...don't let the bed bugs bite

Word of the day: af-ter-math (noun) Something that results or follows from an event, esp. one of a disastrous or unfortunate nature; consequence.

My bed bug ordeal is slowly but surely coming to an end - emphasis on the "slowly". I was fumigated on Friday afternoon and could have been back in my apartment as early as Friday evening (four hours after the fumigation) but I just couldn't do it. I was still more than a little paranoid about the little bastards and whether or not they would still be there. Because I have a most wonderful and supportive boyfriend, I extended my stay at his place but all good things must come to an end and my respite at his bed bug-free, air conditioned abode ended today.

I'm still a little freaked out by the buggers and my wild imagination pictured me coming home to six-foot-tall bugs, ready to rip my head off and drink my spurting blood straight from my neck. Believe it or not, this has not happened yet and I feel is unlikely to happen as I think the poison has killed them, making the fumigation the "surely" part.

As for the slowness of the recovery, I now have to put everything I own through the dryer (20 minutes in the heat will kill any eggs or bugs). All my clothes. And towels. And sheets. And pillows. Everything. When I bagged my stuff in preparation for the extermination, I went through a box of forty blue recycling bags - and had to go to the store to get more. Not all of the bags contain items that will go through the dryer but there are enough. Tonight begins the slow process of dryer-ing.

Despite feeling phantom itches and having an apartment that is in complete disarray, I think I'm pretty much back to normal. Bed bug-proof covers on my mattress and box spring are a big part of that, as I'm pretty confident the little creatures of the night cannot find me to feed on me. How well I sleep tonight will be a big indicator but I'm confident I'll be okay.

Now, I wasn't going to post any pictures of the bed bugs because they are pretty unpleasant but I thought a couple wouldn't hurt:





Okay, so maybe the pictures aren't EXACT representations of bed bugs. But they feed on human blood, hunt during the night, hide during the day and can't survive in sunlight. The biggest difference is I wouldn't poison Christopher Lee.