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zero to fifty -- what are these bites?

1. 

   zerotofifty
   

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   Posted 1 year ago
   Mon Apr 30 2012 21:28:42
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   Very puzzling situation...

   Woke up this morning with about fifty bites in five distinct groupings:
   - back of neck
   - back of upper right arm
   - upper back
   - chest
   - left shoulder

   Bites are not in "lines"-- rather groups. There is a distinct center, but I've swollen up around each bite so they appear as larger welts. They are itchy (I've been using Cortisone cream).

   My husband slept in the same bed. No bites.
   We have not had bedbugs in our apartment in the four months we've lived here. There are, however, BBs in this building ( a high-rise). Our neighbour to the right had them and may still have them. On our left (the side closest to our bedroom) is the stairwell. I don't know about upstairs or downstairs.

   We have inspected our mattress and box springs and haven't seen any signs of BBs.

   The previous tenant here was an alcoholic and so dirty that the management had to re-carpet and re-paint. There was a space of several months between the time he left and the time we moved in.

   The woman next to me in the choir on Sunday (the previous morning) is extremely dirty (psychiatric issues) and smells bad. During the service the tenor behind me noticed "a bug" on my choir gown, on the back near my neck, and he killed it. This is after we "passed the peace" which involves shaking hands with everyone around you. I cringe at having to do this, since my choirmate to the right is so dirty. But I do it anyways since we're in the choir loft and the whole congregation would notice if I didn't "pass the peace" to her.

   Our dog is not itching. No signs of distress.

   Questions:

   - how is it possible that I get 50 bites in one night, right out of the blue, and my husband gets none?
   - is it possible to have picked up BBs from my choirmate in such a quantity to have done this amount of damage?
   - could it be body lice? Could I have picked lice up from this woman and it was a louse that was noticed on my back on Sunday?

   Here's a link to photos. Some of the bites have swollen considerably. The ones on my chest didn't swell too much (didn't scratch them as much...)

   http://www.theviennacafe.ca/images/bugs/

   Any thoughts? Are these bedbug bites? Should I call in the professionals even before we're sure?

   I'm trying to stay rational but I'm very distraught and trying to keep myself from crying too much. My husband says we have no evidence that it's bedbugs, so we just wait until we see/catch one. By then I may have become the BB feeding station of choice. I've washed all our bedding and dog bedding. Tonight will be wait and see-- if I can get any sleep at all.

   - Bev

2. 

   blackadder44
   

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   Joined: Apr '12
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   Posted 1 year ago
   Mon Apr 30 2012 23:56:29
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   Bedbugs are rarely, if ever, spread through direct contact with a person (from what I understand). Not to mention that the cleanliness of you and your house has nothing to do with whether you get bed bugs (though a clean house makes treating easier). They don't care about "filth" but rather about whether there is prey (you) around.

   Are you sure those are bug bites? Is it possible you're having an allergic reaction to something? Or perhaps heat rash, or some other skin condition? I find it hard to believe that you would suddenly be swarmed by dozens of bugs after having no indications before. Were there blood stains on the mattress/sheet/pillows?

   I'm no expert, of course, or even experienced, but I question whether these are BBs at all. I would check with your doctor/dermatologist to see what their opinion is. They might be able to identify a different bug, or some other condition entirely. And just stay vigilant, search around your bed a bit, watch the walls for crawling bugs, and watch for blood stains in your bed. I know some people get bitten without showing any other signs, but an infestation big enough to do THAT...

3. 

   DougSummersMS
   

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   Joined: May '07
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   Posted 1 year ago
   Tue May 1 2012 6:40:59
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   I agree... Going from no bites to 50 overnight is probably another source.

   I think it is unlikely that you could pick up 10 to 20 bed bugs in the church setting without noticing their presence.

   That many bed bugs would leave physical evidence that should be obvious.

   Have you acquired any used furniture or possessions that could contain a colony of bed bugs?... If not... I would consider alternative sources.

   Here are a couple of articles that list some alternative sources for unexplained bites.

   http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/others/ent-3006/

   http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ent58.asp

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