Bed Bug issues that my family are ignoring!

[X4biddenxLustX]

I've been having issues with bed bugs in my home since around April. It all started when I started sleeping on the living room couch for a while at night. I started waking up the next morning with raised welt like bumps all over my body that were insanely itchy (calamine lotion and hydrocortisone cream don't really help). I wasn't sure what they were and no one else in my family did either and they actually kind of treated me as if I was crazy or something despite the fact that I have visible bite marks all over me. A friend looked at the bumps and informed me that they look a lot like bug bites not an allergic reaction to something. So I ended up cleaning up my own bedroom up pretty good, washing all the sheets and went back to sleeping in there. The bites stopped after that. Then about a month later my mother started having the same issue but her condition was literally 10x worse! She had them literally all over her body! Same thing started happening to my brother and father shortly after. I didn't really have anymore issues at that moment when I was sleeping in my bedroom anymore. But the biting persisted with the rest of my family. We didn't know exactly what type of insect was causing the issues but my parents sprayed down different areas of the house with pesticides multiple times to no avail. We only found out that it was bed bugs during a trip to the doctors for my father for his bites. I had seen a few of these bugs around in the bathroom and on a sofa that I was sitting on. The doctor showed me a picture of bed bugs online and voila! that was what it was. So we or at least I was able to confirm what was causing the issue in our home.

But yet after that doctor's visit neither of my parents have done ANYTHING about it.

I've recently been hanging out in my little brother's room again and started getting these bites again with a VENGENCE. Within 2 days I gone from rash free to at least 12 different bites on my body. The itchiness this time is so bad that I think I'm about to rip my skin off from the scratching.

Now I am not sleepinng in my bedroom at this point and I haven't for the past week almost and I don't want to until I can clear everything out of my room (it's a mess right now) and spray things down with a pesticide specificially for bed bugs. But I've seriously reached a level of paranoia and I seriously feel sooo itchy all over all the time. I keep feeling as if something is crawling on me. It's affecting my sleep too. I've tried talking to both of my parents about it and they both want to play dumb and act like they are in denial about our home having a bed bug infestation. They both are still getting bitten, especially my father on a major scale. I recently had a really bad fight with my mother at night about it all because I seriously can't take it anymore. She keeps telling me that we'll clear the house and get it nice and tidy and spray it down. But yet NOTHING has been done. Got into another fight with her today about it because I'm really pushing for hiring an exterminator. She started complaining about how expensive it was and I agreed. But if she's not doing anything about it and I'm afraid that spraying it with bed bug spray will somehow either not work or make matters worse then we have no other choose really. She said that we'll have to take it up with my father. But he again is in denial of it and keeps finding other "reasons" why we're having these issues from allergies to all sorts of weird things. I just keep telling them though that it is BED BUGS!!!! And that they are difficult as hell to get rid of and that spraying something in the house may or may not even work from what I have read online. But they just don't want to hear me out.

I'm literally at my wits end with this whole situation. Not only am I getting bitten over and over again but my family does not want to listen to a single word that I have to say. I even offered to give my dad whatever is left of my student grant money after they take my tuition out along with part of my student loan so that we can have a professional handle this. He just again kept on going on and on about other reasons why we are having this issue. I really at this point don't know what to do regarding the bugs and my parents. I don't know what I have to do or say to make them finally listen to me and realize that this "problem" is not going to go away on it's own. I'm starting my freshman year at college the end of this month and that has been stressed out enough as it is over it. I do not need to wake up to itchy red welts all over me and to not even want to sleep in my own home on top of that. The rest of the family is getting bitten too so it's not just me. I seriously can't even put in words how much this is effecting my overall wellbeing. Sounds stupid, I will admit but I can't help it. I don't feel comfortable even in my own home. I'm just so desperate at this point to find someway to make my parents DO SOMETHING about it and to listen to me.

 

[Babylard]

aw i really have no advice for you, but i do hope it works out. can you stay over at a friend's maybe? i've been hearing about bed bugs being a major problem these days. i guess you just have to keep nagging at your parents. they can be so stubborn =/

i got massively bitten by mosquitoes in the summer and it was so itchy too! and when i first moved into winnipeg, that summer i was getting bitten like crazy while i sleep, and also had to wash all my sheets often! that helped a lot.

