What is this? Flee? Bed bug? What are these skin rashes called? (fleas, dermatologists)

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by ChiGuy2.5

As someone who had bed bugs, I consider myself an expert on them. Those are definitely not bed bug bites nor is that the bed bug insect in your picture.

I agree with the other poster, looks like scabies.

How did you get bedbugs. The only time i seen bedbugs is from homeless people coming to the ER.

[MarianRavenwood]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

How did you get bedbugs. The only time i seen bedbugs is from homeless people coming to the ER.

People can pick them up anywhere where people come and go a lot. Hotel rooms are common--they arrive in someone's suitcase and transfer to the room and are picked up by the next guest the next night. But they can also transfer between passengers on a plane or train. Between employees' belongings in a locker room. They can be found in books at the public library, where they can transfer to patrons or employees.

Bed bugs like to hide in crevices. Seams of mattresses are common, hence the name, but they are not picky. Upholstery seams in furniture, spines of library books, corners of lockers or bookcases.

They feed off humans so they will be found anywhere there are humans--for decades we had minimized their presence mostly through better standards of living (more spacious homes, more travel in private vehicles). But as the world's population continues to overwhelm our planet, and as more and more of the population engages in global travel, it is pretty much impossible to stop them. It's more a matter of when, not if, you get them (same for lice, btw).

[ChiGuy2.5]

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

How did you get bedbugs. The only time i seen bedbugs is from homeless people coming to the ER.

I can't say for certain where I got them. Nobody can usually. As the other poster mentioned, it could have been from my travels or from a neighbor even since it was in my condo.

They are VERY common in Chicago unfortunately.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I've had scabies and the rash didn't look anything like your bites. It looked like this:

https://nltimes.nl/2018/06/06/scabie...dutch-students

I had scabies FROM A HOTEL ROOM and they looked EXACTLY like the bites the OP showed. I went to the doctor, he diagnosed it as scabies and gave me the prescription for Permethrin Cream. I used it as directed and the little bastards died.

That tells me all I need to know.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by uchicago

Got this after staying at a Chicago hotel. What is this bug? Flee? Bed bug? What is the name of these skin rash conditions? I want to at least google the condition.

The insect looks like a grain beetle.

The other pictures look like flea or grass flea bites.
OP do you have them anywhere else on your body or just hands/feet?

Pictures aren't very clear, though.

[Medical Lab Guy]

The bug almost looks like a louse (lice plural) with an elongated boy shape and legs. Also maybe even an aphid from outside. Hard to see details from that distance. It in no way looks like mites with rounded bodies and much, much smaller. Some lice like pubic lice are more chubby and smaller. That bug is big and don't need a microscope to see detail with the naked eye.

As far as bites go I am no expert on bites so can't say what they are caused by.

[AnywhereElse]

This is a good resource with pictures and also other detailed info:

https://www.prevention.com/health/g3...bite-pictures/

Article with photos on scabies:

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-...abies-overview

I got them from a puppy that we picked up at an animal control facility: (But, she was worth her weight in gold for almost 15 years, so it was worth it.)

"Dogs and cats get scabies, too -- better known as mange. However, canine scabies and feline scabies are not caused by the same type of mite that triggers human scabies. You can get mites from handling an infested pet, but these mites can’t reproduce in human skin. This means they usually die off without causing serious symptoms."

I was lucky as mine was the pet find, but they itched so much, but were time limited in this case.

[Tallysmom]

That bug looked like a flea. A not quite mature one. Flea bites — they’re usually around your ankles, because as you walk on the carpet they jump onto you and feed. You’re allergic to their saliva. I know this because so am I. Most humans are. Mine weren’t as bad as yours, but my house was infested.

If you have pets, make sure they have their flea drops, a tube of oil and medication you put on the back of their necks. There’s Advantage, one called Front line, and another one called Revolution. I think everything but revolution is available at Petsmart. They all work really well, but the cheap hartz mountain flea control drops? Don’t touch them. Hartz mountain stuff is not good. If it’s even still around. I remember a few years ago their flea product was killing pets. Also if your pets will let you, flea comb them daily. I kept a wet paper towel with a little dish soap on it to wipe the comb off. It even doesn’t have to be that soapy, dish soap is a degreaser that will help break through their exoskeleton and kill the little bloodsuckers.

My leg red bumps were really itchy. I used an over-the-counter one percent cortisone cream a couple of times a day. That stopped the itch. The itch creates that reaction. Stop the itch, the reaction will stop happening and they will go away. Had my house treated, had my cats treated, vacuumed on a daily basis for three weeks, and I mean like deep vacuum — slowly, back and forth, using a much smaller vacuum path, both the carpet and the upholstery. Changed my bed linens way more frequently. Washed the linen immediately. My cats do sleep on my bed.

My leg bumps took about two weeks to heal. The fact that you don’t have many around your knee, because fleas only jump about 18 inches, is why I think you have fleas. If you don’t have pets, you probably didn’t bring home many fleas, and because you are technically not their proper host, they will die on you in your home. Your blood will feed them, but they will not be able to breed or lay eggs. It will take a few weeks.

I’m not gonna say my house is flea free, I just did their second round of advantage, and they’re now on a three week cycle with it. That’s just gonna how it’s going to be…. As I flea comb the cats, most of the things I’m pulling off are dead, some of them are still wiggling, but they are obviously damaged. They’re walking they’re not jumping, I can catch them with a Kleenex and toss them down the toilet. The sandy grit that is flea eggs, I’m not finding it anywhere anymore. And as I got into the habit of vacuuming on almost daily basis, I am finding that I’m vacuuming on it almost daily basis now. And still changing my sheets really frequently. I don’t think that’s a bad habit to get into.

[Lodestar]

The bites around your ankle look exactly like the chigger bites that are so bad in Southern MN this year. They take forever to stop itching.

It's obvious with as many expert opinions you're getting on here you should probably check it out at a health facility. Good luck.

[loves2read]

Originally Posted by jmgg

It's scabies. I hate to say it, but I'm an "expert". Involuntarily so and not that long ago. The ONLY possibility was at the hotel.

A lot of what you stated about scabies is true in that you won't generally notice it right away. Scabies from a hotel bed is common to get around the bottom of your body. You don't need skin to skin contact. Mine started on my feet just like the OP's and progressed up my legs. Everything I had looked EXACTLY like those pictures. I was nowhere near laying in grass to get chiggers. One thing about chiggers, those nasty little creatures usually love to exist, like you said, around hem lines and specifically around your waist and areas where your clothes fit tighter. My wife and a daughter got them from sitting in grass at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City once. They were itching and being driven crazy within hours.

OP, you need to go see a doctor. If it's scabies like I suspect, not only do you need to get a prescription for Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream, but you'll also have to wash all your bedding and any clothes that you were in contact with.

Not just wash but sanitize…

(PS I think they climb up your body as the infection lasts)