Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tales of Bed Bug Woe
friends, hugs, paranoia, so many questions...
(2 posts)-
ewwbugs
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 17offline
Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 21 2010 10:48:26
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does anyone have any advice on coping with super-paranoid friends when you have bedbugs?
Backstory: My roommate and have just recently had our third treatment after discover bedbugs about two weeks ago. Neither of us have seen an actual bug in about six weeks, but my roommate had a resurgence of bites after the second treatment, which now seem to be subsiding.
Anyway one of my friends is really paranoid about bedbugs. She has stopped hugging me...and we are a group of friends who ALWAYS hug. I don't feel like I am putting my friends at risk by hugging them. I never found any bugs or evidence of bugs in any of my clothes while washing/drying them for treatment prep, and have been very careful about clothing storage (my living room is full of plastic bags!) and making sure what i wear out of the house is "clean".
But maybe i shouldn't be hugging my friends? Is this actually a (real) risk? I am pretty sure that i read something shortly after i got them which said that although it would be possible, it is extremely unlikely.
Also same friend didn't want some books back that she lent me. So now i am wondering is visual inspection sufficient to determine that there aren't bedbugs or eggs in a book? Or papers? I had a box of papers which i had been storing under my (very infested) bed...i went through the box item by item while decluttering, didn't find anything there. Should i still be treating books and papers even if i have checked them carefully and seen no signs of bugs? How? I flat out can't afford a packtite. Can i take books out from the library?
I feel like she is envisioning my whole apartment/everything i own absolutely crawling with bugs, which they really aren't, nor have they ever been (i count myself pretty lucky in that respect). I am also frustrated in her lack of faith in me, she is acting like i have done no research and like i am taking no precautions.
She is a naturally anxious and paranoid person, and i am trying to keep that in mind and not let her attitude make me feel badly about myself. But i am worried that her paranoid will spread in our group of friends (i know my "situation" has been discussed when i have not been there). I am also seriously worried that if she ever does pick up bbs...from anywhere...i will be blamed.
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SearchandDestroy
senior member
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 452offline
Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 21 2010 11:26:50
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It's tough. Actually even though we had bbs, I was afraid to hug my step-daughter who works in a dry cleaning establishment. Ridiculous, huh? I guess paranoia is real. If your friend feels that way, then that's how she feels. Try not to take it personally.
Books.. well, I always packtite my daughter's library books and any books that we had in the house had the same treatment. Again, maybe overkill..but that's what made me feel thorough.
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