shit shit shit shit shit -- bedbugs

[jm1982]

i'm going to be physically ill. 

way back in july, i found bedbugs in our apartment (OP here: pandce.proboards.com/thread/30618?page=1). after two pest control treatments and washing and/or drying EVERYTHING we own, it was taken care of. this cost us in the ballpark of $600, 2 weeks worth of heavy-duty work on our part, and months worth of nightmares about these bugs. i mean, i don't think that DH and i could even bring ourselves to have sex in the bedroom for over a month, because even though we knew the bed was "clear" (we isolated it), we couldn't not think about these things in the mattress. 

we check regularly now, every single time we change the sheets (the bed was the only place an infestation was found, even though he treated the whole apartment), and have seen absolutely no suspect signs of any sort. no bites, no stains, no dead bugs, nothing.

but this morning, i was sitting on the couch in my pjs with the cat, and i happened to scratch my chest and something fell down onto my laptop -- and FFS it's most certainly a full-size live bedbug.

so then i panic-cried and called DH as i pulled the couch and then the bed apart, and i found NOTHING -- but i trapped the one that i found in plastic, and i'm sure that's what it is. 


so i left a panicked message for the pest control guy from before. i haven't called our landlord yet (she's just going to charge us for the service anyway, since chicago only requires the landlord to pay for treatment if they're found in more than one unit). i THINK that this is likely a reinfestation rather than one of the old bugs (chicago is now the #1 city in the country for these nasties), but who knows. i just want to lock myself in the bathroom and sob thinking about how we're going to go through all this all over again.

[vtdiamond]

OMG, that is my nightmare.
I'm with you that I feel like I'd just be paranoid all the time about it.
Good luck getting it figured out.

[Deleted]

have you checked with others around you? Maybe they have them and that way the landlord would be responsible.
Its worth checking.

[scout8]

Oh no. I am so sorry. I find it really hard to believe that they aren't in other units too. I would have it out with your landlord. She needs to be paying for the treatment in ALL of the units.

[aspentosh]

Yuck yuck yuck. So sorry you're dealing with this

[mrssavy42112]

Sorry you're dealing with this. My parents had bedbugs also. Brought it back from a hotel. After it was treated, they didn't come back. I'm surprised that it would be a re-infestation so quickly. Perhaps you just picked that one up from sitting on a communal chair somewhere like a bus, Dr. office, work? Of course, it's better to get it looked into, just in case.

[LoveTrains]

I am so sorry, this is a nitemare of mine as well.

[womet]

Oh yuck. Bed bugs give me the willies.

[shakeitout]

I'm sorry you have to deal with this! I didn't realize Chicago is #1 in infestations. Sucks.

[sporky]

Ew, that really sucks. Are you in an apt? I would definitely check with neighbors to see if they have problems too.

[mrshandy]

I'm so sorry.

Have you checked other places like your couches, pillows, armchairs?

My bet is they are in your building and that this is reinfestation.

It really sucks. I had them in an incredibly shitty apartment we lived in when I was a broke grad student. The only way we got rid of them was moving and getting rid of practically all of our furniture.

[phunluvin82]

Omg...that sucks so bad I'm sorry.

If it would make you feel any better, I have a termite story that involves swarms of thousands IN our house, tearing out the entire ceiling + 2 walls, a nest in the ceiling about 2 feet by 4 feet, ultimately tearing off the ENTIRE roof...AND almost becoming a subject in a Discover documentary series about invasive insects.

[genet313]

Jan 24, 2013 8:59:15 GMT -5 scout8 said:

Oh no. I am so sorry. I find it really hard to believe that they aren't in other units too. I would have it out with your landlord. She needs to be paying for the treatment in ALL of the units.

This. 

And if I had bedbugs twice in the same apartment, I'd be moving pronto.  Good luck.

[honeybadger]

Jan 24, 2013 9:51:43 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

I'm so sorry.

It really sucks. I had them in an incredibly shitty apartment we lived in when I was a broke grad student. The only way we got rid of them was moving and getting rid of practically all of our furniture.

This happened to us, too.  Had to toss all of our furniture and do 45 loads of laundry and $500 of dry cleaning.  On the bright side, we now have matching, non-hand-me-down furniture. 

I agree with others--I highly highly doubt it's just your unit...we got ours from a neighbor, and it spread to our entire floor.  Definitely push it with the landlord.