Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed bug bites, skin, etc.
We new meat. Possible to get our lives back?
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ssilverstein
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Joined: Dec '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 1:25:37
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These things aresounding impossible to beat.
I am really scared.
I am half insane, due to lack of sleep, and for lack of a better word, SHAME. (though I know they can hit anyone.i did all 4 things to get bugs...used furniture, travel, my son, new to recovering from pot addiction came back into my home after couch surfing for a mo.
I am a substitute teacher. I can't sit down, for fear I will pass these bugs on. I must work though, who has a choice?
My son was showing great immunity (thank GOD he's ateenager, dealing with this!!)
We are scheduled for a treatment tomorrow morning, I am freaked about about all he work I have done, if it will b good enough, if the treatment will work. Here in Or, I appear to be cutting edge...: (
I found this website by googling BB are they biting my (soft place)?
I am having similiar symptoms as KITT. I don't have insurance....I have been suffering in NEAR- silence for 2.5 mos?
Now I am freaked about what kit said about the Ziplock little bag....My SANITY is hanging by a thread....my couch, chair mattres boxspring all gone.....I cannot pull another all nighter. Please someone say something encouraging- FAST!!
And what about my cat? I think he is suffering/spreading too. : ( I am freaked.
sassy
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ssilverstein
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Joined: Dec '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 1:28:01
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ssilverstein - 2 minutes ago »
These things aresounding impossible to beat.
I am really scared.
I am half insane, due to lack of sleep, and for lack of a better word, SHAME. (though I know they can hit anyone.
i did all 4 things to get bugs...used furniture, travel, my son, new to recovering from pot addiction came back into my home after couch surfing for a mo.
I am a substitute teacher. I can't sit down, for fear I will pass these bugs on. I must work though, who has a choice?
My son was showing great immunity (thank GOD he's ateenager, dealing with this!!)
We are scheduled for a treatment tomorrow morning, I am freaked about about all he work I have done, if it will b good enough, if the treatment will work. Here in Or, I appear to be cutting edge...: (
I found this website by googling BB are they biting my (soft place)?
I am having similiar symptoms as KITT. I don't have insurance....
I have been suffering in NEAR- silence for 2.5 mos?
Now I am freaked about what kit said about the Ziplock little bag....My SANITY is hanging by a thread....my couch, chair mattres boxspring all gone.....I cannot pull another all nighter. Please someone say something encouraging- FAST!!
And what about my cat? I think he is suffering/spreading too. : ( I am freaked.
sassy -
Alberta has bugs
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Joined: Sep '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 1:53:20
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Hi, feel your pain and frustration. Our generation never had to deal with these bugs and now we are learning.
It really sucks.However keep doing what you are doing, read the FAQ's on this website and look at the other post's for insights. It helped me keep sane, as I was also embarassed, ashamed and generally frustrated with these creatures. The more you know and the stories you share with other people really help. I was amazed at how common this problem has become and how it affects everyone from all walks of life.
I am close to having accomplished my goal of ridding my place of these bugs and just counting down the days.
You too will be there as well. -
NeverSurrender
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 2:04:47
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I agree with Alberta, keep reading and be proactive. I'm literally sitting in the middle of what I call ground zero right NOW. I left my apartment for nine days for similar reasons. I'm very drained-out and completely sleep deprived. I'll be honest, I'm on the forum tonight because the thought of going to sleep has me flipped out. Plus I want to learn as much as I can. Today is my first day back after the second major treatment by my PCO. I can hardly walk into the apartment due to the giant zip-lock bags everywhere. Part of my plan is to throw a ton of stuff in the garbage. The rest will be placed into zip-locks so I can isolate the contents until they are cooked in the pactite. They will then go into new bags and I will continue this process until I've gone through everything. That's only part of the master plan. I think it's important to have a plan and ask lots of questions here and read as much as possible. some really great people here who have helped me. Hang in there ssilverstein.
Alberta... I'm curious about how you were able to get close to your goal of ridding your place of BBs. Thanks.
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DrRidley
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Joined: Dec '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 4:20:45
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I feel the same way. Can't sleep anymore and scared myself. I got bed bugs in July. They got into my room, my brother's room, and our living room. We had to throw away our beds and some of our furniture. We vaccum, steamed vac, and sprayed everything. We enventually thought we got rid of them. We stop getting bites in september. Then all of sudden about a week ago they started again. Now they're back in my room and living room. Its a real heartbreaker. I just stumbled upon this forum and reading some posts is helping me stay positive. I feel for you.
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Alberta has bugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 4:28:02
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Well...
Threw Boxspring, mattress and couch out, (Though later I found out with thermal did not have to.)
