Recurring isolated itchy welts for over a month, no pattern and no bed bug evidence. What else could cause this?
Hi everyone,
First things first, I have read the posts and links attached to this subreddit before writing this.
I’m hoping for some advice because I’m honestly exhausted and confused.
For a little over a month now, I’ve been getting recurring itchy welts. Usually it’s only 1–2 at a time, and they appear on completely different body parts: wrist, leg, stomach, arm, etc. The important part is that they are usually far away from each other and I have never had a clear pattern, line, cluster, or “breakfast-lunch-dinner” type arrangement.
They often start as a small red dot and then turn into an itchy welt. Sometimes they fade fairly quickly, sometimes they stay irritated longer.
I recently spent a few days in Paris and did get a few small bites there too, but we were outside almost the entire time and those never turned into the same itchy welts I keep getting at home. Since coming back home, the same pattern started again: 1–2 itchy welts in random places, still without any recognizable pattern.
My main fear was bed bugs, but I have not found any clear evidence at all:
No live bugs
No shed skins
No eggs
No black fecal spots on mattress seams/bed frame
No blood spots that clearly point to bed bugs
No clear clusters, lines, or repeated bite pattern
I’ve checked my bed/room multiple times… Over the past weeks I’ve also done several deep cleans, spending at least 1–2 hours each time cleaning and inspecting thoroughly
I went to a doctor, but she barely looked at the spots and mostly suggested anti-dust-mite bedding. I’m not against that, but I still don’t understand these bite-like welts.
Could this be from mosquitoes, biting midges/no-see-ums, black flies, papular urticaria, or some kind of histamine/skin reaction? Has anyone had recurring isolated welts like this without finding bed bugs?
I know nobody can diagnose me online, but I’d really appreciate opinions on what else to consider and what evidence would actually make bed bugs more or less likely.
Pic 1 - Upper arm
Pic 2 - Thigh
Pic 3 - Wrist
Pic 4 - Stomach
Pic 5 - Elbow