Call an exterminator. Have them bring a bug sniffing dog.
I worked for a shelter and there were bed bug issues at some of the sites on various occassions.
They could be in your carpets or upholstered furniture, not necessarily just the bed. If you want to look right away, check the crevices of your mattress with a bright flashlight. Also, look for specks of blood on your mattress.
I would get rid of any fabric luggage if you carried it on your last trip.
"Why would you ruin perfectly good peanuts by adding candy corn? That's like saying hey, I have these awesome nachos, guess I better add some dryer lint." - Nonny
First off, condolences. I hope they aren't too itchy... when I got eaten alive a couple years ago (on vacation in Reykjavik)I wanted to tear my skin off. I recommend going to the doctor and asking for steroids if it gets bad (but I have no idea if that is pg safe).
I realized while on vacation that it was bedbugs, so I was very careful when I got home. Throw out your suitcase and dry all your clothes on the hottest setting you can. Dry clean anything that can't be dried and wipe down everything else with alcohol. From what I remember of my bedbug research, high heat is really key, more so than sprays and chemicals. When my friend in NYC had them, her exterminator basically steamed the shit out of everything in her apartment a couple times and that was it. Bedbugger.com is helpful. It is true they can live 18 months without feeding and cold will NOT kill them. Good luck!!!
Oh my god, @misoangry. This is seriously my worst nightmare. I'm completely paranoid about bed bugs (I'm not going to share my horror story with you since you're experiencing your own right now) and check for them every single time I enter a hotel room even with traveling every week. My H makes fun of me whenever he's with me, but those fuckers are not something to take lightly.
I haven't read all the responses, but it looks like you've gotten good advice. Heat is the best source for killing them. Put whatever you can in the dryer, and for bigger items like your suitcase, put them in a large plastic bag, sealed tightly, and leave them in your car on a sunny day with the windows up so that the car gets hot enough to kill any bugs or eggs.
Check your mattress, box spring, and any upholstered furniture at the seams with a flashlight - the bugs can vary in size but will most likely be really small flecks if you just brought them home. Also check any rooms with carpet - where the carpet meets the walls. They'll even sometimes go behind a bed's headboard and in between the floorboard / molding and walls. Basically go OCD on your entire house with a flashlight.
Lastly, obv. call an exterminator. I don't think that home remedies are very reliable except for the heat killing.
Oh my god. I want to cry for you. I might. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I really hope that it's some random pregnancy reaction and not bed bugs, or if it was bed bugs that you didn't bring any home. The easiest way to pick them up is for one to lay an egg on something of yours, or for you to rub against something and pick up an egg. That's why they're so hard to detect at first. :-(
Papular dermatitis of pregnancy starts out looking like bug bites, can start anywhere on the body, and can happen at any time during the pregnancy. I have seen many people think they have bed bugs or mosquitoes attacking them in their sleep and it be this.... Just a thought.
I had this! It was sheer HELL! Thankfully it ended by the time I left the hospital.
Post by PinkSquirrel on Sept 16, 2013 21:43:06 GMT -5
You can also check the bed bug registry to see if there are reported issues at the hotel you were at. I always check this shit before staying in hotels because bed bugs are my worst fucking nightmare and NYC has a raging issue and we stay in hotels there more than anywhere else bedbugregistry.com/
H says get everything that you had at the hotel in the garage (suitcases, clothes etc). Throw all the clothes in the dryer on high heat. Chances are if brought them home, the exposure is small at this point.
He also had recs for exterminators if you need. And said he can talk to you if you want. Sorry
I'm still holding out hope it's pupps but he said San Fran is a hot zone.
Post by sawyerthedestroyer on Sept 16, 2013 22:06:54 GMT -5
I just skimmed the posts and sorry if this was already mentioned, but you should wear goggles if you're going the DE route.
H sprinkled it all over our yard (he got it at Tractor Supply) last spring for fleas and ticks and got a little bit in his eye. He was very uncomfortable for a couple of days after that. I took a picture, but I can't find it. It wasn't pretty.