimes think dying would bring relief, but not suicidal, maybe a terminal illness (passive death wish). How can I keep going? Will they ever be gone? Finally figure out how to get out of house without bugs on me - shower, dress from ziplocked bags, leave immediately. BTW, you can order those awesome giant ziplocks from Drugstore.com if you can't find them locally, your alcohol and vacuum bags from them and you've got free shipping.
Killer Queen talks to me on phone, offers great advice, so generous and compassionate, and hey, that east coast accent. : ) Thank you, your advice inspired some hope. "Dynamite with a laser beam...." well, DE.
February 2009 - Third treatment from PCO. Things improve dramatically. Only a few bites on couch, they use (Sterifab, Crack and crevice and Cy-Kick). I wonder if the pesticides will affect me, but decide if it's between the bugs taking years off my life or the pesticides, I'm choosing poison.
Management co for condo treats common areas (after i put the fear of god by telling this story at the association meeting) and give me a free treatment from Terminex. The neighbor who infected me was treated by Terminex and I was judgmental based on her..previous poor choices and that she said she had them again at association meeting. However, they were very thorough and used different poison and freezing. Took my external murphy bed platform off at my request to see what was going on underneath - 20 dead adults and 7 live - well not live anymore. This was much better than I had imagined. Glad they looked, I couldn't bring myself to.
This seemed to compliment what had been done already in my place. They used Freezing, Phantom, Gentrol and Tri-die (a DE spray).
Sofa seems to be no bugs or so few can't tell. Spent hours on sofa, but not going from bed to sofa without changing clothes. Area rug does not jump up and bite me anymore. I'm wearing flip flops today! I'm sitting at my kitchen table and nothing is biting me on the butt, or feet, or arms. Nothing running around biting me in my jammies last night. They are not gone, but at this point, they will not - cannot regroup, they will all die eventually. Will take KQ's advice and have begun DE'ing and caulking, but it's a big job, super "cracky" house, will need handyman, but it will happen.
But I'm home sick from work today. So run down, i finally did catch a cold/flu. Must get rest, cannot stay sick, still vigilant vacuuming, laundry. There is a little bit of normal now, and more everyday. Expect it could be weeks before this is over, but over is the goal. Sleep is still a crapshoot, sometimes 5 hours sometimes 4, sometimes chronic wakefulness, but getting progressively better.
BTW, stayed in hotel for 4 nights before third treatment - HAD TO SLEEP. 4th day, bed bug crawling up bathroom wall, no surprise by the amount of white powder around baseboard/carpet. Reported to mgr, who said they had never before had a report - right, sure!! KQ, I fear you are right, in 10 years or so, they will be everywhere. Crap!!
I think my life will be different after it's over. I don't think I'll go back to being a collector of stuff. Been listening to Jack Kornfield on Buddhism (at son's suggestion), always looking to see what positive thing I can take from this nightmare (released attachment to sentimental possessions, had to focus on ME, the present in the most practical terms possible, more compassion for those without $$ to deal with this problem, lord, if you were just a little bit crazy and had to live with these things crawling on you 24/7 cause you're too poor, mentally ill, or whatever, you'd be crazy BIG TIME in no time at all.
Called public health on a management co where friend lives and has neighbors with 1 year+ infestations. Guess what, they made the laundry free and are doing a total building treatment next week, helping those who can't do it, fumigation room, individual room treatment - Yay! This is an indigent population mostly who cannot solve this problem on their own. They have to get permission to even use the vacuum cleaner. Feel like my experience can help others a little.
Feeling empowered! If you are in the worst of this, don't give up. It DOES GET BETTER. With hyperdiligence, determination, and good advice. This forum SAVED MY LIFE. Really, without all the ideas, stories and information, I don't know how I could have dealt with this situation where we all start out with "what, you mean those are real?"
Thank you all. Not done yet, but hope this story helps you as you have helped me. BTW, when this seems mostly over, I'm gettin me a Pack-tite heater upper thing.
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bitten123
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Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 326
Posted 9 months ago
Tue Feb 10 2009 17:28:06
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You have been through so much! Hugs to you. Hugs to Killer Queen for being there for you. I hope your nightmare is coming to an end, I really do. Hang in there, it sounds like you are close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
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senior member
Joined: Mar '08
Posts: 596
Posted 9 months ago
Tue Feb 10 2009 18:02:49
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The fight will soon end... and life will get back to "normal" for you again. Glad I could help with anything positive. If you need anything... just ask. I'm happy to hear things are looking better. Not much I could say but WOW, what a post! Stay strong ... It will pay off. All The Best, KQ
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BugBoy911
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Joined: Jan '09
Posts: 185
Posted 9 months ago
Tue Feb 10 2009 18:11:58
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Good Stuff Killa, and Hoo hang in there cutie! Your post brought chills throughout my body and just makes me see how important eraticating a structure of bedbugs really is. I hope everything works out, the pesticides that your PCO used are a fine choice I know your gona be ok.
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parakeets
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Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 866
Posted 9 months ago
Tue Feb 10 2009 18:29:03
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I thought this was a powerful and detailed story, Hoo, and so similar to what many of us go through. I was impressed at what a journey you have been on and how you have shared how you've grown and your positive attitude (wish I had one). Like Killer Queen, I believe almost all of us will have bedbugs in 10 years. So we are people of the future! Yes, this forum has saved our lives! Thanks for mentioning that, too.
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An update - about 10 days after the cryonite/phamtom/tri-die/gentrol treatment, they started coming out again, lightly. Called the PCO and scheduled a followup. Second time, musta rousted them out as they have been VERY bitey since Monday's treatment and saw three bugs on my sofa the day after, Tuesday. So cryonite can kill what it hits, maybe, and i'm not sad it rousted some out of hiding, but seems to have dispersed them back into my living space, so peace of mind, gone again. Or maybe just my mind. But on another note, there's the car, once again infested im thinking from eggs that didn't get killed by the NUVAN strip. This is a point of debate between that pco and me.
Tomorrow i'm taking my car to a paint shop and they're putting it in their Car Baking Room at 140 for a couple of hours. Hoping this will penetrate, they'll leave the doors open so heat goes all around. Putting sofa cushions in, in case it works.
The Nuvan strip would have been great if I would have done a follow up re:hatching periods, if the heat doesn't work completely i'll probably opt for another nuvan treatment. wasn't super expensive $125 so could consider that a follow up.
They're bitey tonight and I'm not even in bed yet. Yuk!
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