Fed up of being bitten

[WhenDoISleep]

Not really sure why I am posting, but I hope someone maybe able to give some advice.

Over the last 3 weeks or so, I have been bitten at night by something unknown. Some nights, I don't get bitten, other nights it's 2/3 times. Doesn't sound much, but it's beginning to drive me mad.

It started with 3 bites on one calf and 3 bites on the oposite leg, right at the top where hip/thigh meet. I thought it was something in my PJ trousers (fresh on that night), as I had something similar last year where I was bitten about 35 times in one night on my back and when I changed my PJ top (again fresh that night), it didn't happen again.

Anyway, changing PJ's (multiple times) didn't help nor has changing the bed linen (has been done 3 times now since the biting started). I have washed the bed protector and the duvet protector too, and hoovered the matress but I am still being bitten. My hot water bottle cover has been through the wash, and I didn't use it last night to see if that helped, but nope, fresh bites this morning. The only things on the bed that haven't been washed are the duvet and pillows. DH has just got the summer duvet out from the loft, so we are going to shiver under that for a few nights while the duvet is dry cleaned.

The bites are now happeneing on one calf, mostly around the ankle, and for the last two nights I have been bitten at the base of my back.

DH and DS have not been touched, we don't have a cat and none of the neighbourhood cats come in the house.

I now can't seem to stop scratching, as I have phantom itches all over my body, iygwim. Added to this, I am 5 months pregnant so I can't exactly use many remedies

Poor you, nothing worse than night itching - especially when pregnant.

My first thought was 'bedbugs', but I hope I'm wrong - depending on where you live, I doubt flying insects would be alive and biting at the moment. Only other possible is fleas: I have been bitten on ankles and calves in the past, with no dog or cat - turned out fleas were jumping off the foxes that went through our garden (London) and hanging out in the garden.

But unless you have been outside with not so many clothes on, or have a dog, cat or other creature in (or has been in) your house....

Do the bites ever look like they are in a row? Do they carry on itching on and off for days and days and days? If you do have bedbugs (anyone slept in hotel or abroad recently?? Any suitcases come in to your home?) they can hide in all sorts of cracks and crevices during the day, not just in bedding but in the bedstead itself or floorboards or skirting boards. Its not hugely likely, though, but am racking brain to think of alternatives

By the way, I had dreadful itching in later pregnancy (no one ever found out why) and was given Piriton to take, by obstetrician. So if it got that bad, I'm sure you could ask your GP about taking, for instance, kids' piriton syrup at night - but the best solution is obviously to avoid the bites!

Mmm, I had the thought that it was the dreaded bedbugs too, but nothing really points to it. Although we are on the London/Surrey border, nobody in the house has slept in a hotel recently (not for a couple of years) and the suitcases have been in the loft since we moved here last year. The recent bites are randomly round the bottom of my calf/ankle and scattered over the base of my spine. Plus I know there are sometimes signs on the bedding, etc.

Although we do have a fox passing through the garden - but I can't remember the last time I went out there, must be 5/6 weeks at least, unless DH has brought something in . I've been bitten by fleas before as week, and these aren't presenting the same as far as I recall. They really do just seem like the midge bites I get in summer - which for me do tend to itch for days (I have hay fever so I think I don't react well to the histamine in the bite).

DH has sprayed some inset killer around the skirting and under the bed this afternoon. Now I'm really just hoping that it dries and the smell clears before tonight, otherwise I'm sleeping on the sofa.

Thanks for letting me know that you took Piriton - I hoping to be able to see a GP this week so will check if it is safe for me to take at the moment.

Well, thats good - bedbugs are, apparently, hell to get rid of. I got bitten in France last summer (on holiday) - there was no sign in the bedclothes, in my case, but they didn't look like midge bites either.

How about putting some insect repellent cream on before going to bed? Just an anti-mozzy one? Are they ok when pg? I'd think so, but have no idea - maybe check that with GP too!

Sympathies on the histamine reaction, I am the same - even without hayfever.

I think a bedbug infestation is the one thing I dread most - even more than the prospect of DS catching nits. At least with nits there are effective remedies.

