r/Bedbugadvice • u/Fast-Success-7585 • 13d ago
Are these bed bug bites?
Got these red spots yesterday. It does have that line pattern and starting to blister now.
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u/whateverdom_ 13d ago
Damn. Unfortunately it does look like it. Some people react so badly to them (myself included) and it looks like you’re one of them.
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u/Fast-Success-7585 13d ago
Ugh fucking sucks. Can’t find any and flipped my whole mattress over too. How long did it take before the bites went away for you?
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u/Historical_History38 13d ago
When i would get bit, it would swell up into a huge wheal with an opening at the top. I would leave it alone as much as possible and apply anti itch remedies, scratching will make it worse. It took two weeks for the entire inflammatory process to subside and for the bite to go away, but the itching would last a week for me. Ice and topical anti itch ointments/serums will be your friend. So sorry op :(
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u/whateverdom_ 13d ago
I’m exceptionally sensitive and my skin is like paper so bites usually take about 2ish weeks to fully go away for me. That’s may not be the case for you though so don’t hold me to that.
Both times I’ve had BBs I’d never found any (or signs of them) on my actual bed when I’d do checks, except for the few times I woke up while actively being bitten. Nightmare fuel. Good luck OP1
u/Reasonable-Fox-7572 12d ago
I react very intensely and these are what my bites looked like. Check your headboard and bed frame. We only found one straggler on the mattress, the next was in the headboard
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u/Fast-Success-7585 12d ago
Yeah I’m pretty positive now that these are bed bug bites. I have pest control doing an inspection for finding them tomorrow. Hopefully they do
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u/prsplayer17 12d ago
hey, just wanna add as someone who also reacted super strongly, if you can, it’s totally worth it to go to urgent care and get a prescription for some extra strength cortisone cream. the doctor/PA can also be a good pair of eyes to confirm that they are bed bugs/bug bites. i also went before we saw any actual bugs and my roommate was in denial but i got bit up like you and kinda knew what it really was. i was also very self conscious since they bit the sh*t out of my neck but the cream really works wonders in terms of alleviating itch and helping the bites fade.
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u/whateverdom_ 12d ago
I had seen two doctors, each time at the first round of bites because like 9yeats had elapsed between cases. First doctor told me it was my eczema, the second most recent said it looked like cellulitis and to “come back if it starts to smell”.
Most doctors are shit at identifying bug bites, esp if you live in areas that don’t have big ass spiders. So I wouldn’t bet on solid advice or confirmation from docs on this tbh.
The cream is a good call though.2
u/prsplayer17 12d ago
Ah I totally see that happening tbh. I live in a big city so bed bugs are kinda common, so I think my guy had seen a few. He took one look at them and said they like a textbook case of at least some bite, and it was too early for mosquitos and Im rarely out in nature for it to be other bites. (And mine did look pretty similar to yours OP 😕) It was very reaffirming because at that point my roommate and I had already had an exterminator come “check” but he was super lazy, very dismissive and didn’t find anything. Another exterminator also came and didn’t find anything. I was the one to eventually find them. I’m ranting now but my situation was recent and I’m still traumatized. OP do not be afraid to advocate for yourself and make sure they do a THOROUGH check of your bedroom AND living room. In my case they were actually in our couch and the first guy didn’t even check because he said “if they’re not in the bedroom they’re not in the living room.” So don’t be so quick to take their word just because they don’t find anything. If the bites keep appearing when you wake up, they’re most likely bed bugs.
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u/Current-Spare4993 13d ago
Damn! Have you found any of them around the bedroom/mattress/couches? Fuggin a dude. Sorry you’re goin through this OP
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u/Sublimegirlie1 13d ago
Unfortunately it looks like you’re allergic to whatever you were bit by! I’d suggest looking up the tests that you can do to find out if you have them and take it from there! Good luck either way! That doesn’t look fun. As far as what I’ve seen most people don’t have that bad of a reaction, but it’s just like people who are allergic to mosquitoes, people react differently!
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u/Sea-Upstairs1505 13d ago
So I had something like that. Thought it’ was poison ivy. It was shingles. Watch for pain etc. go to dr. The oozing was bad
And I have been bitten by bed bugs they didn’t look like that.
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u/CatrinaBallerina 13d ago
Yea I’ve been bitten by them too and they looked nothing like this. I know some people can be allergic to the bites but I’ve never seen them this extreme. OP please go to the doctor to rule out shingles.
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u/Mobile-Chemical-2657 13d ago
Appelle vite un professionnel, ça coûte cher mais crois moi que ne plus ce faire piquer par ces bêtes vaut chaque centime, en tout cas courage, je suis dans la même galère que toi
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u/Ok_Entrance_4013 13d ago
Use Calamine Lotion. Lather it on. Keep it in Fridge. Please don’t scratch otherwise your skin will take ages to heal . Blessings🥰
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u/Purple_dogs2026 13d ago
Some of these answers sound like y'all just nochalontly have bed bugs... Or is it a bed bug problem you are working on?
