[mjohn]

Hi,
I have been continuously itching for the last 2 weeks - and I am not able to pin-point the source. The itching makes me scratch which ends up tearing the skin and resulting in bruises in some cases; while in some instances the area just shows small red dots and in some cases, I have small red "bumps" on the skin. I have recently moved to a new apt and I am not sure if it is something in the apt. But I have the itching even when I am not at home! It is mostly on my ankles and feet, but is also on my arms, thighs and belly! I have noticed some tiny dot-like flying insect (looks somewhat like fruit flies) and am not sure if it is this insect biting me. My husband doesn't seem to have the same intensity or frequency of itching as I do - but he has also mentioned the itching even when we are not at home. Nothing else has changed in the recent past other than the move to the new apartment. Can this be some bugs from indoor plants? I have a few - some small bamboos and some other small plants.

Could you advice me on how to reduce the itching?
Thanks!
Mary

[firmbeliever]

Mary,
Could it be bed bugs?

[mjohn]

I have looked - but didn't see any - and I read about them to identify it better and I don't see any of the signs that we have bedbugs.

[Xrayman]

Possibly scabies. Do you have slight little scratch-like marks (not scratches from you) near the itchiness?

Another option is fleas, a dog may have been in the apartment beforehand. Try a flea-bomb, this may kill any other insect/mite that may be causing the problem.

[cpalmist]

Yah, I got those things - pesky little b*stards. No-see'ums.
My Terminex guy leaves me a can of contact insecticide that I spray on the carpet/floor when I feel the little buggers feasting on my feet. The Insecticide smells like Marigolds so not too bad.

Run your vacuum a lot more than you do now - that seems to help an awful lot. Put a mothball in the bag to kill whatever wildlife is sucked up into the bag between uses.

Over the counter hydrocortizone cream is good for the itch.

Best of luck.

[mjohn]

Thanks for all your suggestions! Last night I went back home and did the "white socks test" for fleas and voilà there was the problem! I didn't think we could have fleas since we don't have pets - but apparently that is not a problem for fleas! Anyway we vacuumed the whole house and disposed of the bag - but still trying to figure out what else to do about the eggs that might still be in the house. Do fleas tend to be where the carpets are - should I be cleaning everything in my kitchen too now? What about clothes in the closet that are on the hangers - is it likely that fleas jump onto them?
Thanks again!

[cpalmist]

Flea eggs have an incubation period of around 10 days, if I remember correctly. Simply running your vacuum everyday for the next 10 days should take care of the problem as you'll be catching them as they hatch.
I like to use a garden product, Greenllight 5% Diazanon (think they still make it - seems like I bought some a couple of years ago from Walmart) and sprinkle the dust into the carpet where I think the flea eggs are, based on the bites I get in the area. Fleas are drawn to warmth so I find where all the computer plug-ins, battery backup and that sort of stuff is on the floor is where I find most of my problems - hard to vacuum well there but the dust is superb (its a contact dust) for that type of treatment.

In my case, we tried the white sox test and got nothing so the contact spray was a great solution...

Oh, your closet clothes are probably safe - remember that bugs are opportunists so more apt to find them in walkways and traffic paths where they can jump on some warm-blooded mammal-type critter for a blood feast. It's the crickets, silverfish and moth that feast on your clothes...

Best of luck!

Please rate.

[mjohn]

Thank you cpalmist! I will try and find the product you mentioned.
Another quick follow-up: if I am feeling the itch and scratching - do you know if it means that it is from a fresh bite - meaning look for the flea when you start scratching again after a 3-4 hour period- or does the scratching continue much afterwards also because of some chemical in the flea bite?

[cpalmist]

Bites hurt as they occur - but you'll have a reaction to them for some minutes/hours, depending on how allergic you to the chemicals they inject. Like mosquito bites, they hurt when you get 'em and itch to beat 60 and then subside. Oover the counter Hydrocortizone or even Benedryl ointments will help with itching and swelling deal.

If you've really got a bad infestation (in your hair/eyebrows/etc) you might have to go buy some Flea 'N Tick Shampoo (Hartz is good) and shower with it - I wish I were kidding about this but sometimes when I cut the lawn and do the shrubs and stuff, I feel like I get covered with 'no-see-ums' that are finding me delicious - the Flea 'N Tick takes care of that pretty quick ( 5 minutes) and your coat will be so shiny and smooth ;-) I'm really not kidding about this. Sometimes a man's got to go what a man's got to do!

Thanks for the nice feedback.

[mjohn]

Thanks!
I don't think I have it really bad just that I am quite sensitive to the bites... hopefully we will be able to get rid of the fleas!

[toog74]

I have been suffering for 4 years now with this unexplainable itch. I have to take several benadryls daily just to have some sense of normalcy. It is horrible. I itch EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME, ANYWHERE! It's so unbearable and embarrassing. The doctors don't seem to know what the problem is, but it keeps me up a lot at night to the point I'm too tired and sleepy to get up the next morning and go to work. I don't have pets. I'm the only one in my home that suffers with this. I am sever anemic, and have had several blood transfusions in which the doctors can't seem to figure out what the problem is there either. I just want to be normal again.