Major Bug Anxiety

[judecorp]

I am having so much anxiety about all of this bug business that I don't even know what to do. It is seriously paralyzing. This has never happened to me before. There is so much to do before the bug dude comes on Friday morning and I honestly can not drag myself up to do any of it. Heck, I can't even get myself to eat. I had half a sandwich for lunch. That was 9 hours ago.

I'm supposed to bag up all the of the clothes in my dresser and go wash it somewhere in hot water. Supposedly all of the hanging clothes in the closet are not a problem, though I'm not sure how that can be true when the laundry baskets (with infested clothes) are in my closet and also the suitcase (which could be how we got bugs if they came from a vacation). I have a shelf in my closet which has about 30 or so sweaters and I am going to have a MAJOR conniption if the dude says that they all have to be dry cleaned. Because really, can you imagine the charge for 30something sweaters?

We also have to find a place to buy plastic mattress bags so we can seal off our mattresses. All of them - our bed, the guest bed, and the futon. And I'm pretty sure I will never sleep again because I am an insanely light sleeper and I will be awake with every plastc crunch. And we need to wash all of the linens in our whole linen closet (there are probably at least 12 sets of sheets, god knows how many blankets, towels, etc.) and all of the pillows. Not sure about how that works with the feather pillows. Or the couch pillows which I don't think can be washed.

We also have to vacuum the crap out of the apartment which is challenging because we have all hardwood floors and they don't exactly vacuum well. Well, things like cat hair suck up just fine but not always little bits of dirt.

And I'm not really sure what we're supposed to do about, you know, getting dressed if all of our clothes are in bags and need to be washed. Or how many items will be ruined by being washed in hot water and then dried on hot. (I have a lot of clothes that I do not dry in the dryer.) Or what about when I go to work on Friday in my infested clothes, and then come home from work to an apartment that has supposedly been debugged? Am I going to reinfest the house?

You see what I mean? I am going bonkers. I am so paralyzed by all of this freaking out. I literally can't even get moving on any of this. I just can't get myself to do it. I am so skeeved by even the possibility of this and I am flipping out. Last night I was making the cupcakes and they didn't come out the way I wanted to and I seriously smashed one of the pans. I totally lost it. It is a nightmare.

Also, I am paranoid that the extermination won't even work. They supposedly use this really hot steam to kill the bugs but that sounds so dubious to me. What about the eggs? What about if they are hiding somewhere in this ancient house? I just have this waking nightmare that we are going to be dealing with this forever - that our lives will be one bite after another and we will move somewhere and just take them with us. What the heck do we do with our suitcases? Throw them all out? I have all of these questions and Jen gets so frustrated because she doesn't have the answers. And she hasn't thought of the questions. But I can't help it, because I can't stop thinking.

Comments

[estrange.livejournal.com]

You can buy those plastic bag things at Wal-mart. They aren't too noisy once you cover them with the sheets & matress pad. They have plastic bag covers at wal-mart for pillows too but I've never tried them.

I recently washed all our clothes in hot and dried them all on hot too and they are just fine. Of course our clothes is old and has been washed so many times I don't think it would matter.

If you are so freaked out maybe you should just look into moving. I'm not sure about your suitcases. I guess I probably would toss them.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Jen found some of those bags at Linens N Things so I guess one of us is going to go there tonight. (We don't shop at Wal-Mart, but thanks for the tip!) I'm glad to hear they are not too noisy, but we don't have a mattress pad so I don't know if that makes a difference.

I'm most worried about some of our dark clothes that are fairly new. I don't want the dyes to run all over the place and ruin other clothes. And the hot dry is concerning to me because I have a lot of tshirts with iron-ons on them and I don't want the iron-ons to melt. But I guess we'll see what gets ruined.

I will probably toss out the suitcase if the bug dude doesn't say he can do something to take care of it. Just the thought of it in the closet is making me want to throw up.

[calledmara.livejournal.com]

dirty hippy.

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I believe that dry cleaning also kills beasties in clothes. I had to look into it because we had/have a moth issue. We thought we had it kicked, but they're back. Probably my fault -- I didn't do everything I should have.

I loathe bugs and I feel for you. Remember that the exterminator does this for a living, and has a vested interest in doing it right. So, if he says steam will do it, it probably will.

I hope this is soon a distant memory. The sort of thing you cringe when you remember, and say that maybe someday you'll laugh about it, but not yet.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I know that the exterminator does this for a living. But everything I've read says that it is incredibly difficult to get rid of all bed bugs and that exterminators will not give a guarantee for a bed bug job because they pretty much always come back. And then moving won't fix the problem because we'd just bring them someplace new. I'm starting to feel like we will have to deal with this forever and will always have something sucking our blood when we sleep, which makes me SO sick.

I don't think I will ever laugh about it. I still don't laugh about that time I got scabies from my step-sister and didn't know that's what it was until I gave it to my then-boyfriend and my roommate. Or the time I got head lice from babysitting. it's disgusting and I am going to worry about it for the rest of my life.

[32flavorsnthen.livejournal.com]

The lice infestation that took over both my sister's and my parents house a few years ago was a nightmare. I am not sure that any of us were ever able to laugh about it or eat mayonaise. That was one of the ideas for killing the lice that we tried first because my sister was very pregnant at the time). I feel so bad for you!!!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Can you kill lice with mayonnaise? I have never heard of this. When I got lice from babysitting it was awful because my hair is so thick and it was so, so long. After that, I cut it and have never had long hair again!

When I did child welfare work, we often had buggy kids and I swear I sprayed my car at least once a month. Thank goodness I wasn't trying to have kids then!

[32flavorsnthen.livejournal.com]

Yep, it does work pretty well. You put Mayonaise on your head really thick and then put a shower cap on and sleep in it. The little licies suffocate. The problem was that one of my neices has really thick long hair and the mayo didn't do the trick for her. My grandma was talking about it, but we actually called the doctor's service when the lice were discovered and they said that Mayonaise does work well for a lot of people and that we could try it before we resorted to chemicals on the kids heads. It ruined Mayo forever though.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

That is so weird. I already think mayonnaise is disgusting so that would just make it way worse for me. YUCK!

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

You can suffocate lice with Cetaphil cleanser if you prefer the smell. Dr. Steven Parker (healthychildren) blogged about it in February: "Got lice?"".

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I have never heard of Cetaphil cleanser. What is it?

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

Cetaphil cleanser is a gentle facial wash. A lot of their advertising is by word-of-mouth and doctor recommendations, particularly by dermatologists and pediatricians, who like it for treating children's eczema.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think I've seen that in the stores. It works against lice, too? That's so wacky!

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry -- I didn't mean to imply you'd be laughing about this ever. I just feel very bad for both of you, and wish I could be more helpful. I know it sucks.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

No, I understand that you were trying to make me feel better. And I hope that I get to a point where I'm not paranoid about bugs on me - I would settle for that. I don't worry about lice or scabies every day anymore, so it's possible.

But I will likely spend the next (at least) 6 months thinking, "Is that a bed bug bite? Did I remember to wash that one this?"

[sassywoman.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all of this. You've been through a lot lately and don't deserve this. Damn those bugs!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[kat-chan.livejournal.com]

I know that you're very worried about this, but from reading what you've written, I'm not sure the infestation, if you have one, is that bad. I was reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbugs to make sure I wasn't misremembering what I'd heard in one of those hysterical "which invaders are YOU sharing YOUR bed with...report at 11!!!1!1!!" news stories that they put on during sweeps. Sure enough, bedbugs are very visible, being about 1/8" to 3/16" long. And the eggs are even supposed to be visible. That makes them bigger than lice and fleas. They also say that they won't get on your clothing unless it's a severe infestation. And they have some good information on what you need to do when you have an infestation in order to get rid of them. But I'm sure you've probably read all of this already, as you said last night you'd researched. I'm just confused because sometimes it seems that you're talking about little invisible bugs. :\

I totally don't mean to make this sound unsympathetic. I'm just worrying that there's all of this stress and worry, and you may not be going after the actual problem, which could just lead to more stress and worry. And I should probably shut up now, because the doubt I may impart could be even worse. :(

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

The doctor and the exterminator are convinced it is bed bugs even though we haven't seen any because of the nature of the bites. Bed bugs apparently usually bite in some sort of a line because they disengage when you roll over or twitch so you end up with multiple bites in a row. Jen is full of these. And there really isn't any other reason for why we go to bed and wake up with bites we didn't have the night before... and not just around your feet where fleas bite but regardless, the cats don't go out.

