After many years in the field in the Army, I learned a lot about chiggers. First of all, it's not a bite but the actual bug that has burrowed under the skin. As far as clear fingernail polish not killing them, WRONG! If you look at the affected area, you will see a small red dot in the center of each lesion. This is where the chigger is breathing. The clear nail polish will seal off this hole and kill the chigger. Relief comes quickly and should only require one application. The main place you will get them (and the only place I have gotten them at the Fort) is areas of long grass - like the dog walk areas by the kennel or the canals. Stay away from them and you won't have an issue. At any rate, they are an annoyance but I wouldn't go all paranoid over them and go around spreading pesticide around my campsite. The toxic effects of walking through that are worse than the chiggers. We also used to use a product called Chigaway, but I found the nail polish far more effective. Also, you can use any nail polish, you just might look strange walking around with bright red dots on your ankles. Avoid the use of flea collars - I don't care what anybody says, they are a pesticide and can be toxic to humans.
With all due respect to the OP's physician, the washing of bedding and throwing out of clothing items was overkill, and indicates to me he wasn't really sure it was chiggers, but he may have suspected bed bugs. Chiggers just don't set up house in bedding, RV's, clothing, etc. In all the times I have had them, it was a once and done treatment with the nail polish, without any extra laundering or disposal of clothing or equipment.
