Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tales of Bed Bug Woe
PLEASE HELP! My life has ended, I have bed bugs now, too!
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victimized
new username: help_me
Joined: Nov '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Nov 13 2010 15:27:18
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[b]Dear forum,
While I am the calmest I've felt since last night, perhaps it is because I am at wits end. For several months I have been educating myself on the increasing bed bug problem and attempting to become as privy on prevention as possible! I stopped buying clothing, etc, but I fear all this over caution came too late.
Last year my sister moved into a new place and our main concern was on roaches. Once I knew the roaches had fallowed her there I stopped going. I went once after she moved in but never went again after that. Not long after they moved in she started complaining of bumps they were developing. I did not make the connection because I did not yet know anything about bed bugs. As I read into them more it eventually clicked. She had bragged about making this great bed purchase off Craigslist, that it is a $1200 mattress for $100. She also purchased a futon sofa and other various pieces of furniture. One day I made the suggestion about her bumps being related to bed bugs and she admitted that she knew that, that her apartment was infested.
Scathed, I started distancing myself as much as possible. There were a couple of times when I drove in her car, the most recent on a trip an hour away to buy a new car. I was to drive her new car home as she drove the old back. That evening I stopped into her flat for a minute just to see the condition. I walked from the steps to the landing and into her kitchen for about 2 mins and left. When I got home I stripped down but I don't remember if I laundered my clothes or not.
Either way, bed bugs have been ON MY MIND like you wouldn't believe. The thought of the risky actions I've done before becoming so aware of the possibilities of catching them made me frightened. Buying a small piece of furniture at the goodwill, a pair of shoes here, etc. One of the first pieces of literature I read was titled something along the lines of, "It isn't a matter of if you get bed bugs but when." I thought, gawd, I sure hope I am not doomed and destined to have them no matter what.
Last night I got home and was in a great and energized Friday mood. Went over to say hell to my cat who has been spending much time asleep on our sofa with my SO who has been sleeping there every night for about a month. He was asleep on my sweatshirt on the bunched up quilt on the sofa. Right near him I took notice of a small red bug and thought at first it was a spider mite. Upon inspection in the kitchen light I realized it was not the same. After brief research online and finding only bed bug images that resembled what I saw, a panic set-in. I started crying. I started inspecting the sofa and saw lots of crumbs. Wasn't sure what I'd find. Bottom line, after some continued research on the internet (everything I searched matching signs of bed bugs) and careful inspection of the sofa, I went into panic mode full-blast as I stared to note certain tufted areas had little black specs and white things. This felt like a sure sign that someone had been there. My final search led me to finding a tufted area with an actual bug settled in the back.
My family was threatening to take me to the hospital if I wouldn't start controlling my emotional state, that is how scared and upset I was by this horrible discovery. Yup, it was my time. I cried until literally I couldn't do it anymore but spent the rest of the night with heaves and a pounding heart. I had to skip a class trip today to be home to take care of this problem and am now waiting for the exterminator to come out. I stripped and washed the bedding, some of which I just didn't put back on, we both showered, and put clean clothes on. I slept very little in the night, imagining the feeling of bugs on me and every time my eyes were closed I would picture bed bugs. When I would fall asleep I'd wake up startled by the memory of what is going on.
He's been sleeping on the sofa and watching tv on it for weeks but has no marks. I have noticed pimple like marks on my back that do not itch but are a nuisance. Likewise I have noticed red marks occaisionally on my legs and arms but again thought it was either pimples of folliculitis? I have eczema and generally pretty sensitive skin but in recent weeks became suspicious.
It frightens me thinking about how I had just been laying on the sofa studying the other night, at that end of the sofa, and again sitting there a couple nights ago watching a movie and later went up to bed. I may have even taken a break to check my email on the bed.
