Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 I am amazed that so many of you were having head checks in school in the 70s and 80s. I don't know where you lived, but I NEVER had my head checked until I was a grown up---mid 20s 1992 at least and slept with my niece and nephew and my SIL called me the next day to tell me they had lice! It has been one of my worst fears ever since my mom first started talking about it in the ps system in the mid 80s when she was a teacher....I told her yesterday, 'well, I now know I can live through anything...I've been divorced and caught head lice.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 and I had my mortgage payment deferred so that I could et new brushes, new pillows, new hair elastics, new matress covers etc. If I had not been able to do that I would not have been able to afford anything to battle them until tomorrow. That would have been a whole additional week with them. Again not an issue of allowing anyone to keep them just an issue of lack of funds. Why didn't you just wash that stuff? And the stuff you can't wash you can put in plastic bags for 2 weeks (some say 4) to kill any lice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Where I live CPS will get involved if you don't have running water. When we were investigated in past they checked that we had running water, that he had power, that we had natural gas (for the furnace). Wow, less than half the homes up here are heated with natural gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGin Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I understand what you are saying, but I want to say that I could have been labeled a bad parent because I could NOT get rid of the lice. My daughter missed almost 5 weeks of school after it was all added up because of lice. It was devastating. I did EVERYTHING. I did have an officer worker call me an inept mother because of it and I cried for days. I went to the pediatrician and begged for a prescription. He finally gave me one. When I got to the pharmacy the pharmacist told me that it was just over the counter RID by the drug name. I almost collapsed. It was horrible!! I finally found something online that got rid of it, but it was only after months and months of trying. I was ready to shave her head and burn the house down. After I pulled the kids out of school I found out that the school we were in had the worst reputation for head lice in the county. Here, I was getting truancy notices and being called a bad parent and the school was actually labelled a bad lice school!!!!! Oh, that is so sad that you experienced this despicable treatment on top of fighting a nasty battle against the lice. Ugh - I had a similar struggle when oldest was 2. She has the thickest, tightly curled hair, think de-lousing a sheep and you'll know what I was up against. We did every single thing we could and still I struggled for 2 years to get rid of the critters. We moved and when they showed up AGAIN I told the ped - "give me the biggest gun in your arsenal! Malathion had just been brought back into circulation for prescription and we treated with that. Never have seen another to this day!!! Lice are NOT indicative of cleanliness, in fact, they prefer squeaky clean hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 When I was a kid (early 80s) lice checks were routine. We all got called down to the nurse's office one at a time and were checked. We had at least annual checks too - in NY - 70s and early 80s. It might have been dependent upon the state. I don't recall any positives, but I'm not sure we would have been told. Still, one would think the grapevine would get around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Oh, that is so sad that you experienced this despicable treatment on top of fighting a nasty battle against the lice. Ugh - I had a similar struggle when oldest was 2. She has the thickest, tightly curled hair, think de-lousing a sheep and you'll know what I was up against. We did every single thing we could and still I struggled for 2 years to get rid of the critters. We moved and when they showed up AGAIN I told the ped - "give me the biggest gun in your arsenal! Malathion had just been brought back into circulation for prescription and we treated with that. Never have seen another to this day!!! Lice are NOT indicative of cleanliness, in fact, they prefer squeaky clean hair. Not true. But it does make clean people feel better when they get lice. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGin Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Ok, addressing the OP's intent for this thread, I honestly don't believe it is nearly as easy to lose ones' children as is it's popular to think. I have three kiddos who came out of the foster system, they have two sibs, also adopted into another family, and one brother whom California gave back to bm, even though the State of Oregon had, finally, after a long time, and a LOT of work by the case managers involved, deemed unfit to parent. So having been "inside" the process I have seen how hard caseworkers have to work to prove their case, how overwhelmed the system is and how few foster homes there are in relationship to kids that really do need a safe place. By and large CPS is not looking for petty reasons to remove kids, they have enough to do to prove that the obvious reasons they find get followed up on. I'm much more worried about how many abused and neglected children DON'T get help, then that some over zealous case manager makes a mistake. Does it happen, I'm sure, DHS is huge and very bureaucratic system and it's management varies widely, too much so, imho, from state to