Not even a Louse.
Lice.
Nits.
Oh deers!
These words have been known to strike fear into the hearts of every School Nurse. For one reason, and one reason, only. The Teachers.
There are about 5 threads on the SN Board right now talking about lice. For those that don't veer shockingly off topic, the theme that comes up ad nauseum is the teachers' lack of understanding about lice. What is it about lice that strikes fear into the hearts of teachers?
A few fun facts about lice:
They are bugs
They are attracted to clean hair. If you have lice, it does not mean you are dirty.
They lay eggs called "nits"
Nits are tiny white and sesame seed sized. They cling to hair shafts and are difficult to remove. They tend to cluster close to the scalp, behind the ears, and at the nape of the neck.
Yes, if you are scratching, the mere mention of lice does that to all of us SN's as well. We are not immune to the psychosomatic itch.
Lice do NOT jump from person to person. In order to catch lice, you must share grooming utensils, headwear and beds- in other words, a slumber party for 5th grade girls can result in a HUGE lice outbreak.
If your child has lice, we will send her/him home to get treated with the shampoo. I'm not an ad exec, nor am I getting paid as an endorser, so I'm not mentioning brands. "Ask your doctor." I'm also old school, so I like the fine tooth comb.
Most schools now do NOT have a "no nit" policy.
And finally, and this is significant, The whole surrounding world/ classroom/ relatives from Jersey, do NOT have to be checked for lice just because Little Cliffy may have it.
(Now, that other lice? That's a tale for another day. Talk of it can be found on the SN board. 
I will say that thanks to all things "retro" there will be a upswing in that other kind of lice.)
Are you itchy now? Me too.
I've also re-learned IV Tylenol is a hell of a drug. I am impressed with how quickly and efficiently I have seen it work not only on pain, but to bring down a fever.
I've re-learned that crazy old people are often crazier when they have a UTI. So, if Ed starts hopping the side rails, check his urine.
I've learned that Risperdal is a hell of a drug and needs to be tapered.
I've learned I can sleep HARD when I'm off, and that my cat sleeps with me because he thinks my snoring is purring.
I've learned Coquito is strong and must be tapered. (Kidding)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquito
I've learned that smells are one of the biggest triggers to memories, and have been reminded of it several times this week. Some good, some not so good.
I've learned that I am excited for my friends who are students who have time off right now. My Big Kid, too!
I've learned that even when things are changing all around me, if I have my kids and people I love I can get through the holidays. I am glad Christmas is over, though.
Bring on 2016!
Thanks to my girl, ixchel, for trusting me with her thread this week.
For all of you working over the holidays, THANK YOU!!! A close family member of mine is hospitalized and nurses like you all have made all the difference in her care.
What have YOU learned this week?
It would have been as fabulous as nursing school could be!
ixchel
4,547 Posts
My dog. Ugh. She's an ass hole. I say that affectionate, really, but when she was younger I'm telling you there were days when I regretted her being my son's puppy so much because I didn't think we'd be able to make it work for her. God knows I don't want to be a "rehomer" but boy was she not working out for us at first. The chewing, the jumping, the anxious peeing, the excited peeing, the "I'm not really sure why I'm peeing inside this time" peeing. It was just horribly frustrating and stressful and God I wanted to cry so many times. Ass. Hole. Dog. Plain and simple.
And then one day she managed to swallow a toxic-level dose of my son's concerta. As careful and meticulous as I am with him and his pills, it just all happened so fast. He dropped it, and she was there like lightening. Called our vet, she suggested inducing vomiting, which didn't work. So we took Ass Hole Dog in to be admitted for overnight observation.
Our house was so, so empty without her. All we wanted was for her to come back home. We just missed that damn dog so much. She was one of us. [emoji173]ï¸ We certainly do still have plenty of frustrating moments with her, but she's family. For life. [emoji252]