Tinea Capitis

Does anyone know what tinea capitis is? I didn't--until yesterday, that is.

On April 1, I was washing Jenna's hair and noticed a small, little patch that looked kind of like cradle cap (that babies get). I tried to scrub it out and it started bleeding---and she started screaming. After that, it was very tender and sore. After a few days, I noticed that her hair was matted down near that spot--almost like she'd poured glue on her head. I wash her hair every 2 days (sometimes 3) and it wouldn't ever wash out. I had to rub her head very gently to clean it or she'd scream.

I took her in to the pediatrician after just a couple of days. I was going to wait for her 5 year check up on May 2, but decided she needed to be seen sooner. The doctor had no idea what it was. She thought maybe it could be psoriasis, but didn't think it was. She told me to take her to a dermatologist. There is one two floors down from the pediatrician, so I walked down there to see if I could show them, so I knew whether or not she needed to be sooner, rather than later. I sat in that office at the desk for 15 minutes and NO ONE was there, even though they said they were open. I went home and called and they couldn't get her in until the first week of May!

I thought we could wait it out, but then it started to spread. And four days ago, it started oozing pus and stink. We're talking MAJOR stink!!! I'm sorry if Jenna reads this someday and gets offended, but it seriously smells like an animal crawled into her scalp and died and has been rotting in the hot sun for a few days. It's one of the nastiest smells I've ever smelled. I tried calling the dermatologist to see if this was serious enough to get her in sooner or what and couldn't get anyone. I called several places, even just to talk to a nurse, and they were all out for a dermatology conference or I got answering machines. No one had anything until mid-to-late May anyway. I finally found someone who had a cancellation for Monday morning (yesterday), so I took it. Jon took the kids camping on Friday night and said that it opened up sometime in the night and there was pus and stink everywhere!!!

I took her in yesterday and the doctor looked at her and was pretty sure it was tinea capitis, but he had another doctor come in and do another thorough check to be sure. They had something called a Wood's Lamp (basically a black light) and when they put in on her sore, it glowed green, which means it is a fungus. Basically, it's a moldy fungus (a type of scalp ringworm) that can easily be spread through an infected comb/brush and you're more susceptible to it if you have an injured scalp or have had a bout of prolonged sweating. So, if she had a little cut on her head, this jumped in and took over. It is possible to get it from sharing a towel, hat, or pillowcase, but the most common way to spread is the comb/brush. I'm supposed to use a medicated shampoo on her for awhile and then she has to take an oral medication for 6-8 weeks. It's pretty hard to kill off. But...they told me to send her to preschool and let her live a normal life. I had to go in and talk to her preschool teacher today and I HATE being "that mom." We're almost wondering if she somehow got it from preschool because she doesn't play with a lot of kids and none of them have had anything like this. But no known child had anything like this at preschool either. Both doctors (dermatologists) said they haven't seen anything like this for a very long time. There are some very weird things out there.

Railing and Finished Kitchen (Minus the Fridge)

We got our railing done last week. We had our half wall torn out by the stairs and this put in. We also had a shelf and valance put in about the window in the kitchen. Now we just need the fridge and we'll be set...

A Preview of Summer

Last weekend, we got to go South for a dance competition of Kristen's. They did really well! I think the best part was, we got to enjoy some 80+ degree weather for a few days. We came home on Sunday night to SNOW! I guess we got about 8 inches and lost a huge tree limb in the process (really wet and heavy).While there, we went for a walk on a nature trail, swam a lot, and went to a new state for dinner (Mesquite, NV)! The kids hadn't ever been to AZ or NV, but now they have. :)Jarren was more interested in this hole and some big beetles than he was in anything else. We saw a couple of bunnies hopping around, but he missed them because of this hole. :)

On the drive home, we went through Kolob Canyon (Zions) and the boys went for a short hike (the girls stayed in the van because it was FREEZING and we only brought flip flops). You can see the rim of the Grand Canyon from here.We also stopped by a pond for a few hours to try and find a rare duck. It was sure a nice getaway....