bed bug bites

[slither24]

We have a bed bug infestation.  we went out of town about 3 weeks ago and now our bed is covered in tiny black, brown and whitish bugs.  they range in many small sizes and colours.  according to the web this is bed bugs.  there is nothing we can do but prep our apartment for an exterminator,  but because we dont live in the best of places the exterminator wont be coming for a couple more days.  i am panicking.  we have vaccuumed everything thoroughly, threw out the bed, sprayed everything with alcohol and disinfectant.  There are no signs of the bugs anywhere but the bed, which we threw out immediately.  We checked our son's, 2, bed and found absolutely no sign of them in or on his bed.  but somehow he is still waking up with the infamous lines or trails of bites all over his face, neck, back, tummy, legs...everywhere!  but i cant find the bugs!  What do i do?  Is it possible to have recurring bites without the bugs? are some of the bed bugs so tiny that we cant see them?  Could this be some sort of other bug that maybe travels with the bed bug such as dustmites or is there maybe some sort of bug that has similar symptoms and bites?  PLEASE HELP US

[jagesh50]

May be you are dealing with hives.A course of antihistamine to your son should help till the mite is cleared if any.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
If it is present all over the body,then it is not bed bug but it can be allergies,hives or dermatitis. Give him antihistamines like Benadryl(causes drowsiness) or Zyrtec and apply calamine lotion on the rash.Application of mild steroid cream is also helpful.If the symptoms persist then a dermatologist’s evaluation will be the best.Fungal infections have to be ruled out.

Hope it helps. Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.

[slither24]

we took our son to his doctor and he said the same as you. he said that if the bites do not remain on his body and dissappear as if it were a flea or mosquito bite then it is not bed bugs.  ive researched dust mites and i am not sure if thats what it is but he does seem to have the symptoms such as infantile eczema allergies and watery eyes, but who could be sure.  also we put a cover over his mattress and washed his fav blankie.  we have only seen a very small hAndful of bites since.  thank you for your help, its very much appreciated and i would like to add that out of all the med sites ive been to ur not only the only free one ive come across (very helpful) but you are the only one that actually replies (double helpful) so kudos to you sir or maam for being  an awesome humanitarian!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Thanks for your kind words.I really apprecaite it.Wishing a quick recovery for your child.

Regards.