Me and my son moved to a new property about 8 weeks ago. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what they think is going on because I'm pretty anxious right now.
Basically I have been itching pretty much since the move. I wondered if my son had picked up nits from school but he said his head wasn't itching and I've never been able to find anything on his head. I regularly use tea tree and do a twice weekly comb through of his hair as a prevention and he's never had nits. I don't do that with my own hair..
Anyway a few weeks into the move I'm suddenly feeling itchy. I put it down to nerves and anxiety. Decided just to be on the safe side to do the regular nit comb on me that week and thought no more of it. I went to a number of pharmacies just to check re scabies, none of them thought I had it.
Then one night last week my scalp was very itchy, as it was mainly the scalp I covered my head in conditioner and have been doing so every night, leaving it on and combing out in the shower every morning. My head is no longer itchy, but then I was getting body itches (despite showering daily). Always worse at night and then I would see tiny black flecks or specks on my skin. I figured it was evidence of lice, so have treated my whole body to neem soap, moisturiser and have taken our bedding, all of it, and clothes that we've worn, daily, to the launderette as we don't have a dryer here and I wanted to get them washed and then dried on a very high heat (I've now read that's not necessary for head lice, but with my body itching, I'm so grossed out and just want it all to stop).
Meanwhile my son, still no problems, no itching, he's fine.
A pharmacist told me the best thing is to use permethrin or malathion but unfortunately neither of these are available. He said to continue my regime as my itching has lessened a lot over the last few days and so far my son unaffected.
This morning I woke up and there were a few black specs in the bed but no where near like the last couple of days. Unfortunately there was like a rusty brown few marks on the pillow. Sorry to be gross but I'm so anxious about this as because I've moved I fear bed bugs. It's probably irrational but it's how I am. I know they leave a 'blood' type mark if you lie on them during the night. There has been no other evidence of bed bugs and neither of us have bites. So I looked to see what else this could be and I'm a little ashamed to say that I was working late last night and found some dark chocolate in my desk drawer and in my shattered and dopey state by then, ate a square of it and fell into bed in the early hours. I'm working a second job which is admin from home, so with that and the move, just stressed and that's bad I know, but that's kind of an explanation. Wondering if I did drool in my sleep and cause those marks.
I know I'm not going to know. I'm just about to head off to the launderette anyway as I'm going to keep up this routine for a few more days. If it's blood it will stain won't it? And if it's saliva / chocolate (sorry!) it should come out?
Sorry for the essay I'm just feeling so grossed out and ocd about it all now and I don't want anything like that getting near my son :-( We've never had anything like this, or lice. I'm hoping it's lice now because bed bugs would even more disgusting. I read on here last night that Hedrin doesn't contain chemicals, I didn't know that, having pharmacists telling me there's no product but hopefully there is that one and I can treat myself and son and then see how things go. Can children 'carry' these things sometimes and give to someone else but not be affected themselves? I know I should be clued up on all this but I'm not, sorry, I just thought it would be a lot easier, would appear on son and that I could go to a pharmacy and get sorted out but it's been way more complicated than that.
Thanks for any advice.