I'm hopeful that this will help my mental state

Long story short. I have bed bugs. Sigh. People don't understand the havoc bug begs have on the lives of people infested by them.

I am no longer sure where I got them. Had a romantic weekend away at a hotel and I thought I got them there. Called them and they denied having any problems with bed bugs. Then I asked my rental office if my neighbors may have them. They wouldn't divulge that information. Ugh, right?

So I am hoping that my neighbors dont have them and that I do not spread them as I would never forgive myself for causing someone else the emotional and mental turmoil that these bugs have caused me.

So far, trying to get rid of these things have cost me about $700. The exterminatior (now called PCO - Pest Control Operators) charge $208 for first treatment and will charge me $125 for a follow up spray. I hear I got off easy as some PCOs charge much more. I also bought a new box spring, countless mattress covers, pesticides, caulking equipment, dozes of XXL ziplock bags, and other storage things. It actually may be a little over $700. If you count the things I threw away, then it is much more than $700 but I try not to dwell on that.

Anyway, PCO came and treated three weeks ago and we are still seeing bugs (not many because they are really good at hiding but I saw one while working on laptop on my couch and we saw one on our ceiling). Still getting bites. The PCOs are coming again on Tuesday. It is recommened by some health departments that you get treated at least twice. I am probably going to get treated three times though I worry about the chemicals since I have a five year old and five month old. We stay away for extra long time to ensure that all the chemicals have dried before we come home.

Anyway, my mother is temporarily staying with us to help with daycare. She and my hubby have not exactly taken this thing seriously. Bedbugs, due to years of evolution, are extremely hard to get rid. It requires a lot of hard work and diligence. And time. I am hypervigilant. They are treating me like I have gone bongers. I did the research, I know how bad it could get if we dont take the actions that I am taking. Mom and hubby think that they are gone. They think I am getting a little carried away with all my caulking and spraying and applying powder to kill them. Most of all, they are not really helping! Ugh, right?

Anyway, as of last night, I saw a blod spot on one of our pillows. Dead give away that a bug is present. This morning, I saw what I think is half the body of a bed bug on my other pillow. So, they are not gone. My Mom sleeps in our finished basement. I found a casting of bed bug of skin (Ewww!!). So we have reason to believe they are down in the basement. I also think I saw one on my couch, so they are on the first floor, and we know they are in our bedroom. My Mom and hubby do not react to the bites. I do. They are very similar to misquito bites.

The thought of bugs crawling on me in my sleep is just tooooo much. Writing on forums and blogging has a calming effect on me. That and prayer helps me cope. I also want something to remember this trying time in my life. I know I can beat this. I plan on documenting my efforts in hopes of one day helping someone else dealing with this problem.

I isolated all the beds,
I got a professional PCO treating us (second treatment is this week),
I am applying DE powder to all the corners and baseboard and any other crevice they may hide in,
I am applying a DE solution to all the carpets,
I washed and bagged all our clothing and put them in ziplocked bags,
I eliminated almost all the clutter in my room, not ever a picture is hanging. Just my TV, hubby's weight bench and weights, a bible on my dresser, a night stand, and another set of drawers.

One of the worst things about being infested is not being sure when they are really gone. It has been proven that they will go dormant if their food supply is taken away and will stay dormant for 18 months before dying. That means you basically have to wait until you are not bitten for 18 months before you can officially say you are in the clear. I am telling you, every itch I feel torments me. Every sensation on my skin feels like a bug is crawling on me. I can't sleep very well due to waking every couple of hours to make sure there are no bugs on me or my babies. Ugh, right?

Anyway, I am soon off to Target (one of numerous trips to the store to buy things to eradicate these bugs) to buy more covers for our beds, and ziplock bags, and whatever else I see that may help us win this war that much sooner.

Toodles for now. Please pray for my success.