This is a situation I cannot handle. I cannot. It's making me ill as I can only find bad things on the internet, that people can never get rid of them and that they can travel so easily. Not knowing how long they've been present in our house or where else even the are is making me insane. I no longer know what it safe and not safe, what I should or not use, bring to other parts of the house, etc.
My poor cats have been scratching a lot int he last couple weeks, too. Particularly around their necks. They might be in need of new Frontline though. As for my red bumps, I have not had blood marks on my sheets or pillow other than from where I know I had scratched (I know it's gross) or picked open by accident. Nor do they itch. I get itchy everywhere though and always check my skin when I feel that way out of paranoia.
All I want is my life back and to be able to relax in my house and go about doing things as I was before, albeit with ignorance. I'm still very shaken and feel there is nothing I can do. My sister is allowed to bring her laundry to my parent's house, despite my warnings to my mother against it. She claims they do not have any but I don't know. I am not also paranoia about riding in the car, in fears that they were brought into there or vice versa.
I really need any sliver of hope right now as it feels my situation is hopeless. As of this morning I was so depressed and axiety-ridden suicide was beginning to enter my mind. I no longer feel like I can trust my own stuff or house! We can't watch tv because that entails sitting in the living room. So far the two matching chairs APPEAR to be ok but I can't trust that, it isn't enough.
I know you also cannot provide counseling or therapy or anything, my situation is limited as far as that goes. I cannot afford a hospital stay in any regard right now but simply need some encouragement and proof at this time that there is hope. -
scaredsilly
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Nov 13 2010 16:27:35
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Everything will be ok. Many of us understand what you are going through and feel the same. The great news is that help is on the way, because you called a PCO. The most important thing is that you are not alone, and this forum is great support. Eventually this will pass. Sounds like you are doing the right stuff. My hubby does the same idiodic things your BF does. It will get better, and try to remember that in the big scheme of things, they are just bugs. I had my own little break down again last night and had to tell myself the same thing. It wont go on forever, hang in there!
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victimized
new username: help_me
Joined: Nov '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Nov 13 2010 18:44:53
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Thank you so much for your support. I realize my post was super long, it felt better to just ramble and let it out. It isn't fair that no one else around me seems to be as upset by this, least of all my other half! My mother has been trying to make me feel better in any way that she can but is getting a little annoyed by my emotional episodes because she thinks I am over reacting. They just don't know.
I am worried because now I have been obsessively inspecting my body and noticing all sorts of red marks and feeling itchy and like I am being bit all over but that was happening to me when I was worrying about cock roaches. My fear is that it isn't just a psychosomatic reaction to the situation and that I really am crawling with bugs. -
Itchy-Scratchy
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Nov 13 2010 19:48:15
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Hi victimized,
I know exactly how this feels. When I first start reading about bed bugs on-line, it's horrifying, overwhelming and feels hopeless. You feel like life will never be the same agan.I went through a similar phase. I remember one day where I cried, literally, the entire day. I didn't stop the whole day, I was wracked with sobbing for hours on end. I can't remember ever feeling so helpless. Honestly, I think that people who have never had to endure this problem don't have a CLUE what it's like. I describe it as being homeless with a roof over my head. I had nowhere to relax, nowhere to unwind and I simply could not afford to stop being vigilant.
I haven't posted on this site in a while, but saw your thread and wanted you to know that you WILL get through this. Our apartment building had 10 infested apartments and I went through 8 months of treatment ... the infestation was really bad. And I'm happy to report that the problem was solved. It's now been 2 years since the infestation. I never thought I'd have a normal life again ... but I do.
Please hang in there and just work the problem with your PCO. I know this isn't an easy process, but the problem CAN be solved. And while you'll feel itchy and paranoid for a while after it's all solved, eventually even your psyche will heal.
Take care,
Kate -
SearchandDestroy
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Nov 13 2010 21:30:22
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It's true..you do solve it. Seems like forever and feels overwhelming and anxiety producing but that's what we all do so your feelings are quite normal. And that's right, unless you've been in this situation..you don't get it.