state. I'd better stop before I get really wound up. This is a subject very close to my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Ok, addressing the OP's intent for this thread, I honestly don't believe it is nearly as easy to lose ones' children as is it's popular to think. I have three kiddos who came out of the foster system, they have two sibs, also adopted into another family, and one brother whom California gave back to bm, even though the State of Oregon had, finally, after a long time, and a LOT of work by the case managers involved, deemed unfit to parent. So having been "inside" the process I have seen how hard caseworkers have to work to prove their case, how overwhelmed the system is and how few foster homes there are in relationship to kids that really do need a safe place. By and large CPS is not looking for petty reasons to remove kids, they have enough to do to prove that the obvious reasons they find get followed up on. I'm much more worried about how many abused and neglected children DON'T get help, then that some over zealous case manager makes a mistake. Does it happen, I'm sure, DHS is huge and very bureaucratic system and it's management varies widely, too much so, imho, from state to state. I'd better stop before I get really wound up. This is a subject very close to my heart. Yes I totally agree with you...that was my mom's experience as a teacher. She never had ONE single kid removed that she reported. And many of them were living in filth...usually WITH running water, but you gotta use it to stay clean! And besides the cleanliness issues many kids were neglected and abused and NOTHING was ever done. The system is broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wicked Stepmom Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Ok, addressing the OP's intent for this thread, I honestly don't believe it is nearly as easy to lose ones' children as is it's popular to think. I have three kiddos who came out of the foster system, they have two sibs, also adopted into another family, and one brother whom California gave back to bm, even though the State of Oregon had, finally, after a long time, and a LOT of work by the case managers involved, deemed unfit to parent. So having been "inside" the process I have seen how hard caseworkers have to work to prove their case, how overwhelmed the system is and how few foster homes there are in relationship to kids that really do need a safe place. By and large CPS is not looking for petty reasons to remove kids, they have enough to do to prove that the obvious reasons they find get followed up on. I'm much more worried about how many abused and neglected children DON'T get help, then that some over zealous case manager makes a mistake. Does it happen, I'm sure, DHS is huge and very bureaucratic system and it's management varies widely, too much so, imho, from state to state. I'd better stop before I get really wound up. This is a subject very close to my heart. Well I have been on both sides of the fence. The case managers can deem parents unfit, they still have to prove it in court. You wouldn't want a statement by the police that you must be the murderer to be all that's required to throw you in jail for life. The problem with CPS is they are not required to have a trial of the merits until 12 months after they get involved (plus they can get a six month extension). If the cases are dropped, there is a good chance that they never had any reason to remove the child in the first place. If there is a corresponding criminal complaint, involving foster care makes sense, but if there is no corresponding complaint, I would never assume any validity to CPS accusations. Imagine waiting a year in jail while the police continued to investigate and you are not allowed to present your case for a year. And if the police don't find enough evidence, they get a sixth month extension while you stay in jail. A police officer was my daughter's court appointed special advocate. He got to look at my daughter's file of evidence (which is not given to the lawyers) and stated they had no evidence. That is when my daughter's lawyer finally agreed to support her returning home (she hadn't bothered to go look at the evidence herself) and the case was dropped. There was no criminal complaint, it was a ploy by DH's ex to custody of SS. We felt like we had to make Sophie's choice and even though ten years have passed I still can not see praise of CPS without having nightmares that night. My daughter, who used to play with my hair while nursing, came home twisting her hair in knots, was terrified of getting into a car and woke up screaming mommy. I have no doubt that people who know my daughter and our family would be stunned that she was involved in this mess. She is a happy, intelligent girl with lots of friends and is my proudest achievement in life. And nothing CPS did helped her. I can't even get into how much damage this caused my SS. And I can't look at this thread again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Not true. But it does make clean people feel better when they get lice. ;) They actually prefer clean hair not dirty hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 They actually prefer clean hair not dirty hair. Not true. They don't care if it is clean or dirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Why didn't you just wash that stuff? And the stuff you can't wash you can put in plastic bags for 2 weeks (some say 4) to kill any lice. Because the lice was resistant to even the chemicals used to kill it the health department recommended I get rid of everything and start over especially since I am running a