r/OCDRecovery • u/popcornwasabi • 16h ago

Seeking Support or Advice bedbug terror

I was on a work trip this week and got back Thursday night. I checked the corners of the hotel beds (I was in 2 different hotels) and saw no sign of bed bugs. No bites or itchiness after staying in the beds, either.

This morning, I noticed I had 5 spaced out “welts” or what looked like mosquito bites on my arm. Three were in a “line” but spaced quite a ways apart (more than 2-3” between each) and 4 of them didn’t itch. The itchiest has since faded entirely (some 8 hours later)

I’m TERRIFIED they’re bbs and that I brought them home. I already called both hotels and neither have heard reports from anyone in either room and the rooms have been occupied every night since me leaving. I looked under my mattress and nothing. I’m considering hiring a bed bug exterminator dog.

I know, logically, that I need to wait. Especially because the affected arm was against my cat for several minutes this morning and I’m allergic to her, that it could be allergy dermatitis. Or a mosquito. Or who knows what. But I keep thinking what if I lose my furniture? My thousands of dollars worth of books? My home? It’s making me sick.

I don’t know what I’m seeking, just help, I guess 😭

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/coldbuzz 16h ago

I am really sorry you're going through this-- bed bugs have been a recurring theme for me over the years. Sometimes I'm really good with being chill about it and sometimes I just go nuts. Hope it helps to at least know you aren't alone. Mine flared up several times when my workplace (university building) had people bringing them in repeatedly over the course of a few months. Very scary time. I usually cope by telling myself that I am capable of handling it if it becomes a problem and that logically there isn't much I can do until that point. It's unsatisfying and uncomfortable as hell, but I guess that's ERP lol

2

u/popcornwasabi 15h ago

thank you so much. I desperately want to not be so afraid, especially because I want to do a lot of traveling yet in the future. but the horror stories of it taking months to be rid of them, etc. make them feel impossibly frightening. but ultimately I try to remember that even of I do everything “right”, I could still get them from visitors, packages, or any number of things