We had lice!

@mamasan34 (6518)
United States
September 17, 2007 7:40am CST
This weekend was a real treat for me! My daughter and I contracted lice through a former friend of my daughter. This girl had come over and spent the night, then they went to my friends house and spent the night at a birthday party, so guess what! She and two of her three children have it too! So, we all had to do lice treatments on ourselves! Oh, it was so much fun. My daughters hair is so thick that it took 6 hours to do her hair alone! Not to mention I am still pulling eggs out of her hair every day. It is maddening! Drying our bedding, doing and re-doing laundry, checking and re-checking hair! OMG, I am going to go insane!
7 people like this
16 responses
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
17 Sep 07
i agree that lice are a pain. but it is a comfort to kknow that they like CLEAN hair, not dirty... my daughter has had it a few times but once they get older, they dont seem to get it as much.
3 people like this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I hope that is true for my daughter too! I hate going through this mess hahaha! Thanks for the comment!
1 person likes this
@kitty1234 (1476)
• United States
17 Sep 07
As a teacher I see head lice a lot more than I would ever want to! I did catch them once and I freaked out, took me hours to get them out of my head. Kept getting that little comb tangled in my long hair, now I wear my hair in a braid! So far I have caught colds, head lice and chicken pox from my sharing little loves, lol!
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Well, we always tell our kids to share! They took it to the extreme hahaha! I got it to. It is awful. My hair is long and I have a perm in it, so that surely does not help matters! I know what you mean about tangling combs in the hair! I don't blame you for braiding your hair hahaha! Thanks for the comment.
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 Sep 07
gawd I am so glad I am done with head lice. When our kids were little they came home from public scholl at least once a year with the note and suggestions. I hated that damn medical shampoo especially that tiny little comb. I feel for you this can drive a sane person over the edge kind of. Have fun and mostly good luck. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I know about getting letters once a year. I check my daughters head frequently because I am just fed up with dealing with it, so I checked Friday and lo and behold there they were! Not to mention my head was itching too. Which means, I had it! I did the treatment on us both, the little comb that is the bane of my existence at this time and going to retreat again next week. Ick! Thanks for posting Grandpa Bob and it's good to see you out and about on mylot!
@kareng (53375)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Yep, just be glad you only have one kid to treat! When my girls were in school there was one family that always had lice and these kids rode the same school bus as mine. They got em along with just about everyone in school. So nasty! And getting them out of hair is disgusting and usually takes more than one treatment because of the eggs hatching. Good luck hon, I know this isn't fun!
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I have the highest respect for people with more than one child hahaha! I really do, I mean it took me 6 hours to get her hair done the first time, I could just imagine having to treat another kid with thick hair! No thanks hahaha! Thanks for the good luck wishes, I am sure going to need it. Thanks for the comment!
1 person likes this
@mouse27 (1155)
• Canada
17 Sep 07
my mom told me about tea tree oil she uses it on my 8 yr old daughter it works really well better than the chemicals and its safe to use on little kids you can also put a couple drops in a bottle of shampoo to prevent the lice
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I will definitely have to check that out. I am all about prevention! I don't want this to keep happening! It's horrible! Thanks for the tip!
• United States
17 Sep 07
You've got a lot of patience. I don't have kids, yet but I know if it was my own hair - I'd just shave my head and start over. lol I remember having to be checked each year before we went to Sunbeam camp for a week, there was always at least 2 or 3 girls with it. I never got lice going to school or from friends spending the night, so my mom got lucky with us.
2 people like this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
You were very fortunate to have never had to deal with that as a kid. I don't know if I have a lot of patience, but I sure do have perseverence! I will not stop until these bugs are gone hahaha! Thanks for the comment!
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
19 Sep 07
Oh dear I had to go through that once and I know it is no fun at all I do hope that you have got rid of them by now
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
20 Sep 07
Yeah, me too! I hope they are gone too. I don't know how much more of this I could take hahaha! Thanks for commenting.
@re08dz (1941)
• Australia
18 Sep 07
Ahh yes gotta love that certain time of year when the lice come out to play. Having been there and done that with my kids I know just what you're going through - here's a few things you might want to keep in mind though: You don't actually need to do all the laundry/car seats etc as headlice can only live on/in hair. If you slather your daughters hair in conditioner (and leave it for a little while) you can easily comb the lice and eggs out (okay not easily if it's thick hair but it is easier than trying to comb after using some of that chemical stuff) Shampoo with tea tree oil in it is a good helpful preventative - Our school (which does regular checks throughout the whole school) conducted a study at one stage involving a few of the middle school classes - things like hair-gel and hairspray are also good preventative measures - and of course that whole checking and re-checking thing :-) Unfortunately some kids are just more prone to getting them than others and you just have to basically wait until they grow out of it.
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
18 Sep 07
My daughter seems to be so prone to getting it every year! I am definitely going to try the tea tree oil, I have heard so much about it. thanks for the comment and the tip on the tea tree oil!
@raijin (10345)
• Philippines
17 Sep 07
Well I think it's summer there in your place, as these are the times where lice and ticks are active. My cousins used to have them when we were kids, so we mostly avoid being near to them for fear of getting them lice into our hairs!;) I believe there are special combs that can be bought to rid them off, just don't know what they call it in your place. lice can really be annoying, disgusting and can drive you insane too!LoL
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Yes, we have all kinds of stuff to get rid of lice. I bought a bunch of stuff and we are continuously combing and checking and drying our bedding and all that stuff. I am hoping we are done with this! Thanks for the comment.
1 person likes this
• Canada
17 Sep 07
Awww mamasan! I feel so bad for you! My sister had the same thing happen with my niece... sleepovers... ugh. I mean, we want the kids to have fun but it's such a hassle when it comes to head lice!! My niece got it twice and they think that, both times, it was from the same friend. Apparently, her mother doesn't "bother" to treat her head properly. She does the first treatment but then doesn't do the follow-up treatment that is needed so, naturally, it's a never-ending cycle. My niece isn't allowed to sleep at their house any more. I'm just as glad because that same family asked my older daughter to babysit there recently and she did. She came home covered in flea bites!! Not only do they have a head lice problem but their house is infested with fleas from the cat. She says she'll never go to their house again. I was so mad because my daughter's legs, lower back and arms all had flea bites. They knew the cat had fleas but didn't tell her until later. We don't even have pets in our home so we didn't know she was sensitive to the bites -- they all swelled up and everything! *sigh* What's a parent to do other than shake our heads and keep at it, huh? Oh and by the way... you might want to treat the seats/headrests in your car too, if they are fabric. If a child has head lice and travels in the car, it's kind of the same as treating bedding and stuffed animals and such. Just something my sister told me :) I wish you the best... hang on to that sanity! LOL ;)
2 people like this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I know exactly what you mean in regards to some families not treating the lice properly. This lady also has fleas from her pets and the lice as well. I told my daughter she is absolutely forbidden to have her over here in our house, or to go over there. She said that is fine because they aren't really all that good of friends. It is such a hassle to have to deal with this every year, worry about friends having lice or so on. I called her school to have my daughters head checkd by the nurse, I know my daughter will be very upset with me when she gets home, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I am so not looking forward to this coming weekend for the re-treat extravaganza! LOL. Thanks for the comment and the tip on cleaning out the car!
1 person likes this
@lightningMD (5931)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Lice can be really hard to get rid of. you need to treat all the stuffed animals and upholstered furniture and your car seats. If you miss one little thing the whole cycle will start over again. I used to have a daycare,I had one family I had to terminate because they were constantly bringing it into the daycare. They wouldnt do all the follow up treatments and the daily egg combing. So of course they kept returning.
2 people like this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I am very methodical about doing the re-treating and taking care of the car and the sheets and bedding. I can't stand to think that there are bugs in my house or my hair! Thanks for the comment.
1 person likes this
17 Sep 07
Auch! This is like really nastry. I know I had the same problem once when I came back from summer camp. My mom cut my hair really short and put tones of petrol in it. It stinked 10 miles away but it really helped. Plus, my hair became thicker and shiner ;)) I wish you tones of good luck. And you should talk to that girl;s parents before she spreads them anywhere else. All the best. Liana
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I would if I thought it would do any good. Her mother is a heavy drinker and she is not much on caring for her children. I am going to call the school and find out if they can do lice checks on the students that way she doesn't feel picked on.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Sep 07
Ugh, sorry to hear you had to go through that! I work at a walmart and you wouldnt believe how many people are coming in saying their kids have lice. Its horrible. We cant keep the shampoo on the shelf we are selling so much. Did you know they have stuff to take the eggs out? I dont know how well it works but i know they have it.
2 people like this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
I got the lice kit with the nit gel stuff to help remove the eggs easier. I know that when I went to wal-mart to get the lice stuff there wasnt much left to choose from! It always happens the first few weeks of school, it is terrible! Thanks for the comment!
1 person likes this
@laurika (4532)
• United States
17 Sep 07
OH , it remnd me the time , when I was a child and has lice.Mum wash my hair with some stinky shampoo and it always hurts my eyes.Plus it was so embaressed, becayse everybody from school know on the second day. I can imagine what all work you have to do to make them gone.Hope you will be soon succesfull.
2 people like this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Thanks! I know, I had lice as a child and it was embarressing and the shampoo did not feel good and it burned my eyes too. Now, they don't have so many chemicals and different shampoos but still it is not pleasant! Well, thanks for the comment!
1 person likes this
@meljessxena (2315)
• Australia
18 Sep 07
i know what you mean, we had an infest a few months back it took so long to get the cycles.
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
18 Sep 07
Yeah it sure does take a while to get rid of those nits and eggs! They are incredible pests! Thanks for commenting.
@cwilson26 (2735)
• United States
17 Sep 07
Oh I hate lice. I had it real bad in Kindergarten and then again in high school. Even after my mom helped me treat my hair I still had eggs that we were both pulling out. It is so disgusting! You ever hear the saying that lice go for the cleanest hair? So I guess you guys have really clean hair,lol. :)
1 person likes this
@mamasan34 (6518)
• United States
17 Sep 07
My daughter must have the cleanest hair in the land. She gets this almost every year! As soon as school starts it happens! It is disghusting and very frustrating. Thanks for the comment!