AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH BEDBUGS!!!!

[GirlinContempt]

On top of everything else.... I have BEDBUGS.

eych! Ugh!!!

A few days ago, my sisters boyfriend brought me his memory foam mattress pad. They don't use it anymore, and it's been in their old apartment where a friend has been staying. The past few days I've had these itchy things mostly on my legs, and they sort of looked like big mosquito bites. I couldn't figure what they were at all.

Today, I fell asleep reading in bed. My dad called, and I turned my head to look for the phone, and UGH there was this ugly gross blood red bug trying to crawl in to my pillowcase!!!! I smushed it, and blood spurted like, everywhere. When I looked for the little bug carcass, it was practically non-existent it was so small. I couldn't figure what it was.

I have NEVER had beg bugs. I've never seen one before. I've never even known anyone who had them or anything. I've never even read about them. I just sort of knew they were some kinda bug that bit you when you slept and liked to hang out in beds.

So, I hit the internet and did some research. I found lots of gross uggy pictures and tons of info, including the fact that apparently bed bug infestations are way on the rise after falling off for something like 40 years. Not comforting. But I couldn't tell if my bug was a bedbug or not, I figured I was over-reacting.

I decided to spray around the bed with Raid anyway, just to feel better about it. I lifted up my pillow and THERE WAS A BED BUG!!!!

I sprayed it, and took a close look. Bed bug for SURE.

I am so so so creeped and grossed out. I can't sleep in there!!! It's not like I can take my bed and everything apart to spray it all down, even if I have enough spray. From what I read, I'd have to spray EVERYTHING, wash ALL my clothes that are on the floor (sadly, a lot right now, I've been in too much pain to drag my stuff to the laundry, I've just been wearing my old (clean) stuff I don't usually wear and hand washing what I really need), all my bedding, pull everything out from the walls, spray the baseboards, light sockets, nooks, crannies etc

I can't even do that. I'm physically incapable of doing that. And I can't go anywhere. And, I have no money because I have to be on stupid welfare because I can't stupid work, and after rent and bills, I only have like $130/month to feed myself and pay for my taxis to the Drs and stuff, so an exterminator is way out of the question. I can barely afford to feed myself most of the time. I don't even have a couch, just a loveseat, and that=big no no for my damaged spine. Plus, what if they made it across the apartment and got in there too?????

I'm SO SO SO grossed out. At least I learned that bed bugs have nothing to do with cleanliness, it's just about whether or not they end up in your house.

I feel like my skin is trying to jump away from my body. No sleeps for me tonight. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick

[ghostsofgiants]

1. Ahhhhhhh, that sucks!

Ickkkkk.

[GirlinContempt]

4. I don't know what I'm going to do

WHY ME>!>!>!>?!?

[dhpgetsit]

2. Ewww! So sorry!

I guess they are pretty hard to get rid of, but I think you need to wash everything, and use the hot dryer. Not only that, they get inside the mattress and bedspring so they need to be fumigated REALLY well.

You know there ought to be some assistance available for that. It is a public health concern. Wouldn't it be great if a team of people could come in and bag everything and wash it, haul out the bed and give you a new one after fumigating the room.

[GirlinContempt]

3. they only really get inside

if they are ripped or torn, or so I read. I dunno, I'm gonna call an exterminator tomorrow just to talk to them about it....


But, I can't do all that laundry. I can't even move my bed, let alone any other furniture. they hide in anything and everything, even light sockets!!!

[GirlinContempt]

5. I demand everyone be as grossed out as I am

[DainBramaged]

11. How about lotz of hugz?

[ghostsofgiants]

15. I am.

[stuntcat]

17. oh nooooo

I hope you can get everything moved around and cleaned and stuff. I'd totally help out if I could!!

[1]

6. it could be worse. you could have your jeep broken into and your stereo stolen...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[mcctatas]

7. You're kinda evil...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[1]

8. yeah. n/t.

[Midlodemocrat]

9. Frankly, after all that GiC has gone through, your response is

beyond inappropriate. In fact, it's nauseating.



Plonk.

[GirlinContempt]

14. It could be worse, my legs could be chewed off by hyenas

and a koala bear could eat my nose.