Slept in tent on air matress for awhile outside then got some jam and;
Decluttered house.
Thermal, DE and Dr. Doom for house.
DE, Pro Insecticide, Dr. Doom in vehicles, vacuum and wash interior as well.
Declutter some more.
Wash, Bag, Vacuum
Freezer for papers, LP's Been about 2 months with the lid not open.
In the process of upacking bag's, making sure they are washed and in the dryer twice.
Since my dog caught fleas from farm hay, I have also been using moth balls in tight secure containers.
Think I threw out my black suit by accident, so have to wear brown to a funeral tommorrow.
Did I mention Declutter?
Been a heck of a ride since September. -
Alberta has bugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 4:33:50
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That is my greatest fear Dr Ridley, to have them move back in.
Good luck to you. -
ssilverstein
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Joined: Dec '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Thu Dec 8 2011 7:11:30
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Wow, you all are SO sweet, I really needed the emo. support.
Ground Zero. I can relate. I just THANK GOD my son of 19, is here, helping had has a rather stoic reaction to this. Of course, getting bitten last night has changed things for him somewhat.I am SO grateful this page /site exists!! I WAS PRAYING for something like this!! I have been SO ISOLATED from my friends and support group. I cannot imagine bringing them into anything like this!! A living nightmare.
For several days I slept in my tub. Harsh, but the fiberglass walls brough me some mental peace. Then I bought a miliray cot from an outdoor store that folds up and can go in one of the big black bags.
here in Or, we have not had as much experience as some other places, and while BB's are so hush, hush I seem to be a Trailblazer. FROWN. I read an article or comment that said find a Co. that has at least 5 years exp. I don't think this one does....
Mt ?pest Provider is using stips in huge contractor bags. I just read an article on here that is NOT proven to be effective. OH DEAR. I cannot afford to do this on my own right now. : ( We already weren't going to have anything for Christmas. Now all we want a a decent night's sleep! Even as I sit here, (w/ my feet OFF the ground) I can feel them on my shoulders & back. : ( In the mirror I saw all the red dots on my arms and back. I may be single, forever!
plus my beautiful apt is subsidized, but the manager straight-up told me she was going to do this ONE apt at a TIME as it arises. And keep it a secret. I am calmly and silently terrified for the beautiful family of 5 that shares MY WALLS!! [i]Everything I have read says that is NOT best practice.
Also, I wonder if I can get canned from work, legally. Does anyone have any info on this?? I have been doing my best to go in clean, but some days I feel lowdown and dirty. I don't sit down in cloth chairs now that I know what's going on...but i did, and it haunts me...today as I asked to leave early the secretary asked if I "was sure there wasn't something they should know." OMG.
what grants me peace is the amount of decluttering I have done, and will continue to do. Reading some of these articles grants me peace. I intend to share what I have bookmarked with my apt manager, and i have let te secret GET OUT, that I am fighting BB's here in the complex. I am concerned, for many of the residents are Developmentally Disabled, and identifying, and problem solving was hard eough for a naive smartypants!!
I have felt DEPRESSED over this and exhausted.
Please tell me what this means "Thermal, DE and Dr. Doom for house."
Has only the heat balming proven effective?and finally any suggestions on how best to dress?
Iused to try to look great for work, not I just try to stay clean and SANE.
I have had to dress pertty gross as I live out of huge, black plastic bags lately that are simply rolled and tied.......Any women want to talk about gender specific issues? How to check things out? FR-EEAAKKKYYYY. I got some ideas from What you Wish you KNEW about BB's....
What a tremendous RESOURCE this place is!! XOXOXO
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Alberta has bugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Dec 9 2011 1:49:51
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"Please tell me what this means "Thermal, DE and Dr. Doom for house."
Has only the heat balming proven effective?" QuoteThermal is the use of heat to kill the bugs. In my case, I have a small unattached house. It proved to be the weapon of choice for me and highly effective. The DE (Chemfree) powder was lightly dusted into baseboards, electical outlets and opening for any plumbing. For more information on how DE works, please do a search on this web-site. Dr. Doom is a residual surface insecticide that last's for many days. Besides using DE in my dressors, cabinets etc, I sprayed Dr. Doom where the DE would not stay as well as some baseboards. This was recomended by a local pest control place where I live.
Like you, it was not greatly advertised about these bugs in the city I live in. I had always thought places like New York or London where so many people live had these problems. Since then I have heard lot's of stories about these bugs in my city and small towns as well. It is starting to be a common nuisance affecting lot's of people from all walks of life.
I have not declared succes yet since I am counting the day's since I last seen one and unbagging items, checking them for bugs and eggs. I would like to avoid a reintroduction of this insect.
