The nasty truth about bed bug bites
BusinessThe other day I heard someone suggest that the recent outbreak of bedbugs on the East Coast was largely a myth. Well, I have been bitten by bedbugs and I can tell you that it is not a myth. Unfortunately, the idea of bedbugs seems old-fashioned, even quaint, a holdover from the storybook past, like shoe buckles and silk caps, so the skepticism is understandable. But if you have been bitten by bedbugs and have suffered a strong allergic reaction, you will not care what the skeptics say; he will frankly seek any information he can find to provide you with information and relief.
There are several good websites that offer useful information on how to identify and get rid of bed bugs, but when it comes to dealing with bites, most of what you find online has to be gleaned from discussion threads. That’s a shame because solid information can be communicated to those who are actually stung, information that can clear up their confusion and ease their distress.
Hypochondriacs, take note: if you have been bitten by bedbugs and have an allergic reaction, you will not mistake them for something else. I have been feasted on by mosquitoes and chiggers, stung by bees and bitten by horseflies. Nothing comes close to the insanity that induces the itching and swelling brought on by an allergic reaction to bed bug bites. Here’s how it plays out:
The morning after you’ve been bitten, you’ll notice some red marks scattered here and there on your shoulders and arms. They may not even do it at first. But as the day progresses, he’ll begin to regard them as a mild irritant. You’ll find yourself absent-mindedly itching at little red bumps that look like swollen pimples. That night, he can go back to bed on the shelf for the subsequent torture of him, ignoring the fact that he is the victim of a nest of parasites swarming just below you.
The next day you will begin to notice that something is wrong. You’ll notice more red marks, perhaps stitched close together, as if whatever is biting you is looking for the best place to root. You may suspect that these are fresh bites, but more likely you are seeing last night’s bites that are now beginning to show.
This can last up to nine days with new bites appearing daily until arms, shoulders, torso and neck are riddled with red, swollen bumps that may briefly resemble mosquito bites but soon resolve into hives . These welts will have more in common with the appearance of poison ivy than with a sultry night spent camping by standing water. Before long, you’ll find yourself itching furiously.
The association with poison ivy is apt. The itching and swelling are your body’s reaction to the bed bug’s saliva that was injected into the bloodstream during feeding.
It should be noted that not all people experience an allergic reaction. Some are virtually immune. Others have a much smoother response. This can lead to a puzzling puzzle. How can it be bedbugs if two people have slept in the same bed but only one person is in distress?
It is not the least part of the insidious nature of bed bug bites that manifests itself in illusory and deceptive ways, leading to uncertainty and deepening the victim’s anguish.
My own experience is an example of this. I was bitten in a motel room over the course of two nights. The bites, however, did not fully develop until four days later, when I was staying at my parents’ house. I was seeing what seemed like new bites every day, so I was naturally alarmed that I was being bitten again and worried that I had brought the bugs with me and infested their home.
Bed bugs can hitchhike on luggage and clothing and travel with you. So I washed everything in hot water and dried it twice in a hot dryer. I sprayed the inside of my luggage with bedbug repellant and made sure there was nothing on the floor. Still, he wasn’t sure. I frantically searched the seams and seams of the bedding, waking up suddenly at intervals, turning on the light to try and catch the bugs in the act. It was all an illusion. The bed bugs had not traveled with me, but the original bites continued to appear in new and maddening ways for another five days!
My bites continued to itch for nine days after I was bitten, with the most severe reaction occurring on the fifth day. The swelling lasted almost two weeks. The red marks took over a month to fade. Even after the episode ended, I felt phantom bites from time to time, a common psychological reaction to the trauma of being fed. I was comforted to know that bed bugs don’t bite during the day and that if I had been bitten, they weren’t bed bugs.
The recent scourge of bed bugs, which took hold in New York City last year and is now spreading all over the East Coast (I was bitten in Alexandria, VA) has come so fast that many doctors have gone crazy. Discussion threads are littered with stories of misdiagnosis by doctors who are seeing a variety of bite manifestations for the first time.
Treatment with topical analgesics may be ineffective in reactions as severe as these. In some cases the reactions can be so let’s say that they can lead to anaphylactic shock. Relief can be hard to find. A hot shower will provide only a temporary respite, followed by severe itching. Skin moisturizers will only offer mild and unsatisfactory help.
Swelling and itching from bed bug bites should be treated for what they are, an allergic reaction. If your doctor doesn’t prescribe an appropriate antihistamine right away, choose an over-the-counter medication like Benadryl or Zyrtec and attack the problem yourself. It’s your best chance to relieve itching.
Again, it’s important to emphasize that not everyone reacts to bed bug bites the same way, but judging from the discussion threads, serious reactions are widespread. Unfortunately, lack of information, confusion, and skepticism, as well as delayed reaction and the nine-day cycle, tend to prolong the victim’s misery and delay immediate and effective action.
If you fear that you have been bitten by bed bugs, go to a doctor, take the appropriate measures to relieve the itching and try to relax. It will all be over very soon and you will never mistake bed bug bites for any other type of bite again.