home daycare here, more need than the average family to irradicate them almost instantly. Webkinz toys got bagged up, puppets got washed, pillows I replace every few months anyway so these were headed for the trash but wouldn't have been for another 6 weeks if this had not happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Have you tried the robo comb? I loved that when dealing with my neices heads. It is only my list the next time I am ordering things online. It will become a new weaponin our arsenol of preventive measures as it only kills the live ones, it doesn't deal with the eggs, we can at least safely use it weekly just as part of our head check routine. In the fall and winter but kdis get weekly head checks, tea tree oil etc. Spring and summer I bump it down to once a month and stop the tea tree. Never again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I am pretty sure kids were checked for lice in my school in the 80s too. It wasn't a big deal. My family had one incident after a slumber party that my sis had been to. We got a call that one of the girls there had it. My mom treated my sis, even though I don't think there was any evidence she had it and all was well. My sis as an adult had kids get it from daycare and it was constantly reoccuring. I remember helping her wash everything and eventually she cut her child's long hair to help her stop getting it. It is hard to get rid of, whether it was from the daycare or from the home. But neither place was 'dirty'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Not true. But it does make clean people feel better when they get lice. ;) That's completely contrary to everything I've ever read about lice (stuff handed out by the health board, etc). Link? It is only my list the next time I am ordering things online. It will become a new weaponin our arsenol of preventive measures as it only kills the live ones, it doesn't deal with the eggs, we can at least safely use it weekly just as part of our head check routine. In the fall and winter but kdis get weekly head checks, tea tree oil etc. Spring and summer I bump it down to once a month and stop the tea tree. Never again. I got a Robi comb from Shoppers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 That's completely contrary to everything I've ever read about lice (stuff handed out by the health board, etc). Link? I got a Robi comb from Shoppers. Good to know I will have to check on Saturday when I am in Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 That's completely contrary to everything I've ever read about lice (stuff handed out by the health board, etc). Link? I got a Robi comb from Shoppers. I got mine at walmart. I love it. I had my neices for a while they came infested with it. I cannot stand those shampoos so my awesome ex (isn't that funny) bought me this and I would just go through their hair on a daily basis with it while still picking through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Good to know I will have to check on Saturday when I am in Lloyd Check London Drugs website too...or just spend some time calling pharmacies to see if they have it in stock (that's what I did.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Of course one example doesn't make the rule. And yes I have compassion for kids who have to feel bad...and for kids whose mother was dying and one child was diabled and all of that. But parents HAVE to follow through....and in this case maybe the father following through was having the health department come help him. They CAN be gotten rid of! I do not know why everyone is so defensive about it. And when people DON"T get rid of them they are perpetuating the problem. My mom was a teacher for 18 years and the people who didn't get rid of them WERE the dirty people. Not just one family. Clean people who get lice GET RID OF THEM even if it is difficult---and I have seen some difficult cases. Perhaps people are feeling defensive because they feel like you're calling them dirty and lazy? I think people are being defensive because it often takes weeks, if not months, of hard work and vigilance to get rid of lice. It's not something you just accomplish in a day or two. We have been lucky not to get them, but have known several families who have. I have nothing but compassion for them. And as they all happened to be homeschool families, they were lucky enough to have the flexibility to stop what they were doing and spend 4-5 hours a day for many days just picking nits to eliminate them. I have no idea what a working family, in a job without flexibility to do this, would do. When necessity calls, then you try to find a way, but everyone I know who has gone through this has had to make it a full time task for at least one parent for multiple weeks in order to be rid of them. No one calls people who get stuck with bedbugs these days "dirty" or "lazy" because we understand that resistance to chemicals has caused an explosion of them and that they're harder than ever to get rid of. Also that anyone can get stuck with them after going on vacation or getting something delivered that wasn't stored properly or the like. My neighbors got them from their neighbors - yes they can travel that way. This is the same thing, in my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Perhaps people are feeling defensive because they feel like you're calling them dirty and lazy? I think people are being defensive because it often takes weeks, if not months, of hard work and vigilance to get rid of lice. It's not something you just accomplish in a day or two. We have been lucky not to get them, but have known several families who have. I have nothing