Diagnose me (NSFW)

[Ritterskoop]

I'm trying to figure out which kind of doc is best for this.

Went to bed at 11:30. Woke up at 4 am scratching at four red raised areas on my arms. I thought they were bed bug bites because of the location, and time of night (I had two previous battles with these fuckers, and learned a lot).

I "slept" the rest of the night in the front room in the recliner, entertained by the cat trying to tunnel her way under a closed door.

I woke up at 7 with no red places or itchy places.

Fucking disturbing.

I have some options:

(a) Do nothing. Wait and see. It might just be I was that tired, and I'm now reading that itching in our sleep is fairly common. At 4 a.m., I was all set to call the exterminators, but then when I woke up with no symptoms, I put that on hold.

(b) Start taking melatonin.

(c) Schedule a sleep study, which probably involves seeing my GP first. I guess if I go this route, they will tell me if I need to

(d) see a mental health professional.

The only other thing that may be relevant is that my skin has been kind of picky and dry lately. I kind-of skipped over the hot flashes part of menopause, but maybe Nature has just caught up with me.

Thanks for your ideas.

[triviawayne]

I would choose option (e)

(e) alternate sleeping locations from The Room Where it Happens, to the chair, or any other room. Do this a few times to see if the symptoms come back, and if they come back in a place other than the original location.

[Ritterskoop]

Thanks, I will try that tonight.

The more I read, the more I think I just have some accumulated sleep deprivation. That's far less troubling than all of the bad brain wiring options.

[Beebs52]

Spider or mosquito bites.

[elwoodblues]

The only advice I know for bedbugs is to sleep tight and not let them bite.

[Ritterskoop]

Spider or mosquito bites.

That's what weirded me out, though; usually it takes about three days for me to stop scratching at a bite, but these were gone four hours later. So I question if they were really there at all.

An in-person friend just now suggested I have PTS from the other bedbug chapters. It sounds plausible.

She also suggested drinking alkaline water to improve the skin situation.

[Beebs52]

Spider or mosquito bites.

That's what weirded me out, though; usually it takes about three days for me to stop scratching at a bite, but these were gone four hours later. So I question if they were really there at all.

An in-person friend just now suggested I have PTS from the other bedbug chapters. It sounds plausible.

She also suggested drinking alkaline water to improve the skin situation.

All I know is we have itty bitty spiders that pop up, usuall bugging Jeff more than me.
Also, try Lush sleepy lotion for dry skin. Pricey but the best for dry skin.

[Ritterskoop]

I've heard of Lush, will add to the list. Thanks!

[a1mamacat]

Sounds like you might need an exorcism

Appearing and disappearing scratches

[Vandal]

I asked Dr. ChatGPT and here is the response:

That sounds unsettling — sudden nighttime itching, red raised spots, then everything gone in the morning can definitely make your mind jump to bedbugs, especially if you’ve dealt with them before.

A few things to keep in mind (non-diagnostic, just general possibilities):
1. Bedbug bites usually don’t disappear in a few hours

Bedbug bites typically stay red, swollen, and itchy for 1–3 days, sometimes longer.

They often show up in clusters or lines (“breakfast, lunch, dinner”), and the itching usually persists.

Because your spots completely disappeared by morning, that’s less typical of bedbug bites.

2. A short-lived skin reaction can come from other things
Common causes of red, raised, itchy patches that vanish quickly:

Dermatographism / histamine flare, where scratching causes raised welts that fade within minutes to hours.

Small spider or insect contact, not necessarily a bite, especially if the skin reacted then calmed down.

Dry skin or irritation, triggered by heat, fabric, detergent, etc.

Allergic reaction to something you touched before bed.

3. Environmental factors
Because you moved to the recliner and didn’t get new spots:

Could support “not bedbugs,” since bedbugs usually go to the person, not the bedroom specifically.

Could also mean you just weren’t near whatever irritated your skin.

4. If you want to rule out bedbugs (without panic)
Here are low-stress checks:

Look at your mattress seams, especially the corners. You’re looking for tiny black dots (fecal spots) or shed skins.

Check the headboard, if you have one.

Check the underside of pillows and the edges of the fitted sheet.

Place a white sheet or towel under you for one night — makes spotting anything easier.

Interceptors (little cups under bed legs) are useful if you want to be thorough, but not required yet.

Most likely?

Because the marks vanished completely within a few hours, and because nothing returned, this sounds much more like a transient skin reaction than bedbugs.

[mrkelley23]

It just sounds like hives to me. I used to get them sometimes at night, usually when my bed got too warm. But there are all kinds of causes for hives -- allergies, stress, dry skin, all the things people have already said. But I wouldn't worry about it unless it starts to cost you sleep or if the symptoms get worse or last longer.

[Bob Juch]

I woke up early this morning with a terrible itch on my left leg. I didn't check what it looked like, but it lasted for hours. I finally put Cortizone 10 on the area, which fixed it.

[Ritterskoop]

Update:

The itching and spots returned early evening last night, so I did NOT imagine the bites the night before.

I took an anti-itch prescription antihistamine from three years ago, and slept HARD in the other bedroom. I pulled out the bed, and have decided the carpet beetles have returned from three years ago.

I am somehow much relieved to have them instead of bedbugs. For one thing, most people are not sensitive to their bites, so if they move elsewhere in my building, the other owners aren't likely to notice. They are also much easier to kill. I can vacuum that area thoroughly and steam clean it, then put out more diatomaceous earth.

When I did think I was looking at PTS from bedbugs last night, I found this truly helpful advice on Reddit:

This is a known problem with a known solution. There are so many household problems that are worse (broken sewage pipes, electrical dangers, etc.) and this one can be fixed. You do have control over the situation.