L-I-C-E

[kijip]

Apparently, my terrible rotten "house guests" from a few weeks back (brother and SIL) brought their own little house guests along for the ride. :( And really, there is nothing more fun than washing the hair of a kid who hates to have his hair washed with shampoo that has to stay in for 10 minutes, then cutting the hair of kid that hates to have his hair cut and then pulling bugs out of his hair with a fine tooth comb, rightfully causing him to say owww a lot, all while aware of your own itchy head. Really it is a party. And I just love calling all of our friends and giving them the heads up to check for lice. I am regretting the restraining order we took out against my brother and SIL because right now, I would like to kick them both in the teeth. :P Instead I will vacuum the heck out of my rugs and run endless loads of wash on high with extra hot heat dry, which those that know me in person know are stress relieving activities to me. But not as enjoyable as teeth kicking.

Oh, and to make it even better, I have to take Toby's stuffed buddies he sleeps with away. And since he sleeps with all of them (Mr. Bear, Chic, Elliephant and a bizarrely dressed Build a Bear Dog named Jules that is part stuffed dog and part imaginary friend to Toby), there are no stand ins. Any advice on how to handle them? I read to enclose them in plastic for 2+ weeks. This is going to make bed time really enjoyable. :(

[momofmany]

I sympathize with you - nothing in the world is more time consuming than dealing with lice. My two older children have had it.

Since you are dealing with a boy - I'd cut his hair as short as possible. I ended up doing this with my son because his hair was too short to hold up on a clip but too long to work with. We went with the buzz cut and that really helped.

The most important thing is to spend time combing through the hair every day the next two weeks. Even though you have shampooed it (probably using the lice shampoo), this will not kill the immature nits that are superglued to the hair shaft. Once these mature, you've got the lice problem all over again. I found it helpful to use a light conditioner on the hair before I combed through it because if there were live and mobile lice, this would slow them down.

A really good lice comb is a must. I got mine from the national pediculous society (or something like this). They are a group that advocate natural remedies (i.e. - no shampoo) - and they had a great comb. I called them directly in tears and they send it the next day. I also got a magnifier light from the hardware store to help me see better.

There are other things to do - like the clothes washing, the vacuuming, etc., but the most important is to comb through the hair. I washed their clothes and bedding in hot water for a few days in the beginning, found it to be a waste of time. Lice like the scalp - they are not going to terribly tempted to climb off the scalp. We did the toys in the plastic bag too. I think a better idea is to dry them in a hot dryer and vacuum them over. Your child is traumatized enough.

Finally - do not google. There is lots of discouraging stuff out there. Just concentrate on the head. Also - do you have someone to go through your hair for peace of mind? I couldn't trust my husband, but a woman whom I barely knew came to my rescue (because she had lived through the fun). She is now my closest friend, so maybe good does come from lice.

It's a small club when you have this problem so good luck!

[katydid1971]

Hugs!!! So sorry. After having the worst house guest ever (i remember that post and feel so sorry for those kids) now they left this "thank you gift" for all you did for them. I am itching just reading your post. Maybe you can buy a new budy for DS to sleep with until his others are out of quarantine. You can buy a spray to kill lice, you might want to try some of that. Wish I could give you some better advice. Soooo sorry that everyone is so itchy. Hugs to you all.
Sarah

[kijip]

Thanks for the tip- I was able to find the comb that worked for you online. I am picking that comb up this morning. It is called the licemeister and is on this website http://www.headlice.org , which is the site for the organization that sent you yours. A salon in my area apparently stocks them, so I am getting it without waiting for the mail. The RID was totally ineffective, the only thing that worked was clipping off most of Toby's hair and the plastic comb that came with the Rid so I am now looking for a better treatment and anxious for the store to open so I can get the comb. Contemplating going really short with my hair too...which is irritating since I was actually growing it out and it is down just past my shoulders.


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little munchkin Toby. Just trying to do good in the world, a little at a time. Words to live by: it is *never* the wrong time to do the right thing :)

[kijip]

Yeah, it is all making sense now...Toby got it from sharing his bed a few nights with his cousin and I got it from Toby sharing our bed and my brother (the one we talk to, the new parent) got it from lending out his baseball helmet and bike helmet to my older nephew...what a PITA, err pain in the scalp. I feel for my niece and nephew because they must just have it all the time...my SIL and brother in no way would ever sit over their kids hair and pick out nits with a comb. Too busy with important stuff like drinking and watching TV. Take credit card and identity information, leave bugs. Jerks!

