Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed bug bites, skin, etc.
Is it just me?
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 9:21:21
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Is it just me or does it happen to anybody else? I found out a week and half ago that my new apartment has bedbugs. I have had my first treatment and have only seen one live bug since. I have no new bites. Well, I carpool with one of my coworkers and she freaked out when I told her and so cleaned her car like a madwomen and won't even come inside my apartment. This morning I get in her car and the first thing she says to me is that she got a bite last night. And basically we got into it about if she has bedbugs I have to pay for her treatment and blah blah. Not a good situation. I have had other people joke about it with me about the whole situation. I don't even ride in her car everyday. And I am pretty sure my parents house would get them before she does since I am in their car and house a lot more than I am in hers. Anybody have any suggestions on what to do? I am trying to tell her she will be ok, but is she really? I guess it is possible she could have got them in her car from my clothes but I really doubt it.
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parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 913
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 9:54:42
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I wrote an essay for my essay writing class about having bedbugs, and the week after I handed it out in class, half the class dropped out. Saying you have bedbugs is like saying you have leprosy. There are literally people who will look at you and cry "Unclean." Plus anyone you tell, if they get bedbugs, they are then sure any bedbugs they ever get are YOUR bedbugs. I really relate. This co-worker's reaction is her, not you. I would not even sure her bite is a bedbug bite at this point. This might really freak her out, but ask her if she has seen any fecal spots or blood smears.
I had a medical professional who refused to treat me (didn't even want me to come to his office) when he found out I had bedbugs. That one really hurt.
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Bedbugs can definitely hitchhike via clothing, purses, briefcases, etc. and infest new locations. They're designed to hide. And eggs and nymphs aren't easily seen unless you really search for them with a bright light & magnifier. Bedbugs don't spread this way in every instance that someone's battling bedbugs - thank god! But it's a very real possibility. I've seen more than a few reports of people who report light infestations but find a bedbug crawling under their clothing at work or at school. They're people who post on this board who got bedbugs from a friend or family member.
Therefore, a lot of people take extra precautions to reduce the risk that the stuff they wear and carry out of their home might have a random bedbug or egg. You don't want to have this spread inadvertently to others. Not only would it suck for them, but then you might get reinfested.
Check out the FAQs on managing clothing during treatment and traveling.
The idea is to designate clothing for wear outside the home. Launder and dry these clothes according to the protocols recommended in the FAQ. Immediately out of the dryer, seal the "outfit" in an airtight ziploc bag. When you leave your home, only wear an outfit that's been properly laundered and isolated, and therefore better assured to be free of bedbugs.
If you carry a bag, launder it and dry it if you can. Or steam and vacuum it - keep it ziplocked while at home. Don't wear the shoes you wear outside around your home.
You can develop your own system, but that's what I did. I offer it as a guideline.
It's a pain, but - to me - it's well worth it. If you adopt these protocols, then you can let your friends know the extreme measures you're taking to keep the bugs from spreading. Hopefully, it'll be reassuring for all.
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 10:14:25
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It is definately frustrating. I am really glad you can relate. I asked her and she said she didn't look this morning but she will look when she gets home tonight. She said she didn't even notice the bite until she was putting lotion on this morning and it started itching(on her leg). She showed me her one little bite. It didn't look like the bites I had, plus there was only one. I am assuming if she had bedbugs she would wake up with more than one bite. I have friend that gets massages from my sister and he won't come to my apartment for a massage anymore because of bedbugs. Eventhough I have had treatment and told him he could get massaged in the living room where I have had no sign of any bedbugs(had treatment in there too, just to be on the safe side) he still won't. It is stressing me out on not having a social life.
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parakeets, that's horrible!
I've read the FAQ you wrote on the precautions you take during traveling, and have a sense from your forum posts what a conscientious person you are. That sucks, and I'm sorry you went through that.
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 10:18:55
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I have been following all the precautions in my clothing and traveling. I have everything in Ziploc bags. She is worried about before I knew I had bedbugs that I may have spread them to her. I think it is possible but I think my other friends and family would probably be more at risk then she is.
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hatebugs,
The feelings of social isolation and being treated like a contaminated outcast are terrible. I've been there. You don't have to kill your social life. Just tweak it a bit. While undergoing treatment, I would minimize the number of visitors you have to your home. Yeah, it sucks at a time when you need social support more than ever, but it's a reality of bedbug treatment. People do carry them home from visiting infested places. I think it's reasonable that your friend doesn't want to lie still for several minutes to an hour in an apartment with bedbugs. If it were my home he refused to come to, it would sting to hear, but I would understand.
You deserve major props for being open with your co-workers and friends. I know you had treatment. Make sure the pro comes back within two weeks of the first treatment to get any newly hatched bedbugs. Those chemicals don't usually exterminate the eggs. I hope the bugs are gone. I hope you never get another bite.
Wait 'til you've been bite-free for several weeks - and don't see even one bedbug during that time - before you consider resuming having people over.
p.s. oh, okay, didn't know you're following precautions.
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poorBugger
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 63
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 11:10:20
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this strikes close to home for me...
i'm not sure of my source really...most likely the home health nurses back in january after my surgery...could have been the bus...but i don't ride it nearly as often anymore, just for the occasional appointment...could have been the theater...i frequently go there...and i worry about the neighbor two houses down (single family dwellings), who emptied the thrift store she was running and stored it all in her backyard...would the bugs pack their hobo bags and travel this far?...i also worry about the guy accross the street who took down the rental house with saw and sledge hammer, putting it all in a dumpster on the street...if there were bedbugs in that house where would they go?...have i picked them up on that side of the street just passing by?...
i've laundered my clothes and put in ziplocs...my son goes to school clean...his shoes are outside...if he goes to play with a friend, or to grandma's now, he'll be clean...that's as much as i can do really...sure, i can slit my wrists (just kidding), but that only ends MY nightmare...doesn't help anybody else...
if someone got them from me in the months i didn't know...it's water under the bridge...i can't bring it back and make it right...sure, my house is cluttered and unclean...disability sucks...i didn't purposely seek to live this way...i don't allow people into my house...i'm ashamed, yes...but i also feel it's my safe place...i have to deal with people's judgementalism out in the world, but not in my house...and consequently i feel very angry and violated at the thoughts of a home health nurse going from house to house possibly transferring these beasts along the way...i feel kicked when i was down...
anyway, back on topic...yes i may have inadvertantly spread them when i didn't know, but my friends' families travel, their professions put them at greater risk than me or my son...they may even have them already from some other source and be tolerant and in denial, i don't know...but i have to weigh that too...and prepare my defense in advance of the accusations...and minimize risk...
i can relate to your friend not wanting to come for a massage...these bedbugs are life altering, you'll never view the world the same again...i can't, with any equanimity, walk into my friend's house, or business location to use my massage gift certificate...how do you relax and de-stress when you know the bedbug-unaware are coming there possibly 'with friends'?...not to mention obsessing about spreading them there if you know you have them?...and talking about it?...i'm not there yet...
sigh...i feel for ya tho, and hope things go better for you...
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 11:54:48
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PoorBugger, your situation is definately a lot worse than mine. I am so sorry:( It is definately frustrating when people think I am unclean. I not a super clean freak but I clean often. And the fact that I have only been in this apartment for 10 days when I started getting bites. I just wish I knew what to say to them to make them feel better about my situation. They like to joke around about it, which upsets me that they find humor in my misery. They can't understand why I have such a negative attitude the last few weeks, but they wouldn't understand. Then for the to accuse me of any bite they get, that is pretty messed up as far as I am concerned. It is depressing. I still try to live my life like normal, the only that is different is there is nothing in my bedroom besides my bed and dresser. My clothes are in Ziploc bags in the living room. It would be nice if they would just understand.
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 5 2007 17:32:23
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persona-non-bugga,
I definately don't blame him either for not wanting to come to my place. Hey at least he still talks to me! haha. I was such a mess when I found out that I had bedbugs, and I didn't tell anyone at first except my coworker that I ride with. I figured I might as well just tell my team what is going on before she does or if they were just wondering what was going on with me. It was very embrassing that is for sure. Maybe people are like "oh okay, that sucks" I don't think people have any idea what it is like having bedbugs until they have them and have to go through this crap. I know I didn't know/aware of how serious of a problem they can be. I have my second treatment on the 12th so I am hoping that I only need the two, but I guess we will see. Thank you so much for your advice and support! I really really appreciate it! -
Yeah, people who haven't gone through it usually don't understand it. At all.
Sorry if I got a little lecture-y there. You probably just wanted to vent. Lord knows anyone going through this is entitled to scream from the rooftops.
Anyway, sounds like you're making excellent progress. Hope you'll be free of these things with a quickness.
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BlueCanary
newbite
Joined: Oct '07
Posts: 5
Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 14 2007 14:32:01
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Ugh, hatebugs, that's terrible.
Most of my friends have been pretty understanding, but I think that it's because we're all college kids and they've never dealt with bed bugs before and, therefore, really don't fear them. It's usually me who does the worrying.The worst was when my family came over. They were trying to help me, I know, but would joke about whether or not it was safe to leave their shoes on the floor for 5 minutes or even to walk inside my house. It really hurt. I've gone through some lengths to make sure that bed bugs stay away from my guests (whether it be having my friends keep their bags in a designated, sealed location or putting all of my clothes and linens through the drier religiously).
My boyfriend also comes up every couple of weeks to visit (as I live in Montreal and he is about 6 hours away). He has probably been one of the most calming helpers (outside of my roommates). He's just taken to leaving clothing here. He puts his "travel clothing" in a separate sealed bag. After his first trip up, he simply disposed of his clothing. However, he recently made a trip to Norway and is now worried that he brought some back after staying in a hostel (actually, what's more accurate is that I worry that I gave them to him, but it just took a couple of weeks for them to bite). He seems nonplussed about the entire thing, but I can't help worrying.
I wish I didn't feel so diseased, that when I went to audition for plays, that I wasn't self-conscious about the scabs on my arms from where I've scratched the bites in the middle of the night. Or, having to worry about my friends coming over or my family feeling nervous just walking through my house.
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 15 2007 9:35:56
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BlueCanary,
It sounds like you and your roommates and boyfriend are taking the right precautions. I am sometimes glad that people don't really understand how bad bedbugs can be. The ones who seem to know something about them are the one who treat me like a disease. It is definately heartbreaking. My mom has been the only real supportive one for me. She has been the one who has been helping me out and I am very grateful for that. Although I know she worries about taking them home with her. I did buy some DE and gave her some to spread around their house just so she would feel safer. I just had my second treatment on friday and I took the face plates off my light switches and outlets and found that they have been there too. I had the PCO dust inside those too. I have not seen any bedbugs or gotten any new bites in 16 days now! I know my infestation wasn't very large but after seeing the holes inside the outlets, I am a little paranoid that they may have spread to my neighbors or they have just scattered for the moment. I guess time will tell.
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BlueCanary
newbite
Joined: Oct '07
Posts: 5
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 15 2007 16:25:57
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Congratulations about the no bites in 16 days! That's so great!
I'm pretty sure I'm the most paranoid about them out of most of my friends, my roommates included. Granted, they're getting bitten more than I am, but they've both felt a kind of "getting used to it" sensation. Part of this worries me; I know that the bed bug situation will just get worse if we don't take precautions. Right now, our infestation in relatively minor. We haven't found them in our beds, but rather in drawers or bedroom curtains. But if they continue to feed and multiply, I worry that what's now a relatively minor problem is going to escalate. I feel like I'm coming across as a bitch, constantly asking them to bag things up or vacuum or showing them what to ask the PCO when he comes by or what have you. But honestly, I'm just feeling frustrated (and I'm PMSing). I just got rid of my carpet and I can't get over how empty and sad my room looks with tape on my shelves (to keep them from dropping onto my bed), my bed on makeshift stilts, no carpet, and half-crazed attempts to patch random cracks in my floor/wall.
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BugginOutinBrooklyn
newbite
Joined: Oct '07
Posts: 12
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 15 2007 16:35:44
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I was commiserating this weekend with someone who has been through this about a year ago. Someone we were with asked what we were talking about. I said I had bedbugs-- he took two steps back. So, I hear you. I feel a great deal of anxiety thinking I could have passed them on-- but I don't know how/when I got them, so it's hard to say. I just have to hope that it is as unlikely as possible. As obnoxious as the carpooler was... hell, I might do the same thing one day, when all of this is behind me. Hopefully one day it WILL be behind me, though it feels right now like it never will be.
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 15 2007 16:45:05
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I don't blame you for maybe coming across bitchy to your roommates. I know I did with my family, because it is stressful time and when the rest of your friends and family don't understand what you are going through they just think you are being paranoid for no reason, when in reality we are doing it for our own good and theirs as well. I just moved into this apartment and didn't have them at the house I was at before here. I didn't use a moving truck or anything. So I am pretty sure they were there before me. Which just makes me more frustrated. My room is looking pretty sad as well. I didn't even get to finish unpacking before I had to pack everything up again. My PCO didn't find any BBs in my bed either, he found them in the ceiling above my bed. I know they have to still be in that wall though and there is signs of them in my outlets so I am sure they could have came from a neighbor or are moving into my neighbors now. I really hope not, but what can I do? I have do my cleaning, and precautions, and treatment so the rest is up to management about what they plan on doing for the rest of the units. I pretty much live out of my living room and just sleep in my bedroom with the bed in middle of the room. I bought some DE so I am thinking that will help if they try to come back. I am not sure if my management is going to pay for anymore treatments. I hate these damn bugs! I still don't sleep well because everytime I itch I wake up and look through my sheets and the rest of the bed to make sure nothing is crawling on me. I think we will be paranoid for awhile. I am too scared to even travel NYC or anywhere in that area since there seems to be a lot of people on here from there that have BBs and I don't want to bring back more of them. I know that is mean and sad, but I can't help but be paranoid.
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hatebugs
junior member
Joined: Sep '07
Posts: 35
Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 15 2007 16:48:53
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My coworker that I carpool with hasn't said anything else to me about her one bite. She is still being weird towards me though. She still won't come inside my front door or hangout with me outside of work like she use too. I guess you find out who your real friends are.
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