Just do the steps, and one day you will be free.
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myrtille29
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Nov 14 2010 23:20:35
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Hi Victimized! I'm french so my english is not good but I undestand all what you said. I was feeling exactly like you. I know what it is, it is horrible to feel all your home infested. And to wake up each morning and remembering that... it's very tuff. I just want to tell you that it's now 3 years without bedbug and you can do it. I know it feels like the end of the life and like it would never be like before. It has change my life, I think about it often but I feel safe again in my bed and my couch! Good luck and I hope all will going good!!! Sorry for my english!
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Nov 15 2010 4:09:05
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victimized,
You will get through all this.
I would strongly urge you to find a professional to talk to about your anxiety and depression (you mentioned a lot of anxiety and suicidal thoughts). These are treatable problems, but don't go away on their own. Please seek professional help. You can ask your doctor for a referral, and there are usually programs to help people who cannot pay (or can't pay much) for treatment.
If you have suicidal thoughts in future, please call 911 and go to an ER immediately. If you need someone to talk to, you may also call a hotline. This post gives you links to suicide hotlines with trained staff who can help.
As far as the internet goes, it sounds like reading about bed bugs and looking at photos of them is stressing you out. You're not the first person who has had such an experience.
In your case, I would strongly urge you not to spend so much time (if any) doing so. It sounds like you are getting professional treatment. That's good!
Try to relax and not to go overboard. It's easy to feel like bed bugs are everywhere and that you will never get rid of them, but neither of these is true.
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jjakk
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 21 2010 15:02:54
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Dear 'Victimized',
You are not alone. It seems like there is an entire subculture of people who have the same experience you describe. Getting bitten and feeling helpless to stop it becomes a totally consuming mindset. No one thinks they will ever become of victim and when they do it literally puts you over the edge. I don't dare tell anyone about this other than my landlord and PCO. People are so generally ignorant of what these things are (as I was) that there is no way they can relate if it's not happening to them. You feel isolated, anxiety ridden and alone. I don't even want to go to bed at night and have spent many nights up till 4am researching, looking for evidence, thinking every spec I see is an egg or nymph and so on. I wonder how many people I may know may have been victimized but won't tell their story. It's like having a plague that can't be openly discussed. I had enough problems before this that had me over the edge and now I feel like a complete mental case. There are moments when I am reading all the crazy things we do and I just start laughing out loud at how the whole thing is so consuming and insane to experience. At times I find myself now telling myself that they are just little bugs and they cant kill me and I am going to kill them instead. I find that helps me cope. I mean I feel like my entire life has shifted into another dimension and everything else is on hold. Like living in a Twilight Zone episode. Also realizing that it has become such a widespread problem and that so many people have them helps put things in perspective for a few moments. We need to take breaks from the obsession - easier said then done. I am getting the bites but the PCO didn't find the evidence he was looking for so I am on hold now. The nymph thing is what gets to me the most. I have spent so much time reading and watching videos in the past 2 weeks that my mind is fried. Then reading about all the endless tasks to end the nightmare is so overwhelming to me I feel like it's impossible to handle along with the other physical and life situation problems I have. For example today I am thinking of all the measures I need to take and things to address, products to order and so on that I just find myself shutting down and saying the heck with it for today I need a break and have to put this in perspective. It's not going to get resolved overnight and there is only so much I can do each day. See I am ranting and venting too. I feel like a nutcase but can't even tell my friends what's going on. However I do believe that with determination and vigilance we will eventually get resolution to it. You're definitely are not alone. We all need to vent and air things out.
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victimized
new username: help_me
Joined: Nov '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 21 2010 16:45:44
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Nymphs freak me out too because they are so tiny and I imagine that they are so bloody tiny I can't see them but they're there! My PCO found no evidence either. It swears they would most likely be on or very near to the bed, that unless it was a bad infestation they wouldn't be coming through the walls from the neighbour's home, etc.