I wonder if I should call the nurse or social worker at my niece's school? I know the social worker professionally and know that she has them on her caseload. I hate to think of her going untreated and of her classmates all getting it.


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little munchkin Toby. Just trying to do good in the world, a little at a time. Words to live by: it is *never* the wrong time to do the right thing :)

[Marisa6826]

Ewww. Absolutely, I would call and say something. Wouldn't you want to know if you were the parent of one of their classmates?

Sorry Katie, the situation just blows all the way around. :(

-m

[ha98ed14]

I think your desire to "kick your brother and SIL in the teeth" for leaving lice at your house is misplaced. I did read your posts about the joys of having them stay with you when you were trying to help them, so I know they are not going to win the "Family member of the year award," but lice can happen to anyone! They/ their kid did not have lice because of their low-class habits or criminal ways. My husband teaches 4th grade at a public school in a very well-to-do area where all the kids are clean, and most have professional dads and stay-at-home-moms, and lice goes around his school every other year or so. It didn't happen because bro and SIL are dirty, poor, or criminals. It just happens.

[caheinz]

But there's a reasonable chance that they knew the kid(s) had lice, did nothing about it, and failed to warn their hosts of the problem.

That's a different kind of class, unrelated to social standing, and one that the houseguests in question seem to be seriously lacking.

[psophia17]

It's very unsympathetic of me, but given the stories we've heard, I'd venture to guess that they probably knew the kid(s) had lice, and thought they'd stick it to Katie & her family by sharing the wealth.

[Wife_and_mommy]

Oh, my... I'm so sorry. I'm itching too just thinking of it. I hope the ridding of them is as quick and painless as possible. I had them at 18(from a work headset) and still cringe.



I love them most when they are sleeping.--Me
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[Sandy]

Oh Katie.. I am so sorry. We had a lice scare from Marisa's day care. Try Cetaphil cleanser. Its non-toxic and about 99% effective in the studies that they have done on it per my pediatrician. Wash the hair and than coat it in cetaphil and leave it in overnight. Than wash the hair again the next morning. It is supposed to suffocate everything. Repeat the treatment once a week for the next four weeks and continue using the comb and looking for eggs and nits. I have to tell you I was totally paranoid about this so Marisa had her hair coated in Cetaphil night and day for about a week.


Sandy mom to Alexander Thor 3/16/02
& Marisa Mia 4/23/05

[kijip]

My brother just called me, in violation of the protection order to ask me to rescind it (as if?!) and I took the opportunity to mention the lice to him and tell him to get them treated. He admitted that they shampooed the 5 year old's head for lice about a week before they arrived but thought that killed it and did not comb for nits. (Seriously, they would not be savvy enough to read the directions or do the second step if he is honest about them shampooing it at all). If we had known, if they had told us like we told all our friends, we would have taken steps to prevent infestation and finished up treating the 5 year old. That would have likely meant that it would not have spread (my son is 4, their daughter is 5- think sharing toys, t-shirts, comb etc).

I don't care why they had lice, they likely had it because they are from Florida and it is quite common in warmer more humid areas because it grows best there. I work in social services for a very low income population and know VERY well that lice has nothing to do with cleanliness or class. And certainly not criminal ways (if only karma was so reliable! :) ) Besides, it was the kids that transmitted it and lordy knows those kids have no fault in their terrible lot in life. I don't hold myself or my son out to be above getting it because we are professional, middle class folks (blood is blood- lice eat it where ever they can find it and I pretty sure a louse does not do a background check before chowing down!)- I am just frustrated that, like I suspected, they knew and did not take adequate steps to protect their kids or others...sort of something you should mention if your kid is sharing a bed with a 4 year old boy. Also, I think it is pretty clear that I would never, ever actually kick someone except in self defense. And so long as I get a fast response from the police if they ever come near me, self defense is not needed. That is the main reason we have the protection order.