 

[pumpkincat210]

It looks like you are going to have to throw out your mattresses and pillows and spray your room well.
Go through your clothes and inspect them closely throw away anything that has a trace of bedbug on it.
If they aren't going to pay for the pesticide, you need to or you should move out. With humans or warm blooded animals around they will only get worse. Prolonged infestetion could cause anemia, delusional parasitosis, anxiety, asthma, bacterial infection, poisoning, even shock.
Depending on which area of the u.s./world you live in means you should look into the types of pesticides used to kill the bedbug living in your area.
Many pesticides no longer kill the bugs because of mutations that have caused a resistance.

 

[bellaboomboom]

I would get a new sofa and mattresses - I really hope your parents come around. It's pretty serious. I get a serious reaction to flea bites - growing up our dogs and cats would get them - and so would I! One doctor told me it was the worst he's ever seen anyone with flea bites. So, I feel your pain and I hope you can get through to them somehow.

If you do happen to get new mattresses, get a mattress cover. I don't have one but someone I work with does for his kid who has severe allergies and they swear by it. It will keep the mattress clean and protected.

 

[Junkie]

Tell them that the longer they wait, the more expensive it'll get!

Bed bugs have become an epidemic in Canada and in some parts of the U.S. Imagine them getting SO bad, you need to be quarantined and the house tented so they can spray!? They will need to rip up the carpets, the baseboards, any moulding. They'll also have to get rid of all the mattress and boxsprings - the couches and upholstered furniture. Not to mention the small fortune you'll spend cleaning and washing EVERYTHING in scalding water to get rid of the eggs! Vaccuuming too!

Bites are one thing - but I can see that money is another. Kindly remind them that an exterminater is a few hundred dollars - but replacing everything and having to rip apart your home will be in the thousands!

I can see that your parents are probably embarassed. A lot of people seem to thinks that bugs in general equals squalid living conditions - but it doesn't. Even hospitals get bed bugs. They can come in off the wash, from school, from your doctors office. It does not mean you are dirty. More than likely, I can see this as being the reason - too proud too admit they have a problem.

I wish you the best of luck - but you better nip this in the bud before it gets completely out of hand. They are a bitch to get rid of.

 

[Addicted2Shadow]

Omg. I'm so sorry to hear this. This is my worst nightmare. Don't go to a friends house to stay though. You will only end up transporting them to their house. Wash everything , steam clean everything. Get rid of the mattresses and box springs etc. I hope it works out for you. Also for the itching..... Alcohol works wonders for itching. I use it for mosquito bites all the time. Good Luck

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

I unfortunately can't stay at anyone else's place because I don't want to spread the bed bugs to them. I feel even guilty for having someone over or even trying to go over to their house right now which sucks cause I really wanted to enjoy the rest of the summer before school with friends.

The constant washing of sheets and all of that is so annoying. We have a new washer that's a high efficiency one which is good but unfortunately it takes a lot longer to wash a load in there than it was with our old one. So literally some days I'm doing laundry the whole entire day.

For some reason, this time around my bites are sooo much itchier and worse than they were before. My skin in some areas feels really painful and raw because I'm scratching it so much. I think I'm going to try washing my body with head and shoulders (read on a forum on bed bugs that this helps with the bites sometimes), calamine soap and apply some alcohol on the bites. I have pretty bad allergies too and have noticed that as I've been getting older they're getting worse and I'm developing them for things I had no problem with when I was younger. Call me paranoid if you would like but I'm really scared that I'll somehow develop and allergy to the bites and start getting hives and stuff. Again, I'm starting school soon and I'm not looking forward to that as it is, I really don't want to have to worry about this still too.

We really can't afford to start throwing out all of our furniture. I mean I've seen pictures and read about infestations where you can literally see tons and tons of bed bugs on the mattress. We aren't at that point YET. I've only spotted them a few times and so has my mom. I don't understand why if she's seen them for herself she's acting like I'm being delusional and overreacting about this whole thing. I have heard that they are on the rise now and a lot of different people are having problems with them. Plus I've heard that even if you do throw your old stuff out and get new stuff, they can reinfest the new furniture that you have.