It sucks because I now want a K9 to come through and sniff things out and it would cost $350 a pop. That was my down payment to the company I went with, who doesn't use steam, doesn't know what Nuvan strips or Vikane gas is, etc.
I agree that we all need to vent. When the people around us get sick of hearing about the problem that is when it really gets lonely. Not to mention the hopelessness and being overwhelmed seeing so many things we still have yet to purchase, yet to do, etc. Everything I need to feel proactive costs around $300-$500. New dryer: $499. New floor to replace nasty old throw rug on subfloor with wall openings... $450. The steamer will cost either $300 or $600 depending on which I go with. Hate the spend the extra amount really want the commercial one for 6. Packtite, that would be another $309. Encasement to store sofa away in until bugs die, $149. Shed to put encased sofa in for two years, $378. Oy. Not to mention how much got spent in storage bins, bags, etc. to prepare for treatment.
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jjakk
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 21 2010 17:19:04
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For sure I hear you...the nymph issue has me thinking their imbedded in my sheets or bed and crawling on me at times. It definitely affects your mental health and every itch or tickle stirs your imagination. It's not even 2 weeks since I researched the bites and found they matched the series of 3 cluster bites. Then sometime over a week ago I got the 3 worst bites I have had and itched like hell. I had seen blood spots on my shirts and sheets before but was clueless as to what they could be. I now understand what can make people feel that they are losing their minds with this. Constant vigilance - roaming the place at all times of the night with a flashlight looking for the damn things. Staying up till 4 a.m. and dreading turning off the lights and trying to sleep. Then to have a PCO finally come here today and say 'well I don't see any black spots on your mattress or around the bed' and say it doesn't look like you have any visible signs of them. So I show him the bites on my back and he said yes I see them and they are in the typical cluster of 3. On one hand it's some relief but on the other it makes you feel like an idiot to say you suspect them. Heck, something is biting me on the back and they are almost as bad as the flea bites I got many years ago when I picked up a garden hose in a yard that was harboring 100s of fleas. Also yes the management aspect and cost of the products needed is overwhelming. I say to myself how am I going to do all this with all the other issues that had me over the edge already. As far as telling anyone else about it, I won't do that for fear of losing the few friends I have. Hey if I thought someone had the critters I would not want them in my home so you couldn't blame them. As said I already was dealing with serious health and life issues, this leaves them all in the dust. Like fighting an invisible enemy who can see you but you can't see them until the situation gets worse. Well thank God for this forum. I would have been lost without it and the good people here. Amazing though how something so brutal can bring people together in a supportive way. Hoping your situation resolves sooner and better than expected and everyone else's here as well.
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victimized
new username: help_me
Joined: Nov '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 21 2010 17:50:12
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We are really in similar situations, especially in regards to the PCO inspecting for 5 minutes, not seeing anything at an instant, and assuming they've done the job. Surely though, the bites on our bodies indicate otherwise. Sorry, but rashes do not come in even pairs.
You ought to get a photographer's loupe. You can see the most amazing things! Today I swept my floor and got a piece of clear tape (the wide kind) and examined what was picked up under the light and loupe to see if anything like mites were present.
It stinks too, because I've always had the itchy bug crawlin on my skin sensations only now that the possibility that something could be on me (and obviously at certain points there are because of the bites) every tickle, itch, or sting or otherwise is something.
I do not have many friends either, those who I am closest too were told though and the one was totally understanding about my anxiety but she is going through her own disaster at home financially so she cannot worry too much about mine. My sig. other is broke. His unemployment is running out and his savings has run dry and he pays the bills here. I am paying for all this stuff and only working part-time at a place that very well could have been the original source for our bugs! I can't tell you how difficult it is to make yourself go to a place everyday where you know you are getting bitten. You feel itchy, you examine yourself as best you can, and know as soon as you get in that door those clothes have to be taken right off and into a dryer as carefully as possible and that for the rest of the night you will itch with all the new marks that pop up. Was it here in bed last night that they were acquired or at work? It's a catch 22, a horribly frustrating cycle to be stuck on. You work to pay for getting rid of the bugs, yet you go to work and risk bringing them right back home.
