Has anyone ever had this or had to deal with lice?
I never have
until
today.
I suspected it yesterday as Colette and I have been itching....alot.
I checked very closely today in the tub.
Sure enough.
We were told by the nurse to treat everyone with over the counter stuff...
wash daily everything.
Everything.
Sheets, pillow cases,
hats, sweaters and coats,
brushes, combs,
towels, washcloths, etc....
When I was praying my morning prayers and praying and thinking about whether we had this or not,
I hoped it was not true,
but since I also thank God for the crosses,
Thanked Him
because we've never had it and now will learn how to deal with it.
Now where in the world did this come from?
We are clean people.
We bathe and clean all the time.
I have 4 girls with lots of hair.
The nurse said if it doesn't go away with the first treatment, then we will have to put
all the toys, dolls, stuffed animals, Barbies, etc in plastic bags and put them in the freezer for 2 days.
What?
Our freezer is full.
Dear Lord, give me the strength to make it through this.
I will be doing laundry from morning til night.
I have always said it does not have to do with how clean you are. Those bugs are everywhere. And the best thing is to teach our children not to share anything with friends at school, such as brushes, hats. But I understand you homeschool. My advice its to do double treatment. Also once a month or twice, spray water with vinegar on girls hair, it acts as a repellent. This reminds me I need to do this again. Do you believe our school district thinks this is no reason for kids to miss school.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a after school care program and we had an outbreak. Lice actually prefers clean hair to live, it is not a status of cleanliness.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pain to deal with but go through everyone's hair with a fine tooth comb. Use the shampoo and only the shampoo. (The home remedies online are useless. But the combo of combing and shampoo should take care of it for you.)
Prayers for easy and fast removal.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteAlso, yes, the CDC last year changed the status of head lice in that it is not a cause for missing school.
ReplyDeleteSchools used to have a "no nit" policy.
Oh Jamie. So sorry. I do thank God we've never had them but I worry all the time. The kids have to throw jackets over the back of the theater seats I'm so neurotic. Is it possible you brought them from Mexico?
ReplyDeleteJamie Jo my sweet friend it is so surprising to me as well that you would have to go through this kind of situation especially since you home school. If there is on doubt I guess you will have to do the right things and if so I am sorry you have this added burden to deal with.
ReplyDeleteOh no, Jaime!! How awful!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have been a preschool/toddler teacher for twenty three years and had head lice twice!!
I have done some research and learned the following:
1) Head lice like clean hair
2) Anything with coconut as an ingrediant kills them.
3) Tea Tree Oil is a natural ingrediant and will kill them too.
Try to find a shampoo with coconut oil and wash with it! If you can't find a shampoo with this ingrediant, go the ethnic hair section in Wal-Mart and buy a bottle of the coconut oil hair dressing/conditioner. Also buy a bottle of tea tree oil - I saw this available at Wal-Mart also.
I would recommend washing with the coconut shampoo (I believe Suave makes one). After washing, apply the coconut hair dressing/conditioner stuff and comb all the eggs and adults out of the hair. Afterwards, I would apply the coconut hair dressing/conditioner or tea tree oil and leave in the hair! I would slather it on and cover every hair!
Do NOT forget to repeat the above 7-10 days later because that's when the eggs hatch!!
Meanwhile I would wash everything in their bedrooms including stuffed animals, everything they've leaned their heads against including car seats and car seat cushions!! Another tip: I would treat the whole family just in case!!
I know you have a large family and it's a BIG job, but you want to make sure you got rid of them all!
You will be in my thoughts and prayers! I am so sorry!!
Ugh, so sorry to hear about this Jamie. And here you're already so exhausted too.
ReplyDeletePrayers for you!
Oh, Jamie! I'm SO sorry you're having to deal with this in the midst of your nausea. We've never had it (Thank the Lord), so I have no advice. But I can and will be praying for you all to get rid of them quickly. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteOh dear - how horrible for you!
ReplyDeleteI wish I lived right next door, and could do the laundry for you!
Hang in there, and know that you're in my prayers!
~LuAnne
ACK! I had lice in third grade. I remember it went through our class and it was humiliating for I had to grab my coat and wait for my parents to pick me up.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder where you got this from. One more thing for me to freak out about when in stores.
Jonah is by me, I told him "Jamies family has lice"
He looked at me and said, "we arnt gonna see them for awhile are we"
funny
anyhoo....hope you can get through this and know this is just life and it will soon pass.
Thinking of you.
I do not know how to treat. Never had it with my kids. You will be the first person I will call if this happens!!!!
I haven't ever had it (touch wood!!!) and, so far, my kids haven't either. I've never let them share private things (any comb or brush; hats; etc.). I think I scared them to death about that long long ago. "Have fun at school (or wherever they were off to; bugs aren't just at school) and DON'T SHARE BRUSHES OR HATS OR ANYTHING!!!"
ReplyDeleteanyway, sorry this is happening to you
Jamesters, if it can happen to you it can happen to ANYBODY.
ReplyDeleteWhich we already knew.
A couple of summers ago, the girls were invited to do Vacation Bible School with a friend from a different parish. They were so excited, and I thought, "What a blessing!"
Which it was.
Except they came home the third day with a handout that read, "One of the children at VBS has head lice. Please check your children."
I'll tell you, I had the heebie jeebies for days on end (and am itching my scalp as I type).
