Rough Week: Part 3

You gross bed bugs, they actually do give off a really unpleasant odour, not almonds though

Wow, and so the saga comes to an end.  We've finally figured out what was causing all these problems, and turns out it's very mundane, just bed bugs.  I can't believe such a small insect could cause such wide-spread pain. 

We'd been sleeping on the sofa bed in our lounge room, ever since I went to see the dermatologist and she thought it could be bug bites.  After a week in the lounge with no ill effects we went back to the bedroom for one night, and the next morning I had about 30 bites on me and they were starting to blister again.  It seems that a bed bug only has to look at me and my skin reacts.  I guess this is a good thing though as it means it will be impossible for a bed bug infestation to grow unnoticed in my house and given the three-fold increase in bed bug numbers in London lately I suppose it was only a matter of time.  It's the new northern hemisphere pandemic.  The fumigator who came in to take a look said we had a very minor infestation, as at the previous place she'd been too she'd lifted the pillow and there were about 100 bugs under there.  It makes me shudder just thinking about it.

The sad thing though is that fumigators are kind of expensive, and whilst we can afford it (and I would actually spend an awful lot of money to not go through that again), some people can't.  You read some horror stories on the web about single mothers with two young kids, covered in bites, but they can't afford the fumigation.  It makes me think that perhaps this really is a public health issue and maybe the local councils should be paying for the eradication.  I mean I don't want to be living somewhere where my neighbours all have massive bedbug infestations because they can't afford to get rid of them, that's not going to end well for either my mental or skin health!

Anyway in three weeks time we should have gone through the 3 treatments recommended and be completely bed bug free..... so who wants to stay at our place :)

Seriously though, do not leave your luggage on the floor at hotels and when you get home after a trip wash all your clothes at above 60 degrees, and if you ever think you may have an infestation, invite me to stay the night and by about midnight it should already be clear.