Bugs

On Monday, I took my son for a check-up with the pediatrician. On this visit, he was due for a chicken pox booster inoculation. In contrast to my daughters, who have been through myriad medical procedures and handle it all flawlessly, my healthy son is -- let's just say -- squeamish at the mention of anything he considers invasive.

Needles included. (Or especially.)

Well, he got through it with a healthy dose of drama. "Why do I have to get this shot? I don't care if I get the chicken pox!" Well, yes, he would care if he actually got them. I remember my own case of the chicken pox all too clearly. And if he can't handle a simple shot in the arm with a duration of less than one second, then surely he wouldn't be able to handle two weeks of itches that he's not allowed to scratch! No, we don't want those chicken pox "bugs" in our house.

Later, after I picked her up from school, my daughter asked if they were going to get the flu shot this year. I told her I wasn't sure yet. The flu "bug" is one that doesn't cause too much anxiety in our house. No one likes the experience of having the flu, but it's not typically life-threatening. And it's short-lived. And even when we've gotten the flu shot, it still hasn't prevented a new strain of the "bug" to take up temporary residence in each one of us.

That same day, I received an e-mail from the director of a class my daughters attend for one night each week. It turns out a child in last week's class had head lice.

Head lice! That made my skin crawl -- especially since I'd noticed what I thought was dandruff in the hair of one of my daughters over the weekend.

No one in my family has ever had lice, and I've never actually seen a case of it in person, so I had to rely on photos and descriptions I'd found on the Internet. My husband read the descriptions, too, and studied the photos. Then we combed through her hair some more. Is this lice? Maybe. Or is this dandruff? Maybe. Or did she just forget to rinse the shampoo out of her hair? Maybe.

Feeling very ill-equipped to deal with the investigation, we called our friend and neighbor, who happens to be an emergency room doctor. Surely he's seen his share of lice. Fortunately, we caught him on his way to the hospital, so he stopped by our house a few minutes later to check out our daughter.

While awaiting his arrival, I mentally reviewed everything in our house that would have had contact with our daughter's head. Her twin. All their combs, brushes, and hair accessories. All the hats and coats with hoods. Every blanket and pillow. The furniture. The carpet. Their friends. The list was endless! Next I mentally reviewed what the literature said we'd need to do to completely rid the house of the lice. She'd have to stay home from school this week. We'd have to cancel Girl Scouts, and that sleepover. My head was spinning!

Then, the verdict... No, my daughter does not have lice! She's healthy and bug-free! Such relief!

If only there was an inoculation for lice.