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Daniel4982
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Joined: Oct '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Dec 9 2011 13:25:57
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Now I am freaked about what kit said about the Ziplock little bag....My SANITY is hanging by a thread....my couch, chair mattres boxspring all gone.....I cannot pull another all nighter. Please someone say something encouraging- FAST!!
When I read your post it struck a chord in me. I discovered I had bedbugs early in October of this year and after the second day of sleeping (I use the term "sleeping" loosely) in my infested condo I basically broke down at work. I literally had to go out to my car and cry my eyes out. I am a 29 year-old dude. I realize now exhaustion was the root cause but it was brought on, ironically, by reading the horror stories on this site.
Which brings me to my first point: do not, under any circumstances, go to the Tales of Bed Bug Woe section of this site. If you're already on the precipice of losing your sanity reading those stories will push you over the edge.
Second: you need to find a way to get a good night's sleep. I will say this again: YOU NEED TO FIND A WAY TO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. It will make all the difference in the world. If you can afford it, check into a hotel for a couple of days. I realize this is against the "what to do if you have bedbug rules" but fuck it, this is war. You can't successfully fight the enemy if you're delirious from fatigure. Take whatever steps you have to to ensure you're purified and check in to some place. I ended up staying in hotels a little over a week as that was soonest I could schedule a PCO I trusted to come treat my place. I admit, between the hotels, the cabs to and from work (my car was also infested) and the treatment itself I racked up a nice chunk of credit card debt. I'll be on a tight budget for a while but I can say without hesitation I would have done it for two weeks if I had to. Had I not done this I seriously don't know if I could have coped. One of the things this experience has taught me is a good night's sleep is priceless.
If this is absolutely out of the question then you should put some traps on legs of the army cot and do your best to make sure your blanket doesn't touch the ground while you're sleeping. That way at least you know you're safe while in bed. Also, the above paragraph notwithstanding, I do not think you should stay at a friend's place, even one who is okay with it.
Third: If you have a supervisor you truly trust I'd let him/her know that way when you have to take time off work you won't have to come up with excuses. Other than that tell no one at work. I realize there are people out there who are rational and wouldn't care but there are plenty of ignorant morons as well. Becoming a pariah at a place you're at eight hours a day will not help you.
Fourth: Use this forum. Most of the people on here have direct experience dealing with these little bastards and are unbelievably supportive. Again, just steer clear of the "Tales of Bedbug Woe" section.
Fifth: Find a good PCO and you will make it through. I say again, YOU WILL MAKE IT THROUGH!! you just have to be vigilant and (unfortunately) patient. You're basically fighting an invisible enemy; even with the best PCO the process can take a while. I think this site has a section where people list PCOs they've used. You can check Angie's List as well.
The last thing is the heat treatment (a.k.a. thermal remediation) you mentioned. If you can afford it (even if it's a little bit of a stretch) in my opinion you should do it. Assuming it's done properly, benefits include: much quicker treatment period, minimal preparation/invasiveness (compared to chemical treatments), you don't have to throw anything out (in fact you're encouraged to leave infested items in the apartment) and no chemicals.
There are some caveats though. First and foremost it will be more expensive (though when you factor in the cost of your time preparing for chemical treatments and the cost to replace discarded items the disparity may not be that large). Do some market research. Call three or four PCO's at and you'll begin to get an idea of price range. Most base their price of the square footage of the treatment area. Be extremely leery of companies offering very cheap heat treatments. Also, ask them about their warranties. In my opinion, the longer a warranty the PCO offers the more likely it is to know how to administer a proper thermal remediation treatment. A lot of PCO's won't offer a warranty at all so don't be discouraged if you can't find anything initially. I eventually found one who warranted its work for a year (!!) but I was unfortunately out of its service area. The company I ultimately settled on offered a 90 day heat treatment warranty.
The last thing I'll say is that regardless of which method you choose once your treatment begins you need to be sleeping in your apartment. Basically, you need to use yourself as bait so that if there are any bugs left, they will be drawn out of their hiding places. I suggest setting up some sort of detection system to monitor activity and leaving it in place for the entire duration of your warranty (at least). It will give you peace of mind. And equally important, if any survied or if, God forbid, an adjacent unit has them (something I am now dealing with), you'll fiind out before they are able to get foothold.
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Alberta has bugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Dec 17 2011 0:24:25
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Daniel4982 - 1 week ago »
[quote]Had I not done this I seriously don't know if I could have coped. One of the things this experience has taught me is a good night's sleep is priceless.Daniel some good advice. This quote of yours I like.
It wasn't until I got serious about fighting these bugs that things started turning out for the better.
