&*%$#@# head lice!
HELP!!! Has anyone experienced head lice with their children yet? Well, both my daughters are ending their school year with it and I am freaking out!!! I'm about ready to blow with my lid with all the washing, combing, cleaning, worrying, etc...This is just horrible...I'm feeling like I need to not only be wearing a big red HL on my shirt, but paint a big red HL on my house! UUGGHH!
I guess I was not familiar with school policy in this regard, but it pisses me off that the school doesn't do regular head checks. The nurse told me today that they only get done if a case of HL is reported by a parent. Do you think every parent would report it? I did and action was taken, but our home life right now is just a mess. I know I need to chill out... the kids aren't in any danger, health wise, it's just more of a nuisance than anything, and I know it will pass, but who wants bugs in their children's hair or in their house???? I'm a clean freak, so maybe some of you can understand why I'm in freaking out mom mode.
Thanks for letting me vent!
my daughter had it..
about 7 weeks ago! She has a TON of dark medium length hair (she is only 16 months old) and let me tell ya, I was freaking out too! I have no idea where she picked it up-- I never had it, neither did my husband or son during the time my daughter had it.
Have your kids had it before? I've been told by different people that HL actually like clean hair yet I felt SO embarrased thinking if someone found out, they would think my house was dirty! I tend to be a clean freak too and it really was upsetting to me too. I totally know what you mean.
I hope things settle down soon
Hugs
Patty
nope
None of us here have ever had it, so it's been quite stressful to say the least. Patty, how long did it take before things settled down in your house?
understanding
I totally understand what you are going through. My daughter came home with it the first time from the day care when she was three and I had no clue on what to do or what I was even looking for so I went to Walgreens on U.S. 31 and was looking in the isle with the HL treatments in it when one of the clerks came and asked if I needed any help. I thought I was going to die of embarrassment but she turned out to be very helpful. I did learn though, you don't just put on the shampoo and say o.k., two more weeks and we shampoo again and its gone. NO, you have to go through their hair almost strand by strand on a daily basis and get every nit out until you see no more, change sheets almost on a daily basis, spray down all furniture and carpet and stuffed animal they may have and disinfect all combs and brushes regularly too. I agree, it is a nightmare but I think I have become a pro at looking for it. I understand what you are going through so please do not think you are the only mom out there that goes through it. It is very embarassing though and none of us want anyone to know so if I can answer any questions for you, I have been through it twice now and hopefully NEVER again. It is also very expensive on our part. I wish all moms would follow through with the "cleaning out" steps like we do and then maybe not so many kids would have it.
thanks
Thanks for all the info and advice Penny. I don't wish this on anyone, but I agree once you go through it, you definitely become a HL expert.
I also had no idea how much this whole process was going to cost us and we're not even close to being done with it all. Not only have the treatments been expensive, (which I believe is a total rip...$11.00 for a 4 oz bottle of shampoo! Plus the furniture spray, etc...come on), but under unfortunate circumstances, our dryer decided to stop running and is in the midst of repair. The daily trips to the coin laundry have been eating us alive! When it rains it pours, huh?
Hopefully the end will be in sight soon!
FYI...The coin laundry on Ireland Rd. across from Goodwill/TCU, closer to Ironwood, is the cleanest one I've ever been in.
It took....
.. another treatment a week later to get it completely gone from my daughter's hair. Everynight between the day I discovered and treated her hair until the next week, I would go through her hair daily/frequently but I obviously missed some of the nits (hence, she still had a few very small bugs a week later in her hair).-- Geez, just typing that is making my head itch!!!! I was SO tempted to just cut her hair really short but my mom absolutely wouldn't let me (I was at my mom's when I discovered it and my husband was at work). I was freakin out big-time! My sister came over that evening and helped me with vaccumming our house, washing all of our sheets/comforter, etc, throw rugs, etc. We sprayed "RID" on the couch, her carseat, my son's carseat, etc.. anything we could think of. The biggest challenge was that first day, then just trying to get those stupid nits out of her hair and finding the live bugs, oh yuck. Being that she was about 14 months old or so was no fun-- wiggly wiggly at times.
How's it going now?
Patty
I'm settling down
The first two days were just exhausting for me, but this is day 4 and it's going a little better. Our dryer is now fixed, so that has eased 90% of my stress, since we still have to wash bedding every night. We found a few tiny live ones in my oldest's hair last night, so we had to retreat. My middle daughter only had a few nits. Thanks to the school, I got a voucher for free NIX treatments at a local pharmacy, since we all will have to be re-treated again in a few days, so that helped out a lot! I am proud to say that I've become very proficient in finding those evil little suckers and their eggs too..hahahahaha!
My 7 and 5 year olds don't want to sit, while I comb and pick...I couldn't even imagine having to do this with a toddler...thankfully my 2 year old has not gotten it. We have also sprayed all the furniture, mattresses, and carseats with RID. I have been vaccuming everything...the van, the couch cushions, the carpet. My house and vehicle have never been this clean :)
Thanks to you both for all the support..I think the light at the end of the tunnel is near :)
Lisa
So good to hear ..
that things are getting better and that you're seeing the light at the end of the tunhel! You're right, the house and vehicles sure get clean, don't they! :)
Thank goodness your dryer is fixed-- that's got to be a huge help with drying everything and getting some sense of normalcy back in your day.
I'm glad that I was able to lend some support... I completely knew what you were feeling!
Have a great weekend, bug-free! :)
Patty