YET, in the end, as you well know, it is something you just deal with. My girls didn't get them--never have--and while I've often thought it would be THE WORSE THING EVER, I know that is just Busy Me talking.
As in, I don't have the time for this.
Who's got time for those extra crosses? No one, but the fact that you thanked Our Lord for this burden is a sign of your great faith. Thank you for that--and I'll be thinking of you as I do the laundry this weekend. :)
MUCH love,
Margaret
Like Margaret,I am know scratching myself.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you have to do all this work! That's a lot of wash and procedure.
You are in my prayers!
Check on the freezer thing. Years ago we were told to bag up the stuff in a black trash bag and set it in the sun for two weeks ( or longer).
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you are dealing with this.
Oh sweetie! I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Praying for courage and strength for you, and a quick resolution! HUGS!
ReplyDeleteHOW ARE YOU DOING?? Thinking about you everyday. Sometimes I think about my bloggy or my comments and wonder if I am just a big dork.
ReplyDeleteThis is totally not funny...but when Jonah said that and if you get my Jonah he is just funny.
THis is totally not a "funny" thing for your family. I hope this gets resolved and I get to see you soon. Please put in a movie and get some rest. I want you to take care of yourself and not get sick or lose that precious little one. Get some sleep!!!
love to you jamster
Oh yes, the dreaded lice. My son has never had it but some of his friends have and they've gone through what you're going through. I was told it's more common in girls because they hug each other alot of share hair clips, barrettes, hats...etc. I was also told that lice prefer clean hair to dirty hair... my friend brought her 4 children down to a salon in Chicago that specializes in this kind of treatment. It cost somewhere around $1500. It worked but it was pricey.
ReplyDeleteShe still had to do all the laundry and bagging of toys. Not fun but it's not an incurable disease.
Our largish family went thru this years ago, after a Christmas play at our parish school during which the kids shared costume hats. What a pain. My husband was very good about checking each head (except his own) each evening for several weeks. He used a fine comb and a tweezers. This was after the shampoo alone failed. The laundry was unending. We also bagged up everything else and put outside for 2 weeks. You want to be rid of this quickly and not let it make a comeback.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you tell people about it, they will avoid you like the plague for much longer than necessary. Sshhhh...
Oh I am so sorry! We have had it. I ended up cutting the girls's hir into bobs at the tim, it was just insane. You can also use olive oil with some tree tree oil mixed in, instead of the over the counter stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhat I did was rub the oils all over thier head, wrap hair in saran wrap, and then wrap a warm towel over that. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes (if you can get them to sit that long). It really works. Also, add some tea tree oil to their shampoo for awhile.
I also recommend washing everything they own (including toys) and buying new pillows.
Can you tell we got it twice in one year? I was nursing my first born son and used the chemical stuff and then heard that was a big NO NO. Apparently could have caused brain damage. So the oilive oil is a nice natural way to cure it... might be cheaper too, lol.
Oh they also don't like heat! So I used the blow dryer on the girls hair too.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
How's it going Jamie? Thinking about you.
ReplyDeleteOur computer crashed also...when it rains, it pours!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing ok, lots and lots of laundry and not using the rid stuff because the chemicals are bad for the baby....we used a treatment when I'm back up I'll tell you all about it....also used coconut oil on me, and got tea tree oil tonite and am going to do that overnite tomorrow nite....there's so many different ways to get rid of these bugs...which makes it kind of hard, there's no real clear cut way of getting rid of them!!! There's always that doubt....
Thanks for your prayers, they are holding me up!!
I dread the day my girls get head lice. I know it's inevitable. I am so sorry you have to go through this, but good thing you have a blog with lots of good advice here for getting rid of it!
ReplyDeleteOur youngest daughter, who of course, had the longest, thickest hair of the 3 girls, got a case of lice in June the 1 year...I used over the counter name brand stuff, with no results! The chemicals are sooo harsh! The only thing I did use that I felt worked, was the RID spray, that I used on the mattress and carpet. I found a natural product from a company in the UK called NITMIX...it uses almond,lavender,rosemary and geranium oils, which the lice don't like. There is a wash and a wetcombing aid and a maintenance spray, that I would spray on the girls hair, everyday before they would go to school...it has a nice smell, and does dissapate, so the other kids won't wonder what your child got into! The other 2 girls never got it and the youngest never got it back! We did bag up all the stuffed animals for awhile and when we unbagged, we ran the sweeper on them real well and washed them! It is a ton of work but it won't last forever! I hope this helps! Patience and God's peace!
ReplyDeleteGood Lord, girl, are you surviving? Hope to hear from you soon.
ReplyDeleteYou are in my prayers hoping this problem passes soon.
Your suffering will bring graces...
Still thinking and praying for you during this ordeal! You're a survivor and you'll be laughing about this chapter of your life in the future.
ReplyDeleteJamie,
ReplyDeleteI thought of you today when my 6 year old came to me and told me her head was itchy. I was devastated to find lice. I just read over what you have been doing but would REALLY like to chat with you about this if that is OK. My e-mail is jenny reosti at yahoo dot com. If you would send me your number, I would maybe stop freaking out for maybe 2 seconds or so!!!
Not nearly as bad as bed bugs trust me!
ReplyDeleteWe have been throught he head lice thingey, but recently we stayed at a hotel on a trip and the bed bugs eat us up! Heat kills bed bugs and you have to put things in the laundry dryer.
P.S. I have one in heaven too.
Jim Dorchak
Qm2ss.blogspot.com