Hi guys,
SO sorry to post this on several different forums (I realise this is bad forum behaviour), but I really needed to go for the fastest response! This is totally bizarre, and I hope I never again in my LIFE have to do something like this, but I have no other choice... (please find this funny rather than horrifying, I have absolutely no idea what to do with myself!)
I arrived in HK on Friday to take up a job as a governess (sort of nanny/tutor) for a very wealthy family. I've been having a brilliant time out here, until yesterday, when I made the most horrific discovery.
I have nits. UGH my skin is crawling just writing that.
GOD knows where I got them from, how the hell I got them, but they're here, and apparently they've been here a little while (I had an itchy head over the weekend but I thought it was sunburn! Nits never ever occurred to me!!)
Obviously this has wreaked havoc with my job and I have been sent back to the hotel to protect the children. I think the family are having the house fumigated. But now I'm back here, I have no idea what to do! I have put lotion on and killed everything that moves (UGH), but there are still eggs (UGH UGH) and apparently they might hatch again if the lotion didn’t kill them (UUUUGGGHHH). I have been trying my hardest to comb them out, but I have loads of curly hair and I just can’t see well enough round the back! I have also tried blasting them with a hairdryer but I can’t take the heat anymore. I was wondering if anyone had any advice at all about where I could go to get this sorted?? I literally just need to pay someone to comb the back of my hair minutely, but I have no clue how I would organise this. Normally I would ask a friend but I’m brand new here and didn’t come out with anyone . Might I be able to find a nurse or general health centre who could help?
This is a disaster I just never prepared for! Sorry again for blasting this across the expat forum, but I’m desperate to get it sorted before the buggers re-hatch and I’m off work for even longer…
Look forward to meeting you all under far less embarrassing circumstances soon… If the family doesn’t have me deported!
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10-06-2010, 01:43 PM #1
Embarrassing SOS!!
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10-06-2010, 01:47 PM #2
Oh no - you poor thing! Have you got a proper nit comb? The teeth are closer together than normal combs so better at combing the eggs out...
(Btw - you probably caught them from the kids in your care so don't feel bad)
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10-06-2010, 01:52 PM #3
a) yes. very poor form
b) wouldn't one of the wedmd sites help out better than a bunch of expats on a forum?
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10-06-2010, 01:53 PM #4
where in Hong Kong are you?
Have you tried really 'drenching' your hair in conditioner, with Tea Tree oil added, and combing it through? ( may be easier that dry combing)
Also, each time you wash your hair, use a Tea Tree shampoo, and add Tea Tree to the conditioner ( even if it upposedly has some in it already) - supposedly helps treat and keep them away.
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10-06-2010, 01:55 PM #5
Campas - be nice. She's in a new country and knows no-one here and is seemingly in a bit of a panic.
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10-06-2010, 01:57 PM #6
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10-06-2010, 01:59 PM #7
I know there are combs and lotions and potions out there but when it happened to me and one of the kids last time, we took the easy way out : Shaved!
and after that, made sure everything that our heads touched (pillows, blankets, sofas, shirts, jackets, brushes etc) were thoroughly washed and disinfected.
Never saw them again after that :-)
HC
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10-06-2010, 02:00 PM #8
All about lice from our friendly, helpful government:
Head Lice - Centre for Health Protection
Your employers' fumigation won't help because they live on people's heads. And it only takes one nit left on one head to start things over again. The kids probably got infested at school.
If it's any consolation, they prefer clean hair.Last edited by Claire ex-ax; 10-06-2010 at 02:02 PM.
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10-06-2010, 02:03 PM #9
What a remarkably well written post.
I'd use the shampoo and then use it again in a few days, and then a few days after that. That should take care of any that haven't hatched yet.
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10-06-2010, 02:16 PM #10
You can also try Quellada Head Lice Treatment Cream which contains permethrin. I'm guessing that you comb it through your hair with a nit comb.
Originally Posted by ArKay:
