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My story, with questions.

1. 

   Para
   

   newbite
   Joined: Jan '12
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   Posted 1 year ago
   Thu Feb 2 2012 12:49:03
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   Hi, I’m Para…as in short for Paranoid, and this is my bb story.
   Questions I’m trying to answer
   Is it bed bugs? Fleas, mites carpet beetles??
   Was it a one time thing or did the lil bugger start a family somewhere in my room?
   And most importantly…where on earth did I pick this thing up??

   January 27th I went out for the first time in weeks, stopped at two clubs..one of which I did coat check then came home. I woke up the next day with 4 bug bites…then another appeared later that day. And when I say appeared I mean it started to itch a couple hrs after I found the first set of bites. I thought that either I had brushed up on something that irritated my skin or I had been bitten by something. I did my laundry as usual that weekend then went to my doctor the following Monday, Jan 30th.

   She took one look at the bite pattern (3 in a row) and said ‘Bites like that are usually due to bed bugs’. I immediately started panicking..bed bugs?! At this time after doing some preliminary investigation on the internet I was convinced that there was probably a huge colony of them lurking in my room and I would probably be covered with these itchy bumps by the end of the week . The doc instructed me to go home and wash all my linen and anything I wore in the last few days in hot water. I did this then started doing some more research…only to realize that if I wanted to really nip this issue in the bud I had to take more drastic measures.

   I ordered what I like to call my Bedbug Weapons of Mass Destruction, DE powder, Bedlam, Rubbing alcohol, double sided tape, bleach, a steamer, a vacuum cleaner, moth balls, mattress and box spring covers and hot shot bed bug spray.

   Still in a panicked state I was afraid to sleep, and had a couple nights where I literally twisted and turned in bed all night, waking up at intervals. Tuesday night I came home from work, looked at my bed and just burst into tears. Melodramatic? Maybe…but I am TERRIFIED of bugs, worse yet bugs that come out at night and suck my blood. Save that ish for a Twilight movie! Lol. However, after I woke up Wed morning at dawn, staring at the ceiling and frantically slapping and rubbing any part of my skin that brushed against something, whether it was my comforter or my sheets I realized I needed peace of mind.( I was also continuously running my hands over the exposed skin checking for new bites), I decided to carry out a preliminary inspection of my bed. I looked at the edges of the mattress, all its seams, flipped it over and checked underneath. Nothing. I inspected the box spring’s top then ripped its base off and checked its slats…still nothing. I knew this didn’t mean there wasn’t one hiding elsewhere…like the shelf near my bed or the window frame etc but I did feel a little better that there were no visible signs. I took this to mean that either the infestation was light OR it was a single bug that I tracked in that Friday night.

   Today is Thursday Feb 2nd, 5 nights after I was first bitten and I haven’t seen any signs of a bed bug neither have I been bitten again. My BBWPA arsenal has been delivered so between today and tomorrow I will be giving my room and belongings the most thorough spring cleaning EVER! My mother always said it’s better to be safe than sorry, and I prefer to err on the side of caution than ignore those first bites and end up with a full on infestation later on.

   I apologize for the length but I just wanted to give a thorough description of my situation. I will continue to update as things unfold and I welcome any comments or suggestions in the meantime!

2. 

   bed-bugscouk
   

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   Joined: Apr '07
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   Posted 1 year ago
   Thu Feb 2 2012 13:01:54
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   Hi,

   OK first of all bites do not = confirming signs of bedbugs. As good as your Dr may be at medicine they are lousing at giving you advise about insects.

   You can't tell by bites along what is causing the issue just that there is an issue that needs to be investigated. The 3 in a row is not reliable and those who know what they are talking about will confirm that.

   Out of your BB-WMD the following should be returned to where they came from:

   • double sided tape
   • bleach
   • moth balls
   • mattress covers
   • hot shot bed bug spray
   
   

   Before you start treating you need to confirm what is going on first and then get educated about the correct way to self-treat. To confirm you must find one of the following:

   [/list]

3. Live samples
4. Cast skins
5. Faecal traces

[list]

If you find any of those then you need to read the DE FAQ and make sure you get off on the right foot.

It will help you also to keep an open mind as the issue may not be bedbugs until confirmed and there are enough people out there who have battled for 18 months against bedbugs only to realise its something else when simple solutions like taking shoes and socks off till you can remove the allergens is all that was ever needed.

Hope that helps.

David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited