Lily has had an itchy head for about 5 days. Really itchy. I checked her head for sticky nits, but only found dandruff. Because, you know, I don't actually KNOW what nits look like.
Yesterday we were sitting next to each other and I literally saw a bug climbing in her hair. I grabbed it and went to Master Google and...
As Scooby Doo would say...Ruh-Row.
I spent the next 3 hours alternating between washing a load of laundry and yanking lice out of Lily's hair. I think I figured out what nits look like...but maybe not? How am I a qualified de-louser? How is a little suburban girl like me supposed to be able to buy a tiny box at the drug store and then competently kill parasites without some level of instruction or pictures or anything? They literally don't even have a picture of what nits or head lice look like in that box. WTH? On-line they have pictures taken with an electron microscope. Very helpful, since I happen to keep one of those under my kitchen sink.
So I don't know? Is she good? The box says she's good after one application...but the lice were still crawling around a few hours later in her hair. Does that mean I failed? I think I'm keeping her home from school just because I'm too horrified that I might have done it wrong and will continue to infect the school.
The worst is...she had a play date yesterday. For the first time with this little girl. At the little girl's house. Lily was scratching her head at one point, and I even had a conversation with the woman about how I'd checked her head, but all I could see was dandruff and was it okay to use Head and Shoulders on a 5 year old. Calling their house last night was...well...mortifying. The grandmother was watching the kids since both parents were at work. She sounded so disgusted and horrified and really really upset. I just kept saying I'm sorry I'm sorry. As if I did it on purpose. As if I am a trained louse inspector and should have known that Lily had lice.
So grossed out.
After I had shampooed Lily's hair and was drying her off, she said, "Mommy, I can feel them crawling on my back and down my legs." I replied, "No, Lily. Head lice stay on your head. What you have are the heebeejeebees. When your mind tricks you into thinking they are everywhere. I have them too."
Fast forward 4 hours. I had put in the 100th load of laundry and finally asked Jeff to check me. I'd checked the boys and Jeff and their short haired heads don't even have anywhere for lice to hide. No worries. I was certain I was okay because I only started getting itchy when I first saw that bug.
30 seconds later...Jeff pulls one out of my hair. I jump up and run to the shower. While waiting for the water to warm up (we were out of hot water...I wonder if it was the 100 loads of hot washing I'd done?), I raked through my hair in the bathroom mirror. Not only did I find another louse...I found 2 gray hairs.
COULD THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE? I mean, really universe? On the day I am infected with parasites you have to remind me that I'm getting old. REALLY?
Jeff had to do the combing and looking for lice. I am not confident that he did a good job. I mean...he also is not a trained parasite remover/spotter...but he has the added disadvantage of not having much hair. So he literally didn't know how to separate different sections of my hair to look. He was just kind of moving the hair around. So I'll have the heebeejeebees until sometime next week AND I'll be compulsively checking my head whenever I pass a mirror. Which means there could be some kind of lice party happening on the back of my head and I'd never know it.
Looks like we'll be at home today. Maybe I'll introduce a new game. Instead of playing neighbor, perhaps we'll play chimpanzee friends instead. Nit-picking, anyone?
5 comments:
I read your posts because I think you are such a fantastic writer, but rarely comment. I do unfortunately have expertise in this area. They are really hard to get rid of. I also just casually washed ella's hair and picked through getting the nits (or what I thought were nits, since I totally agree with the lack of info, pictures, etc.). Unless you check daily and go through each section of hair getting them all every time they will return. I would just set E in front of the TV with combs, gel and literally search for 30-45 minutes every day or other day pulling those tiny things out....gross! I would freak if my husband was in charge bec. He was the one who originally checked her and said "I see nothing.". He couldn't see the the nits! Maybe he needs one of those microscopes. Sorry for the bad news, but you have my sympathies. The only good thing is that if the boys get it, my plan was just shave their head. There are very few people we told about this bec. I was mortified. Just be diligent and tell Lilly "no sharing hats (how Ella got it), brushes, etc.". By the end, I had much fewer heebeejeebees, but took awhile! Good luck. Beth Bowen (Louisville, now in Knoxville)
I just read another story about this online--the other person actually hired someone (a professional delouser?) to take care of it b/c multiple family members were infected. If this happens to us anytime, I might have to go the same route. I'm itchy just thinking about it. I think it's more common than we think b/c it's not something people talk about. Hope you are all clear!!
You have my sympathy, too! About a week into my sophomore year in college, my 11 year old sister made that difficult phone call to me - to tell me that she had lice - had picked it up at camp and she and I had shared a vacation bed the week before I left for school. So I had to ask my new roommate to check me and guess what? I was treating my hair with lice shampoo in the group bathroom on my floor. And she had to comb them out of my hair for a week every night, it was so embarassing and awful (but good thing it wasn't freshman year so she was a friend of mine). I was doing that laundry with quarters. Ugh. I hope they are quickly evicted from your house. Yuck!
Gross! I haven't had to deal with this yet. I'm calling you for help when it happens.
Eek! So sorry!!! I am feeling itchy just reading this!
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