I am getting bitten by Dust Mites I think.. Please help.. !!!!

[The Stigenator]

The last 2 or 3 nights is what I noticed it first. At first it was a bother of itching myself and trying to get myself to sleep.. but its hard to sleep when you start feeling something is crawling in differnet parts of your body and you have to scratch it.

Well I didnt care about it the first night.. the second night.. I noticed it even more..and I hated it.

The third night I jumped on to the sofa (I sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor thanks to my bad back time to get back into bed its got better).. it was still scratching me.. but it wasnt that bad..

Now I am pissed because I realised it something in the apt and not my imagination. I talked to my mom and she said might be dust mites.

Well the conditions are about perfect for them to thrive. It rained recently and humidity is high around 75% and temprature is around 80's at the highest.

There are 2 ways to get rid of them.. humidity should drop to a level of 50% or lower or temprature must drop. Since the bloody landlord isnt going to fix the AC (and hence we are moving out soon).. I cant turn that on and drop the room temprature below what they like. Otherwise I have to have a temprature of over 130F. Which in my case is killer.

So the way I look at it is that humidity must drop and temprature must go up (or cool down by an AC).. and the way I look at it .. there is no let go of this beautiful weather.

Now I feel like having the stinking 100F weather back here with teh dry 13% humididty.. come on mother nature.. answer my call and give it to me.

BUt what bugs me is that I keep stratching myself.. in differnet parts of the body. I can feel things landing on my skin and moving.. but there is nothing there.. ITS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!! Worst part is that they are biting.

Ok I agree I havent vaccumed in a while (more than a month) but I am going to do so tommorow, but unfortuately that doesnt take care of my problem.

Sitting on the carpet will make you itch and stratch..

Any idea what's causing it. Dust mites normally cause "asthma" there is no reference to people itching towards dust mites.

Thanks

TGG

 

[zmatrix]

Won't that Ionic Breeze thingy get rid of dust mites from the Sharper Image? Maybe you need one of those.

 

[The Stigenator]

nope.. I read some reviews of what dust mites are.. they specificially said.. dust filters wont take care of the dust mites. It will take care of dust in the air and the stuff that dust mites leave .. but the dust mite wont be gone.

 

[bacillus]

have you tried some anti-histamine tabs to reduce the itching??

 

[The Stigenator]

will they work?

well no guts no glory.

The funny part the hall has got the worst attack.. the bedroom is fine.

 

[bacillus]

<< will they work? >>


should help but can't say to what extent!
do you have any pets in the house??
btw classically scabies causes marked itching at night though I'm not suggesting that that's what you have!

 

[The Stigenator]

Scabies..what the heck are they?

I do not have pets so that is ruled out.

Oh by the way I didnt take anti histamene.. I took a sleeping pill.. just waiting for it to kick in.

 

[Aihyah]

i maybe wrong, but i don't think you can feel dustmites.. too small

 

[The Stigenator]

but then what the heck are the things that are making me itch and scratch all over my body .. I can feel them move.. but I cant feel them when I scratch myself there.

They seem to be biting too..

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Dust mites feed on the dead skin flakes that sift down through blankets, bed sheets, etc. They even reside on people, but go unnoticed. If you are being bitten by a parasite, I doubt it is dust mites.

 

[The Stigenator]

either case it seems to giving me a slight rash and a rather huge pain in the neck.. I cant sleep.. its almost 4 AM ..and I am up.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Check with a doctor. Maybe even a dermatologist.

 

[bacillus]

<< either case it seems to giving me a slight rash >>


hmm,sounds allergic in nature hence my suggestion of antihistamines!

 

[MrBond]

flea's?

 

[gittyup]

Get those plastic bags for your mattress and your pillows. Put them on under your sheet and pillow cases. Then each week, wash your sheets on the warm water setting. Dust mites will have nothing to eat and no longer be around....

 

[Keribeth]

You cant feel dust mites last I knew. And they dont bite. If you do have bugs, it sounds more like fleas than anything else. They love to settle in carpets. Maybe a freind or relative brought them in?

 

[Senior Member]

I had the exact same problem- it is TERRIBLE; believe me I sympathize. And a lot of exterminators think you are crazy when you call them up and describe the problem. One good exterminator said he had just attended a regional conference dealing with the bug!- which BTW apparently was not dust mites; he called them minute primitive bugs or something like that. I did some research and came to the conclusion that they were in fact probably not dust mites.

I was told to wash all my bed linen, clothes, etc. in hot water (above a certain temperature- don't recall what it was.) Also, of course, completely vaccum the house. Didn't really help me, but the problem went away after a year or two.
Got so bad, I turned off the heat in the dead of winter and left the house for about 3 days. When I got back, the problem was dimished for a couple of days, then returned. (Also a toilet broke apart due to the frozen water!)
Later, I ripped out ALL the carpeting in my house and threw bug killer powder all over the bare floors; left it that way for a while! Didn't help.
I would call around to exterminators and try to find a sympathetic knowledgeable one. (Some exterminators will think you are having drug/alcohol withdrawal problems and/or are psychotic!!!)
Good luck.

 

[Aihyah]

yup, its time to wash and clean big time vacumn everywhere, under over etc. and shower more

 

[GasX]

Try washing your sheets...

 

[Thump553]

I can't believe you haven't vacuumed in over a month, sleep on the floor and wonder why you have a bug problem.

Could be fleas from a previous tenant of the apartment as well.

Don't count on moving to solve your problem. If it is an infestation, you will be bringing the bugs with your stuff and will infest the new place.

 

[Electric Amish]

Sounds like you're worrying it into a psycosomatic response.

amish

 

[viewton]

Scabies can't necessarily be ruled out.

i got them from sleeping over at a friend's house when i was a kid. i was so miserable every night for 3 days before i finally went to the dermatologist. i had to get a cream, sleep on clean sheets, and had to wash EVERYTHING.

there should be some kind of spray to spray down everything that can't be washed. otherwise, they'll live in your chair or furniture for a few days, and just get you again.

Here's some info



<< Scabies is a contagious (catching) disorder of the skin caused by very small, wingless insects or mites called the Human Itch mite or Scabies itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis (Hering). The female insect burrows into the skin where she lays 1 - 3 eggs daily. A very small, hard to see, zigzag blister usually marks the trail of the insect as she lays her eggs. Other more obvious symptoms are an intense itching (especially at night) and a red rash that can occur at the area that has been scratched. The most common locations for scabies are on the sides of fingers, between the fingers, on the backs of the hands, on the wrists, heels, elbows, armpits, inner thighs and around the waist (belt line). If untreated, the female will continue to lay eggs for about five weeks. The eggs hatch and the new mites begin the cycle all over again. The mites themselves are too small to be seen without magnification. One of the great problems with scabies always has been misdiagnosis. Scabies is spread by personal contact, e.g., by shaking hands or sleeping together or by close contact with infected articles such as clothing, bedding or towels. It is usually found where people are crowded together or have frequent contact, and is most common among school children, families, roommates, and sexual partners. Scabies can be spread by the insect itself or by the egg. Prompt action is required to rid a person of the insects and eggs. Sulfur has been used (6 - 10% in lotion or cream) since Roman times as a scabicide, but you might be allergic.... >>

 

[dhslammer]

just vacuum once in a while...

 

[pikasub]

Can't you get a dehumidifier?

 

[Aihyah]

omg, not vacumned in a month? i missed that part. you need to vacumn and clean weekly, or suffer