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jjakk
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 21 2010 20:47:11
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Yes we do have similar situations. You have a professional come in and he is skeptical from the start and despite taking the bed apart and examining it - nothing for him to go on. I also showed him the area under the baseboard heating in the spare bedroom where I found the remnants of some kind of insect activity but that did not help. So I spent time researching what else could possibly bite like what I have and the pattern of everything I found still indicates BB's. The last bites which occurred about 10 days ago are still visible and itch a bit.
The strange thing is I only get bit on my back and most of the time I sleep 'on' my back. So where the heck is the culprit? I have scrutinized every place in here and feel really disgusted at the moment. I have tried to distract myself and do other things but continually come back to this. It's all I can think about and it's so bizarre how it alters your life. Everything else seems to come to a halt and you just can't get it out of your mind. So if someone said to me 'What's eating you? I'd have to say I sure don't know, but something certainly is. An excursion into insanity to say the least. To think that just 2 weeks ago I didn't really know what the 'sucker's actually were all about and had no clue as to how much they disrupted people's lives.
I am glad you mentioned the photographers loope; will get one as soon as I find out where I can purchase one. I really need to magnify some of the little 'things' I pick up with the tape.
I can empathize with your difficult situations. Times are hard as it is but to have to face this in the midst of everything else does quite a job on your mental health.
In my case I have a double whammy. I own a home which I am trying to sell in another part of the state and was going back and forth between there and this apartment. Now I am wondering if this has been going on longer than I am aware of and if I may have carried something back there as well since I was bringing things back and forth. The thought of having to deal with this in two homes is totally beyond belief.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Dec 21 2010 22:43:57
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If you're not sure you have bed bugs, I would recommend passive bed bug monitors. Have you looked into these? The BBAlert Passive is really economical and if you just leave it in place on your bed, it should show you pretty quickly if you have a problem (and, if you do, you put it in a ziploc and there's your evidence).
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victimized
new username: help_me
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Dec 22 2010 1:22:12
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Nobugs, I have been looking at the passive monitors online for a few weeks now and just can't bring up the courage to actually buy one and risk finding something. It is frustrating but in some sliver of a way it gives me temporary piece of mind when the PCO comes in and finds nothing and I find nothing, like maybe it really is something else?
Mostly, what if I put them someplace they ignore?
The whole thing really makes me squeamish. I hate that my cats keep scratching like crazy, yet so far I find nothing when I search their fur. They also do the whole "cat staring at something on the wall/ceiling" thing which could be anything.
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your host
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Dec 22 2010 2:01:15
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victimized - 26 minutes ago »
Nobugs, I have been looking at the passive monitors online for a few weeks now and just can't bring up the courage to actually buy one and risk finding something. It is frustrating but in some sliver of a way it gives me temporary piece of mind when the PCO comes in and finds nothing and I find nothing, like maybe it really is something else?Hi victimized,
I hear you saying that you have skin reactions which trouble you and that you have found some suspicious things under your sofa, which may be bed bug-related.
I hear you saying you are concerned about steps you need to take to prevent bed bugs.
I also hear you saying you are afraid to find out you do have bed bugs, because of the costs and trouble fighting bed bugs entails.
I understand that is all really scary. I am sure most people here can relate on some level or have experienced the same fears at one time or another.
Maybe you don't have bed bugs. If you do (and I stress the "if"), then detecting the problem sooner is to your advantage, as it can mean the problem is less expensive to clear, and is gotten rid of faster.
Not detecting and treating a bed bug problem means it gets worse, and you may spread bed bugs to others.
I am not trying to add to your anxiety, but those are the facts.
Re: passive monitors, you said,
Mostly, what if I put them someplace they ignore?
