Have been posting w/o formal introduction « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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Have been posting w/o formal introduction

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Itchy-Scratchy

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Posted 4 years ago
Sun Aug 3 2008 19:54:28
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I've been posting to this site for over a week now, but haven't formally introduced myself. My name is Kate and I am a bed-bugger sufferer.

I'm 44 years old and have a 25 year old daughter. Life isn't easy when you are a 19-year-old single mom, but I've managed. I put myself through school at night and then helped my daughter go to University. I have spent most of my life dreaming of a happy ending, where my daughter and I have good jobs, are financially secure and have found that special someone. I was thinking that this might just be the year, because my daughter graduated with her BSc and life seemed to be settling into a nice routine.

My daughter moved back home to continue her studies last June. She brought along her cat, Gulliver, whom I love dearly. We needed to amalgamate two apartments, so we were really crammed into this space. Too much furniture and only four rooms! But we both like this apartment so much, we decided to try to find a way to make it work. It's a big two-bedroom apartment which has a panoramic view of the Ottawa River. Rent is only $790 a month (and includes all utilities and parking). I've lived in the apartment for 16 years.

Unbeknowst to us, other tenants within the building began to suffer from bedbugs last December.

In February of this year, my daughter began to have terrible rashes. She was visiting doctor after doctor, unable to find resolution. Hundeds of dollars were spent on various prescription creams. In the meantime, I was travelling back and forth to Washington DC on business, so I kept telling her to "go back to the doctor". Gosh, we were both SO CLUELESS!!

On July 7th, my daughter woke up and found bugs on her. We still had no inkling it could be bedbugs because we'd never really heard of them. It wasn't until a coworker told me to google BBs that the horrible truth began to set in. That evening, we pulled her sheets away from the headboard and found 4. And then the nightmare began.

Our landlord told us to pack up the bedrooms in garbage bags and our first treatment was July 14th. I had 36 hours to pack my bedroom because I was flying out to Washington again. Most of my stuff will need to be "decontaminated" when I unpack. We had a follow-up treatment on July 24th. And our third treatment is scheduled for next Wednesday, August 6th. The landlord has purchased encasements for both beds, and we're hoping they arrive with the third treatment. The landlord is NOT treating the surrounding apartments. He had ORKIN inspect the surrounding apartment, but no evidence of BBs was found. The treatments, thus far, have only been to the afflicted apartments. I've tried to argue with him about this, but am getting nowhere.

So far, we haven't seen a lot of bugs, but we have lots of bites (on both of us) and bloodstains on the mattress and the couch (where my daughter now resides). We've been bagging, washing and vacuuming non-stop over the last month. We live in fear that we will never be rid of them.

I've faced a lot of problems alone during my lifetime, but I have to say that BBs are right up there with the worst. I am deathly afraid that I will be forced to move without any of my possessions (as some of the success stories on this site indicate people have abandoned much of their possessions when moving). What's in my apartment is pretty much all I have to show for decades of hard work.

Basically, I'm really scared.

My daughter and I have always been very close, but now that we're living in 2 rooms, we're practically on top of one-another. Last night, my daughter said "I miss being able to close a bedroom door". I remember when we'd have the odd fight, she'd slam her bedroom door. I hated it. Now, I wish I could hear it again. Oh, to have a normal fight again. We don't fight anymore because every other problem seems so small now.

Normally, I am far more articulate that this posting. I think it might be sleep deprivation. And my brain sometimes shuts down from all the stress. I'll be watching t.v. and suddenly, half-way through the movie, have no idea what's going on.

I just want to have a home again. No more big dreams. No more happy endings. Just a home where I can relax. That's what I wish for.
barelyliving

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Posted 4 years ago
Sun Aug 3 2008 20:27:32
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"I just want to have a home again. No more big dreams. No more happy endings. Just a home where I can relax. That's what I wish for. "

Reading that made me cry. I'm so sorry for all of us. How do we get our futures back for ourselves and our kids?

If you have to walk away-- do it. We own, we don't have that option.
Anonymous

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Posted 4 years ago
Sun Aug 3 2008 21:36:48
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Itchy,

It may not seem that way to you right now, but your landlord is actually more on top of things than many others we've heard of. You are getting appropriately-spaced treatments and the surrounding units have been inspected. Many pest control companies, if not most, will not treat without evidence of infestation. Inspections, as long as they are thorough and, in my opinion, are done before and after treatments (there may be no bedbugs in adjacent or nearby units now, but after treating, guess what, sometimes they spread), are the best defense.

If I were your landlord, of course, with a building that has had infestations since December at least, I would inspect all units, and definitely not just the adjacent units to known infestations--and I would educate all tenants about bedbugs. Maybe that is something you can do, talk to everyone on your floor (at minimum). Make sure that what happened to you doesn't happen to others; clue them in and especially describe how there can be no allergic reaction. Show your neighbors what to look for. It might make a big difference.

Anyway, didn't mean to ramble, just to tell you you have reason to be hopeful. Much depends on the skill and experience of the technicians who actually do the services in your unit, but you can beat this and your landlord is not being negligent. Thinking of having to move is an understandable fear, and a month of fighting seems an eternity, but I think you're in good shape. Way better than most. So, keep your hopes up because you will make it out of this mess!

