AIBU to be absolutely disgusted with myself?

[Buginmyrug]

NC because of the shame involved.

Back in May I started getting an itchy scalp. I tried to ignore it and hoped it would go away by using different hair products, the change of season, blah blah. It has been getting worse, though, so I googled and deduced I probably had seborrhoeic dermatitis. I booked a GP appointment and was considering buying some Neutrogena T-gel.

Then this evening A BUG FELL OUT OF MY HAIR. I have fucking LICE and I didn't know! My DD (16) spotted it and was really shocked. She then had a good look at my scalp and could see at least 4 or 5 creatures crawling about. Even typing this makes me want to curl into the foetal position. I freaked out and rushed out to the nearest 24-hour supermarket, and have spent the last few hours scraping my scalp with a nit comb until it practically bled (I cannot tell you the stuff I pulled out) and applying the overnight treatment to shampoo off tomorrow.

I'm ashamed, mortified and disgusted. Four months! I have stayed with friends, been to the hairdresser, gone on holiday... How did this happen? Is this normal? Do other adult women randomly get nits? My DD hasn't got any, we don't think (of course we'll do the treatment on her tomorrow too, just in case). Should I have thought of it sooner? Is it my fault? And is it like an STD? Do I have to warn anyone I might have infected? The shame!

I'm sitting here freaking out, wondering what the heck I will find on the towel that is currently wrapped around my head tomorrow. Sleep seems an impossibility.

If this has ever happened to any of you, please put my mind at ease. I've never had lice in my life - just in case this seems a bit of an overreaction.

STDs aren't shameful either. It's just stuff that happens, don't go mad about it!

Another person here who thinks it highly unlikely that a hairdresser wouldn't notice nits. I think you caught them recently.

Op
You need to wash everything! I had my sofas professionally cleaned!
And all family members should treat aswell

It's not that big a deal...dont kick yourself. Don't forget to retreat yourself in 2weeks

Are you using a standard bit comb by the way? The chemicals didn't work and eggs were left in until I went to the expense of buying a 'Nitty Gritty' comb, it is amazing has sort of crossed tines and works properly, it's all you need to use with conditioner, gets the eggs out too.

Chill out! I sometimes get nits as do most of my friends. Perils of having affectionate kids at primary school. We nitty gritty with lots of conditioner after every other hair wash. Don’t just rely on the chemicals (bitter experience) you need to throughly nit comb regularly too. It’s no drama in the grand scheme of things.

You need a decent nitty gritty comb. The little plastic ones free with the stuff don’t cut it

I don’t think you have to have furniture professionally cleaned... the lice can only live on hair. I would have my furniture cleaned if there were fleas or bed bugs though!

It's no big deal. I work in a special school and I get nits at least once a year. A thorough combing once every three days soon sorts it out. It's very common.

I get SB on my scalp & have recently had the joy of bits from my youngest too. I’ve also had my lovely hairdresser murmur into my ear that I’ve got nits and then she got me out of the salon on a pretext without a scene.

I’m sure you haven’t had them since May. You would have been crawling with them by now. Also, your hairdresser would have noticed, definitely. And the sore spots and itching of SB & nits really are very similar ime.

Hope you’re feeling better this morning. 💐

No you don’t have to have them professionally cleaned

But the advise is to clean on very hot wash bedding, towels, toys etc and what you can’t - bag up for a few days

And your dd and other family members should be treated

I caught nits off my daughter and it is embarrassing but happens to us all, and the stuff I put on was greasy for ages! Lyclear I think, but they were gone by the morning. As others said I don't think you'd have had them four months because there would be thousands of them and they would be massive. If you've got little ones then they've hatched on you but if they are all big then they have jumped on you! Not much to add, just I've been there, you can get rid. Change all you bedding/towels and clean your hairbrushes xx

Same thing happened here and I’m meticulous about checking. My daughter had an itchy head for weeks. I said it was dandruff.

Thing is, little lice burrow deeply and are hard to see. I now undertake how they can be missed!

In my daughter’s case, I would check for lice and not see any.

After TWO months, the itchy hair was worrying me and I said we should go to the GP and she had her hair up for her dance show that night. She came out and her head was CRAWLING. Five of the fuckers. Just crawling.

Took me two weeks of daily combing to get rid. Other kids had them too by then.

They are just little insects. So try not to freak too much!

Aah, bless you - calm down, dear, it’s only nits !! I’ve had them a couple of times (DD’s school was rife with them at one point and I think quite a few of the mums copped a headful).

It’s a bit ick but nobody dies - just do as everyone’s suggested, bedding/towels on hot wash, dunk your hairbrushes in boiling water after use, treat with Hedrin or similar, Nitty Gritty nit comb. No need for sackcloth and ashes or drama-llama insomnia! Have a nice cup of tea and breathe ...

You do not have to wash everything!

Crumbs, if this is the only reason you have for being disgusted with yourself OP, then you must be a saint!
I’ve had nits and worms since I was an adult, it’s not nice but a trip to the pharmacy deals with it.

And they don’t do well off the body, wash your hairbrushes and combs, pillowcases if you must but otherwise you’re good to go.

Now if you had cat fleas,,they’re a real pain in the ...

Exactly the same thing happened to me a few months back and I was equally as horrified. I'd picked them up from my 2yo who must have got them from nursery.

My scalp had been itchy for at least a month before I figured out what it was. I didn't realise until I had a good scratch one day and then found one under my finger nail and I nearly threw up.

Oh, and you DO NOT need to have your furniture professionally cleaned, fumigate your entire house, wrap everything you own in cling film, put your dog in the freezer, etc. I mean, by all means give any other kids in the family a quick once over, but all the rest of it is bloody bonkers.

I got them when I was a teenager. Was itchy for a while before my mum noticed them. Yuck. I remember they made a very satisfying snapping sound when you pinched them with your fingernails.

I got the smelly lice shampoo asap and it sorted them. But I was finding the dead egg cases in my hair for years after shudder

“a young girl came in for a hair up appointment for her prom that evening. She was being prepped by the junior when the junior let out a scream, dropped the brush and ran to her manager.”

How incredibly unprofessional.

Surely that hairdresser thing didn’t happen. It’s totally unprofessional and dramatic? Hairdressers see lots of lice and other horrible things

Hairdressing juniors are often teenage girls who have only been there 5 minutes, I can well believe that one was a drama queen.

I have had an itchy scalp recently OP, you’re giving me the willies. I have a 3 year-old but never had them as a child so have never seen a nit before, would not have occurred to me either!

I've had nits. My children constantly got them as they got reinfected as soon as we got rid of them. They were discovered once by my hairdresser. It was fine. I'm sure it happens all the time. Don't worry OP and just check regularly.