A BBAlert Passive is designed to go in particular areas of your bed, depending on the design you have, and to attract bed bugs, as it is the kind of harborage they like.
There are other passive and active monitors you can employ. Bed bugs may ignore them for a time, but given some time, you may catch samples. And you must determine for sure that you have this problem before you can treat it.
Some other forum users have found therapy to be helpful in reducing anxiety which they suffered during bed bug treatment, or after bed bug treatment (when they worried bed bugs might still be present or might come back).
I think talking to a counselor may also be of great help to you as you decide whether to actively work on detection, and should bed bugs be found to be present, it can help with the anxiety of dealing with that. If you don't end up having bed bugs, it may help with the continued worries about getting them in future and how to avoid this.
You have mentioned suicide in the forums several times, as well as anxiety. I would strongly urge you to see a counselor or doctor as soon as you can (and to go to an ER immediately if you feel you may harm yourself).
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jjakk
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Posted 2 years ago
Wed Dec 22 2010 11:32:51
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'NoBugs' ... ok that's a great idea ... will check out the Passive Alerts ...Thanks very much !!
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victimized
new username: help_me
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Jan 1 2011 4:11:24
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Nobugs,
I must have missed this follow-up comment.Hi victimized, I hear you saying that you have skin reactions which trouble you and that you have found some suspicious things under your sofa, which may be bed bug-related.
Actually, I did not find some suspicious things UNDER my sofa that MAY be bed bug related, I found 5 live bed bugs ON my sofa, all the in the tufting and at different times. I recognized instantly when finding the first one crawling toward my cat that it was something I've not seen in my house before and for whatever reason, call it bed bug phobia paranoia but my immediate reaction was to worry that it was a baby and I was dead-on correct because that is exactly what it was. I found lots of staining across the sofa, an adult after that, another nymph after the first treatment, and one that was almost adult a week or so after that, all hiding in the tufting.
As for the skin reactions, I inspect my skin constantly and have been doing so for years now because I am always suspicious, even before bed bugs. I am very much aware of what is normal for my skin and what is not. Repeatedly discovering pairs of red marks that itch- sometimes single pairs, pairs of pairs, collections of them... single marks that multiply during the course of a week in the same area... collections of painful bumps that develop along my hair line and behind my ears... itching and burning where soon appears red marks and not just bumps in that spot... my fiance with these same things... this is not normal. Many people on this forum experience the exact same symptoms and we all have bed bugs or had previously seen them in our homes. Not a coincidence but a clear pattern.
Not detecting and treating a bed bug problem means it gets worse, and you may spread bed bugs to others.
To dismiss all these signs and symptoms so easily and attribute them instead to any other thing is the same as ignoring a potential problem that can only worsen by neglecting it. One has to assume bed bugs, it is very dangerous not to, at least if you want to really monitor a situation in order to remedy it.
Maybe you don't have bed bugs. If you do (and I stress the "if"), then detecting the problem sooner is to your advantage, as it can mean the problem is less expensive to clear, and is gotten rid of faster.
I do have them. I was receiving bites that everyone suggested might not be, sure enough I found others. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they are not there. It's not in my head and not sure why everyone has been so much harder on me than others here in the forum in terms of assuming I am imagining things and over reacting, and it is not appreciated. Talk about adding insult to injury, especially since this is supposed to be a place where people can vent as well and supposedly find others who understand these feelings. Staying optimistic is one thing but being blind to reality just won't do in this situation.I may be OCD and paranoid but certainly not a nut case, no matter how depressed this has made me. In fact, my paranoia is what made me even realize we had a problem in our house in the first place! Had it not been for that it would have gone undetected, untreated. Some of my posts have indeed expressed severe anxiety but there have been others here who felt the same whose posts received lots of support and kindness.
I hear you saying you are concerned about steps you need to take to prevent bed bugs.
