Great news! My son got sent home with head lice!

[Pale Blue Dot]

I feel like I'm dying of a thousand paper cuts. I used the Rid treatment on both of us. At least it got me out of work for the rest of the day, but I really can't afford to miss right now.

The worse part is that I don't really think he even had them. I think the nurse at school misdiagnosed his dandruff.

Ah well. Anyone else had to deal with lice?

[Robb]

1. LOL!

Sorry, I'm not laughing at the situation... but the subject line made me chuckle. :)

I've never had to deal with it, but if TV and movies are all correct (and really, when are they not?), your best bet is to go with the Carville hairstyle!

[Momgonepostal]

5. One of mine had them

It was just after school got out and the sylist at the hair salon caught them. It was mortifying. Besides the embassassment, it was a huge PITA using that nit comb on long hair. If she'd been a boy I would have given her a major buzz cut for sure.

It is kind of tough to tell the difference between dandruff and nits, but the dandruff will flake away easily while the nits are very very sticky and are a bitch to loosen.

If it makes you feel better, it sounds like a lot of people have gone through this. :-/

[bif]

2. Both my daughters had them

When they were younger. A real pain. I think my wife used mayo to get rid of them once.

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

3. Will Miracle Whip work or

does it have to be Hellman's?

[bif]

4. Hellmans

Actually I don't hink it matters. I think it's basically to suffocate them.

[Bunny]

6. That's one of my biggest nightmares!

Not because of the lice, and the RID shampoo, but because you then have to basically sanitize your entire house, including furniture, you have to throw out bed pillows, get new ones, sterilize your bedding, etc. For a lazy-ass like me, THAT is a nightmare!!! Good luck!

[SoCalDem]

7. If you have health insurance, take him to the doctor

the prescription shampoo is better and he can shine the light thingie on his hair and tell you if he really has them.. My son's hair was kind of multicolored blond.brown and was so shiny, that the teacher said she "saw them: but the doctor said nope.. So with a note in hand, he got out of being "banished"

I think the shampoo is Quell??

The neighbor kid DID have them..

Ahhhh spring :(

[pdx_prog]

8. Unfortunately..

Both of my kids have had them twice! There are some really good "natural" remedies on th market. One, that smells very strong of anise works remarkably well. Lice cannot live without a host.....all the crap about sanatizing your house and all is hype, and the drug companies play on it to sell sprays and all. They cannot live over 24hrs without a host. Bed clothes, chairs, etc... are safe after 24 hrs. You cannot wash their hair and be done with it. You have to wash it, then pick nits every night for 7 days, then wash it again, pick nits for seven days, wash it......repeat this cycle until they are gone.

I never got them either time from my kids. They had them separately at different times, and didn't catch them from each other when they had them.

[cally]

9. Had it twice.....ugh

The cleaning and vacuuming was the worst. I assume you've already used the shampoo, but if not you should wash his hair with prell shampoo and then use the rid. You can put pillows and stuffed animals in plastic bags for I think 10 days instead of washing them. I took everything to a laundromat which was actually easier. I used 5 machines all at once and washed everything. Also, the comb they give you in the rid box is ineffective. Buy a flea comb from the pet store, it works much better. If it's sunny where you live, go outside. You'll see the nits better. If not, then turn on a movie, shine a bright light, and expect to spend a few hours on nit removal. My kids have long, thick, curly hair. Not fun. :shudder:

Here's a :hug: By the end of today you're going to need many.