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Freaky kid medical question of ummm????

Nervous_brideNervous_bride
in 2nd Trimester

So my daughter's friends both have head lice. I have never had it before I have no idea what I am looking for or what to do. I know being pregnant I am not supposed to use the treating stuff (spray and shampoo???) I am so lost. I have no clue how to check for it or deal with it at all? Does anyone have any experience with this. Is it easy to catch and if she has it what am I looking for and how do I treat it? I heard from my her friends' mom that they are throwing away the stuffed animals is this necessary?  (My little boy is going to be crushed if it is) We saw both of these friends at church on Sunday?

 Any help is appreciated! I am so lost.

Thanks

*Shay*
 

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Re: Freaky kid medical question of ummm????

  • KB0426KB0426

    They look like tiny (very tiny) little greyish brown bugs.  She will be itching her head and yes they are very contagious.  Google it

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  • KB0426KB0426
    https://www.headlice.org/
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  • benoitfanbenoitfan member
    google head lice.  There are pics.  It is highly contagious, but you have to have close contact for the lice to jump from one person to another, or share brush/comb, hat, pillow, etc with an infected person.  As for treatment, there is info on google about that too.  If your child has it you will have to treat them, possibly more than once and will have to wash bedding, etc.  You should check with a doc or pharmacist to see if it is OK for you to be the person who administers the treatment, or if you will have to find someone else to do it for you. It's a nasty thing to deal with.  Good luck.
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  • karin&benkarin&ben

    I have had to deal with it, my girls brought it home from an outbreak they had at their school a couple of years ago. Not fun!

    The link the PP provided is good. Check it out. You need to do head checks for a week or so. The best place to start is at the base of the head and behind the ears, you may see redness here if she/you have them.  You will see little tiny bugs running around. Also, near the base of the shaft, tiny little "eggs" or "nits". They will be stuck to the hair shaft, so that you will have to slide it down the piece of hair to remove it.

    They sell a great comb called the LiceMeister for removal without the toxic shampoos. They recommend combing as the best method, and even with the use of the shampoos anyway. I did not use the shampoos, because I didn't want to use them on my daughters. A good way to catch the bugs is to put your child in the tub, wet her hair and apply conditioner. This will temporarily slow them down, and you can comb them out, wiping the comb each time and rinsing it in water before doing another section. You have to be tedious about it. I  did the combing twice a day at the minimum. 

    Thoroughly vacuum the bedroom and mattress, wash all the laundry you may have in there. I changed/washed my girls sheets/bedding daily until I was certain they were gone. The pillows can be run through a high heat dryer cycle, as well as stuffed animals, but you can also bag these toys up securely and leave them that way for 30 days I believe it was. We did that, and it was fine. Vacuum until they are gone, and dump it right away.

     If your child is in school, they cannot return until they are "nit free" and I think if you use the shampoo they can return right away. Not sure about that one.

    They are very easy to get, so keep your daughters hair in a ponytail, and make sure she isn't hanging her coats/sweaters next to other kids etc. I was freaked out when I saw it, and even more pissed when I found out the school had a "couple of cases" and hadn't notified anyone. I had never dealt with them either. Have fun, it really sucks so I hope you guys don't have them. I also read online that they prefer "clean hair" as it is easier for them to glue their eggs down to the shaft, so since then, whenever we see a notice, I have my daughters lighten up on the hair washing and wear a pony tail and they have yet to get it again.

    HTH

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  • Stephany FritzStephany Fritz

    I grew up in Florida (more popular in warmer climates) and my neighbor had it all the time so I was never allowed over there. I got it once and we had to throw lots out on top of soray everything down and wash everything multiple times to be safe.

    Your Dr. can give you prescription shampoo and I pray you don't have long hair because I did and by the time you take the comb through to get all the eggs out your hair will be fried! We had to cut mine up to my ears afterwards (fortunatley I was only 6 or 7 so not to damaging to my ego).

    I wish you luck! But don't get the cheap stuff!

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  • karin&benkarin&ben
    imagestephany1:

    I grew up in Florida (more popular in warmer climates) and my neighbor had it all the time so I was never allowed over there. I got it once and we had to throw lots out on top of soray everything down and wash everything multiple times to be safe.

    Your Dr. can give you prescription shampoo and I pray you don't have long hair because I did and by the time you take the comb through to get all the eggs out your hair will be fried! We had to cut mine up to my ears afterwards (fortunatley I was only 6 or 7 so not to damaging to my ego).

    I wish you luck! But don't get the cheap stuff!

     

    Wanting to add that if you do it with the conditioner, the hair should be fine.. One of my daughters has very thick hair and it was past her butt and it was not damaged afterward. But it is a very tight comb, so if you are using it without conditioner, I can totally see how it would ruin the hair. I think it would also hurt like heck dragging one of those through wet/dry hair.

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