Denise versus Head Lice

I got a text yesterday from sister #2 that sister #1 needed help - her 3rd kid has lice.  She was not going to go over to help, but maybe I would be brave enough to do so?

As I am eating my dinner, I think about this.  I really really hate bugs. I am scared of them...so how can I possibly help?  But, we are family, so I call her to ask if she needs OTHER help.  Dinner, laundry, whatever...so I go over there.  Before I leave the house, I pull up my hair and wrap saran wrap over my head.  Then I apply a shower cap on top for extra measure.   I live in an apartment and I don't want people to think I am crazy, so I put my jacket hood over my head (no hats...since it could pull off the plastic). 

I arrive and am first asked to look through the Dad's hair, I applied a rubber glove and began my work...OK, that is easy it is short and I wasn't expecting to find anything.  Then I do help with Kid#1 thinking...he probably doesn't have it either - but really I just held the flashlight for my sister, which was really easy.

While my sister was re-looking through Kid#3's hair, she asked if I can do Kid#2...a girl with long hair.  So, I begin meticulously looking and applying step2's gel.  It takes a good 30+ minutes.  My sister informs me that my mom was going to stop over to help after dinner (it was already 8pm) - and I was shocked that she didn't trust me...although, how could I blame her, I don't like bugs/insects!  Next I looked through my sister's hair...she was fine, the only thing I found was her first gray hair.

Then I start helping with Kid #3.  Even after steps 1 &2 were completed...we were still finding live lice and eggs.  I have a fairly steady hand, so I took the tweezers and just plucked some hair out that was infected.

I also had this great idea.  Way back in the day, Kid #1 received a CSI kit with a microscope, so I had him find it and I put a lice in the glass plates and slid under the scope...ohhh all those biology classes from college starting to come back to me.  Unfortunately the microscope is very low quality and it was difficult to see - but we were able to see pieces at a time (like the head).  Every time I had it focused I showed a kid, who immediately started playing with the dials....which of course I told them they didn't need to touch, it was ready.  Even the Dad didn't follow directions!  Anyway, so I gave them a brief science lesson while we were at it.   Then back to finding lice. 

Now it is almost 10pm and I am tired...I just found two more live lice and 3 more egg sacks and suggested that my sister redo steps 1 & 2, then I headed out so I could get to sleep.

At home I unwrap the plastic off my head and fall into bed...and continue to itch my head and dream of lice all night.  Looking for lice was not as horrible as I thought it was going to be.  I was able to think that it was 'fun' to use the tweezers and see how accurate my hand/eye coordination was and try not to think that bugs are in his hair.