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Deb Clem-Buckert
on Sep 1 2010 - 12:00 PM
Silly Bands, Purple Bracelets, Leukemia and Lots of Inspiration!
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Margo Posnanski
on Aug 31 2010 - 06:00 AM
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on Aug 30 2010 - 06:00 AM
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Kady McMaster
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Yes, people, that’s right. The Beems have the cooties.
Otherwise, you’d be reading a really well-reasoned treatise on community gardens.
But no. In the midst of my last-minute blog writing, we got the news that one of our kids who shall remain nameless but who has longer hair than the other two was infested with cooties.
What? “Cooties” isn’t PC these days? I just call ‘em like I see ‘em.
Or in this case, didn’t see ‘em. Because I seriously could not see anything except blonde hairs, even with the high beam of a flashlight shining.
But let me start at the beginning.
I was driving another kid home from getting his seasonal flu shot when the hubby called. He had taken one kid to get a haircut. So when I answered the phone, I thought he was telling me they were on their way home. But his voice was kind of shaky.
“They’re telling me they found nits,” he said.
“Come again?” I said.
“Nits,” he said. “Lice. You know, the eggs of lice.”
“So what are you doing right now?” I asked.
“Well, they’re still cutting her hair,” he said. “Here.”I heard a phone hand-off, and soon a female voice came on, telling me how to get rid of lice. I’d have to bag up every stuffed animal in the house, vacuum everything I couldn’t fit into the washer and basically buy everyone a new wardrobe.
For the tiniest second, I considered burning down the house.
So I did what anyone in my situation would do. I called my mommy.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said soothingly into the phone. “I always lived in fear of this myself, but you kids never did get head lice. Boy, was I relieved.”
And thank you, Mom, for making me feel so much better. There’s nothing like being reminded that you’re usually the first in the family to do momentous things, like have your children barely a year apart or stab your hand with a rake on Thanksgiving Day.
She did bring up a good point, though, which was that before I started slashing and burning through the house, maybe I should get a second opinion.
So when Hubby and Nitgirl got home, I sent them packing to the pediatrician’s walk-in clinic. And then I started praying.
“Please Jesus, please Jesus, let it just be dandruff,” I intoned as I scratched my suddenly itchy head.
I’m not saying Jesus wasn’t listening, but the doctor confirmed the nits.
You probably know how this story ends: with a lot of Nix shampoo and nonstop washing, right?
Well, Hubby took Nitgirl upstairs and spent nearly two hours washing out the nits with harsh chemicals and methodically pulling a nit comb through her hair. For once, he was around to enjoy the crisis du jour. Last December, he’d missed Night of the Living Vomit, so this cootie duty was his penance, I guess. Weirdly enough, he seemed to enjoy it.
I, meanwhile, bagged up everything she’d touched in the last two years, pulled everything off her bed, did five loads of laundry on “hot,” vacuumed every upholstered surface and sprayed everything with Permethrin. We’re probably all going to get cancer now, but we sure as heck won’t have nits.
So. What’s next? Swine flu, you say?
Bring it, baby.
A few years ago all of my children had the head lice..it was so horrifying. It was winter time, which is when they are at their worst. I think the horror was having to go through my daughter's long, really thick hair over and over. She hated every minute of it. The great thing was I bagged up all stuffed animals and put them in the basement and the kids forgot about them for the most part.They are easiest to find and pick out in sunlight. Get some scotch tape and a piece of paper. Sit outside and go through her hair in the sun, tape each nit to the paper. That way you are sure of where all the little buggers are when you are done going through her hair. Do this every day for TWO weeks. It takes that long for them to hatch and then reinfest......in case you missed any. I would also go through the other kids' hair every other day in the sunlight just to make sure no one else has it.One of my sisters had her children when she was very young, and when they came home with a note from school saying they would not be readmitted until they were nit-free, she bought the shampoo and did everything you described. Nits went away. Not too long after, another note came home from school. Lather with Nix, rinse, repeat. The third or so time a letter came home from school, she was in tears, partly because the problem seemed to be repeatedly exposed at school, and partly because she simply couldn't afford any more expensive medicated shampoo on her budget. So she did something some might find shocking (notice I'm not naming any names here), but it worked. In desperation, she purchased the much less expensive produce that was available for dogs and treated her girls with it. Goodbye nits. For good.Kate - all you need is mayonnaise and about an hour and a half. Put the mayo on (they make squirt bottles), put on a shower cap and PUT A TOWEL AROUND YOUR SHOULDERS because it will melt. Watch 1 to 3 of your favorite shows, then comb throughwith the nit comb. Dawn dishwashing detergent will get the mayo residue out.Not the dreaded LICE!!!! A