but compassion for them. And as they all happened to be homeschool families, they were lucky enough to have the flexibility to stop what they were doing and spend 4-5 hours a day for many days just picking nits to eliminate them. I have no idea what a working family, in a job without flexibility to do this, would do. When necessity calls, then you try to find a way, but everyone I know who has gone through this has had to make it a full time task for at least one parent for multiple weeks in order to be rid of them. No one calls people who get stuck with bedbugs these days "dirty" or "lazy" because we understand that resistance to chemicals has caused an explosion of them and that they're harder than ever to get rid of. Also that anyone can get stuck with them after going on vacation or getting something delivered that wasn't stored properly or the like. My neighbors got them from their neighbors - yes they can travel that way. This is the same thing, in my mind. Yes, it can be a total nightmare to get rid of lice. I never had them as a child, but dd had them at least three seperate times when she was younger.:glare: We are homeschoolers, of course so I don't know for sure where she got them. The only thing I could come up with was that she got them from church since she was in classes there with other kids. Anyway, you are right that it can take weeks. Then , you think you got rid of them, but they're still there. Combing and treating and combing some more. I would use the over the counter stuff from the store. Then I would try all the things I read about when I Googled. I tried all the natural non toxic things too. Tea tree oil, coconut conditioner, petroleum jelly, etc etc . The only thing that ever worked to finally get rid of them was the Malathion by prescription. So, one should not assume anything about people who "don't get rid of lice" It can be a long process. Very long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Perhaps people are feeling defensive because they feel like you're calling them dirty and lazy? I think people are being defensive because it often takes weeks, if not months, of hard work and vigilance to get rid of lice. It's not something you just accomplish in a day or two. We have been lucky not to get them, but have known several families who have. I have nothing but compassion for them. And as they all happened to be homeschool families, they were lucky enough to have the flexibility to stop what they were doing and spend 4-5 hours a day for many days just picking nits to eliminate them. I have no idea what a working family, in a job without flexibility to do this, would do. When necessity calls, then you try to find a way, but everyone I know who has gone through this has had to make it a full time task for at least one parent for multiple weeks in order to be rid of them. No one calls people who get stuck with bedbugs these days "dirty" or "lazy" because we understand that resistance to chemicals has caused an explosion of them and that they're harder than ever to get rid of. Also that anyone can get stuck with them after going on vacation or getting something delivered that wasn't stored properly or the like. My neighbors got them from their neighbors - yes they can travel that way. This is the same thing, in my mind. I don't know anyone's situation on this board personally to know if they are dirty or lazy. However, if a parent doesn't do what has to be done to get rid of lice they are lazy! Do I understand that they can reoccur? Yes! Do you know WHY they reoccur? Because there are families who won't do what has to be done to get rid of them so the rest of the world is at constant risk for being reinfected. And I know it can be a big pain to get rid of them. However, I think it is a big stretch to say it is a full time task for weeks. I discovered I and my son had them at 10 p.m. one night. A trip to Wal-mart and then home to work until 3:00 a.m. The the next day I went to my mom's for help getting them out of MY hair. So basically so far one full day. We will re treat our heads in a week and I will continue to recheck ds and have myself checked by my mom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Yes, it can be a total nightmare to get rid of lice. I never had them as a child, but dd had them at least three seperate times when she was younger.:glare: We are homeschoolers, of course so I don't know for sure where she got them. The only thing I could come up with was that she got them from church since she was in classes there with other kids. Anyway, you are right that it can take weeks. Then , you think you got rid of them, but they're still there. Combing and treating and combing some more. I would use the over the counter stuff from the store. Then I would try all the things I read about when I Googled. I tried all the natural non toxic things too. Tea tree oil, coconut conditioner, petroleum jelly, etc etc . The only thing that ever worked to finally get rid of them was the Malathion by prescription. So, one should not assume anything about people who "don't get rid of lice" It can be a long process. Very long. Let me ask....when you treated what kind of comb did you use? My mom has always said the comb doesn't work....but when she saw the metal tooth comb I had she said it was a GREAT improvement over what she saw back in the day. And did you strip all the bedding? Wash in hot water, dry hot for 30 minutes at least? I have known friends who have got them and I have never heard anyone say it is as hard to get rid of them as some of you are saying. I fear the louse has become a super bug or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Let