Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Psychological and Health problems caused by bed bugs (besides bites)
Proof That Bed Bugs Are A More Significant Stressor Than Many People Think
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 10:57:47
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Greetings, everyone.
I was out of town last week, staying at a hotel, like you do, and this week is the busiest of the term at work, so I can't stay long.
But something happened last night that, I thought, neatly encapsulated what dealing with bed bugs is like, and I thought while it was still fresh in my mind that I'd record it for posterity.
My encounter with bed bugs likely began in March of 2008. I was staying at a beachside hotel in southern California, one with a pretty massive sea gull issue. (as in the sea gulls would walk right into your room if you left the windows open.)
One night, I found what looked to be a giant tick on my bed. Skeeved, I scooped it up in a tissue and took it out to the balcony. (Oh, yeah, I know. Knowing what I know now? Totally insane. But at the time, I had heard nothing about bed bugs.)
Fast forward to June of last year. I'm taking a mid day nap, and I look over and see something skittering on my bed. I had no idea what it was, but I googled, and lo, I found out I had bed bugs. My mind flashed back to that encounter in March I had discounted as a tick, and my stomach sank.
End of June, I get thermal treatment which knocks the infestation out in one go. Yay.
Except, I remained unconvinced for months. In August, I had what I'm sure are bed bug bites. I suspect I got them at a particular movie theater that I haven't been back to since. A few months ago, I brought the DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes that had been stored outside back into my apartment, only after putting DDVP strips in the bins with them for over a week.
When I went back east for the winter holidays, I flew through JFK, and I spent days worried that my bags were next to a bed bug sufferer's bags in the luggage hold, what with NYC being in the midst of an epic bed bug epidemic.
Still, I've been back to the hotel (which has magically discouraged the sea gulls, I noticed). I've stayed in hotels besides that one in Calgary, San Francisco, Madison, Palm Desert, and plenty of other places since then.
I'm mostly better.
Last night, I'm in bed, my second night back from my most recent trip. (On my most recent trip, one of my roommies was preparing to head off to Europe for over a month, and since he was worried about encountering bugs while backpacking around, he asked me to show him what to look for and how to inspect, so I did.)
The lights are off. I'm watching television. My cat, who missed me while I was gone, was curled up beside me purring up a storm.
And then I see something squiggle bug-like across the comforter.
My adrenaline levels spiked through the roof. In fact, the panic was far more acute than what I felt when we got walloped with a 4.7 earthquake a few weeks ago.
It turned out to be a little gnat which appeared bigger than it was because it was so close to my face.
However, let's review:
I've been bed bug free for 11 months.
And still, the motion of a bug squiggling across my comforter is more terrifying to me than a 4.7 earthquake. (For which, I was naked since I was in the bathtub, which I have to tell you has long been one of my big earthquake fears. Because if I have to run outside, I'm worried that I won't be able to find shoes and glasses, to say nothing of the notion that if it's big enough, I don't want to land naked in the rubble if my building collapses. Okay, fine, it's not as big as my fear of being pancaked under a bunch of freeway overpasses, but still.)
If anyone needs a concrete example of how much PTSD bed bug infestations can cause, feel free to tell 'em that bed bugs have caused me more PTSD than moderate earthquakes. (In the interest of full disclosure, I feel that I should mention that I have not been in California for the biggies like Landers, Loma Prieta, and Northridge. So a 4.7 nearby or a 5 something at a distance are the biggest ones I've been through. But still.)
Bed bugs. Scarier than moderate earthquakes. I'm just saying.
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CrazyMe
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 11:58:44
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buggyinsocal, I totally feel you on this. It's been 11 months for you though! Yay!
I'm still in the first month process---so I'm checking my bed every day. My anxiety level has definitely increased. I find that I look at every piece of lint on my bed. I see a tiny (we're talking a thread width) of blood on my pillow case (probably from a little pimple I picked--not to be gross) and I went berserk. I mean--nothing else was there! No bites! No fecal matter! And more importantly, no bugs! I feel like the biggest problem with BBs is the fear of the unknown.
