Does this sound like the typical bed bug behaviour?

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Does this sound like the typical bed bug behaviour?

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christyyyy

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Apr 21 2011 3:42:58
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Hi everyone!
Gonna cut long story short, one month ago, I got over 100 bites mainly on my legs and a few on my arms. From the day I first received the bites, a few more showed up a few days later.
Since then I had convinced myself it was sand fleas, or gnats because I had spent a good amount of time outside previously and we live near a lake/stream. I still can see all the bites but they aren't itchy.

Fast forward till two days ago, I started itching on my wrist in the evening. It looked like a bite. It swelled for a while and the itch subsided fairly quickly. I went to bed and woke up with it almost cleared but was still a bit itchy. But then that night, it got really itchy again. It immediately became swollen, and still is now (the next night). But this bite seems a bit different, there's no visible puncture wound, and is yellow in the centre with a red ring around it and is a bit sensitive to the touch. I've been seeing a few gnats, and killed 2 spiders outside my room a few days ago so those are the other options.

I'm fairly sure I haven't gotten bitten in three weeks, at least show no signs of it, so my question is, can bed bugs hide away for three weeks without biting even though I sleep there every night? Also, it's been a bit colder for the past three weeks, but not freezing.
jrbtnyc

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Apr 21 2011 9:50:52
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Non-expert observation: in the past there have been warnings that a bite with a red ring around it, i.e. a bull's eye formation, could be from a deer tick and could lead to Lyme disease. If you were outdoors and in contact with brush, could that be the arthropod you encountered. The deer ticks, in common with various kinds of ticks, climb up on plants that are located where humans or other animals commonly pass by, that they can latch onto and then crawl around on and then feed on in a slow manner during the next few hours, then drop off. The deer ticks are very hard to see because they're very small, the size of a "large period at the end of a sentence". My understanding is, if you get treated early on with antibiotics you can prevent getting the Lyme disease if in fact you have been exposed to it. Do you know whether there have been reported cases of Lyme disease in your area. You should get medical attention for this in my opinion. It's very limited what you can really tell just from the nature of a bite or bites, but since you were outdoors, and if there is known to be Lyme disease in your area, this definitely does come to mind as a possibility. When dealing with mosquitoes, ticks, and other arthropods that can make you very sick, it can almost give bed bugs a pass to seem benign by comparison.
Louise

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Apr 21 2011 23:26:10
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jrbtnyc - 13 hours ago »
When dealing with mosquitoes, ticks, and other arthropods that can make you very sick, it can almost give bed bugs a pass to seem benign by comparison.

Y'know, that is a very good point.

Thank you for giving me some perspective on the whole bed bug issue.
djames1921

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Apr 22 2011 8:45:52
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After a month of having bed bugs, you would be able to find physical signs of them, the bugs themselves, cast skins or fecal traces that they left behind.
christyyyy

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Apr 22 2011 8:46:10
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Thanks. But I think it's from a mosquito now, because my mum was cleaning the house, and told me there was a big fat mosquito right near where I first got itchy. Also, the ring isn't that defined now.. I can only see it if I maneuver my wrist in a certain way. Otherwise it's just red. Does that sound like a bull's eye formation?

At this moment, I'm hoping it's a mosquito as I can't imagine going into war with bed bugs. I guess I'll have to wait and see if they are bed bugs or not.
christyyyy

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Apr 22 2011 8:49:28
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djames1921 - 1 minute ago »
After a month of having bed bugs, you would be able to find physical signs of them, the bugs themselves, cast skins or fecal traces that they left behind.

Thank YOU! I've been really careful in checking my room for bugs, blood stains or fecal marks but have yet to find anything. I'll still be on the lookout, but this has made me feel better. I think I once read somewhere there could be NO visible signs until 7 months later!
bbstalker

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Apr 22 2011 15:39:51
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I agree with jrbtnyc. Christy, I strongly suggest to get to a doctor - asap! - to be sure this is not a Lyme disease deer tick bite. If deer live in your area, I'm sure your doctor is very familiar with it. Take a picture asap; the bite WILL fade with time. It is easier to diagnose by the bite than by testing your blood. If left undiagnosed, this can become a serious and chronic disease. If caught early, it is easily treated with a round of antibiotics.
christyyyy

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Apr 25 2011 8:31:05
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Hi guys, thanks for the info about Lyme disease and I've done some research. I live in Australia and I read there's no confirmed cases of Lyme disease here, and not near any deer thank goodness. But the bite is still itchy. It's healing very slowly.. it's almost been a week, and it's still red and itchy (though a bit less than initially).

Anyone have any idea what it could be?