I keep trying to stress to my parents that this will not go away on it's own or some store bought pesticide. Maybe the pesticide will keep it at bay for a little while maybe not but everyone I've spoken to has told me that I NEED an exterminator. This will not get any better if we do nothing about it, it'll only get worse. I'm trying so hard but they won't listen. I was thinking that they were somehow maybe embarassed about this. But whats more embarassing though? Walking around with large red welts all over your face, arms, neck, legs, etc or admitting we have a problem and spending a few hundred dollars and having a professional try to fix it for us? I really don't want it to get to the point where we have to basically strip the house of everything. We can't afford it nor do we want the headache of having to go through all of that.

I don't have a job, I have no money otherwise I would of called an exterminator in myself months and months ago. I'm really desperate at this point that I'm willing to charge it on my credit card, use my student grant and loan money (but that won't come through until at least a few days before school even starts! ugh) to hire someone. My parents keep using the fact that two years ago we hired Sears to come out and clean out our air vents because of how bad the air quality in our home was. We have a lot of dust all the time all over the house no matter how much we clean. That cost a few hundred and we noticed absolutely no difference afterwards at all. We even had them come out again not too long after the first service to reclean them again more thoroughly. So they're a bit distrustful I guess of companies that provide home services now cause of it. But you really can't compare dust and debris with bed bugs though. It's two completely different problems. I just wish I could explain to them the magnitude of this situation instead of having them think I'm just freaking out over nothing.

 

[Addicted2Shadow]

Oh I completely understand. It would definitely a lot to get rid of everything. I hope your parents will come around and soon.

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

I really hope so too. I just spoke to my mom about it again when she got home from work. I think this time I *MAYBE* am finally somewhat getting it through to her. Just somewhat. But she really told me that she thought that this would just eventually just somehow go away by itself....SMH! I also volunteered to help her clear out other stuff throughout the house and wash things, etc to get ready to spray the house down real good with some pesticide. Then hopefully I can get her and my dad to finally agree to getting an exterminator. I'm really hoping that I'll have enough from my student grant money left to repay them back to it cause I really don't feel like listening to them complain about the money.

 

[kiss]

If I were you, I would dry all the clothes/sheets etc. on high heat and put them in garbage bags right from the dryer closed tightly. You don't have to wash them if they are clean, the heat will kill them. Inspect your mattress to make sure there are no holes. Get some food-grade diatomeceous earth powder and spray under your mattress, boards and around the bed.
As for your mom, perhaps you can print out some articles about bedbugs to let her know how serious the issue is and that they won't go away on their own. I am sorry your going throught this, bedbugs are so annoying, a friend of mine lives in a building that keeps getting bed bugs and they are such a nuisance. I am trying to help move them out of there. Even after exterminators they kept coming back. Be sure to super carefully treat and pack everything right and getting someone to caulk all the holes in the walls etc. is also key.

 

[roLLerGrrL]

I looked these up as I've always known the term "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" but I've never experienced them.

I just read that the adult female can apparently lay about 5-8 eggs a day, and can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. Not only that, they can survive 7 months WITHOUT feeding on human blood.

This isn't just going to go away, it will get worse.

I wish you luck!

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

My parents still are play dumbbb! But unfortunately I can't really print anything out and have them read it as they don't speak/read English (we're Chinese). My mom has this "spiritual adviser" lady that tells her what she can and cannot do cause of religious, cultural, spiritual things. And apparently she told my mom that we can't do anything with the house since my gram passed away earlier this year, which means no exterminator, no repairs, etc for a year. Seriously fucking bullshit. What a load of crock. That and money pretty much prevent my mom from wanting to get a professional. My dad doesn't believe in that but he doesnt want to spend the money either.

I'm going to just in the mean time while I keep trying to push it get some foggers I think they're called or bombs that are made especially for bed bugs and just do the whole house. Does anyone know where I can get that diatomeceous earth stuff at? I tried looking for it at home depot but they said that it was used in pools and that they don't carry pool supplies there. I ended up spraying the perimeters of my room, furniture legs, my mattress, sheets and pillows with bed bug pesticide from the store for now.