My dad is a doc--and has really helped me look at this situation in terms of anxiety. He claims that what I'm doing (and i expect a lot of others on here) is projecting our problem from the immediate situation (either a small infestation or lack of infestation) to a full-fledged mental anxiety situation. In any event--creating a false situation of insecurity is worse than just sitting back, doing the necessary steps, but not over-analyzing. He says this to me--and of course it's all logical and rational. Still--when will this logic and rationalization sink in? I just don't know.
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hi,
The stress that people experience related to bed bugs does vary as much as peoples bite reactions. I have helped people on the brink of collapse from a single rogue bed bug that feeds once a week and the next job later seen someone take in in their stride that they have 2,000 bed bugs in the bed.
I am still at a lost as to what empowers some to cope so well while others see it as the end of their worlds.
Although I acknowledge that for some it can seem like PTSD but having recovered from that as a result of a life changing car crash and 3 years of constant and persistent pain I would not support someone saying that bed bug infestations lead to PTSD. How you react and cope with an infestation can produce symptoms in some that are comparable to PTSD but I would be extremely cautious of using such strong terms if we wish to get the medical community to take this problem more seriously.
I just wished we could isolate what makes some cope better than others because I like Pfizer would be interested in it as a new block buster drug.
Thankfully from experience I would say it is actually less than 5% of people who have extreme distressing reactions. Yes they are more represented on this forum as a group but that is because we are hardly a normalised and diverse population on here.
I hope that puts it into a little perspective.
David Cain
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bedbugsbad
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 13:11:56
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David,
What percentage of those on this site would you say through your reading of the posts seem to have a "what you would consider" an extreme reaction? 70%, 80% 90%?
I agree this is an biased subset of the population but as a member of it I can totally relate with Buggyinsocal though.
PTSD may be a strong term, but it seems that the bugs often exacerbate an underlying OCD element that many of the members on this site seem to have. Only after my experience do I realize that even if I am not worrying about the bugs I'm worrying about something else, almost always something that is out of my control. And the rituals required, washing, bagging etc. only feed this OCD.
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CrazyMe
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 13:13:54
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David, I agree with you. I think I'm more on the anxious side (which is totally different from PTSD) and I suspect there are others with a little anxiousness too. No harm in being cautious, but the anxiety can and does disrupt life.
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Hi bedbugsbad,
I am not going to put a guess to that but I will explain why.
Those that post actively are themselves a small subset of those who are registered to the site who are in tern a small subset of those who actually read this forum.
If we took a straw poll of those who post as to what they classify their reactions to be in terms of the symptoms of the bite response if present, the physical symptoms that they attribute to the problem (including lack of sleep and tiredness) and finally the emotional symptoms that they experience I suspect you would get a massively diverse range of responses.
It is more likely to be skewed towards the greater reaction because that is what drives people to share experiences and contribute to the forum.
I can only with any certainty comment on the cases I have seen but to share some of that analysis with you assume as follows:
Treated and dealt with over 11,000 cases in 7+ years.
Assuming most cases involve 2 people (taking averages and standard occupations) we are up to over 20,000 peoples experiences.In that time I can only recall:
2 cases of bed bug bites that became a medical emergency that required immediate treatment ( extreme reactions classified as actually life threatening (one happens to be a close friend of mine)).
3 people where I was concerned enough about their actual mental state and stress level to call them later that evening rather than just suggesting they call if they need to chat.
About 50 that required some serious talking down from the ledge before I was able to leave.
A few people have even got physically abusive and threatening to me and my team but they soon learn it does not help.
Its a high stress situation for all parties and as hard as it may sound I have learnt that the best way to deal with it is to set up a firm set of guidelines and control steps that people know how to follow. If you don't get that foundation of co-operation and structure on day 1 then you know its going to be a long haul.
