A Place to Go for More Help
A resource I’ve been finding helpful is the Yahoo group Finding1Cure. Since many people come to Shanspirations lately from Google searches about something biting them (not a lot of other people are writing about unusual bugs/bites/itching symptoms on their personal blogs, it seems), I wanted to direct you to a place where many people are dealing with something similar.
I have been reading the archives over at Finding1Cure when I get time and finding many helpful tips and guidance about what products work best, etc. It is such a help.
To use Finding1Cure you have to sign up as a member, but if you are in a situation like ours it’s well worth doing. There are many generous-hearted people over there who have shared and are sharing the best ideas they’ve found for beating an unidentified biting bug problem. When I joined, a member over there emailed me that I would find Jo the moderator at Finding1Cure to be a “very warm person with a big heart.” And I’ve found that to be true!
Of course, not everyone over there is dealing with the exact same set of symptoms as we are. And at first I thought the group wouldn’t address our situation because I thought we only had a bug problem, nothing beyond that (though I thought the bug problem alone was quite terrible to go through). But I began to realize I was wrong about it being limited to a bug problem only.
Even if you don’t think you have Morgellon’s or Lyme or several of the other things mentioned in the group’s description, if your symptoms at all match what I’ve been writing about over here (red bite dots on body, pinprick sensations, creepy-crawly feelings on skin, etc.), I encourage you to visit the group. If you take things really seriously at the start, you may save yourself so much misery later.
It has taken me some time to get acclimated and find information in the Finding1cure archives. For me, one of the best ways has been to type in a potential remedy I’m thinking of trying into their search box and seeing if others have already tried it, too, and what they came up with. I can’t emphasize enough how valuable this is.
I’ve been finding that a lot of the best information can be found in private groups/forums not directly available through Google searches. I believe the reason for this is because there are aspects to a problem like this that are so personal that it’s very difficult to share them. It becomes easier to share information in a group where everybody is going through the same thing.
All along I have tried to share everything I could that might be helpful to someone else, but starting the day after The Dermatologist’s Visit, my symptoms changed in a way that I just couldn’t bring myself to descibe in detail. It was just too painful, too personal. And some of the help I’ve been finding (or thinking up on my own) is also too personal to share. I’ll continue to give updates and tell about what helps us most, but I will probably share the more personal things I experience in this process over at Finding1Cure.
On a bright note, we have seen amazing improvment in getting our environment free of the sharp bites from these bugs. At times I thought this would never happen! It is not that they are completely gone, but the improvment is dramatic.
My husband is going to write a post detailing the steps we took to get to this point and what he would recommend to someone starting out in our shoes. When we started out with this problem, we found bits and pieces of help here and there, but we couldn’t seem to find a condensed explanation of what to do, step by step. And we wanted that!
I want to emphasize that what he plans to share isn’t the only way through; people are creative and come up with many different ways to solve problems. But this is his version of what to do and I hope it will be of help to many people down the road. He’s been working on writing it and I’m so impressed with how much more clearly he writes step-by-step directions than I ever could! I’m also impressed by his heart to want to help others and to share everything he can that could potentially help others to have an easier time of it than we have.
The truth is that we ourselves have had an easier time of it than many who came before us because they took the time to share what helped them and we benefited!
December 7th, 2006 at 6:47 pm
I am comforted that you all have been finding out what works to live more comfortably. Your family in particular has been in my mind and thoughts since first reading your articles when I was diagnosed with scabies.
I believe that we are in post scabies mode. The itching is still there but less intense. We believe the Lord Jesus will heal us.
We have learned alot of lessons about ourselves…as I am sure you all have as well. This is the positive out of the negative.
Know that people are praying for you.
Larry
December 9th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Thank you, Larry – your comment was a blessing to us and we are so thankful for your prayers. Your family is in our thoughts.
June 4th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Dear Shannon.
Today I am fasting and praying for a close friend who has been infested with birdmites, or something similar. He sent me your blog so that I could get a better understanding of what he is going through.
Thank you for your commentary… It is so helpful for me to identify with him. In addition to praying for him, at lunch today, I brought you and your family before the Father.
I feel that God says that He has gifted you with understanding in research in this matter, and that you should give further study and research into finding His solution, which He will show you as you seek it…
Prov 25v2:
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Regards
Philip
June 4th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Hi Shannon,
I have seached the inernet and can’t find an answer to my question. I am pregnant and have been drinking kombucha for many months. I am having a c-section at the end of the month. I was wondering if you have ever heard anything about abstaining from kombucha before surgery. I think the rational behind it is that it was thought to be a blood thinner. I did find a kombucha sight where a scientist researching kombucha concluded that it is not a blood thinner. Do you know of anyone who has continued kombucha up until the date of surgery. Thank you!
Kim
June 7th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Phillip,
What a true friend you are to fast and pray for your friend and take the time to learn more about what he is going through. A friend like that is rare and an incredible blessing. Thank you for praying for us as well.
As for research in this matter, I have tried to learn whatever I can, but have not been able to get to the bottom of what this really is. I only know the things we have found and shared that really have worked for us. If God should give me more light, I am open to communicating what I learn.