 

[kaliraksha]

So sorry! I moved into my new place a little over a month ago and we are having a serious ants and fleas problem. The lady who lived here before had 4 dogs that peed all over the house and killed the yard which led to dirt which led to ants. The itchiness is driving me crazy... I hate when your house doesn't feel like a home. It's a slow process to get rid of them. I have to clean and vacuum almost daily and washing my bright red sheets in hot water is so bad for them... but oh well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Any chance you can work on convincing your siblings or even outside family members to talk to your rents?

 

[kiss]

Maybe you can translate or bribe the spiritual lady to tell your mom to get rid of them. lol

Don't get the stuff for pools!!! Try to find the food-grade as I heard that works the best and it's natural. If you can't theres diatamaceous earth powder specifically for killing bugs in the pesticide section. I believe home hardware carries it, check in multiple hardware stores.

 

[Ms. Z]

AUGH!!!!! I am itchy just reading this.

Bed bugs have become a big problem in NY, a co-worker of mine (who lives in an expensive neighborhood in NYC) has been battling this problem for several months) and to my dismay my neighbor told us a couple of months ago that her apartment was infested and she threw out beds, a sofa and a few other things and they sprayed the apartment and the problem still persist (used canned stuff and later a regular exterminator sent by the landlord). Immediately after getting this news I panicked and inspected my apartment and did a ton of research

AUGH!!!!! I am itchy just reading this.

Bed bugs have become a big problem in NY, a co-worker of mine (who lives in an expensive neighborhood in NYC) has been battling this problem for several months) and to my dismay my neighbor told us a couple of months ago that her apartment was infested and she threw out beds, a sofa and a few other things and they sprayed the apartment and the problem still persist (used canned stuff and later a regular exterminator sent by the landlord).

Immediately after getting this news I panicked and inspected my apartment and did a ton of research.
Check out this report Bed Bugs Outbreak: Trained Dogs and Apartment Heat Treatments in Getting Rid of Pests - ABC News

When I inspected I could not find them so I tried this YouTube - ‪Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap‬‎
How to make your own bedbug detector - Wellness - TIME.com
I caught one in that home made detector and found one coming down a crack in my ceiling (the day my neighbor who lives above me exterminated) so I called for the service I saw in the news but it was too expensive and the landlord was only going to pay for a regular exterminator, so I purchased this Bed Bug Powder kit, and to my delight, it worked! I found a few but they were dead and dried out (luckily the problem was isolated to one room and it was not mine). Bed Bug Powder The Original Bed Bug Killer

*I steamed everything I could reach but I have to admit that due to fear I did not follow their directions exactly, I took that powder and sprinkled it all over the place, on all baseboards, around the legs of all the furniture and in cracks in the wall (from our experience the powder might be a bit itchy).

I also taped up all unused outlets because I heard they can go from apartment/room to apartment/room through those.

Here are some articles that might help
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11823244/
The Bed Bugs Blog NYC and Bed Bugs - The Bed Bugs Blog
bed bug detection ? Got bed bugs? Bedbugger.com


Your parents are probably embarrassed but if you don’t take care of the problem immediately they may end up feeling humiliated if someone else brings it to their attention or this happens (WARNING VIDEO IS DISTRURBING) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GfTDlrZe4g

I wish you the best of luck in taking care of your problem.



P.S. I am not endorsing any one product; this worked for me, but please do your own research to find a solution that fits your needs.

 

[elegant-one]

What if you call your local Health Department? Warning though - any siblings MAY be removed if they find your parents negligent.

Also, for your own sanity, I would call the Doctor that your father went to & see if he can offer you any comfort or suggestions since that Doctor already knows the situation.

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

My dad went to see another doctor today for unrelated issues and brought up his rashes. I told the doctor that it's from bed bugs and that I had seen them before and another doctor also confirmed that it was. He tried explaining to my dad that the bites may go away but come back unless the bed bugs are totally eradicated.