Its a shame that I can't encourage a few more of my early detected cases to get on-line and post but to be frank most of them are too busy getting on with life but remembering to do monthly inspections and checks. We do frown heavily on those who need our services more than twice, they usually get a visit from me on the second offence and that is best described as an education in itself.
Hopefully someone with a more medical background can chip in and tell us a better classification for an extreme stressful reaction which is not phobia based.
David
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lumpyredthing
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 14:29:00
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I think my partner and I are a good case in point. He's found it extremely difficult to cope and it really has taken over his life. He doesn't sleep much, still patrols around with a flashlight at night and can't relax at all indoors.
I'm much more laid back - I'm very, very careful but I've not let them dominate my existence. I've felt a great sense of victory when I've managed to kill one or found a very sneaky hiding place when I'm going round with my trusty roll of sellotape - I must admit I do swear at them though - 'take that you *&$£!*... etc!
The odd thing is that I react quite badly to the bites but my partner doesn't react at all - it's as it he's never had a single bite but I've had loads and loads, and got the scars to prove it!
I think a lot of it is because I'm also a bit fascinated by them and their life-cycle etc. Although I'd be happy to know there were none left on the planet I can't help having a sneaky admiration for the buggers!!
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 15:13:02
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Drive by post since I've got about 100 papers/exams to grade today alone . . . did I mention how much I hate end of term?
I'm not sure that PTSD is the best description. Part of my use of the word was because I'm not a psychologist, and therefore lack precise terminology. Part of my use of the word is likely because of the other two manifestations I have in my life of anxiety, one if the result of experiences in my earlier life that were once diagnosed as resulting in PTSD. The other is just plain ol' stress induced insomnia.
Given those other facts, I'm sure I've had a disproportionate response to bed bugs since clearly the stress-induced insomnia part exacerbates the bed bug situation.
If the PTSD related previous experience was enough to give me full blown panic attacks when faced with the same stressor, and I put those experiences at about a 8.5 on a 1 to 10 scale of anxiety, I would put the emotional response I have to the threat of bed bugs as about a 7. My reaction to the earthquake was probably about a 4.5.
I actually think David's point is a good one. I wouldn't, now that I think about it, describe my reaction to bed bugs as full on PTSD. But it has clearly evoked a strong response in terms of anxiety (and anyone who's got a succinct way to sum that up, I will be quite grateful to).
But if we look at anxiety as a continuum and put significant and extreme PTSD responses at one end, and people who don't even worry about anything ever at the other, I do think that bed bugs clearly cause more anxiety on that scale than most people think they do. That's not to say that everyone has that response. However, I think more people are further toward the high number end of the spectrum than the other.
I would go back through and take PTSD out of the tags and edit my entry, but I think that would just confuse people. Instead, I'll just add anxiety to the tags and comment here.
Unless anyone wants to step up and grade a bunch of frosh comp papers and finals for me, I'll toddle off now.
But, yes, David, I think your phrasing of things is much more accurate and serves not to dismiss or trivialize the very real, very traumatic experiences of people who've had much more severe and significant PTSD responses, and I want to apologize to anyone I might have hurt by being careless with my word choice.
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blazing
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 15:24:34
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You are right,
I was rubbing my body all the time last night sitting at the table. Bedbugs
do not constantly come at you, like that, and it's all paranoia (I hope). -
MyWorstFear
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Posted 5 months ago
Thu May 28 2009 20:12:17
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Buggyinsocal, I know about PTSD first hand, having nearly died in a car accident. It's about 11 months since my daughter's encounter with bed bugs, and I'm still making everyone crazy in the house with my insistence on Packtiting anything that comes into the house, checking hotels on the bed bug registry and trip advisor, that we might stay in etc. Much to my husband's annoyance, I will not get into bed without checking it with a flashlight, and the flashlight and a roll of scotchtape sits out on my nighttable, (forgive me Elle Decor Magazine). The bed bugs were never in our bed, and I'm still skeeved out. The other day while I was making our bed, I saw a dark thing moving across my pure white (of course, will we use any other color anymore?) duvet cover and couldn't have screamed more than if the devil himself had appeared on the bed. It turned out it was a small spider that had dropped from the recessed lighting above the bed, but I had to check that bug around 10 times with a 10x magnifier until I was satisfied it wasn't a bed bug. I doubt I'll ever relax again.
