After coming back home (to Southern California) from a trip to Hawaii I have had lots of little "bites" pop up all over. The bumps are small and red, and I'm getting them on my legs, back of the knees, tummy/underwear line, and around my bra line. Sometimes there are a couple clustered together, but the rest are spread out. The ones on my legs are slightly itchy, but for the most part they don't really bother me. We have had flea problems in the past so I treated my cat with Advantage, but I don't see any fleas on her and I haven't seen any fleas in carpet. My husband and 7 month old daughter don't have ANY bumps, but I probably have 30 at this point. What could be eating me? Could it be fleas even if I can't see any? An allergic reaction? Bed bugs (please, please no!)? Anyone have anything similar? Help!
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@RubyCali: the shape and size of your bites could be a big clue… you might want to Google "bedbug bites" or "mites bites" to see what other people's bites look like!
If you think it might be bedbugs, the climb up interceptors that Bee links to in this post are a great way to check out your bedbug situation:
http://www.hellobee.com/2012/06/29/how-to-protect-yourself-from-bed-bugs-when-traveling/
Good luck!!!
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Were you in a hot tub? I had something similar after going in a hot tub that hasn't been cleaned properly, mostly clustered around where my bikini was- waist band and bra line. I was terrified it was bed bugs but when I googled hot tub rash it matched the gross pictures. And the people I was with who did not go in the hot tub did not have the bumps.
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@mrbee: Thank you for the link! That's super informative (and utterly terrifying). I hope so badly that it's not bed bugs!
@Foodnerd81: Ugh how awful that must have been! I haven't been in a hot tub but I did go in the pool recently...
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I obvious don't know, but since your husband doesn't have any bites, it seems like it probably isn't bed bugs... wouldn't that affect BOTH of you? Good luck figuring it out! I hope it's nothing too serious!
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@Adira: I wasn't showing any bites when Bee was getting bitten... turned out that I'm not really allergic to bed bug bites so I just wasn't aware that I was being bitten!
All that said, the bites described sound kinda like a rash or allergic reaction maybe? Hard to say...
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@Adira: That's what I thought too! But my husband never gets bitten by anything (or doesn't show it at least) and I have extremely sensitive skin. I hope you're right though
@mrbee: We used a different laundry detergent on vacation, so I'm re-washing all my clothes now because some of the "bites" do kind of look like hives. Thanks for the help!
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@RubyCali: sounds like a promising lead!
It might also be something you ate? I noticed the areas you mentioned are all fairly high sweat areas. I once ate cashews, which are in the same family as poison ivy, and whenever I sweat afterward... the sweat caused me to break out in hives in my armpits, inside of elbows, back of my knees, and where my clothes touched my body and sweat accumulated. Just something to consider!!
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@mrbee: That's really interesting! You're so right, those are all higher sweat areas where I'm getting the bumps. Um, gross!
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You guys, I fell asleep on the couch for 20 minutes and woke up with 12 bites in a row on my (covered) bikini line. Tore apart the mattress and couches for bed bugs today and didnt find anything. Heading to the doctor tomorrow to rule out scabies. I think even worse than the bites themselves is the overwhelming anxiety I'm experiencing from the constant new bites. Must step away from Google! Anyone have anything like this before? LO and husband are still in the clear!
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I wanted to update in case anyone does a search for bug bites and finds this post! After being treated for scabies, spraying the carpets for fleas, and tearing apart the house looking for bed bugs, we finally figured it out... RODENT MITES. I started finding teeny tiny little bugs the size of a fleck of dirt crawling on my body (cue near panic attack) and in the kitchen. I contacted our landlord about the possibility of rodent mites so he set some traps under the house, and lo and behold he caught 2 rats. He also had an exterminator spray the house and I did dozens of loads of laundry. Our nightmare seems to be over, but that seriously took a toll on my mental health!
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@RubyCali: eeeeewwwwwwww. I am so glad you got it taken care of. But GROSS!!!!
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