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Help...Body Lice or Bed Bugs....Please help
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duality11
newbite
Joined: Dec '09
Posts: 3offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Dec 25 2009 12:13:58
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About a month and a half ago, I was told that my downstairs neighbor had bed bugs, not by management but a neighbor. This was told to me two weeks after it was discovered in her apartment. Maybe a few days later I woke up with burning hives on my arms. I didn't know what it was so I went to see my doctor and he didn't know what it was either so he gave me allergy medicine. I started to think maybe the marks were possible bed bugs bites. I contacted my building management and they said it would take about 3 days for the PCo to come (I called on saturday). Later that day I actually saw one on my dresser (it was around 7-8pm, so they come out before dawn) and I bagged it. It was light brown. The building managment sent a PCO to check. They did not do a through inspection just spray. I ended up throwing out my couch when my boyfriend woke up with hives all over his stomach. It freaked me out! Anyway the PCO came again about ten days later and just sprayed the bed. I was furious and called management. I found another one crawling up the wall around 8am after coming in from the hospital. I ended up getting severe carpal tunnel/numbness in both hands, wearing braces, from bagging, picking things up, spraying. Anyway I bagged the bug and waited for them to come back in 10 days again. However during that time I started to feel them crawling on me, even biting me when I wore clothes. The bites are different, more pimple like and don't burn or itch. I mentioned this to the exterminator and he said it was all in my mind. I went online and checked and it seems like now I may have body lice. I am mortified, exhausted, overwhelmed....I'm afraid to go to anybody's house, I've isolated myself. I've washed and dryed (an hr each time)my clothes sooooo many times, they were already bagged when I found out about the bed bugs. It's christmas day and I don't want to go spend time with the family because I don't want to expose them. I'M SOO OVERWHELMED. I made an appt with my dermatologist for monday. I'm ready to throw away my clothes. I know they say you can keep them bagged for about a month and the lice will die but what about their eggs in my clothes. How long am I suppose to keep them there!!! I need some assistance. I'm literally in tears for the past couple of weeks. Please help....
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tisIsaidthefly
member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 176offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Dec 25 2009 15:18:10
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If you have body lice, you WILL see them as they're the largest of all the lice. I would
bet my life on it that you do not have lice - you probably have bedbugs and the reason you're not itching so badly is that you're one of the fortunate ones who isn't too allergic to their bites. Meanwhile, most people can rid themselves of lice by using lice shampoo and washing their clothes and bedding very carefully. I suggest you google lice and familiarize yourself with their appearances. I would bet the brown bug you saw WAS a bed bug. I am so sorry for your problem and I'm sorry for me to because these wretched critters have wreaked absolute havoc
upon my own life. I wish combat would come up with a way to kill these blood suckers like they did cockroaches. -
cilecto
oldtimer
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 3,869offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Dec 25 2009 15:30:00
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duality: Sorry, Welcome aboard. I'm not familiar with the hows and whys of BL treatment, but let me share my understanding of BB treatment as my understanding of the differences of BL vs BB.
BL: As I understand it, lice will take up and breed on your body and/or your clothes. They are tenaciouus in their hold.
BB: Feed on you, but prefer to get away from you once done. They do not try to breed or stay on your body. A shower will usually get them off. They typically try to "harbor" near you (i.e., in or near your bed or other furniture or in your clothes, stuff, etc. BB thrive because they are stealthy. It often takes multiple applications of chemicals to kill them and their eggs.
I don't know why people bag their stuff for lice treatment and for how long, but for BB, people bag for one of these reasons.
- Items are infested or suspect and are bagged pending treatment or until the bugs die, which, depending on accounts are 6 to 18 months. Note that this is longer than the duration you indicated.
- Items are being treated, e.g. by heat, but you don't want the bugs to escape into the general environment
- Items have been "cleaned" (washed if necessary and) dried (bugs die at 113-122F) and are being protected from becoming re-infestedDealing with either BB or BL is a b*tch (though techniques for BL are much better developed). If you have dual infestations, you will probably need to do practices that cover both (hopefully, you'll be able to kill two "birds" with one "stone".
You'll find a lot of support and knowledge here. Check out the FAQ and resources. Best of luck. Merry Christmas. -
bedbug beyond
newbite
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 2offline
Posted 2 years ago
Sat Sep 25 2010 22:49:18
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I seem to be experiencing the same quandary - but here's an interesting spin on it:
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