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so_confused
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Posted 2 months ago
Mon Aug 31 2009 4:39:18
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MyWorstFear - 3 months ago »
Buggyinsocal, I know about PTSD first hand, having nearly died in a car accident. It's about 11 months since my daughter's encounter with bed bugs, and I'm still making everyone crazy in the house with my insistence on Packtiting anything that comes into the house, checking hotels on the bed bug registry and trip advisor, that we might stay in etc. Much to my husband's annoyance, I will not get into bed without checking it with a flashlight, and the flashlight and a roll of scotchtape sits out on my nighttable, (forgive me Elle Decor Magazine). The bed bugs were never in our bed, and I'm still skeeved out. The other day while I was making our bed, I saw a dark thing moving across my pure white (of course, will we use any other color anymore?) duvet cover and couldn't have screamed more than if the devil himself had appeared on the bed. It turned out it was a small spider that had dropped from the recessed lighting above the bed, but I had to check that bug around 10 times with a 10x magnifier until I was satisfied it wasn't a bed bug. I doubt I'll ever relax again.I lost a lot of sleep too. My faimly thinks i'm just some freaked out cry baby that needs to relax, but Jesus Christ I wish I could. I hit an all time low when I was pacing my house for 6 hours looking for "dark" things; then falling alsleep standing up. I shake when I sit or lay down. anything out of the ordinary scares me.
I wish I could go back a month for today. I'd be reading a good book in bed with no worrys. Now I can't even sit at a table and eat.
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Bugbitten Meg
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Posted 2 months ago
Mon Aug 31 2009 5:44:58
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Even if you're concerned about the correctness of (mis)using terms like PTSD, I think that 'hypervigilance' covers the situation pretty well, without necessarily claiming a clinical case of... well, anything else, really. I know the term (as used around here) was originally lifted from PTSD literature, but I think it's a separate description of a particular set of behaviors/feelings (often associated with PTSD) rather than a synonym.
I, too, would be quite leery of claiming PTSD, but I think I'm going to be hypervigilant for some time to come....
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DeathToAllBBs
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Posted 2 months ago
Mon Aug 31 2009 6:53:19
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Having lived through PTSD after being raped, I'm going to say that what you likely have is acute anxiety to some sort of obsessive compulsive degree that is brought on by experiencing a BB infestation. Not trying to belittle your experiences. I just happen to know what PTSD first hand is... it's flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, insomnia to a degree that make it almost impossible if not completely impossible to function in a normal daily routine. Soldiers who have fought in war very commonly get this because during the war they have to survive. After? That's when it hits. It's generally triggered by being in a life or death situation where you fear for your life but have to get through the situation by any means possible.
That said, I fully understand what you're going through and I don't even have BBs, though I'm paranoid I might and I've become paranoid of every spec of lint or whatever that I see. I'm going through this because a resident at the house I work at had BBs a while back. A few of us think she got them from a new mattress that was delivered a few months before we realized she had BBs since the put old mattresses on the truck with new ones. Back then, I didn't give it any thought because I didn't realize how impossible to get rid of these disgusting little creatures are. Then three weeks ago I was on a couch at work during the night shift. When I came home I discovered they chowed on my arm. At the time I wasn't freaked out about it. After doing some research, I am very much freaked out. I only work there a few days a week, but I'm paranoid to all hell over it and as soon as I come home I toss my clothes in the dryer on high for 40 minutes. And I've been checking my bed regularly. I've covered my mattresses with vinyl covers. All of this in fear of an infestation that I have no evidence of.
