Need help. Am not getting treatment because they can't find evidence.

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Need help. Am not getting treatment because they can't find evidence.

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almostdying

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 17:48:34
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Hello-

I need help. Here is a little background. We found bed bugs in our apartment in June and had a PCO come check it out. He found the bugs in the headboard and sprayed insecticides on the baseboard, the bed frame, and slats. We found more when he left and burned all of the eggs and live bugs we could find. The PCO returned one more time for treatment in the same room. After the PCO came, we found 2 or 3 live ones. Fast forward a few months, we (really just me) were still getting bit but could not find any evidence. We hired a bb dog and the dog detected a bug in the room that we weren't sleeping in (we could not determine if there were any there previously). However, the dog did not detect any in the room we were sleeping in. The dog came in for a second inspection and did not find any signs of bugs. While all this was going on, I was still getting bites here and there. The PCO asked me to go see a derm, thinking that the bites may not be from bugs. I went to the derm, (spent a lot w/o insurance) and they had inconclusive evidence. I'm out of options. I don't know what to do since the PCO won't treat without any physical evidence of the bugs, or even traces. Help? Should I get another PCO? What should I do? Its been such a long time...and I really need to find a solution. I want to get thermal but I know that companies won't do it unless they find evidence. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
bitten123

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 18:33:10
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I have alot of empathy, but not much advice. I know it is not a perfect solution, but perhaps if you ccan afford it, you could buy/rent one of those bed bug monitors that is supposed to be on the market next month.

Or you could try the glue trap with the hand warmer every night for 7 to 10 days to see if that works. The directions for those traps is in the FAQ section somewhere.

I have no idea why you are being bit, is it possible you could be being at work and not at home?
Itchy-Scratchy

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 18:50:11
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Oh boy, I've been in your shoes.

Sometimes the PCO will accept blood stains on the sheets as evidence. If you are waking with small round blood stains on the sheets, don't change the sheets because you will need to show him. If you find any more BBs, make sure you hang onto them in Ziploc bags. And, strange as this sounds, don't give the PCO all of your evidence. You may need to hang onto some "extra" evidence for the future.

I am very surprised that the PCO told you to see a doctor. My daughter suffers terribly from the bites. We took her to the doctor, and then various specialists, and nobody could diagnose the problem. THEN we found BBs. So seeing the doctor wasn't any help at all.

My only other suggestion is that you turn your home upside-down to try to find more evidence. Where did you find the 2-3 live ones? Perhaps if you look around that area, you will find more??

Good luck to you,
Kate
almostdying

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 18:57:55
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Thanks for the advice! Its such a frustrating situation. I've looked all over the place for these bb's. The last time we saw a live one and any sort of evidence was probably..4 months ago? I guess I might need to get one of those BB monitors...so stressful.

Bitten-Has the handwarmer thing worked for you?
terry glasson

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 19:29:15
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Hi, your problem relates to a question I have posted under technical questions. In my experience as a PCO (I assume this means pest controller) I have noticed that when strong smelling pesticides are used, the bugs that aren't killed will pull back into cavities in the wall, cieling, floor to avoid the smell and danger. They then seem to stay put and come and feed on you from there. This might exp[lain why a bug was found in an adjacent room. I suggest you thoroughly clean any old spotting in the room and monitor any new spots that appear. If they are accessing you form off the bed, youy can also put double sided tape around the bed legs and isolate the bed from any walls, furniture etc. This way the tape will catch them when they come to feed. If the above theory proves correct,I would find a PCO who knows what they are doing.
almostdying

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 19:41:21
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There is hope! I contacted a therampure provider and they are coming in for a quote. They said they will treat even without hard evidence since the bb's are almost IMPOSSIBLE to find. ( I threw my bag of bb's away a few months ago)
djames1921

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 20:06:21
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I like terry's idea. Lots of sticky monitors on the bed where you are sleeping. Draw them into the trap and there is your evidence. Isolate the bed so the only access to you is through a sticky trap or tape, etc. Good luck
parakeets

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 20:11:21
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I'm glad about ThermaPure coming. The nice thing about heat treatment is that it will kill the other bugs, too, so on the odd chance that your bites are from something else, that "something else" will die as well.

I'm running into the problem that if they don't detect them, they don't treat in my apartment. My bedbugs were driven into the walls just as Terry Glasson's excellent post above suggests. I even had them in my ceiling light fixture. I don't know if bedbug dogs can detect bedbugs in a high ceiling light fixture when they inspect a room.

The clue in your post is that you said your "apartment." You could easily be getting bitten by bugs that live in a neighboring apartment and you wouldn't even find them in yours. Be sure to caulk the living daylights out of the place after you have the heat treatment.

Oh, and I agree with Itchy-scratchy about doctors not being able to diagnose bedbug bites. I was told by the dermatology clinic that I had a rash when I had confirmed bedbug bites and my gynecologist referred me to the dermatologist because she said they were bites and since I was being bitten at night in bed they were, but she was not a dermatologist so she couldn't officially diagnose them.
Itchy-Scratchy

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Posted 4 years ago
Thu Nov 20 2008 21:10:52
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Parakeets, I feel like I haven't "seen" you in ages.... we must have been posting on different threads for the last few weeks. It's good to see your name again.

I like the idea ThermaPure kills all the bugs!! Wish my landlord would pay for that!

You're gynecologist referred you to a dermatologist? Oh my, dare I ask where you were being bitten?