We're not talking about invisible bugs, we just haven't seen any. They come out when you are asleep so unless you happen to wake up and have a dim light on, you probably won't see them until you are so ridiculously infested. The bug dude thinks they probably live in the baseboards which is why we're not seeing them in the bed. Or that maybe they're in the dresser (which is why the clothes are an issue.)

And the eggs CAN get on your clothes. Otherwise we wouldn't have taken them home from New Orleans!

[bec4joy.livejournal.com]

So you are saying you brought them home from New Orleans in your clothes, and now you are infested with them.. ewwww..That has got to be annoying and disturbing.. So if they are bed bugs, why would they live in the baseboards or your dresser..I always thought Bed bugs lived in your bed...

Hmm.. anyways good luck tommorrow.. Hope all is gone.. and no more bites forever.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

That's the hypothesis. If you do a little internet research on bed bugs (google "bed bugs" but beware, gross pictures!) you will see that it is possible for bed bugs to get into your suitcase or for a bed bug or an egg or something to end up on some clothes (especially pajamas) and go into your suitcase. They are very resilient and can live for a long time! It's possible we got them in New Orleans because none of the other ways you can get bed bugs has happened to us (we haven't taken in any used beds/couches or bought any antique/used furniture or anything). The hotel we were in when we went to NO wasn't the cleanest (although cleanliness won't kill bed bugs - our house is very clean) but a significant portion of the hotel was being used as emergency housing for displaced residents... so heck, the bugs could have totally even tagged along from someone's house, you know?

Bed bugs are nocturnal, so they come out at night and they hide all day. When you have A LOT of them, you will see them in a lot of places. Apparently they like to hide in the seams and creases of mattresses and all inside box springs. But our bed is a foam bed (knock-off tempurpedic) so it has no box spring and the mattress doesn't have seams or stitches (it's just a block of foam with a zipper cover on it). Bed bugs also hide in cracks in hardwood floors, baseboards near beds, and spaces in the bed frame. Our bed frame has a TON of spaces (we built it ourselves in an afternoon with scrap wood) but we haven't really seen any. But since we only went to NO about 6-7 weeks ago, we wouldn't have a ton of bugs. *shrug* I don't know.

We'll see tomorrow when the dude comes. I guess he has some sort of special thing that makes them come out of where they are hiding and then he uses this high temperature steam to kill them. I guess we'll find out where/if they're hiding if he finds them!

[stapynam.livejournal.com]

you have no choice but to go to work naked on friday.


seriously, though, this sucks wicked bad. i am feeling very itchy just reading about it.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Ha, the LAST thing I want to do is bust into this kid's day care center buck naked. Or go to supervision. Heh, THAT would be funny.

I'll think about it. ;)

[violane.livejournal.com]

So sorry you're having to worry with all this. Geez, why do they have to be so annoying to get rid of? Well, I hope everything goes smoothly and that they actually are eradicated on the first try.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

From your lips to God's ears, my friend. I hope that we can sleep easily after tomorrow. Goodness knows I could use some serious sleep.

We're going to take a bunch of stuff to a laundromat tonight (hopefully it has late hours!) so that we can use the BIG washing machines and hopefully get a bunch of stuff done that way. We have a normal-sized washer and dryer and have washed some stuff, but it takes a loooong time to wait for the washer and dryer.

[violane.livejournal.com]

I can only imagine having to wash every piece of clothing I own. That would take FOR-E-VER. Good luck!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

We did like 15 loads of laundry last night. InSANity. (But at least we know everything is extra clean!)

[pantsie.livejournal.com]

As a person with some major bug-related phobias, I can completely understand why you'd feel anxious and grossed out by this. I hope that the company your landlord is contracting can bring a quick resolution to this for you guys -- it sounds brutal. *hug*

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You know, I can handle the "normal" bugs. I don't get skeeved by spiders or mosquitos or bees or silverfish or ants or moths or anything like that. But when it comes to those mysterious creepy-crawlies, the ones that like to eat people and you can't even see them? Well yeah, then I just itch ALL THE TIME.

I hope the Orkin people are as good as they advertise.

[pantsie.livejournal.com]

I wish I could handle the normal ones. Man, I want that super power.

Yeah, I hope they are as good as advertised, too!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I'll save you from all the bugs!