I am 18 years old and my mother and I contracted some type of "invisible bug" from a hotel when I was 16. My mother woke up saying she felt a crawling sensation such as a small spider crawling up the back of her leg into her gluteus maximus. As this was said I got the same sensation behind my knee. I thought nothing of it because I felt as if it was all in our head due to how nasty the place was. I'm not too sure where the first hot spots of my itches were because it was so long ago. We've been living as if we have a contagious type of mite and have been trying to get rid of it for 2 years. This includes a very very long list of precautions from placing clothes in freezers to never going in friends or family's homes. It's has completely destroyed our lives because we can no longer build relationships with others fearing they will contract what we have. These crawling sensations start in my hair and are felt in every single space on my body down to my toes. We've been searching for answers for so long and my mother refuses to believe it is any kind of delusional paristosis because we both got it at the same time and she gets red dots in clusters that look like blood. At this point I wouldn't mind being diagnosed delusional if it meant I could have my life back. I feel like I see a few friends around me which have gotten my "invisible" bugs. I am in desperate need of answers and any comments would help me greatly. I am leaving for college soon and have stayed in a different hotel for 3 days trying to rid myself of the itch but nothing has worked. I am really worried but thank you for your time.
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abaker34
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Is this post for real? Living like this sounds wholly awful and unbelievable. Surely you've been to doctors, who have given you tests to investigate the "bug" theory and the itching, crawling sensation. What do the doctors say?
How did the symptoms lead you to the RLS website? Any doctor can investigate with scientific methods, to find the cause of your and your mom's symptoms. I don't have any comment except one of my adult sons was bitten by a Deer Tick in California and got Lyme Disease and he had some red spots in circles early on, before they found and treated lyme disease. You need a specialist and if you think it is all in your head, see a shrink.
This is a really sad post.As Elisse has said follow the link to criteria for RLS and see if this sounds like your symptoms . Secondly if it is RLS it is not contagious so there is no need to worry about passing it on to anyone else.Thirdly putting clothes in freezers is not something you need to do if you have restless legs.Lastly and most importantly you do not mention if you or your mother have been seen by a doctor and had all the relevant tests eg blood tests to rule out physical causes for your symptoms? However I am going to take an educated guess here as you say your mother refuses to accept her symptoms are delusional that you have had tests and nothing is showing up.It sounds as if your mother is suffering from a severe anxiety state and convinced she has contracted some invisible bug.You imply the place you were staying in was not clean and this has triggered your mums reaction . Unfortunately she is making you part of her problem convincing you that you also have some invisible bug.The bit of your post that gives me hope is that you are soon going away to College.If you have been told that there is nothing physically wrong/nothing showing up on tests etc I think you should seek psychological help to help you overcome this dreadful anxiety state you are in which is being encouraged by your mother.She also needs help but my concern for now is you.At college there will be Councillors available to help you adjust to a different more "normal"way of life.You say you are desperate and no wonder if you feel you are passing on your invisible bug, frightened to form relationships and living as a virtual recluse.Please seek professional help for yourself regardless of whether or not your mother seeks help.I am not saying completely abandon your mother just get help for yourself as an individual -I think deep down you know you haven't contracted an invisible , contagious bug dont you? However your mother is keeping the doubt going in your mind.Get help, get to College and maybe when you are better you may then be able to help your mother but I fear while ever you are living together following these absurd rules you will never improve. The fact you are saying you want your life back shows you are ready for change .If there are other family members that could help your mum whilst you are at College then rope them in.Your mother is feeding these fears and she will be fearful of you going away as you are her crutch but together you are reinforcing this fear.Your anxiety levels sound sky high but with professional help you can get better.There is a Health Unlocked forum for anxiety which may be helpful ,you are being brainwashed by your mother not because she is being deliberately cruel but because she is ill.Be brave,get help,let us know how you are doing and I wish you the best of luck...Pipps x
Thank you very much I appreciate your concern and consideration in this response. The only thing is I felt the sensations while she was telling me what she felt that night. There would be no brainwashing in this situation because these feelings have been very intense since day one. She has been to several doctors and they have basically said she is delusional/crazy based on physical appearance. No tests were done on her due to how odd the situation sounded.
I would have said the same thing Pippin said. Did not hear anything about doctors, tests, etc. I agree your mother has brainwashed you, but what you are experiencing is not RLS, but something called delusional parasitosis. That is a real thing, sound like what your mother has, and do not let her do this to you any more. Do your legs feel RESTLESS? There is a REASON why it is called Restless Legs. please read about RLS at the following web site. This is a great doctor who runs this site, and you know you need help to get the delusion or the idea of a delusion out of your head, a psychiatrist. But after you read more about RLS, then you can decide your next step. I am can promise you, you are not contagious, no matter what kind of ritual your mother has come up with in the last 2 years. I am GLAD you are going off to college, and like Pippin said, lots of counselors to help, and you will be in a "normal" environment away from the brainwashing of your mother. She sounds obsessively delusional. rlshelp.org
It sounds very much as though it could be bed bugs. These are often picked up abroad. They are tiny, and they come home in the clothes in your bag, then breed all over your home - especially places like the bed and the sofa. If you have them, you should have bite marks, which could be your mother's red dots. They should appear at night, and you may well have them in your clothes. If you sniff the mattress or the sofa, there may be a smell of almonds.
A nightmare to get rid of. But if you have them, better news than being accused of being obsessively delusional. Your mother may well be totally sane. Have you had a bed bug expert round? Anyone familiar with the little critters should be able to spot them - I had a friend who had these and spent months hoovering, spraying etc, and still coudn't get rid of them, she found two hiding in a light bulb !!! She went through the putting her clothes in the freezer business too.
Going elsewhere for a night or two might not help, you might still have brought some with you. You poor lambs.
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PS Bed bugs do spread to others, so your mother's precautions are not necessarily crazy either. You can even pick them up from another person on the tube.
My friend had the house sprayed and smoke bombed and they still didn't go away. They hide during the day and are absolutely tiny - and since they mainly creep on at night it is possible you might not see them. I find when I pick up mites from my chickens (luckily these don't survive long on humans) I become ultra sensitive, I can feel movement all over, my skin hairs stand on end, and it just possible you are having this reaction. Hmm. Have you talked to anyone who has actually had bed bugs? Most people are ashamed to admit it, but you might get some clues.
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