I don't have any repellant in the house but I will get some tomorrow if I can make it to the chemist and will check with the pharmacist if it is safe.

I'm hoping the stuff DH has sprayed around has killed off whatever it is - the room still stinks, despite the windows being open. Quite typical that this is one of the few days this week were we haven't had a howling wind. Anyway, looks like a night on the sofa for me. At least this way I might have a night off from being bitten.

Good luck

Nits are nothing - honestly, I worried about them too till the dds finally caught them, and they were easy to get rid of. Would rather 1000 nits than 1 bedbug, from what I hear!

Have you been in contact with any other animals? Flea bites tend to occur on the ankles and legs.

Bedbug bites tend to occur on the face, hands and neck and flea bites on the ankles and legs.

could it be mosquitos? I get bitten when my husband doesn't and in a warm house they survive well and I get bitten in winter. They bite any bare bits that stick out or they can reach crawling into a gap in the bedding, and they can bite through thin fabric - most likely to bite where a trouser leg rolls up or a gap forms between pyjama tops and bottoms if you curl up to sleep. Most likely to be two or three bites near each other, can be quite large and very itchy. If there are a few mosquitos you can be covered in bites.

Strong possibilty of bedbugs, thousands of homes in this area have them. They can go months between bites, so you can have them a long time before realising.

Look for faint brown smears on the mattress.

Also have sellotape and a bright bedside light to hand. If you feel any itching or scratching in the night, quiickly turn light on and whisk covers off. They are quite slow moving, so can be found. Anything from 0.5mm to 3mm. Sellotape it down to the sheet and call pest controlin the morning, and show them. ( It can take a surprising amount of sellotape in a cross or star formation)

They can be got rid of, just not by anything it is legal to buy for yourself. The council will have an approved pest controll contracter, eve n if you have to pay.

One visit is likely to sort the problem, although most contractors prefer 2 visits several weeks apart, to be sure.

Don't worry, its a pain in the neck, but not the end of the world.

Update - one night on the sofa under summer weight duvet, not the most comfortable night, but at least I didn't get bitten.

Two nights since back in the bed (still under the summer duvet) - no bites yet.

Our winter duvet has gone to be dry cleaned (in case whatever it is is hanging around in it), pjs and sheets have been changed (yet again) and I have been sprinkling tea tree oil on the sheet where my feet tend to be.

So either the culprit is in the winter duvet (hopefully cleaning will solve that problem) or the insecticide DH sprayed liberally on Sunday has done the job.

We are strongly thinking it is not bedbugs - the bed was bought new when we moved here 18 months ago and we haven't been away since then and no suitcase have moved from the loft so would suspect very little chance of having them. Plus I have been over the matress very carefeully, and apart from one stain from an accident DS had, it is pristine still. No smears at all.

I'm currently thinking mosquitos - as zebras said I'm being bitten on my ankles/calf and small of back where my pjs tend to ride up, plus they seem exactly the same (large, itchy and v annoying) as the bites I have in the summer from mosquitoes.

Thanks for all the advice on the thread - I'm just hoping that I can stay bite free from now on!

My DD has just started to get bitten mostly on legs, we.re stumped too. I have no bites at all. Thought it could be fleas although I religiously de flea our cat.

Glad the summer duvet did the trick

No, doesn't sound like bed bugs (though hidden, my bites were all on my torso - none on face, neck or hands at all).

Our doggy fleas have either died a death from flea spray in the right places, or from the colder weather - either way, hurrah!

Its been unusually mild till now, so many bugs that normally wouldn't be around (mosquitoes eg) could be hanging on...

bedbug bites are grouped into threes. Its a tell tale sign if you have 3 bites close to one another.

cat/dog fleas usually bite around the ankles as the pole vault up from carpets where they are dormant eggs. especially if your pet has recently deceased.

Mozzies very unlikely at this time of the year.

PS. There has been an epidemic of bedbugs recently and they survive in warm houses

OT, sort of, but I did see a bumble bee AND a waspy thing today

And some apple blossom a few weeks ago, for that matter. Very confusing for the bugs...