I also hear you saying you are afraid to find out you do have bed bugs, because of the costs and trouble fighting bed bugs entails.I've already been receiving treatment since 19 Nov., if you can call it that. What I meant was that I keep a very watchful eye out for any signs or evidence,but sometimes I am tempted to be more like my mother and just not look too hard because in a way I fear finding something I don't want to. I do look, cause I know it must be done. It's like turning over a leaf to see if the big spider is under it. You know it's there but you don't want to see it.
My posts tend to run-on, I know. "Getting it out" helps relive some stress though, like keeping a journal.
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Jan 1 2011 12:34:17
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victimized - 7 hours ago »
To dismiss all these signs and symptoms so easily and attribute them instead to any other thing is the same as ignoring a potential problem that can only worsen by neglecting it.victimized,
My comments were based on things I heard you saying in this thread and a second one which was active around the same time, and it seems I misunderstood some of them in ways you've outlined above.
However, you also seem to have misunderstood where my suggestions were coming from and why I was making them.
I understand that you have been getting bed bug treatment. I now understand you have had a known case of bed bugs. However, my point was that you need evidence -- whether it was a new infestation, or as in your case, whether you think this is a continuing bed bug problem.
You complained about a pest pro who was searching for 5 minutes and then telling you you did not have a continuing bed bug problem. You said you were thinking of spending $350 on a dog inspection you could not afford. My suggestion was intended to help you find definitive evidence that the problem was indeed continuing.
A tool like the BBAlert Passive can help you find evidence that the problem persists. This is evidence you can show a pest control professional, especially one like yours who takes 5 minutes to search. And it costs around $20, as opposed to the $350 you were saying you might pay for a dog inspection.
One has to assume bed bugs, it is very dangerous not to, at least if you want to really monitor a situation in order to remedy it....
You do need to monitor the situation, and I was suggesting an easy way to do so.
However, you cannot assume you (continue to) have bed bugs. You need evidence besides skin reactions that the problem continues, so you can get proper treatment.
Skin reactions alone do not provide definitive evidence that you still have bed bugs. This is not my opinion, it's a fact.
They suggest you may still have bed bugs, certainly. But your skin may possibly be reacting to old bites, or to the presence of detritus left by bed bugs (which may no longer be alive), or your skin may be so messed up by the ongoing allergic response in ways we don't fully understand.
We do not know a lot about bed bug bite reactions, but there there are lots of stories suggesting that our skin does some crazy-a$$ things after we have continuing allergic reactions for some time.
And other people -- those with never-confirmed bed bug cases -- may be getting skin reactions from a whole host of other causes. Imagine for a moment how they feel when they realize they just dropped a pile of money and wasted time on bed bugs, when they had folliculitis or bird mites, or scabies, or what-have-you. That's another conversation entirely, but I want you to understand where people on the forums are coming from when they say definitive evidence besides skin reactions is needed.
Even if you're sure you still have bed bugs, the bottom line is that you need to be able to show that you still have bed bugsto a pest pro -- and showing him bites is not enough. It's a shame he won't search for more than 5 minutes, and unfortunately this is not an uncommon problem. I was trying to suggest a way you could get the evidence you need under the circumstances.
I do have them. I was receiving bites that everyone suggested might not be, sure enough I found others. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they are not there. It's not in my head and not sure why everyone has been so much harder on me than others here in the forum in terms of assuming I am imagining things and over reacting, and it is not appreciated.I never suggested you were imagining things or that the problem was "in your head."
I think you're misunderstanding why people including myself are suggesting the need for definitive evidence of bed bugs (cast skins, actual bugs, fecal stains) -- and in your case, new evidence. If bed bugs are still present, it will exist, but can be hard to find and this is why monitors can be a help.
I am sorry you were upset by the comments you've received, but I hope I can clarify why I (at least) made the suggestions I did.
