2.28.2006
MIA
You've been wondering what happened to me, haven't you? I haven't blogged since last Friday night for ONE SIMPLE REASON. Michelle's world has been turned upside down by one of the tiniest of God's creatures: head lice. Yup, you read that right. Head lice. (I really want to call them Satan's creatures because I have learned to detest them with a deep and powerful hatred.)
During my junior year in high school, I read The Hiding Place (biography of WWII concentration camp prisoner, Corrie Ten Boom.) I remember from my reading that Corrie's sister, Betsy, thanked God for the lice because the soldiers who would routinely come by to rape the women prisoners, would skip the barracks with lice. I'm confident that God allows everything for a reason-- but don't ask me what that reason is today. And please don't ask my kids if I've been as calm and sedate as Mr. Rogers this week.
My weekend started out very nicely. Cole and I had a long week and decided to sleep in on Friday and then start a little wallpapering project in the hall bathroom. We got the papering half done and then showered and fixed up for our Sunday School party that I mentioned in my last post. The next morning, we were up bright and early for Ty' and Ava's basketball games. While fixing Ava's pigtails for basketball, I saw something move in her hair. What in the world? I looked closer and felt my stomach drop. Were those lice? I had never actually seen one before. I totally freaked. I knew my hairdresser would be at the basketball game because her little boy is on our team; so as soon as I got to the gym, I lassoed her into the bathroom and had her inspect Ava's little head. Headlice? Affirmative.
I wanted to write a funny, lighthearted blog about this, but the truth is, I'm too worn out to laugh. I've done about 40 loads of laundry since Saturday, and I'm not done. I've combed and "nit-picked" Emma's hair for an approximate 12 hours and Ava's hair has been combed through for about 6. The 2 older girls are the only ones who have it, but we have to treat the entire household as if we ALL have it. Anything that cannot be washed and dried has to be bagged up and left in the garage for 3 weeks. My garage looks like this. Every drawer and piece of furniture in our home has been sterilized. I have literally worked from 6:30 am to midnight for the past 3.5 days.
This ordeal isn't over until after I re-treat their heads on the 7th day from the original treatment and see no new "nits". If new nits are discovered, we keep at it for another week or two. The saying "I went through it with a fine tooth comb" has new significance for me now.
So, if you've been wondering why I've been "Missing in Action", now you know . . . the rest of the story.
9 Comments:
NOOOOOO! I'm so so so sorry to hear this. Drat drat drat! Sending cyber hugs to the Rays (those are the safe kind, you know - the kind where we don't end up with lice too). Can you just imagine if that comes to the seminary campus? Uggggggg. I don't even want to think about it. Hand, foot, and mouth disease went around here two weeks ago. Stuff like that only makes an introvert *that* much more introverted...
OH MY GOSH! My head has itched since I read this post this morning. I am feeling for you. Haven't been through it but I know several who have and they all say it is exhausting. I guess if there is a positive in all of it, you are getting your spring cleaning done a little early. Will say a little prayer that you will soon be done .....
Oh, you poor girl!! I have been head scratching while reading your blog. I can't imagine trying to get that all out and having to treat it for so looonngg! You poor thing. I will be praying that no one else gets it and that you don't find any new nets?!
I hate that for you! I'll be praying some strength your way. Poor thing.
AAAAAHHHHHH!!! You poor thing.
Thank-you all so much for the encouraging comments. I did ten more loads of laundry today at the laundrymat and now it seems as if it's just a matter of maintaining. Please pray for me and thanks in advance!!!!
I don't know you but I was just browsing through some blogs and came across yours. It has been very entertaining. I must say I can relate well to your ordeal, as I have just been through it myself. I am in early childhood education and in the last month of my practicum before heading out into my career, and of course I get those nasty little things. Yuck. Anyways, from an experienced licee, good luck!
My sympathies, but you are making this a much bigger problem than it really is.
There really is no need to launder everything sterilize the house and keep what can't be wash in quarantine for three weeks.
And combing hairs for 12 and 6 hours within 3.5 days really is excessive.
If you don't want to use a shampoo to kill the lice, the only thing you need to do is
twice a week wash their hair. After that use a product so that the comb will go through the hair smoothly. Use a special comb to go thoroughly through the hair twice. Depending on how serious the infestation was you will get rid of the lice within one to two weeks. Be carefull to not get them back in.
Yes we had them, three time when my children were in primary school. We usually got rid of them in about 10 days. We first used a shampoo to get rid of them, but that was quite irritating on the skin. So the last time we just used what is know around here as the "wet comb method". It is the method that is advised by the shool here. The only thing we did beside was change the bed sheets more regularly. The treatement didn't take longer as before and was far less irritating and frustrating.
If the treatment doesn't seem to work chances are much greater you got reïnfested again from someone else that is infested than that you picked them up again from your bed or clothing.
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