I think once we've had the bites and been in an area where BBs are (for me it's my work) we just freak out over it. Especially once we realize how difficult they are to get rid of. It can definitely trigger anxiety and even an obsessive compulsive reaction about them. Heck, I'm so squicked out about BBs that I wonder why they don't bring back DDT if that worked. Just use it for this one situation. They got rid of it because they were using it on EVERYTHING and it did cause environmental issues with eagles I think. Don't remember specifically. But would treating a BB infested house be that bad? I actually would rather risk being exposed to whatever DDT does than deal with BBs. So yeah, I'm freaked.
I don't know. This whole BB nightmare... and that cities have had major infestations and now some are even forming commissions and task forces makes kind of WTF?! And traveling? Not so appealing anymore!
So yes, I can absolutely relate. I've become a xenophobe! I'm terrified I could get an infestation from working where there have been BBs, a problem which hasn't been snuffed out yet due to the house being really old and big with lots of places for them to hide.
Yesterday I changed into fresh clothes at work then put the ones I wore during my shift in the dryer, then came home and put everything in the dryer (fresh and just dryer heated clothes). Probably over the top, but what can I say? I've been exposed to BBs!
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I've been BB free according to the experts since May, but the effects continue, although they lesson weekly. I still check for bites, feel things occasionally on me, clothes still bagged, and a variety of psychological behaviors that my counselor says are definitely the symptoms of PTSD. PTSD doesn't have to include every clinical symptom, but for some BB are a traumatic experience, which continues after they are gone.
I started a seeing a counselor due to the high levels of anxiety I was experiencing one of which was a 24-7 elevated heart rate due to fear and stress. I don't think using the term is inappropriate. For some of us, the trauma very damaging and lingers well after the fact.
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Acute Stress Reaction may be a more appropriate diagnostic category.
Bed bugs are a severe stressor that can exacerbate many pre-existing conditions or create new ones.
Hypervigilance is a symptom that is usually associated with anxiety disorders.
I believe that hypervigilance can be a normal reaction for someone that has dealt with an infestation. It is a protective response initially... It can become a problem... It is a matter of degree..
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mangycur
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Posted 2 months ago
Wed Sep 2 2009 20:00:21
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i guess the point here is that for many of us bed bugs are a life-changing event. I cried at work one day and couldn't stop. I just kept typing while tears coursed down my cheeks. that is not normal! I had to do something about it, so I changed how I meditated. Even after surviving the bedbug fight, Everytime I get an itch or see a fleck of pepper on my bed I have to go through an inspection protocol. And once the inspection is complete I notice my nerves are keyed up, so I go through a calming process internally. I can't stress enough the importance of using meditation techniques to counterbalance the distress, even after you survive the bugs. Whatever terminology we use to define the experience--stress, anxiety, lingering anxiety, hypervigilence, are all dangerous to our long-term health and wellbeing. Stress is not just a modern annoyance, it has lasting effects on your cardiovascular system, as well as the rest of the body. That sounds rather dark, but my real point is, you can change your internal state through intention and practice, and it doesn't have to be all hippy-dippy and chrystal weilding. it just takes intention and practice, and I promise life will feel better for it. And some of us may feel we need herbal supplements and/or prescription medications, while some of us won't, but the stress is real, it has a real impact on our lives, and there are things that can be done to heal.
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WorldWar-BB
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Posted 2 months ago
Thu Sep 3 2009 4:36:18
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I suppose from the posts in this thread that everyone who has experienced the "bedbug" definitely has some form of acute hypersensitivity to the scenario for some indefinite (perhaps permanent?) length of time afterwards... I am certainly no exception but have noticed that it has its lighter moments.
When I first discovered that the bedbug was a real thing, and not just some imaginary bogey from the "goodnight, sleeptight and don't let the bedbugs bite" rhyme that me mum used to recite to me when I was much younger, I was not yet aware of how... persistent... they could actually be. I mean, I thought that up to that point I had encountered to some degree or another all of the common parasites that inflict their particular brand of discomfort upon the human body: Lice (head, body and crab), mosquitoes, fleas, chiggers, ticks, even scabies (which were up until the bedbug situation the WORST by far)... but the bedbug is a breed unto itself. None of the normal remedies had any effect, and worst of all was that they seemed to be possessed of some actual cunning which make them a most challenging quarry.
