Friday, September 14, 2012

Living in a Proverbial Leper Colony

A few months ago some of the members of my family started getting bit by some sort of bug/creepy crawly in the middle of the night. One of our first thoughts was maybe we were being eaten by bedbugs. We began searching our bedding and mattresses and what not for the telltale signs. We couldn't find any. Weeks went by and we continued to be clueless. We searched online and couldn't identify anything that seemed to match what we were experiencing.

About four weeks ago, one of my sons spotted a little bug crawling on our bed skirt. We captured it and compared it with some online images: Bedbug!
So once again we tore apart our bedrooms, looking for signs. Lo and behold, we found the standard signs on our bed, a crib, two other beds, a couch and a rocker-glider. We've been trying to treat the problem on our own because we don't have $500-700 to pay a professional. I think we are slowly winning the battle. There are fewer bites and they are more sporadic.

Once word leaked out that we did indeed have bedbugs, people started steering clear of us, particularly our home. We haven't had visitors inside our home in a month. People don't want us to be where they are. Some people are concerned about us going to church and spreading the bedbugs around. It’s not the plague! Part of me understands their fear. Part of me thinks they are overreacting. I’d like to think that from this experience, if anything, I can be more empathetic towards those in similar circumstances.