It is amazing how one can take for granted the every day pleasures of our daily living. If someone were to tell me my family's story eight months ago, I don't know how I would have responded. But I know now, that it has taken me to a place that has opened my eyes to have compassion towards people that are hurting in ways I myself don't understand, as others too don't understand our own everyday hurt and hardship. But, we DO rejoice with the strength God gives us daily to do so. It is hard, but we look forward to see the people that we will have become when this is done and gone!
Our mysterious biting bug began last October of 2007, now almost nine months ago. One night after a strong wind storm, I began to feel crawling sensations all up and down my body while in bed. This continued for months along with the pin pricks and mosquito-like bites under my arms and on my legs. We bought a new bed, and two weeks later they were back.
In November our condo complex was tented for termites and the exterminator told me that whatever bug it was that I was feeling would die. Two weeks later, they were back.
I went to a few doctors and they told me I was imagining the "crawling bugs", and that my bites were from my razor! I did everything I could possibly think of to find out what was bothering me. I changed our soaps, detergent, cleaned the whole house, blinds, and carpets. We thought we had fleas from our dog so we bombed the house with many expensive foggers...it did nothing!
Our daily lives began to change. We began to throw away many of our belongings that these bugs were infesting. We began to wash all of our clothes in hot, hot water and put them all in trash bags. We would also only wear them once and put them in a trash bag to soon be washed. We began to only use a bath towel once after our showers and then bag it to wash because it would be infested by the next day. We also began to sweep, mop, and vacuum daily which helped to get rid of the bugs and eggs. The bag had to be taped up between uses because they would crawl out. We also changed our bedding every single night. This regime obviously became exhausting.
In late March our mysterious bugs became very aggressive. I would try and sleep but all I could feel were these invisible bugs crawling all over my body. After two weeks of no sleep, I finally called an exterminator and he told me we had a mite. He sprayed, and again, two weeks later they were back!
After some research on mites, I found a website called birdmites.org, and all the symptoms matched. Two weeks later we found three bird nests hidden within the bricks of our condo. And within a month, our next door neighbors had an active bird's nest, and within a week after it vacated, they too began to live our same nightmare.
In April we began a month worth of new treatments of pesticides that are normally used to get rid of bird mites, and afterwards they returned....but with vengeance. The pictures posted are the bites that we began receiving shortly after the final spray. Cambria, our 10 month old girl began to cry hysterically in the middle of the night for a three day period and would not want to go to bed. One early morning I put my crying baby in my bed with me and realized within minutes that she had been crying because her bed, and her little body had these bugs all over her. She was hitting her ear for three nights and had bites in them. Micah had them on his mouth, and Danny and I had them in our hair, and me in my nose.
We then took the kids to pediatrics and they basically said that they don't know much about bird mites and there is not much that they can do. That same week we called the Health Department in San Diego, and they too said that they have not heard of bird mites being so resilient as the ones that we have, and cannot help.
Our current exterminator is now trying a new pesticide which has only made them angrier in the last few weeks. They now are in every part of the house and bite us all day long. Our rigorous regime of laundry and cleaning has increased along with giving the kids baths before every nap or car outings. We threw away our couch this week and ripped out our downstairs carpet and are trying to find a time to rip out the upstairs.
We don't know how this will end, and at times we feel very hopeless, but we know that we have to go to Lord each day for strength to fight this battle. Recently the Lord gave us a very familiar verse we all know..."Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6. The Lord has taught us many things along this journey we are taking. But in losing most of our material possessions and my husband not working so he can care for our family, the Lord keeps telling us not to worry.
God has used many of you to be the body of Christ in our difficult time. Whether to give us a hug and not be afraid of getting this bug too, or making us dinner, or sending us a little help to make it through these summer months, we will forever give our heavenly Father praise for His blessings He has shown us through each of you.
Please continue to pray for something that will work to kill these very resilient bird mites. Pray also that this will happen soon. Our exchange student returns to our home the second week of August and our home is a reck right now and in no condition for even us to currently be living in. Last, please pray that we will be able to financially be able to replace our carpet and at least a couch for our living room when this is over. It doesn't compare to how much we have thrown away or have spent on cleaning supplies and electricity used to try and kill these bugs. But we know that whatever happens, all these material things are nothing in comparison to having a relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords! We are so rich and have so much to be thankful for. Let's praise Him even now, for all His goodness towards us!