This hypersensitivity to their presence is still something of a surprise to me, and has its advantages. With scabies, for example, there was this phenomenon called the "maybies" where every single itch or tingling of the skin for months afterwards would cause an anxiety and initiate a bout of intensive scratching almost unconsciously and you would only notice when your skin had been nearly broken by the fervent dragging of fingernails across it. Not to mention the extreme (and permanent) aversion to even shaking hands with people in the interest of preventing a re-transmission of the microscopic subcutaneous mites. With bedbugs however, the sensitivity is not so much anxiety-based as simply focussed on their behavior and serves a valuable function.
For some reason or another I do not react too poorly to bedbug bites, with virtually no welt or discoloration appearing so long as I don't scratch the spot, and any itching going away within 15-30 minutes usually. I can feel that particular "burning" sensation from their saliva/venom/whatever which feels very much like a mild ant-bite (I believe it is the same agent: formic acid... don't quote me on this but it 'feels' the same) but it is fairly easy for me to control and rarely provokes unconscious scratching. More importantly though is that I have found that I am immediately aware of the point at which they are biting me, and 99% of the time can spook them immediately as they have bitten me and catch them before they have drawn blood, generally catching them with tweezers or spraying them with a jet from a spray bottle which I keep nearby containing 91% isopropyl alcohol, killing them instantly (note: the more diluted 70% isopropyl does not work and is not recommended as the pressure from the spray itself will usually send them flying to scuttle beneath some cover only to come out later and bite you again with a vengeance!)
This sensitivity to their presence has become somewhat fine-tuned and I will often find myself just randomly looking into areas such as near my keyboard or on the floor near my computer chair, only to notice a lone crawler usually scuttling in my direction. I don't know if this is because of my recent experiences with the habits of a bedbug, or whether it is just some generic hypersensitivity due to the natural aversion to being bitten while unaware, but in either case I have only noticed it within my own awareness since encountering bedbugs about a year ago. Needless to say, I find myself inadvertently looking at my foot/arm/whatever any time there is so much as a dust mote settling on it (and for the record, a bedbug crawling across your skin feels exactly like a single hair dragging across it) and I have gotten into the unconscious habit of quicly "swiping" at my skin over an open patch of floor when something is felt, rather than my previous "smacking" at it as if it was a mosquito, being that bedbugs are nearly impossible to "smack" unless they are full, and unless you search for them immediately after swiping them they will simply hide and come back later (in about an hour usually).
In short, dont let yourself be victimized by the bedbug experience. They are certainly traumatic, and in many ways a life-changing experience, but with a positive mindset you will realize that they do have habits and patterns, and are fairly predictable in their behavior, and you can use this new sensitivity to at least keep them in check if not outright eliminate them. It is amazing what a profound effect even one good night's rest will have upon a person once they have ever experienced a bedbug infestation.
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MangyCur
You make an excellent point... It doesn't matter what we call it... Bed bugs are a severe stressor ... Meditation is a healthy choice to deal with the symptoms...
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has the term PTSD been around long enough and been believed to be a real ailment long enough for us, or anyone to define it???
lumpyredthing you crack me up. this'll be my second round with these things. at first i was crazy. now, i'm too tired to be crazy. it helps me to think that civilizations have been living with these things since the dawn of time without chemicals and exterminators and the internet and they lived through it. i promise you you'll all get through it, too!!!
it's very difficult for a human, at the top of the food chain, to think there's something out there stalking them at night, in their own home and bed, just waiting to feed on them. but with a bottle of tylenol pm and a good exterminator you can get through this in 30 days. have faith, you guys!!!! we all deal with it differently....but they are lions, tigers and bears. we can beat them!
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PTSD has specific criteria, but it is usually associated with a life threatening experience...
Hence the issue about a prolonged non-life threatening stressor being the trigger event associated with PTSD symptoms.
