Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
So due to a series of unfortunate events I was forced to crash at an extended stay hotel for two weeks while I saved up some money to move to something better. That two weeks was hell. The first few days were fine, but one morning I woke up really itchy with bites on one arm... I thought it was a bit excessive, but maybe I'd been bitten by spiders or something. So I washed the sheets in hot water and asked management to spray my room. They said they would but never did. The next morning, despite the washing of the linens and spraying of the room myself... more bites. So not cool.
I just kept thinking it was spiders or mosquitoes or something, as the only areas being bitten were the areas that were uncovered by my clothing.... so I started leaving the AC on high and sleeping in sweats tucked into socks, with a hood over my head. As a result, they bit my face. One on my lip made it look like I had herpes. One eye was practically swollen shut. And some on my chin and cheeks. During the course of this time I acquired over 70 bites on my arms, back, shoulders, chest and face.
So I scoured the internet and discovered that bed bugs were the likely culprits. I checked the room for signs of bed bugs; stains or rips and tears in the mattress. Present. Then I saw one crawling on the wall and killed it. I took pictures of the welts all over my body and tried to photograph the dead bed bug but it was too small. I should have put him in a plastic bag. I should have taken pictures of that nasty mattress but I was so traumatized I wasn't thinking clearly.
Anyhow, I wound up throwing away almost everything I had so as not to take them with me. Currently all of my belongings fit loosely in the back seat of my car and that is sad because I had a LOT of really nice things. At least I haven't been bitten since and that is worth any material object I've ever owned or will ever own. Before I left, I told the manager what was going on and he offered to put me in a different room on a different floor. I declined. I wanted out.
Originally I was just so stressed out by being eaten everytime I slept, that it was sufficient for me to just move out and move on with my life, but then came a new set of problems... the scars that will not heal.
People at my job are talking about me, girls are saying they don't feel comfortable going on stage after me, I guess it looks unsanitary. I use makeup to cover up the majority of the spots, but it doesn't work in entirety, and it smudges. And it's a pain in the ass. The housemom told me that they are considering suspending me until I start to look better, and I only have one outfit that covers my arms. It doesn't look good to wear the same thing all night. People keep asking me questions and I hear them whisper things about me and look at me funny. My money has declined. I'm humiliated, embarrassed, and I fear I'm going to lose my job. These scars are NOT going away anytime soon, I can tell, and I know it won't be as simple as going to a new club because it looks BAD. I won't get hired.
It's hot. It's summertime. And I can't wear tanktops or cute, strapless dresses, not like I have any cute clothes left anyhow as I threw them all out. Not to mention the loss of sleep because I fear that bugs are crawling on me all night every night. I am OCD about checking my entire body several times a day head to toe for new bites... I'm really suffering. So I'm filing a lawsuit. I have pictures. I'm going to win.
Any advice? Suggestions? Things I may not be thinking about? I haven't the slightest idea how to go about doing this, so I just jumped in and found a lawyer referral service for starters. I'm somewhat nervous but I have to do something. I'm miserable every day of my life.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Go to the doocter and get everything documented ie the scars and your condition. Go see a phsciatrist (sp) for the OCD and get that documented. Write a letter to the hotel you stayed in documenting what happened and the time of stay.
Make sure you send the mailo certified/
Then I would write a letter to the corporation/chain that you stayed in and report manager and your health and loss of wages due to there unsanitary hotel enviroment.
All shoould be documented and keep a diary of everything and your symptoms. I would take pix daily of progress
Last but not least Call the Health Department! HTH
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
^^^ great advice!! Do all of that!
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
OMG I had a similar situation happen to me when i stayed in an Intown Suites. I should've done all the advice golden suggested..but I didn't.
I would suggest that you take some benadryl to take the inflammation down. DO NOT scratch. Put alcohol on the bites, buy some bleaching cream and start applying it now.
I am so sorry this happened to you!!
