It started late last Friday while bathing Iz. I noticed that the small cut on her back, a scrape on the front steps while we were unloading the truck, was badly infected. It was a huge mound with what looked like many bug bites all around it. The 'bites' extended up her back in a row and over on to her torso. Yikes! Polysporin and other treatments made no improvement and I couldn't get her into the clinic until Sunday morning. I asked the doctor if it could be a wound infection, but then some sort of insect bites on top of that. She felt that Iz had just had an allergic reaction to the creams (although the bites were there before any creams) or that she was so sensitive it was affecting her everywhere. Hmm. Not so sure, but the antibiotics have worked wonderfully on the infection and Iz has been a trouper (as per usual), about the pain and itching. "I have a bad owie on my back." And that's it for commenting on it.
There were more bites on Monday, however, so I wasn't convinced we might not have bedbugs in our new rental place. I've since moved her to my bed and she hasn't had any more. Websites recommend not moving a person out of their bed if there's a suspected infestation so the bugs don't move into other rooms that may not have them. But how could I think of leaving her there - and certainly S and I weren't keen on the idea of being bug bait by moving in to her room!
Consequently, I still haven't had much sleep lately. Iz's been itching and moving about like anything. And just the idea of having bedbugs isn't conducive to sleep either. Dreams have been filled with purchasing new mattresses or pesticides and the moment I'm awake in the night, I feel itchy. I even had to do a lice check on S last night as he's been incredibly itchy (and we've all been scratching our heads a lot). I think it's got more to do with the adjustment to a dry climate - our skin everywhere is cracked and dry. Guess the same thing is happening to our scalps. Fortunately, I didn't find anything on anyone. We're all just going a little buggy over the idea.
What I did find, however, were some little beetle bugs in Iz's window sill. I'd crept in around 11 p.m., turned on the lights and hunted for potential activity. Each night I've just found these little guys which don't quite match the description of a bed bug. I dropped them off at a place this afternoon (captured on masking tape) and the entomologist will have a look at them early next week. And so for this weekend, I'll just go on living as though we don't have bed bugs (or any other kind of bug), hoping that the doctor was right about Iz's infection and that those other bugs just snuck in the window and stayed right there. Because whatever else this house may have, what it doesn't have is a washer or dryer. I do have ones I brought along from Vancouver - out on the back porch. We've learned that a common dilemma for these older homes is that the basement stairwells are too narrow to fit such appliances.
I've already hung out at Soap Opera Laundromat for 8 loads of laundry and I have perhaps that many more loads to go - just from our day-to-day living. The thought of having to wash everything that I've just moved in to our closets and drawers in the past 2 weeks - well that's just beyond overwhelming! I've extended myself so much in the past month to get here that I really can't think about what I'll do if we have bed bugs or some other biting nuisance. Lord, have mercy. And really, I feel that God has. I can't recall when I last felt so happy it was Friday because as a stay-at-home Mom, days are all basically the same for me (aside from Sunday). But today it was a relief to have made it through what has been a rather horrible week. I've found strength to get through each day, and so I'm thankful. At this point, it's all I can manage.
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| "Dear God, please don't let there be bedbugs in my room" |
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| A few shots taken on Thursday, after the infection was down greatly and no more new spots. |
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