I want to preface by saying I have read through many of the FAQs and have read a lot of good information.
I am not sure I have bedbugs and I am feeling very overwhelmed.
My fiance's family got evicted and as they had no place to go, we transported them to a campground. As we dropped them off, his mother dropped the bombshell that the people she had been staying with for the past few weeks had bedbugs and she had an infection due to her bites. I freaked out because all her clothes were in my trunk in ripped bags. She said that the house had been treated and the items laundered but clearly her stuff had not been sealed.
Additionally her son had just slept on our couch for 3 days! At the time of him coming over he had not been at the infested apartment for 7.5 hrs (so he did not come directly to our apartment from that apartment). He only brought a phone and the clothes on his back. On day 2 however he had us drive him to the apartment where he ran in and got a "clean" spare outfit to change into after showering.
We are already dealing with the tail end of a flea issue (despite my cat being on a preventative and being indoor only, but thats another story). So we had him tie up his old outfit in a bag just to be safe. Our bedroom and dining room were already being treated with DE. However I had recently vacuumed most of it in the living room prior to him being there.
After finding out this news I reapplied DE in the living room immediately and redusted the bedroom. I also treated my car (trunk and cabin) with spray. I know now thats not a good option for in home but hoping that the smaller space in the car will make it effective. I have also been parking in the sun with windows up but as it has only been 90ish I know its not really hot enough to help.
The fleas have not been biting us and are almost gone. I woke up with a bug bite looking bump on my head and freaked out further convinced we have bed bugs. However I get stress hives so really it could have been that too.
I guess I am wondering how likely you all think it is that I have gotten the bedbugs. I am horrified. I have no spare money really. I live in a beautiful inlaw apartment but have no written lease. I am afraid we will be kicked out if we brought in bugs. So bringing in a pest company is not really an option. And treating will be hard. My landlords elderly mother is bed bound and on oxygen. I also work at a school and as a babysitter and am horrified at the prospect of bringing these pests along to my workplaces. I am so livid at my fiance's family. They misled and lied to us. If they had been upfront we could have taken much better preventive measures...