I almost went crazy this week. Let me tell you about it.
I started scratching my head on Wednesday some time. Not a big deal, and I didn't think much of it until Miciah and Dea came up to me right before bed and reported that the backs of their heads were itchy. "Weird," I said. "Mine itches right there, too." Usually we half-ignore our kids' complaints (especially Miciah's, cause she can exaggerate REALLY well), but since I had the same symptoms ...
We checked their heads, and mine, for lice. No lice. But they did have spots on the backs of their necks, right under their hair. Maybe it's a rash?
Yesterday I woke up with my head still itching. "Don't scratch it," my aunt told me, as she pulled my hand away from behind my ear. "But it itches!!" I protested. Just like my kids, right?
On the way to Elijah's soccer practice last night I pulled what looked like an egg out of my hair. It came out under my fingernail after I scratched the top of my head. "It's just dandruff," Rob said. Then I pulled out 5 or 6 more of the exact same shape of "dandruff" from my head. At this point Rob was looking at me like I was crazy, and with how much I was scratching my head, and how much it itched, I was FEELING crazy.
Finally, halfway through the practice I was supposed to be assisting, I sat down next to Rob and said, "Check my hair again. Because either I'm crazy, or something is biting my head." It took him just over a minute to pull out a live louse. Gross, you're thinking; but I was grateful! I wasn't crazy (for that reason)!
We bought the lice killing shampoo and re-checked Miciah and Dea. Their heads were covered not only with nits, but I actually saw some live lice scurrying away when I pulled through Dea's hair. I pulled a live louse out of Elijah's hair, too.
So this morning we treated everyone's head. Rob and the boys were easy, since their hair is so short. And we pulled out no more nits or live lice from their hair. From me and my mother we got out 1 louse and several nits apiece. The girls were a different story. We spent about 45 minutes pulling out dead or nearly-dead lice and countless nits from their hair. All-in-all, we spent the better part of 4 hours shampooing and combing hair.
Not to mention boiling combs, laundering bedsheets and pajamas, and vacuuming couches.
The good part to this story is that I learned we don't have to quaranteen ourselves. We just have to keep checking for (and keeping in check) the lice. Re-treat in 7 days. And announce to everyone who may have been in contact with us lately: if your kid says the back of his head itches, he may not be crazy, he may have lice!
You're welcome.
4 comments:
This post brings back so many memories! I had lice when I was in 3rd grade & it was horrible!!! I remember my mom washing all my stuffed animals, shampooing the carpets and Sherry & I sitting in the bathroom with a fine tooth comb and scissors going through our hair. Ugh!
Recently one of my Y.W. had lice and her mom treated it with tea tree oil and it worked just fine. She said she still puts some tea tree oil in her shampoo bottle whenever she opens a new one just as a prevention.
I see what you've done there with the title. Very clever.
I'll be sure to check for lice the next time my kids head is itching. ewwwwwwww.
Becky: Tea tree oil was actually one of the ingredients in the shampoo we used.
Collin: Thanks for noticing the title. I did it on purpose.
Finally TODAY my head feels better. No more itching.
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