Day One: The Long and Winding Road.

Well, it has been about 10 days since I first found a bed bug in my apartment, and 20 days since I first got bit. This morning I found two more: one on my bed at about 5am (plump with my blood), and another one near an outlet at about 10am. I bagged them both in a Ziploc bag.

The exterminator came a week ago to spray, but I am now realizing that this is the beginning of a long, losing battle. I have dreams of bugs and spiders at night. I cannot concentrate on my work while in my apartment for fear of bugs crawling on my arm. Constantly I am checking and rechecking. No peace I find. Almonds look like roaches; in the apple I sliced last night, the seeds looked like bed bugs.

I had set Vaseline traps, but found out this morning (by dropping one of the bugs in one) that they don't work. They walk right over the Vaseline like it's nothing. I bagged up all my sheets this morning, too, sealed them away in a trash bag. I am hoping my new couch is not infested yet and that I will not have to throw it out. An encasement for it costs $150, so I am trying to avoid that necessity.

I am thinking of sleeping in my car until the exterminator comes again. It is getting cold outside, but at least I would be able to sleep. The landlord said the spray takes two weeks to kill the bugs, and to let him know if I see anymore after two weeks, but this is bullshit. Everyone knows it's not that easy. The only way to know for sure if they're gone, I read on the Internet, is if you haven't seen them or been bitten for 18 months.

Total bed bugs caught: 4
Total bites to date: ~12
Thoughts that sustain me: Some day I will not have bed bugs. Some day life will be normal again. I should be thankful I don't have cancer or AIDS.
Battle strategy: Lay low. Spend as much time as possible in the library or coffee shop. Be vigilant. Do daily checks for bugs. Try to find their hideout. Try to find peace of mind by staying busy and not worrying about it. Where will I sleep? I don't know yet. Probably in my car.

This one I named Ruby--for the blood he took from me.