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Oh my, I am so sorry hon. This is an awful thing for someone to have to go through. When I worked for the airline we had to frequently check the hotel beds for bugs.
I'd try some Calamine lotion to help with the itching and Neosporin to help with healing and reduce the risk of infection.
I hope you get to feeling better soon so you can go back to work and sue those bastards. Think of how other guests there must be feeling too.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
^^Yea, use Neosporin. The last time I had bug bites (I made a thread) I applied Neospoin on it constantly and I have no marks..
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Damn, that's crazy. I wish you good luck with your lawsuit. That's why I always, always check the bed before I sleep. I even take off the comforter before I head to bed because I know that they don't change it for every visit. But ewww bed bugs in a hotel, they need to be on top of that. Its not like you were at a seedy motel.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Have you been to the doc yet? Are all the bites healing, or is there anything new appearing?
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
THis scares me! I'm staying at a shit hotel in Liverpool in August. I think I'll buy some bug killer just in case.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
I wonder if you get to a shit hotel and there's simply no way to get settled elsewhere that night, maybe ask for a couple extra sets of sheets to pull around yourself?
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Its not the quality of the hotel, bedbugs can hide anywhere. Once I stayed in a really nice hotel and got bit all over my back by those little suckers. I had the welts for like a month.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
That's horrible. I had no idea bed bugs could do such damage. Good luck with your suit.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
That's my biggest fear when staying at a motel or hotel-that I will get eaten by bed bugs. Please let us know how the lawsuit goes and what becomes of it. I'm so sorry that happened to you.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Well, she could get a mental health evaluation to show that the bedbug problems, etc...have caused mental anguish? I'm not sure I would call repeatedly checking your body for new bites OCD, though. I know I would be checking all the time to make sure I didn't have any more, they weren't getting infected, etc. OCD is a completely different ballgame.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
VenusGoddess
Well, she could get a mental health evaluation to show that the bedbug problems, etc...have caused mental anguish? I'm not sure I would call repeatedly checking your body for new bites OCD, though. I know I would be checking all the time to make sure I didn't have any more, they weren't getting infected, etc. OCD is a completely different ballgame.
Yep, it could be a PTSD type thing, if that's what you're doing through. I'd sure as hell be freaked out if that happened.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CuriousSeeker
I wonder if you get to a shit hotel and there's simply no way to get settled elsewhere that night, maybe ask for a couple extra sets of sheets to pull around yourself?
They can get in them. They are tiny little blood suckers.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
VenusGoddess
Well, she could get a mental health evaluation to show that the bedbug problems, etc...have caused mental anguish? I'm not sure I would call repeatedly checking your body for new bites OCD, though. I know I would be checking all the time to make sure I didn't have any more, they weren't getting infected, etc. OCD is a completely different ballgame.
Yea..I agree that it's mental anguish. It's a very traumatic experience. I constantly check out hotels sheets, beds (mattress and boxsprings), wall crevices for any signs of bedbugs or any old blood spots..Even if the bed is immaculate, For the first few nights it's still hard for me to sleep. I even hop out of bed every few hours and attempt to CATCH them in the act...:-[ Very traumatizing indeed.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
The girls at your work sound really mean!! Im sorry this happened to you, how awful.
You do need to visit the doctor as hopefully they can give you something that will help with the bites.
Vit E cream is very good to prevent scarring. I was bitten in the face by a dog once and I used Vit E cream and I have no scar there now.
Sally Hansen airbrush legs covers most skin things.
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CuriousSeeker
Have you been to the doc yet? Are all the bites healing, or is there anything new appearing?
I haven't been to the doctor yet. All the bites are gone but they left really ugly, dark scars that don't appear to be lightening at all, which is stressing me out. I've moved to a new place and thrown out practically everything I owned and I haven't been bitten at all since. I'm talking to a lawyer tomorrow so we'll see.
Thanks for all the support and advice ladies!
Re: Bedbugs; I'm filing a lawsuit (long)