me ask....when you treated what kind of comb did you use? My mom has always said the comb doesn't work....but when she saw the metal tooth comb I had she said it was a GREAT improvement over what she saw back in the day. And did you strip all the bedding? Wash in hot water, dry hot for 30 minutes at least? I have known friends who have got them and I have never heard anyone say it is as hard to get rid of them as some of you are saying. I fear the louse has become a super bug or something. I know when Diva brought them home from ps, it was a nightmare. We did everything you're supposed to...over and over and over again. They have stated that lice are far more immune now than ever to chemicals. (They being the health board) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I know when Diva brought them home from ps, it was a nightmare. We did everything you're supposed to...over and over and over again. They have stated that lice are far more immune now than ever to chemicals. (They being the health board) They are. As far as I am concerned at the end of the world all that will be left will be cockroaches and lice. DD's head was covered in the lice shampoo for the 10 minutes they said on the box. as I went to rinse it out I could see them crawling through the stuff. I rinsed it out and started combing and it was still swarming with them. The conditioner was all that worked. As for combs nit combs are useless, even the metal flea comb I am using for mine is no good for dd, her hair is too fine it just slides throught he tines nits and all. I finally found a plastic flea comb with teeth closer together than the metal flea comb (as in 2 comb teeth could fit in each space of the nit comb) and that finally was what is working on her fine hair. Now imagine a parent following the directions ont eh bottle to a T and not searching for other solutions, or other combs etc. It may not be a laziness thing. They may be nit combing it several times a day but through ignorance never thought of other ways to treat it. Even if I nit combed dd 8 times a day with the comb provided, or even the metal flea comb and the shampoo we bought we would have jusat kept that infestation well fed and growing. Yes there is nasty families that have it and should be investigated, but not because of the lice, the lice is just a symptom of a larger problem. I can pretty much guarantee that dd got it from 1 such family as that was dd's only playmate in the last month outside of my daycare kids and none of my daycare kids have lice. But I have kknown many mnay more families that have struggled like I have to deal with them. Nothing lazy about it, simply a resistant strain of them. 1 family in town battled it in their daughters for almost 2 months, nit combing 3 times a day, using the shampoo etc and still couldn't get rid of them. They ended up shaving the girls heads (both had hair nearly to their waists) to finally deal with it. There was nothing lazy in how they were dealing with it, but they didn't know there was other types of combs, or other ways to treat if the chemicals don't work. Or that for some strains of the lice a multi approach to delousing is best etc. (eg: RID, combing, conditioner, tea tree oil, vinegar all used over the course of the week to get rid of them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Let me ask....when you treated what kind of comb did you use? My mom has always said the comb doesn't work....but when she saw the metal tooth comb I had she said it was a GREAT improvement over what she saw back in the day. And did you strip all the bedding? Wash in hot water, dry hot for 30 minutes at least? I have known friends who have got them and I have never heard anyone say it is as hard to get rid of them as some of you are saying. I fear the louse has become a super bug or something. I used combs that came with over the counter products, regular fine tooth combs and I finally bought a "special" comb of some sort. It's been several years ago now, so I don't remember all the details. Yes I did all the washing and drying. I talked to a pharmacist about it and he told me that the lice are becoming resistant to the over the counter products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I don't know anyone's situation on this board personally to know if they are dirty or lazy. However, if a parent doesn't do what has to be done to get rid of lice they are lazy! Do I understand that they can reoccur? Yes! Do you know WHY they reoccur? Because there are families who won't do what has to be done to get rid of them so the rest of the world is at constant risk for being reinfected. And I know it can be a big pain to get rid of them. However, I think it is a big stretch to say it is a full time task for weeks. I discovered I and my son had them at 10 p.m. one night. A trip to Wal-mart and then home to work until 3:00 a.m. The the next day I went to my mom's for help getting them out of MY hair. So basically so far one full day. We will re treat our heads in a week and I will continue to recheck ds and have myself checked by my mom. So when you discovered that you and your only child had them, you had a car to get to the store right away and ready cash to buy the treatment. You stayed up till 3 a.m. so you don't do shift work or have to get up at 5 a.m., and your mom is nearby to help. That's great! My life is similarly blessed, and I'm grateful that misfortunes like lice and such are really just a minor inconvenience to me. I know that's not the case for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 So when you discovered that you and your only child had them, you had a car to get to the store right