not letting bedbugs bite...

[jay]

Not just a goodnight benediction anymore... well, probably. Kevin sleeps in the top bunk, and in the past few days has developed mosquito-bite-like welts around the waist and groin -- seam areas on his briefs. patgreene thought they were spider bites (given the top bunk) but the welts don't look right for that. And spiders tend to hit-and-run, not return night after night. The pattern suggests bedbugs... just in the top bunk, since David has been unaffected. They like to travel in dark or enclosed containers (suitcases, backpacks, packing cases, etc), so my guess is that one of the kids brought them home from school with their homework. Sigh. Time to wash all of the bedding and spray the mattress and nearby walls... like dealing with head lice, except confined to the bedroom and we won't have to shave their heads.

Comments

[mnfiddledragon.livejournal.com]

could it be an allergy to elastic in his briefs? Is there any latex/elastic showing?

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... good idea, but his briefs are intact. And the legs have no elastic. Kevin (age 8): "Mom... I have bites near my reproductive organs!"

[mnfiddledragon.livejournal.com]

sounds like something Kritter would say *chuckle*

I just thought of it, because it looks like Beena might be developing a latex allergy - bright red marks where her bandaid attached to her skin.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

These welts were classically oval, with tiny overt punctures in the center. Looking like mosquito or exactly like chigger/redbug bites... I've had reactions to bandage adhesives, myself, but those welts were blotchy and irregular.

[mnfiddledragon.livejournal.com]

*nod* I wasn't saying they're the same, but it's what made me think of latex allergy nonetheless :)

I've also seen latex allergic reactions show up as oval, but not the overt punctures

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

At the PT's this morning, the guy being worked on on the adjacent table just returned from France, where he got bedbugs. I don't remember much about his conversation, other than the part where calamine lotion made it much much much worse.

I hope that Kevin gets some relief from the bites and that they don't recur.

[dancing-star.livejournal.com]

I always thought Bedbugs where a myth to get kids to keep their beds clean. Shakes head