Point?

[woo me with science]

10. Do you have any skills or items of value?

Post on Craigslist and see if you can work out a barter for an exterminator.

This is so creepy. Good luck finding a fix!

[GirlinContempt]

22. My skills

are useless, because I can't work, which is why I'm on welfare.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. i am very sorry. let us know if there is something we can do.

[GirlinContempt]

23. You can all do something

be really careful. Find out what they look like and read about them, and try to take steps so you don't end up like me. If you do a search, you can find tons of articles talking about how the problem is multiplying every year, especially in larger urban areas. I would never even have thought of it before. BE CAREFUL!!!!!!!

[Dangerously Amused]

13. Please call your local Department of Health and Human Services.

Or whatever your version of it is there. They should be able to get someone in there to help you, and maybe give you some financial assistance for a new mattress or whatever else is necessary. If not them, then they should be able to tell you who exactly to contact.

Good luck.

[GirlinContempt]

24. I just have to contact

an exterminator. The health dept.s in most places don't care about bedbugs, as they aren't actually a threat to health. They can cause insomnia and other mental issues, and the bites itch like hell, and if you scratch the bites they can get infected.... but they don't really do much about the bugs.

[GirlinContempt]

16. I counted my bites

for lack of anything else to do all night

I have a bunch on my back, I can't see them but I can feel some of them and spots itch like crazy.

I have at least one on my bum

11 on my right leg

3 on my left leg

9 on my left arm

2 on my right arm

6 on my right shoulder

2 on my forehead


Thats all I found so far. Ick. and, holy crap am I itchy

[elshiva]

21. I am so sorry.

I am as grossed out as you are, GirlinContempt. After all you have been through, I am so sorry. Do NOT listen to those posters who say, "it could be worse..." They are acting like jerks.

[GirlinContempt]

26. There is a severe wind warning for today

maybe if I open all my windows they'll get sucked out by the wind tunnel I create!!

Or not.


Well, the posters ARE right, it could be worse. Anyone could have things be worse than they are. Got cancer? You could have been hit by a bus and made a paraplegic with cancer! or, something... not my style, but whatevs.

Or, I could be this woman, who stayed in a hotel in New York that had bedbugs:

[ogneopasno]

18. I sympathize! I got lice when I lived in another country...

...and they migrated to a certain bodily area that was really just too awful to type here. And I had to pay $400 to get a freaking box of Rid. So I understand your feeling of disgust and despair. YERGH!

[GirlinContempt]

27. Eeeeek!

Yuck ugh! I'm so sorry! That must have been awful!

[leeroysphitz]

19. You removed the tag off the mattress didn't you? That's how they get in.

It's unlawful for a reason.

[GirlinContempt]

28. but but but

i didnnnnt

[Danger Mouse]

20. That's absolutely horrid.

[GirlinContempt]

29. It's scary to think

that they're spreading and getting so bad all over north america. They think it's because people are bringing them back from other countries when they travel, and now we don't use the same kinds of pesticides so they aren't getting killed off. I mean, the bedbug was practically eradicated before, but in the last few years? Not so much. We use different chemicals, and our pest control is more targeted to specific pests, so bedbugs don't die off. I know around here at least the most effective pesticide the exterminators had against bedbugs has very recently been outlawed. Plus, most people don't know what they are, what they look like, how they operate, what to look for, etc so they often have no idea they are infested. 50% of people, give or take, don't have reactions to the bites and so might never know. Bedbugs are hard to see, they can hide ANYWHERE, and they avoid light. So usually they only come out when you're fast asleep.

I hope people read this and at least think about it. The earlier you catch an infestation the easier it'll be to get rid of it. If you're really paranoid, you can help prevent an infestation by vacuming your bed, baseboards, and other potential hiding places a lot. If you don't have any bugs, maybe once a week. But you have to actually take the bed apart and do mattress and box spring for it to work. Even then who knows. I just know what the exterminators have told me when I say I can't afford their help but I need to get rid of them. At least they still talk to me anyway

[JVS]

25. Uffda.

Can't get a break, can you?

[GirlinContempt]

30. Nope, no sir.

[Solon]

31. Dammit...

This is horrible!