But I seriously just went hysterical after showing my dad that video above about it and he told me also to call the health department first. But now that you've pointed it out elegent-one, I do have a younger brother who is 15, a minor. I do feel that what my parents are doing is in a way negligent especially since they have all the proof in their faces at this point and on their bodies to show them that we have an infestation of bed bugs not fleas, ticks, spiders, allergies, etc. But yet they are doing nothing about it and since my brother is living under the same roof they may seriously find it negligent and have my brother removed. That will honestly cause more problems than it would even solve. But my mom got frustrated at me for crying cause I feel so gross in my own house and said that they'll get someone. Now I'm not too hopeful even if we do hire a professional. I've heard of cases where people hire someone and do treatments and it still doesn't go away. I do want to try the Diatameceous earth but I've read that it maybe best to have a professional treatment done and use that as a preventative product? Plus despite having a 1 1/2 story house, there is so much area to cover that I wouldn't even know where to start.

 

[elegant-one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by X4biddenxLustX But my mom got frustrated at me for crying cause I feel so gross in my own house and said that they'll get someone.

You should NOT feel bad at all for crying, being upset etc.! I don't think that there is any one of us that would not feel the same as you - you have every right to be upset with this. IMHO - this is a form of abuse even if it is your parents. I don't mean to be harsh, but rather bring to the conversation responsible thinking. You are right in wanting this terrible & uncomfortable, & harmful situation taken care of now!

You NEED someone to help you!!! You & your younger brother are facing a health risk! Not only are the bed bugs themselves a health risk, but so is using potentially harmful chemicals on your bed sheets & room! Please please get someone to help you - the longer you wait, the worse it may get.

hugs

 

[kiss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by X4biddenxLustX I do want to try the Diatameceous earth but I've read that it maybe best to have a professional treatment done and use that as a preventative product? Plus despite having a 1 1/2 story house, there is so much area to cover that I wouldn't even know where to start.

No pesticides or diatamaceous earth will get rid of bedbugs fully I don't think so yes professional treatment is necessary. Several professional treatments will be required to get rid of them too. But I heard success stories with the food-grade stuff ( the kind I am not able to find) and it has reduced bed bugs dramatically where there almost doesn't seem to be none (not the food-grade kind) for my friend which is why I recomended it. I am guessing your family owns the house and not rents as the manager would be responsible in paying for an exterminator in that case. ugh I hate bed bugs!

 

[X4biddenxLustX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elegant-one You should NOT feel bad at all for crying, being upset etc.! I don't think that there is any one of us that would not feel the same as you - you have every right to be upset with this. IMHO - this is a form of abuse even if it is your parents. I don't mean to be harsh, but rather bring to the conversation responsible thinking. You are right in wanting this terrible & uncomfortable, & harmful situation taken care of now! You NEED someone to help you!!! You & your younger brother are facing a health risk! Not only are the bed bugs themselves a health risk, but so is using potentially harmful chemicals on your bed sheets & room! Please please get someone to help you - the longer you wait, the worse it may get. hugs

Thanks hun, but I just feel like such a drama queen for getting sooo upset over this all the time. But I do agree that I feel that I do have every right to be upset about this. It just baffles me still how whether or whether not they feel embarassed about this, are in denial or just don't want to fork over the money for an exterminator want to keep living like this? Cause I know for sure that they are not comfortable either waking up with new bites somewhere on their body. At the same time too I feel that if I'm not dramatic enough nothing will ever be done. Now I know my mom said we'll hire someone but idk...we'll just have to honestly wait and see. I'm going to push for it again tomorrow. If only these stupid student loans and grants could process my application sooner and just send me my damn money now! If I had the money now, I would honestly just go ahead myself and have someone come in and do treatments and just pay them myself.

I just wished that they would realize that this WILL NOT GO AWAY. It's one of thoses things that only will get worse with time. I really do not want the headache or nightmare of being in school already and having to have my whole house literally torn apart and flush hundreds and thousands down the toilet cause these stupid little pieces of crap wont just die and leave us alone!

As for chemicals, I already sprayed down a good bit of my room with a pesticide especially made for bed bugs and fleas that I got at home depot. I will have to spray down my drawers and everything else that I can reach into as a precautionary measure for now. I also sprayed down my mattress and sheets, blanket and pillow. I'm starting to now notice a lot of itching and some redness on my skin that isn't from bed bug bites. I'm pretty sure it's from the pesticides. I told my dad about it after he told me to go put some sarna anti-itch lotion thinking I was scratching my bites. I still rather honestly have itching from pesticides than nasty bed bugs though any day. And yes I'm in a way trying to guilt trip him. I'm so desperate right now that I'm going insane!!!