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so unsettling
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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Jan 1 2011 16:26:47
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Don't mean to hone in here, but I have a related question that came to me in reading Nobugs latest reply. Let's say a person had a known infestation, got treated for it, and then APPEARED to be getting new bites, even weeks later (it is clear from what nobugs wrote that these appearances may be from reactive skin rather than new bites.) People keep searching for evidence, aware that bite appearances are not sufficient proof of a continuing infestation, any more than bites were definitive for the original infestation.
And let's say that the bugs kept their harborage (s) somewhere, say in the walls, so that it was difficult to find evidence. Is it safe to assume that these bugs are such sloppy creatures, that even if their hideout was something that escapes our view, they would ultimately leave evidence SOMEWHERE outside the harborages? In other words, they can't really control their bowels (do they have bowels?), can't decide when those skins will shed, and can't hold their eggs back, so that ultimately they are going to drop their poop or eggs or skins somewhere within our view? In other words, if they are still there, we are definitely going to see the signs which they can't always confine in their hideaways?
The reason I ask is because some people here who thought they cured an infestation only found their new evidence quite some time after treatment. I realize their could be other explanations for this--i.e., bringing them back in from an outside source not originally identified. But is it fair to say that if treatment didn't get rid of the ones that live in our homes, that it is inevitable that we will see these signs soon enough?
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Jan 2 2011 11:27:37
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so unsettling - 18 hours ago »
Don't mean to hone in here, but I have a related question that came to me in reading Nobugs latest reply. Let's say a person had a known infestation, got treated for it, and then APPEARED to be getting new bites, even weeks later (it is clear from what nobugs wrote that these appearances may be from reactive skin rather than new bites.)Just to be 100% clear, when I said this:
...your skin may possibly be reacting to old bites, or to the presence of detritus left by bed bugs (which may no longer be alive), or your skin may be so messed up by the ongoing allergic response in ways we don't fully understand.
I was expressing a theory. We don't know much scientifically about skin reactions during and post bed bug bites, but we do have a lot of stories suggesting the above possibilities.
Is it safe to assume that these bugs are such sloppy creatures, that even if their hideout was something that escapes our view, they would ultimately leave evidence SOMEWHERE outside the harborages? In other words, they can't really control their bowels (do they have bowels?), can't decide when those skins will shed, and can't hold their eggs back, so that ultimately they are going to drop their poop or eggs or skins somewhere within our view? In other words, if they are still there, we are definitely going to see the signs which they can't always confine in their hideaways?
The reason I ask is because some people here who thought they cured an infestation only found their new evidence quite some time after treatment.Yes -- we are told bed bugs WILL leave such evidence.
That said -- I mentioned this on another thread recently: I was talking to a pest pro who recently was on a job in a shelter. The shelter had wooden beds. I understand that there were no obvious visible signs, unless you took the bed frames apart. Once you did, you could see the fecal stains, etc. were in the frames.
That surprised me, because I would suspect some of the evidence to be visible to people just going about their business, lifting a mattress, looking at the seams, baseboards, etc.
That said, bed bugs poop, so there was evidence, and digging deeply (i.e. dismantling the frames) would show it. This is where experience can come in helpful in doing an inspection.
The other comment I have to what you wrote, so unsettling, is that the scenario you describe -- not discovering a problem is ongoing for some time -- again might be improved if people employ passive monitors and inspect them regularly as David suggests.
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victimized
new username: help_me
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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Jan 2 2011 17:51:39
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Well, I've installed my passive on my bed and as of yesterday afternoon there were no signs. I did have a question regarding bug parts. I got out of the shower and noticed I was bleeding in a spot I am sure there had been a mark. It had stopped bleeding but I noticed another red spot a few inches to the front and it was something on my skin and not a mark.
Thinking at first it was dried blood I continued to examine it and look at it under magnification to realize it was something small and sharp, almost like a splinter. It is blood red and when you touch the tip you can feel it is sharp.
Could a bug have been mid-meal on my body and gotten disturbed in such a way that the sucker part got left behind on my skin and that was it? Scary thought but only thing I can think of.
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