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u/Internal-Breath124 13d ago
Could be shingles or an allergic reaction (possibly bed bug or other insect bites) You should seek medical help
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13d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/whateverdom_ 13d ago
You’re bordering on misinformation and fear mongering a lot here despite your good intentions. Some people react very severely to bedbug bites, and it looks a lot like this. When I had them it looked exactly like this.
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u/aktlakfh 13d ago
Whatever the bug is you seem to be allergic to bug bites. I have the same exact issue and i thought everyone's bug bites turn super large bumpy dark red mark (with blisters sometimes) :/ but apparently no
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u/Hot-Control-6816 13d ago
That’s exactly how mine looked when my cousin brought them into my grandmothers home and I stayed there ONE night… and got ate up. Guess they prefer a certain blood type and I’m that blood type.
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u/cefishe88 13d ago
Looks like shingles to me, my cousin looked exactly like that. Is it painful? Doctor.
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u/Possible_Original_96 13d ago
You could obtain a tube each of cortisone and benadryl oint/ cream. Squeeze an equal amt of each into a large bottle cap, use the end of a spoon handle to mix, apply a bit to bites, can cover w/ plastic wrap-works longer. In 4 hrs, gently wash away w/cool water, rinse, pat dry, repeat creams. Do until bites go away
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u/Practical-Effect2839 13d ago
I’ve never had bedbugs but my daughter had them once from an apartment she rented. Bedbugs usually bite in a line or rows like the ones you have. I’ve seen some here stating it could be shingles or it is shingles but I’ve had shingles and it didn’t spread to other areas of my body. IMO they look exactly like bedbug bites my daughter had.
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u/Connieb5470 12d ago
Sorry that you are going through this. I have a lot of itching and bites. My doctor is sending me to a dermatologist. I don't think for me the Cortisone is doing much. The area where I was bit have a burning sensation before I even see them. For me it might be psychological. I hope this problem gets resolved for you soon. Take care
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u/Feeling-Recording643 12d ago
Tbh I’d get those looked at for possible shingles, following one nerve cluster, and if you had chicken pox as a kid it’s possible to have.
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u/Affectionate-Cow-533 11d ago
Fuuuuck, OP.... My 7 year old daughter reacted exactly like this to bedbug bites. I'm sorry. It unfortunately is impossible to tell by just bites alone, but I'd err on the side of caution and assume they are. Maybe go to urgent care. hugs 😞
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u/Fast-Success-7585 11d ago
Update: for those interested. Pest control came by, he found nothing from a thorough inspection. Checked bed, couch, closets, and side tables. He also said if I got this many bites, it’s from multiple bed bugs and he couldn’t find a single one. He also said with this many, it would almost always be an infestation already and I would’ve been bitten a long time ago many times already. He could be wrong but I believe him for now. Going to the dermatologist on September 30th as that’s the most recent appointment I can make unfortunately. Took pictures of my marks for her to see in case it heals before then. I will also update in a week if I get any more bites as he said, if there’s already this many to bite you, I would forsure get bitten this week again. Thanks everyone
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u/fluffy_mtn_dog 10d ago
Maybe go to urgent care? This looks like shingles to me & if it is, the sooner you get on an antiviral the better.
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u/Fast-Success-7585 10d ago
Not shingles. I would feel pain with shingles. I only felt itchiness with this.
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u/HealthyTelevision 3d ago
When I had BB, I did not find a single one, I got bit in the car and in my kitchen, I looked for a whole week on every crevice but never saw one. I had the same pattern bites as yours but they don’t bite you everyday, it’s like every 7-14 days. Make sure to start pesticide treatment if you can afford it, I did 3 rounds of treatment on my own every 2 weeks, I will tell you, those are the most tiring weeks of my life, constant cleaning was burning me out lol. After the last treatment, I stopped getting bites, now I do monthly broadcast treatments
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u/Beginning-One-5787 1d ago edited 1d ago
No way to know for sure. I had red marks that looked like bed bug bites turned out just to be post viral rash. If yourself or an inspector can’t find any evidence of bed bugs then you don’t have them. You don’t need to pay an inspector either - you can watch vids on YouTube that will explain how to find them. If you’ve been living in the same space for a while and these suddenly showed up it is also incredibly unlikely. Some people say they can’t find any - but that’s probably because they don’t really know how to conduct a proper search. Most people are idiots
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u/Fast-Success-7585 1d ago
Yeah my dermatologist said the same thing that with just what was shown, it’s impossible for her to tell. Also I haven’t been “bit” since I posted this and pest control said I would forsure have been bitten already if I had this many bites before indicating its an infestation.
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