away and ready cash to buy the treatment. You stayed up till 3 a.m. so you don't do shift work or have to get up at 5 a.m., and your mom is nearby to help. That's great! My life is similarly blessed, and I'm grateful that misfortunes like lice and such are really just a minor inconvenience to me. I know that's not the case for everyone. Well, my mom is an hour away, but yes point taken that I have the means to take care of this situation. I didn't spend a lot of money though.....Most of it was work and not all of it had to be done that night I was just freaked out. The families that my mom knew personally from her public school days weren't too poor to buy treatment....in fact the school often provided it to them. For all the good it did because they wouldn't use it and follow through. And they didn't have jobs to go to. I am telling you all, THOSE are the types of families that are causing constant re-exposure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I don't know anyone's situation on this board personally to know if they are dirty or lazy. However, if a parent doesn't do what has to be done to get rid of lice they are lazy! Do I understand that they can reoccur? Yes! Do you know WHY they reoccur? Because there are families who won't do what has to be done to get rid of them so the rest of the world is at constant risk for being reinfected. And I know it can be a big pain to get rid of them. However, I think it is a big stretch to say it is a full time task for weeks. I discovered I and my son had them at 10 p.m. one night. A trip to Wal-mart and then home to work until 3:00 a.m. The the next day I went to my mom's for help getting them out of MY hair. So basically so far one full day. We will re treat our heads in a week and I will continue to recheck ds and have myself checked by my mom. Ohhhh, so you don't actually know that you're rid of them. You don't know if you're going to have cycle after cycle of reinfection from something you've missed. You don't know if it will turn out that there's some resistance to the medicine you used, so some of the nits still hatch. It seems rather premature to be so confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Ohhhh, so you don't actually know that you're rid of them. You don't know if you're going to have cycle after cycle of reinfection from something you've missed. You don't know if it will turn out that there's some resistance to the medicine you used, so some of the nits still hatch. It seems rather premature to be so confident. I hope I am not giving the impression that I am CONFIDENT! I've never had lice in 47 years and I am FREAKED out. My mom has ALWAYS said you cannot trust the shampoo to kill the eggs...you gave to get them all out. She did that for me. And I will have her do it for me again....but all of that is not my main point.... My main point is that there are entire large families out there (and maybe none of you know any such families but I know them from my mom's dealings with them) who do NOTHING to try and get rid of them. They use the shampoo and whine that it 'takes too long to pick nits.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 In our ISD, it's not an excused absence to keep a child home for having head lice. I'd think the inability to keep infested kids out of the classroom would contribute more to recurring infestations than the purported Lazy Mothers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 In our ISD, it's not an excused absence to keep a child home for having head lice. I'd think the inability to keep infested kids out of the classroom would contribute more to recurring infestations than the purported Lazy Mothers. Well, it would have to be both don't you think? One more reason I am glad I homeschool....the stories I read on this thread about constant reexposure make my skin crawl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Well, it would have to be both don't you think? One more reason I am glad I homeschool....the stories I read on this thread about constant reexposure make my skin crawl. No, I don't think it would have to be both. I've done the lice-treatment thing on our whole family, and on one child with especially thick hair I failed (!!!) to get all the lice killed on the first round of treatment. If I'd been forced to send her to school, she would have been there with live lice. Further, all over the counter treatments, as well as all the 'smother' treatments, kill only live lice, not nits. It is easy to miss nits in nit removal. Missed nits will hatch. That's why all treatments call for 2-3 rounds of treatment, spaced out by the lice life cycle. So when even the treatments contemplate that there will be live lice present in the hair within days after the initial treatment, and yet schools say those children must be in the classroom, I refuse to declare the children's mothers to be at fault for reinfestation. As a general rule, it seems uncharitable to impute vice to those who fail to succeed in the world, whether in ways great or small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 No, I don't think it would have to be both. I've done the lice-treatment thing on our whole family, and on one child with especially thick hair I failed (!!!) to get all the lice killed on the first round of treatment. If I'd been forced to send her to school, she would have been there with live lice. Further, all over the counter treatments, as well as all the 'smother' treatments, kill only live lice, not nits. It is easy to miss nits in nit removal. Missed nits will hatch. That's why all treatments call for 2-3 rounds of treatment, spaced out by the lice life cycle. So when