I confirm that I have bed bugs and suddenly a million bites?

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I confirm that I have bed bugs and suddenly a million bites?

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help_me

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 2:12:49
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Maybe it's all in my head or perhaps my stress/thoughts are triggering a bigger response but I've been finding marks and bumps on me more recently and ever since 1: the dog alerted on Saturday 2: finding a dead bug in the dryer yesterday while doing the bedding, it seems I'm just covered in bumps. I don't see how I could be bitten that many times without seeing something. I don't want to see anything but you'd think, this many bites, there must be many things biting me. I itch all over but I've also been showering more frequently (even before having evidence that there may be something wrong just out of intuition) and I have been taking very very hot showers. So more frequent showering on very hot. Could that trigger red spots on my skin? My neck is totally broken out right now and part of that I think is from wearing a metal choker and sweating all night on Fri/Sat nights while dancing. I don't know. Maybe I'll take some photos tomorrow, if I can. Maybe I'll do some tonight. I seriously feel itchy all over now though, even in areas normally covered.
buggy_eyed_fool

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 2:39:48
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I would love to see a picture. I'm suffering from a horrible rash right at this moment too. It is 2:30am and I'm almost in tears. Desperate. I had a cortisone shot yesterday and I'm getting worse. The left side of my face is swollen and my eye is almost completely swollen shut. I know I have bugs -- I don't know if they are bedbugs or batbugs. Pest control is coming this afternoon to confirm. I don't know if this rash is bug related or just a really bad reaction to SOMETHING. Do you have spots, or whole patches of red? Mine looks like a whole body heat rash. Here's a picture of mine: http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac111/sshick561/100_3956.jpg. Any similarities? I'm just trying to see if there are people out there that's had a bad reaction like this to bedbugs. Most people just say they have the spots in a line or the big red welts.

Hope you can get to the bottom of yours. This is a nightmare.
help_me

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 2:43:09
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Stay tuned, just took a bunch of pics and I am going to upload them right now but it will take a couple minutes.
Saturn

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 15:24:16
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Frequent showering with very hot water is likely to make even mild skin irritation worse... in fact it triggers an increased release of histamine (the compound that makes you inflamed and itchy). Plus, it can dry your skin out, which makes it itchy and more prone to irritation. I'd cool it on the showers and see if that helps. I'd bet that a lot of the itching is not from actual bites.
AshamedandScratching

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 15:34:22
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I have a heat rash like rash, too.
help_me

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 16:23:42
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Sorry I haven't gotten any photos up yet, had a long crazy day yesterday and after emailing them to myself I never actually received the email. Was falling asleep at the computer waiting so I gave up. Will post them tonight at some point, I just had a cd made with all the images from my phone.

I will make an effort maybe not to shower less frequently but use cooler water. I try to wash myself at 120. It's probably more psychological cleansing than anything else, telling my brain I am clean. I had an obvious triangle on my upper shoulder and now when I look I see other bumps in that area, I even now see a row of bumps more than the triangle. Still doesn't mean they aren't bug related but it might mean they are not.
AshamedandScratching

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Posted 1 year ago
Wed Sep 21 2011 16:47:08
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You need to stop that 120 thing. The water will drown them. They aren't invisible, even the really small ones. That will only hurt you and like Saturn points out make your bite response worse.

FWIW, I have never caught one on my body when not feeding and a moving you is not exactly an easy buffet.
LAWoman

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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 23 2011 3:07:24
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I'm sorry to hear you're going through this, it's really tough I know. I flew into a panic with every new bump and pimple and welt I saw on myself or family members including my son who suffered a slight allergic reaction to shellfish and broke out in what I thought were hundreds of bed bug bites on his arms. Until they faded away an hour later leaving me wondering if I'd imagined what I'd seen.

And I'm going to echo what Saturn and others on here say about the hot baths and just bathing more than usual possibly contributing to your rash/bites. Also keep in mind that stress can cause rashes and hives as well as pimples. I broke out in all manner of hives, welts, bumps and rashes largely just due to my emotional state. These all disappeared to a large degree once I got confirmation that there weren't bed bugs in my house and perhaps never had been. Although being an uber-sensitive skinned person anyways I always have itching and bumps so it's hard to tell.

The best course of action is to take positive steps to identify and treat if you do have bed bugs or identify what else the problem might be. And try something cooling for your skin rather than heat and I think you'll soon feel better. I used ice packs and Bond's Gold Body Powder (I think that's the name) which helped alot.

And buggy_eyed_fool I hope you're feeling better and saw a doctor again about your symptoms. It is always possible to be one of the few who have a severe allergic response to bed bug bites - something that is possible with any insect bite really.
buggy_eyed_fool

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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 23 2011 11:04:50
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Thanks LAWoman. I ended up having to go back to the doctor as my body was swelling up everywhere. Two hefty shots of steroids and a shot of Benadryl seemed to do the trick.I'm still red, but the burning has lessened significantly. My problem now is just extreme dry skin. I'm lathering on the aloe though and it's helping a ton. Due to the circumstances yesterday, I had to cancel the appointment with the PCO. I watched a million youtube videos on bedbugs last night ... and I'm about 95% certain we don't have them; although, I found another bug in my daughter's crib this morning. The videos I've seen of these critters, they seem to be really visible and hard shelled. Is that right? The ones I see are so tiny, you have to squint to really see what they are. My anxiety has let up quite a bit. Probably a good thing considering this rash I've had ....

help_me -- I'm still eager to see your pictures! Is your situation getting better?
AshamedandScratching

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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 23 2011 13:05:54
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post pictures for identification. Bedbugs are..sorry..very small. The smallest stages are hard to see, but not invisible. I'd not describe them as hard shelled, more like a armor-scaled inflatable ballon.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Sep 23 2011 13:10:27
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Please post pictures of suspected bed bugs. There are instructions in the Green Sticky entitled "FAQs about the Forums".

Note that photos of suspected bed bug bites aren't liable to lead to any resolution, since reactions vary so widely.