Hi David - please help!
Apologies in advance for the long read, but I’m looking for your expertise on a potential bedbug situation.
I encountered bedbugs at a hotel on the 2nd night of a trip. I didn't notice any bites at the time, but I found bloodstains on the sheets. Immediately after, we heat-treated all our clothes (dried on high, washed on hot, dried on high again), threw away our suitcases, and sealed everything in plastic garbage bags. Upon returning home, everything went through the dryer/washer/dryer cycle again, and non-washable items were placed in the freezer.
A few days after getting home, I woke up with marks that look like potential bug bites (small bumps in a line). They don't itch at all.
Timeline:
- Day 1: Woke up at hotel with bloodstains on sheets; no bites on my body. Immediately did high-heat laundry and discarded suitcases.
- Day 7: Woke up at our next stay with a cluster of marks
- Days 8–9: Noticed ~5 small new spots appearing each day
- Day 10 to present (Day 15): No new marks have appeared.
Medical Advice So Far: An urgent care doctor evaluated the marks early on and thought they looked like hives. He prescribed a hydrocortisone ointment, which I used for two days, and the spots faded shortly after. I also had a telehealth consultation with a dermatologist a few days later who agreed they resembled hives.
I'm still skeptical because they look so much like bite marks, and I was alarmed when new ones appeared for a couple of mornings in a row.