For now, I am so thankful for the blessings God has given us. We don’t have these bugs anymore and there was a point a long way back when I did not know how that could ever happen and simply begged God from the bottom of my heart that it would.
I truly hope your friend receives this gift of healing and freedom from God. Going through this problem is a great trial of faith, but on the other side is an understanding we never had before. We know without doublt that God had a purpose in this for us.
Praise Him,
Shannon
June 7th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Kim,
I don’t know the answer about kombucha. I have read of women who used it during pregnancy, but I really don’t know how safe it was for them and how much it would vary for each indidvidual situation or about it’s effects on the blood before surgury. Please let me know if you find a good answer to your question.
Shannon
August 21st, 2007 at 9:55 am
Kim and Shannon,
I am 5 weeks pregnant and have been drinking up to 2 cups Kombucha daily now for over 6 months. How did you decide it was safe to continue drinking during pregnancy?
Did/do you have any fears about effects of alcohol %, the green tea can inhibit folic acid absorbtion, the caffeine, or any other factors? I have read many articles but have not come to a conclusion. I want to keep drinking Kombucha but do not want to harm my baby.
Please let me know if you have any difinitive answers or know of any research that shows it is not dangerous.
Jessica
August 21st, 2007 at 10:13 am
No, I really don’t know how safe kombucha is or isn’t. Some women have said they think that if you are taking it before pregnancy, it is fine to continue during pregnancy, but not to start during pregnancy when you haven’t used it before. However, I have never drank kombucha during pregnancy and I don’t even know if I would or not.
October 23rd, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I was wondering if the biting and activity seemed to subside if a cold front came in and when it warmed up if they come back?
Thank you,
Tammy
October 24th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Tammy,
We didn’t notice that happening. In fact, cold did not seem to bother the bugs at all as far as we could tell. Even when it got below zero, we still had them in our car last year. It seemed like they hunkered down and “hibernated” through the cold, but came out as soon as the car heated up when we were in it.
And the cold even made it harder to get rid of them because we couldn’t spray Nylar in our car without it freezing before it could do any good. We had to wait for thaws.
I had wondered the same thing as we went into the winter last year: would the cold help? But, at least for us, it didn’t.
October 24th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Thank you for the reply! I don’t mean to be rude but can we please remove my last name from the comment. This is by far too much information for me to want the whole world to know.
How do you know these are mites? Do you have a picture you can send me? Last night was awefull. No sleep because of the itching. I thought it was just a skin rash at first. Then my daughter got it. She is 2 1/2. Seeing her not sleep because of something crawling on her is too much to bear. I am trying to figure out if this is what this really is. I have been to different doctors and have been treated for scabies, body lice,(how degrading) had a shot and steroids only to have it come back with intencity. This is the worst thing I have ever experienced in my whole life. It has not bothered my husband or my other child. I think they don’t believe andything is biting me. Did it start that way with ya’ll. Did you whole family end up with it? I am sorry for all of the questions, but I have to find an answer. I am desperate! Are ya’ll free from it now? If so how long has it been gone?
Thank you so much for your help,
Tammy
October 24th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Tammy,
I took out your last name. WordPress just puts in whatever name people give to be their username.
I don’t know what the “bugs” are or even if everyone I hear from has the same thing we did. Though we think it was some kind of mite, we don’t know. I had the same questions as you and I hated not being able to find something to identify, but I found it hard to catch something I couldn’t even see. And in all my research, I could not find something definitive.
I know that when I read the descriptions of scabies I became certain that scabies was not what we had. Our doctor confirmed this; it did not fit any sort of classical scabies description.
I have heard of many people who have only a couple family members getting bites and not the others. This seems odd to me, but I don’t doubt these stories. However, in our case we all experienced the bites and it happened suddenly and dramatically so that we could have no doubt that some sort of bugs were biting us. They were often sharp, painful bites; there were also milder little pin-prick bites. It was a nightmare and the bites were continual, peaking at night. I couldn’t sleep through it at night.
If you go back in the archives you can read our story of how it all started for us; it would be too much to recount here. But in short, we picked this up in a second-hand shop and unknowingly brought it home with us.
In answer to your question, no we don’t have these bugs anymore and they have been gone for a long, long time. We used the methods we wrote about in our post, “Help, I’m Being Bit! What Do I Do?” and they worked for us. I can’t say they would work for everyone. We only shared them because we knew other people were suffering and we wanted to help if we could.
I pray that these things that worked for us will be a help to you and others and not cause any harm, only good. But I can only share our experience and hope for the best; ideally you would be better off if you could find a professional pest control operator to help you (however many aren’t familiar with whatever this is).
I’m sorry for all the remaining questions that I just can’t answer. If you ever figure this out, please, please share what you find for the benefit of us and others who would love to understand more.
I hope you get relief soon!
Shannon
April 15th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Dear Shan,
Do you believe in spiritual warfare? In some cases, the devil sends things (could be bugs) into your life to prevent you from spreading the Word of God or doing God’s work. I believe this has happened to me and has delayed the start of a program that is designed to show His Glory. Thank you for posting your blog and providing information that is helping me to rid my life of this scourge. Please believe that you are doing God’s work in providing this blog. HawaiiMom