My main thinking is in contacting the school and letting them know to check the Kindy class. The social worker would pass the information on discreetly, I know her. I don't think I would be inclined the tell them who because even though the school takes steps to maintain the privacy of the source, I would not want my niece to be teased or whatever. Now that my brother knows it is still active, hopefully that will generate some treatment. Not that I am holding my breath for that in the least.

And unrelated to lice, along the lines of worst family member award I got an alert that someone, oh guess who that might be, tried and failed to open a credit card in my name. Thankfully the company could not verify the application information and denied it. They contacted me at my valid address (where I have a mortgage) and let me know. Good to know they are being effective.

[kijip]

>It's very unsympathetic of me, but given the stories we've
>heard, I'd venture to guess that they probably knew the kid(s)
>had lice, and thought they'd stick it to Katie & her family by
>sharing the wealth.

Nah, I think they just did not want the trouble of de-niting. Seriously, it took me three hours to go through Toby's treatment and combing and that is with a boy whose hair I clipped down to 1/2 an inch and whose hair is stick straight to begin with. Imagine how long it would take to deal with a treating a girl with a mop of curls (she has African American and Puerto Rican heritage- her hair is fluffy and very tightly curled) that trails nearly to her shoulders. That is WAY too much work for people who continued to get ready for a party while I washed insect repellent out of their almost 3 year old's eye and called poison control. And we will be following up with Toby every day for weeks to come to be extra sure. Not something, clearly, of which they are capable.


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little munchkin Toby. Just trying to do good in the world, a little at a time. Words to live by: it is *never* the wrong time to do the right thing :)

[kijip]

I actually got some Cetaphil in an effort to avoid needing to cut my hair! I like it short but don't want to have to go above the ears, mannish short (that was for college days, LOL). Glad to hear it was effective for you. I also have the comb mentioned above and some Fairy Tales organics stuff to try as well if it continues to be a problem. Thanks for the tips, everyone. I need em, not thinking straight. When my brother called me I got very, very worried. I think I managed to communicate our no tolerance policy of contacting us EVER again effectively. But it actually scared me to hear his voice.

****Rocking out while parenting my smart little munchkin Toby. Just trying to do good in the world, a little at a time. Words to live by: it is *never* the wrong time to do the right thing :)

[MamaMolly]

Ewwww, so sorry you are having to deal with this. I am phobic and dread it ever happening to DD. I know our time will come though, such is life!

Anyway, when I taught school we used to loan the kids a battery operated louse zapping comb. Do they still make those? I think that would help with your hair.
HTH,
Molly

[kijip]

Just in case anyone ever searches for lice treatment on the boards:

The Fairy Tales brand Lice mousse worked very, very well and we are holding them at bay further with Cetaphil. Toby is nit and lice free after 2 head checks and we will keep checking him. We are also using the Fairy Tales rosemary repel shampoo on him and that if nothing else smells very nice. :P

My mother credits the Cetaphil with being the only thing that let her keep her waist length red hair. I also am happy with the results from the Cetaphil and did not have to cut my hair. The Lice Meister comb is amazing and combing is the most effective attack against them.

Everyone in my family ended up with it except for the 3 month old niece (whew!) so all the men in my life are bald or buzzed on top right now---my brother and his husband just decided to shave their heads, as did my dad and my husband.

Luckily none of Toby's friends or our friends got them from socializing over the last couple of weeks. We notified Toby's school (he started today) that we were very recently treated/still monitoring for lice. He was able to start today no problem. We did not find anything in his hair this morning (we have been combing out every day).

Just in case anyone was wondering if I called my 5 year old niece's school:

Yes, I called the social worker today. She was REALLY happy I called her and is having the school check the class. The school will help them get stuff for treatment and kids are precluded from school unless lice free so hopefully that will motivate my brother and SIL to take care of the issue once and for all and my niece won't have a chronically itchy head. So I think some good will come of that. My mother confirmed that since they last treated her with a single shampoo before they came up here, they have not treated her again and not combed her hair and they sent her to school today after learning Friday that she was obviously still affected. Toby had a TON of them (longer you have them, the more you get) so she must be ready to scratch her skin right off her skull. :(


****Rocking out while parenting my smart little munchkin Toby. Just trying to do good in the world, a little at a time. Words to live by: it is *never* the wrong time to do the right thing :)

[Wife_and_mommy]

Poor kiddo. :( And lol about your guys. You should take a pic.