even the treatments contemplate that there will be live lice present in the hair within days after the initial treatment, and yet schools say those children must be in the classroom, I refuse to declare the children's mothers to be at fault for reinfestation. As a general rule, it seems uncharitable to impute vice to those who fail to succeed in the world, whether in ways great or small. I have clearly been totally misunderstood about this entire issue. Anything uncharitable I have had to say is about people who refuse to treat. REFUSE. I doubt any of you good mothers can even fathom not bothering to TRY to pick out the nits or wash the sheets or spray the bedding down. Sure I can see that you sometimes fail....it is exhausting and if you have many children I can see how hard it would be. But there are parents who will. not. even try. THAT is where my uncharitable spirit lies. Toward such parents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 And I know it can be a big pain to get rid of them. However, I think it is a big stretch to say it is a full time task for weeks. I discovered I and my son had them at 10 p.m. one night. A trip to Wal-mart and then home to work until 3:00 a.m. The the next day I went to my mom's for help getting them out of MY hair. So basically so far one full day. We will re treat our heads in a week and I will continue to recheck ds and have myself checked by my mom. So you got lucky and managed to (probably) get rid of them in a day. Great. But if you had the flu and got lucky enough to have a minor case that only last a couple of days, would you complain about people who were put down for a month and assume they just didn't take care of themselves properly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 So you got lucky and managed to (probably) get rid of them in a day. Great. But if you had the flu and got lucky enough to have a minor case that only last a couple of days, would you complain about people who were put down for a month and assume they just didn't take care of themselves properly? Again, my gripe is NOT against people who fail to get rid of them...it is against those who do not TRY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Again, my gripe is NOT against people who fail to get rid of them...it is against those who do not TRY. I get it. I know parents who have "treated" their children's lice by pouring beer on their hair. :001_huh: And then I know parents who have spent HOURS combing through their children's hair, vacuuming, spraying, bagging up toys, washing/drying bedding, and then repeating the whole thing daily. Some parents can't be bothered. Thankfully, they are in the minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I'm 39 and my elementary school had routine lice checks. I am shocked if there were no lice in any school system at any point. When I was a senior in high school I ended up taking care of two children in the summer. My mother was a hospice social worker, their mother was dying and their father had to work. One girl was disabled (mentally and physically). They desperately needed care and couldn't pay anyone and so my mom asked me to do it. Half way into the summer I found lice on myself. The girls and home had lice. I tried to rid the girls and house but the parents couldn't follow through. Finally the health department sent in people to work on the girls and the house. They came in all garbed up with hair nets and gloves and outfits and acted like those girls and that house were the most disgusting and contaminated things they had ever seen. It was heart wrenching and horrible and as a Christian I kept thinking of how Jesus would have treated them. Your posts brought it back and it makes me cry even today to remember it. The non-disabled girl definitely knew how those people regarded her and her home. It wasn't her fault. I also remember this boy in 2nd grade who was poor and dirty. I remember the teacher making him stand up so she could spray him and his seat with lysol. I remember his name--Toby and exactly what he looked like and I don't think I remember any other student in that class. So sad he was treated like that as it surely affected how the other children treated and thought of him. Anyway, lice have resistance now to the chemicals that are allowed to be used which, I think, are different than in the past. Not being able to rid them doesn't necessarily have anything to do with clean or caring. In this case it was parental ability to follow through that made the lice difficult to get rid of. Surely you know one experience (mine or yours) doesn't make the rule though, right? I was just reading somewhere not to long ago that there is a new strain of lice and they are resistant to OTC meds. I had lice a couple of times growing up. I played softball and got it from the batting helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I get it. I know parents who have "treated" their children's lice by pouring beer on their hair. :001_huh: And then I know parents who have spent HOURS combing through their children's hair, vacuuming, spraying, bagging up toys, washing/drying bedding, and then repeating the whole thing daily. Some parents can't be bothered. Thankfully, they are in the minority. LOL, I tried mayonnaise, vasoline, tea tree oil, crisco, all of the OTCs, I might have tried beer if I'd heard about it. It was that bad!! I finally found help at licehelp.com. It was the only thing we used that worked. We have not had one louse since we used that stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I have clearly been totally misunderstood about this entire issue. Anything uncharitable I have had to say