Best wishes...
Nobugsonme

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Posted 4 years ago
Mon Aug 4 2008 2:11:51
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You will get through this. You and your daughter have been through a lot, and this will be one more kind of adversity that bonds you even more. But it will not last forever. Hopelessnomo gives good advice. You have reason to work hard, but also to be very hopeful.
belle72

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Posted 4 years ago
Mon Aug 4 2008 10:50:20
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Kate, I am so sorry to read your story. It's hard to be both rational and have a sense of humor under such adversity but I see both in your post. I hope and pray that you can find the courage necessary to go on and beat this thing...won't that be a happy day when you can claim success?

Bareliving, we own too and so moving is out, we love our home and neighborhood. We're only seen one live bug EVER (before the first treatment, we didn't even know what it was) but have seen several tiny castings in the box springs and wood frame furniture. A month following our 2nd treatment, I have exactly 1 bite and Dh has a possible 3 (he is outdoors a lot so it could be anything but I am assuming Bbs). We've encased our bed in Allerzips, as well as hunted, inspected, vacuumed, thrown out a lot of excess things. Cannot find one. Zilch.

I'm suspicious of everything...had some beautiful rolls of Christmas wrap in a long drawer so we put them in one of those plastic under the bed bins and back in the drawer. But I know that's not really secure. I probably should toss them but it makes me feel dumb when I throw out things that I don't know to be infected, just fueled by my anxiety.
lieutenantdan

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Posted 4 years ago
Mon Aug 4 2008 11:12:17
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Itchy,
Sorry that you are now one of us. It is difficult think of anything much to say that would be encouraging any more. You are not alone in this and that is important. The amount that bed bugs have been spreading in the past couple of years means that more and more people who do not suffer today may tomorrow suffer. For years bed bugs had seamed to have vanished and now they are back. I am hoping that the industry and government will come up with a pesticide that can satisfy the environmentalist and take care of bed bugs.
What I believe may happen is that the bed bug population will grow so much that government will have take extreme measures and introduce a pesticide that may upset environmentalists. If these creatures were not so hard to get rid of bed bugs would not be as upsetting to us. Let us hope that they do not discover one day that bed bugs spread disease.
fightorflight

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Posted 4 years ago
Tue Aug 5 2008 0:38:20
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Wow, that was a moving introduction. For the first time I realized how much like an AA meeting this forum can be sometimes. "Hi, I'm Jane Doe and I've got bedbugs. My life has become unmanageable. I am ashamed and my family no longer wishes to be near me."

And all you want is your home. That is the bizarre tragedy of bedbugs. They effectively make you homeless in your own home.
ew_icky_bitey_critterz_go_away

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Posted 4 years ago
Sat Sep 6 2008 15:52:53
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fightorflight - 1 month ago »
Wow, that was a moving introduction. For the first time I realized how much like an AA meeting this forum can be sometimes. "Hi, I'm Jane Doe and I've got bedbugs. My life has become unmanageable. I am ashamed and my family no longer wishes to be near me."
And all you want is your home. That is the bizarre tragedy of bedbugs. They effectively make you homeless in your own home.

This pretty much sums up how I feel right now.
livinginahorrorfilm

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Posted 4 years ago
Sat Sep 6 2008 16:26:34
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I love this quote too. Crazy....on my way to a dinner that we can not show up to, and really really feeling sorry whoever sits beside me....so ashamed
kezz

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Posted 4 years ago
Sun Sep 7 2008 8:33:02
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Oh god, I havent had bedbugs confirmed yet but I am 99% sure. I already feel on the brink and just didnt realise how happy I was before.
. We own too so running is not an option, reading all the threads on here I really wish it was.
hugs to you all
Kezz xxx
bugbait

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Posted 4 years ago
Sun Sep 7 2008 17:21:37
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We own as well. No way will we move. I, too, feel exactly like all the rest of you....like belonging to AA. I'm addicted to this forum, due to real experiences, and all of us are in this hellish predicament together. kez - we went out to dinner with friends last night and I experience a small sense of 'normalcy' - happy for just a brief time. Today is back to drying, drying, washing, drying and bagging. I hope my optimism for a complete eradication of these buggers is not too false. We know exactly when they came into our house (18 days ago) and we've had Phase I of treatment from our PCO. He assured me we would 'win' over BB's. It is hard to even imagine we are all using this forum.... it is beyond any nightmare I've ever had....
hatshepsut

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Posted 4 years ago
Mon Sep 8 2008 6:09:45
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Hi everyone,
I'm new here myself. It makes me feel a bit better to know that others have lived through this, and I'm grateful for all the advice. We just found evidence yesterday (two small areas of feces--one on the mattress pad, and one on a pillow-- and one live bug in my husband's pillow.) My best case scenario is that it's a small infestation that can be treated relatively easily. I feel like each day my chances of that diminish. I'm already exhausted just thinking about the work and expense involved. On the other hand, I know there are much much much more tragic things that can happen to a person. So instead of a vacation to Europe, we'll be treating our BBs. I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty minor. But still--really, really annoying.
Thanks everyone.