The diagnostic category is going to be related to the symptoms that are present ...
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lumpyredthing - 4 months ago »
I think my partner and I are a good case in point. He's found it extremely difficult to cope and it really has taken over his life. He doesn't sleep much, still patrols around with a flashlight at night and can't relax at all indoors.
I'm much more laid back - I'm very, very careful but I've not let them dominate my existence. I've felt a great sense of victory when I've managed to kill one or found a very sneaky hiding place when I'm going round with my trusty roll of sellotape - I must admit I do swear at them though - 'take that you *&$£!*... etc!
The odd thing is that I react quite badly to the bites but my partner doesn't react at all - it's as it he's never had a single bite but I've had loads and loads, and got the scars to prove it!
I think a lot of it is because I'm also a bit fascinated by them and their life-cycle etc. Although I'd be happy to know there were none left on the planet I can't help having a sneaky admiration for the buggers!!funny sounds like my wife and I. I just get lil raised bumps, they might have a very slight red to them and hardly ever itch. My wife's bites are about the size of dimes and itch like crazy. I cant sleep in our bed even though I know Im only kidding myself in thinking our downstairs couch is safe. I hardly sleep, I always wake up multiple times during the night., I stay up later than I should (like now) cause I want to be really really tired so that I at least will fall asleep, unlike sitting there "feeling" bugs crawling on me keeping me from falling asleep....either way I still wake frequently, usually every couple hours. I had to keep the flashlight away from my at night cause if I did wake up I was grabbing it and scanning the bed/couch. Looking at my arms I think I have new bites so I might have to follow my wife's lead and use insect repellent before bed until the PCO comes and we can get our bed isolated. Already got the cardboard and strips of carpet tape to put above our bed. If I cant sleep I get on thne computer which is also bad because I just come here and read more about em and get even more phobic/paranoid or just so interested I stay up longer than I intended.
I so want to sue the hotel that we picked them up from, considering they admitted having previous complaints about that room and hadnt done anything, but my wife works in the chain's corporate office and quite possibly would lose her job if we did sue.
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earthangel
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Posted 1 month ago
Sun Oct 11 2009 11:29:49
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Here is a link to the official definition of PTSD used by health care practitioners to make a diagnosis::
http://ncptsd.kattare.com/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_dsm_iv_tr.html
in the psychiatric world, as far as I know, there is some effort being made to expand the definition of the diagnosis to include traumatic reactions to a wider range of circumstances. Or to recognize syndromes where there is a traumatic reaction (which means, the person has emotional reactions that are too much for him/her to handle) to non-life-threatening events.
Probably most bedbug reactions don't totally fulfill the PTSD definition, but as people are saying they are nonetheless sometimes severe stress reactions with a host of symptoms.
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BettyV4
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Posted 1 month ago
Mon Oct 12 2009 17:41:35
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I just read all the postings regarding PTSD, OCD and anxiety. I have OCD and my therapist says that bed bugs are a perfect scenerio for one with OCD. I've been dealing with this insanity for almost 2 years. I now and have for a long time examined walls and floors of restaurants, friend's homes, cars, you name it. Anyplace there is a wall or floor or seat or table or whatever, I'm looking and examining anything that even resembles a bb. I remember the night I was ready to go to bed upstairs and had this unusally panicky feeling and imagined a 7 foot angry man waiting for me in the bedroom with a rifle. The fear of just going to bed and picking up the blankets, sheets; looking into the pillows (all is encased); checking corners under sheets, all the nightly rituals. Wearing two pairs of sox, gloves, long pj's. Now at least I'm using the Neem oil, although it smells to me like peanut butter at its richest. Even while we saw nothing in the beds, I couldn't ever stop checking. I'm so fearful it'll never stop. It's almost like my reaction to bb's has become a sick way of life. If this was an apartment I might not feel so locked in. This is my home. I do believe that in a year or so I'm moving and probably to a really small house in upstate NY. I guess there's bb's there too, but maybe not as many in Brooklyn, NY.
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