friend told me this was a horrid experience for their family, but that they made it through and she was armed with knowledge for other moms. Great tips, moms! You gotta start a forum thread about this 2, I just know it's bound to happen to us 1 of these days....you have a pretty good attitude about it! Dd had it in 1st grade. Another girl she hung her jacket on the same hook with had it. I called it Lice Fest 2000. The nits seem to be resistant to the chemicals. I didn't want to continue to put pesticides on my childs head only to soak into her skin and potentially cause issues (they are cholenergics, you know) So, everynight she slept in mayo (full head doused in it) and every morning I would go through her hair in tiny bitty sections (i'm talking like 30 hairs per section) which would take us hours on end. However, doing this for 5 days straight got rid of them. We didn't bag up everything in our house. But, we did vacuum the hell out of the house, and wash jackets, sheets, pillow cases and anything her hair's could be on that she has close contact with. Those nits are so resistant to all that chemical, it's crazy! So, keep a watchful eye on her head for them to appear again. Fun huh!Here's a third vote for Mayonaisse. Like Riss, we spent hours going through each strand and then I covered their hair in mayo every other night for about 2 weeks. I've also read that it helps to braid their hair if they are in a situation where they may pick up lice (such as a sleepover--trust me, those will make you ultra paranoid now). Last year I read somewhere that the lice really are becoming super resistant to the treatments; I started making my kids stuff their winter coats in their backpacks instead of hanging them on the hook in the classroom.Also wanted to mention that mayo is cheap, but if you want something really good for her hair, you could go to sally beauty supply or a similar place and get some cholesterol. It's more expensive, but it's very good for the hair! She'll be nit free in a few days AND she'll have the softest hair in town!Oh, thank GOD I'm not the only one who has been through this nightmare! It's been a plague with us more than once, and oddly enough, only DD gets it. We actually had to shave her head when she was four years old. Valerie is right--the nits are hard to see except in direct sunlight. Also, I ordered some stuff on line from something with a name like Qbased.com or some such thing. Worked like a charm! Kind of pricey, but worth every single penny. The worst of it was washing everything and spraying the entire house with, as you point out, carcinogens. That and getting freaked out every time you had the slightest itch. Good luck!!!Ack! This is one of my Great Mom Fears! The thought of bagging up everything and all that wears me out just thinking about it.Has anyone heard about some sort of lighting treatment? I don't remember what kind - some sort of uv rays. It was supposed to be easy, quick, mess and chemical-free, and very effective. I did a quick search for it and can't find anything on it, though.No, but back then I did buy a comb that emitted a small electrical charge that supposedly was enough to kill the beasts. It didn't work. I think it was kind of like the idea of those electric fly swatters that electrocute the fly's. Those work, but the comb didn't.I just scratched the back of my head... seriously. I'm glad, in this case, that I have a boy...it's easy to just shave his head... but you can't do that with girls...ITA with riss. The mayo is cheap and works better. The nurse at DD's school said that the buggers are becoming more resistant to the Nix. I also used something called No More Nits. No chemicals and it comes with a spray that you put in their hair everyday to prevent the bugs from coming back! Works great. Another all natural treatment is organic conditioner with rosemary.I tried the mayo with DD. Didn't work. Rid didn't work. Nix didn't work. The only thing I found that actually worked was that Qbased stuff. I'll search and see if I can find the website and post it.This is why I love you Kate! Many(most?) moms would try to keep a case of cooties quiet but not you! Way to tell it like it is! Excellent job of turning a crummy situation/infestation into a hilarious blog!One other thing that our pediatrician suggest is here: http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com/method_explained.htm it uses Cetaphil which is a mild soap. Hope that you are able to get rid of those little buggers quickly!The school nurse told me to buy really cheap hair gel and coat everyone's head with it at night, sleep with shower caps on and then wash out in the morning. I'm going to try it.tfjonas mentioned about having boys and shaving heads. When DD was in kindergarten, she came home and said "So n so got their head shaved" Who I asked and it was a girl. That was so sad because for about a year she had a bald head. (she has since been removed from that family). I will knock on all sorts of wood that we haven't had it. I am scratching my entire body reading this. I have heard the mayo remedy also.My son's pediatrian told me a long time ago the best remedy for NOT getting lice is to use product in the hair. Gel, hairspray, mousse, whatever...lice do not like product. So I use the same products I use in my hair on my son's; including the pommade. So far, so good. He has been in daycare/public school his whole 6 years of life and we have avoided those pests so far. (Geesh, my head is itching talking about it!!)
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