is about people who refuse to treat. REFUSE. I doubt any of you good mothers can even fathom not bothering to TRY to pick out the nits or wash the sheets or spray the bedding down. Sure I can see that you sometimes fail....it is exhausting and if you have many children I can see how hard it would be. But there are parents who will. not. even try. THAT is where my uncharitable spirit lies. Toward such parents. I do understand this! I was a foster parent and I had one family that would bring the stinkin' lice back at every parent visit. This family would also send home clothes and stuffed animals and ick, whatever they had that could bring more lice in. It was disgusting. I would meet them at the door with a plastic garbage bag to keep all their stuff in so I could just send it back home. (a dumb rule the agency had) I would spend the rest of the night treating them for lice. I complained to everyone I could. The dad actually told the case worker, "Lice don't hurt nothin'!" SHUDDER, SHUDDER, SHUDDER! P.S. This was a different child then the one who had it for almost half a school year. That kid brought them home from school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 I do understand this! I was a foster parent and I had one family that would bring the stinkin' lice back at every parent visit. This family would also send home clothes and stuffed animals and ick, whatever they had that could bring more lice in. It was disgusting. I would meet them at the door with a plastic garbage bag to keep all their stuff in so I could just send it back home. (a dumb rule the agency had) I would spend the rest of the night treating them for lice. I complained to everyone I could. The dad actually told the case worker, "Lice don't hurt nothin'!" SHUDDER, SHUDDER, SHUDDER! P.S. This was a different child then the one who had it for almost half a school year. That kid brought them home from school. Thank you! I finally feel understood!!! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 LOL, I tried mayonnaise, vasoline, tea tree oil, crisco, all of the OTCs, I might have tried beer if I'd heard about it. It was that bad!! I finally found help at licehelp.com. It was the only thing we used that worked. We have not had one louse since we used that stuff. Off to look at that website..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Because of MY husband's Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, We cannot use ANY of type of commercial nit treatment. We did the conditioner and fine comb thing. it took a month before we were all clear. When I was a child, I had a terrible case of head-lice. my mother tried for months to get rid of them. My grandmother can=me for a visit one day and drenched my hair in kerosene. I never had head-lice again. but it took months for my hair to recover ( think oily strips of hair) I find it flabbergasting that someone would think people should have their children removed because of head-lice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 The NYT ran a piece a few years ago saying that cetaphil was very effective at smothering the lice. Not sure if you've tried that, but one study showed it worked very well for "hard to treat" lice. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/the-alternative-medicine-cabinet-cetaphil-for-lice/ It was more effective than the conventional treatments. Their protocol was 95% effective in treating "hard to treat" lice specifically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Because of MY husband's Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, We cannot use ANY of type of commercial nit treatment. We did the conditioner and fine comb thing. it took a month before we were all clear. When I was a child, I had a terrible case of head-lice. my mother tried for months to get rid of them. My grandmother can=me for a visit one day and drenched my hair in kerosene. I never had head-lice again. but it took months for my hair to recover ( think oily strips of hair) I find it flabbergasting that someone would think people should have their children removed because of head-lice. 'Having head lice' would not be a reason. REFUSING to do anything to try and get rid of them.....yeah I think those kind of people need a knock up side the head. Doesn't matter what I think though....cps is not going to take kids away for head lice no matter how lazy and neglectful said parents are. Kerosene? Wow. I do understand the desperation though. My head is RAW tonight from running that stupid comb through my head. Must stop now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 They have stated that lice are far more immune now than ever to chemicals. (They being the health board) Our state's Department of Health recommends 10 days of combing through the hair with nit comb and conditioner - that's all - no chemical treatments. We're in Australia. I got this information last night from a letter about a case of head lice from dd's school that was found under her bed, and dated 2 weeks ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Our state's Department of Health recommends 10 days of combing through the hair with nit comb and conditioner - that's all - no chemical treatments. We're in Australia. I got this information last night from a letter about a case of head lice from dd's school that was found under her bed, and dated 2 weeks ago... Very interesting.....my mom.....the expert in my life. ....;) says getting rid of the eggs is the MOST important thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 11 year old zombie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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