Glad things are going as smoothly as possible.


I love them most when they are sleeping.--Me
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[hobokenmom]

Just wanted to let you know that I've BTDT, and I know how much LICE sucks.

I also like the Fairytales Hair Products as well.

My daughter has had them four times in the past year (though I think the first three times were reinfestations). The only way we got rid of them was to comb her hair out for 30 days straight with the big metal nitcomb (the terminator, I believe). She has long curly thick hair, and believe me it almost made me crazy.

Then she got them again this summer, and I thought I was going to die.

Now that school has started she goes to school with her hair up in a ponytail, having been washed with Rosemary Repel shampoo. Then I put the leave-in conditioner in, and then I spray it with the rosemary repel hairspray. She smells great!!!

Hope you never have to deal with lice again!!!

[kijip]

>Hope you never have to deal with lice again!!!

Back at you! I shudder to think of doing this four times over in the next year so you have my great admiration...I think I would have gone looney toons by now, LOL.

We are also using the Repel Shampoo in the hopes if it comes up at Toby's school down the line, we will be less likely to be affected. I am fixing to order the gigantic pump bottle of it, the salon sized version. :P

****Rocking out while parenting my smart little munchkin Toby. Just trying to do good in the world, a little at a time. Words to live by: it is *never* the wrong time to do the right thing :)

[hobokenmom]

Believe me, I was/am a bit looney toons over it, especially since this last time I was trying to potty train my little one at the same time!!!

I think my daughter is a magnet for lice, but I've told everyone I know that she's coming to school everyday with a "force field" around her head!!!!!

I think it becomes such a problem because parents believe that the nurse did a good job checking in school, and unfortunately that's just not possible with time constraints. It really takes about a half hour to look in a girl with thick long hair!!! Parents just toss out that letter that comes home and say, "not my kid".

[gatorsmom]

When you have an infestation like that, what do you have to do to the rest of the house? I've heard that you have to have the draperies dry cleaned, the carpet shampooed and the toys tied up for 2 weeks in garbage bags or the eggs could hatch and reinfect everyone again. Is there an order or protoccol for ridding a house of them?

and OH MY GOSH, if my kid came home with a letter about lice, you can bet I'd be checking his hair every day and buying all the products in advance. I can't believe some people just don't care....I'm so sorry you guys (and the pps) have to go through this.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[kijip]

>When you have an infestation like that, what do you have to
>do to the rest of the house? I've heard that you have to have
>the draperies dry cleaned, the carpet shampooed and the toys
>tied up for 2 weeks in garbage bags or the eggs could hatch
>and reinfect everyone again. Is there an order or protocol
>for ridding a house of them?

The main thing is the head. They can't live off of their host for more than 24-48 hours. So change the sheets and anything that comes into close contact with heads but focus on combing. We took Toby's stuffed critters away and were going to keep them away for 2 weeks in plastic but the Pharmacist where J works assured him that taking them and putting them in the dryer for 30 minutes after separating them from Toby for a few days was sufficient.

For things like draperies it seems excessive because after all your head is not in your curtains a lot and it is easy enough (if you thought lice might be on them) to stay away from them with your head for 3 days.

As a final note, I was checking Toby's head to puzzle over the scratching he was doing for over a week before I saw a single thing. Check with a comb if you have a warning from school that it is going around. Parents of kids who go to school and camp etc may want to have a metal lice comb on hand so you don't have to run out for it. Ours were $10 each and we will be keeping them forever now. :P

[hobokenmom]

We dealt with the lice problem in the winter, and yes we washed all the winter hats almost daily, and I changed the pillow case on my daughter's bed daily. I really did not go crazy washing or bagging everything in the house.

What's interesting is that in my case, NO ONE else in our house ever got lice -- just my daughter who has the thickest hair. I think her head really makes a nice home for them.

It's really horrible when you're going through it, but as my very cynical pediatrician pointed out, it's not life threatening. When I called him basically crying over it, he told me he had three patients in the hospital with meningitis and that I should put it all into perspective.

I'm still itchy even thinking about lice though!!! Yuck!!