It is sometimes tough to get motivated, afterall who want's to launder and bag everything? Declutter and clean like you have not cleaned before?
After I got through the trauma, I started to get to work and the more I did the better I felt.
Kinda like "Bed Bug Soup for the Soul".......................Yah I said it......
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ssilverstein
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Joined: Dec '11
Posts: 6offline
Posted 1 year ago
Sat Dec 17 2011 18:50:02
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Oh everyone who took time to respond, you are WONDERFUL.
I thank goodness have many good things going for me.I never thought I'd say iot, but my son's X-box addiction- GREAT! It's a way for him to cope.
Landlord got on it, and I had a first treatment done last Sat., a week ago. He used chemicals, and heat....I FEEL so much BETTER, but I am not a fool to think it is over.The prep was virtual hell. My son and I stayed up all night once, or twice? The way he handled that, and my sometimes exposed nerves- well, he is more a man at 19 than any I have met. : (
My cot thus far has brought me a LOT of peace. In my living room. It sounds like I will have to work up the courage to head back to my room at some point. I have a sleigh, wooden bed. I want to keep it. I waited 6 mos to have it shipped from China, uuggghhh.
I'm not sure my bug guy is a super-pro, and even though I am pretty sure I have discarded roughly 300 lbs of books, and papers, all I can do is my best, and hold out some faith. This couldn't have been better timed, because as a guest teacher, I will have 3 wks? still to recover and rotate the 2.5 sets of clothes I have available to me.
I think when living with my precious boy through (my God, it's got to be THROUGH) a situation like this the most important thing is to try and appear calm, focused and especially tender. He may have really rough days too, he's just not as expressive.
I am really wondering if my CAT has become a target! Does anyone know anything about this? God, do we love our little Lion-man. Therapy kitty. How to treat? I just keep treating for fleas w/ advantage....help? Suggestions? Where to look?
Thank you for the warning (twice) on where NOT to look. I really have to fight my brain on this and attempt to stay proactive and POSITIVE. I love that my cat seems to be suffering less, but he like me, is still itching, biting and quite irritated. Interesting to see some folks have a reaction up to two weeks after a bite. In a perfect world (IRRADICATED) that could actually be a really good thing. I needed the reframing.
Alberta, thank you for your posts, Danilel, DrRidley, NeverS, EVERYTHING you contribute is SO valuable to me!! I am just at aloss as to my next step, but the Bug Guy will be back this Mon., so here's hoping!!
Daniel, how did you know your car was infested? I was really concerned, but the Bugman says they have never found an infestation in a car. That doesn't mean much to me. I found my own infestation, the bugman hasn't FOUND anything. (which is okay by me)
I will vacuumn, do what I can, it's just so COLD out. And here we are wo/ access to our winter coats, in Eugene, Or. : ( At least our climate is mild compared to MOST.
I am sleeping again, sanity is on it's way. -
Daniel4982
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Jan 23 2012 19:38:48
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Daniel, how did you know your car was infested? I was really concerned, but the Bugman says they have never found an infestation in a car. That doesn't mean much to me. I found my own infestation, the bugman hasn't FOUND anything. (which is okay by me)
I will vacuumn, do what I can, it's just so COLD out. And here we are wo/ access to our winter coats, in Eugene, Or. : ( At least our climate is mild compared to MOST.
I am sleeping again, sanity is on it's way.Hi Silver,
Apologies for the delayed response. Work and life have been hectic lately. I can't believe it's been a month already. Glad to hear your sanity is returning. It's amazing how much less daunting a situation like this can be when you're getting sleep. I'm seriously happy for you.
Yeah that PCO's attitude towards your car isn't really acceptable. A lot of them won't treat cars so maybe that's why he's taking the head-in-the-sand approach. I wouldn't assume anything. This is war, remember? Never underestimate your enemy =)
I hired a lady with a Bed Bug sniffing beagle to check my car. It was $75 if memory serves. She was approved by the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA). I admit that I was never able to visually confirm since cars seem to have an infinite number of hiding places. I ended up just hiring a detailing company to come and steam clean the interior of my car with 350 degree steam. I've also heard of people using pesticides in their cars but I'm not really sure of the procedure for something like that.
I don't know how cold it gets in Eugene but I have read reports that the bugs can be killed by prolongued exposure to cold (read: freezing) temperatures. Unfortunately, info on this is kind of sparse and inconsistent so I'm not cofident enough to recommend it. Before you do anything you should probably get someone with a dog to check the car. Here is a link to NESDCA accredited teams:
It could be there are none in there at all and there's nothing to worry about. Hopefully you find this info helpful. It's been a while since you last posted so you may have already done this. In any case, good luck!
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