Threadworms - how many have them?

[Mumof3darlings]

Dear All,

I feel like I am going mad!

1 week ago I noticed DS (age 4) scratching his bum a couple of times, I immediately thought he might have worms. Checked that night by looking up his bum with a torch and immediately saw a wriggling little blighter which quite honestly made me feel sick to the stomach! My DS is a clean little boy, ie washes his hands after loo, not always before eating though and we have a very clean home but I try not to be too OTT with the kids about not touching mud/sand etc while we are in garden etc as I feel like they have gotta play/get germs etc!!!

So I gave kids and me and DH medicine... Next day checked DS no 2's nappy whilst changing him and noticed a worm in there too!!!! agggrrr!!! This sent me over the edge tbh as I felt like the medication was my only hope!!!

OK so in last week I have checked DSno 2's nappy probably a dozen times and nothing... Also checked up DS1's bum while he sleeps every night and it's clean as a whistle.. I need to give the medication again after 2 weeks but to be sure I gave us all it again yesterday just in case.

I have a doctor who advises both on natural and mainstream medicines and he advised we could all take an aloe vera drink each morning which is preventative.. so we are taking this (which I feel is more for my mind than anything else)..

I have cleaned bedding, hoovered, washed, towels have been washed after every wash - the amount of washing I have done this week is as much as a busy launderette!!! Poor little DS1 is marched home from school and told to wash his hands immediately... I am watching other kids in his class and noticed one of them scratching his bum the other day - I am thinking about this subject 100% of the time - I honestly feel like I have become obsessed with it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had threadworms as a child quite a few times and I have had them as an adult too - immediately treating the problem. It always freaks me out everytime but this time seems worse as I noticed it in both my kids... what am I doing wrong???

I think the worst thing about this is that I feel so alone with it as nobody has EVER told me that their kids have this... Do people just not realise? or is it just that we are unlucky and get it more than others... Today I decided (after 1 week) to tell my DS's teacher. I found it so difficult to do as I am so embarrased and feel so guilty about it. I was hopeful she would tell me that she had seen it a hundred times before - she's been a teacher for about 15 years - but she didn't!!!!!!!!!! She was very nice, very understanding but said she had never known of a child having it before - OMG made me feel like a freak!!!

Help me - please tell me either what I am doing wrong or why it is that people don't discuss this????

Thanks for reading!!

x x

[WowOoo]

I think people don't admit to it.
Nobody did when I told ds' teacher.

Then, on a night out when some parents were tipsy they all admitted that their children had had it.

Hope they go away. I hated it so much. Mind you, it was good to have such a clean house.

[Mumof3darlings]

Thank you !!!! I guess maybe I am not the only one who feel so embarrased about it which is why other's don't admit to it.. I am honestly thinking this must be the case as surely it just doesn't stack up!!! Either that or some don't even realise their kids ever have it - I noticed immediately that DS was scratching and so investigated but maybe some parents don't do that??

[mudipig]

No it's just that people don't talk about it. Mine's had it twice. It can be passed from one dc to another so I think it's more a case of catching it, rather than poor hygiene.

[Fairylea]

We have had them and believe me we are a super clean lot !! To the point my mother thinks I have housework ocd !

The one thing I've found really helped to get rid of them (as well as Ovex obviously) is washing all bedding and pjs at 70 degrees to kill all the eggs off.. and I do this even now as a precaution. I also make sure the dc have clean pjs every single day.
It is very very common.

[Dededum]

Mine have had threadworms as have I.

[KennethParcell]

I remember my mum forcing my brothers and me to drink something strange, and she drank it too. and i had had an itchy bum and was wondering if I should pluck up the courage to tell her. then it sort of resolved itself. i think we all had worms now looking back on it! i think my mum had them too!

[ContinentalKat]

We haven't had them yet?, but have had letters from school once before summer hols and once after saying "there is a case of threadworms in your child's class". Seems pretty common. Ever since the first letter I am super strict about handwashing before eating!

[BeehavingBaby]

DDs have had it once for sure and one suspected episode. It is the biggest PITA and no, I didn't tell anyone I didn't have to . Had to maintain the laundry, freezing and damp dusting regime for weeks either side of DD3's birth as neither she or I could take the meds. I've never caught it but DH gets the paranoia and it constantly convinced he has! I

[blondefriend]

My son has had it but luckily it didn't spread to the rest of us. However my butt is now itching - paranoia starting up. ;)

[0liverb0liverbuttface]

Is it common? Do you check your children's bums in the night? My dd would freak if she woke to find me shining a torch up her bum!

How do you check your own bum??

[Mumof3darlings]

Apperently it is common.. The only way I ever discovered I had it in the past was after feeling a worm in my bum as the female comes out (usually at night but for me it was in the evening) and lays eggs around the anus. I literally felt a wriggly worm in my bottom - totally gross (sorry) it is horrendous! Went to loo and fished it out with bit of loo roll - then felt I'll at the thought of it..

My DS is such a heavy sleeper he wouldn't wake to anything so now I am checking his bum every night.. I can't imagine me keeping this up forever.. Also I don't think my state of mind is very healthy at the moment with how I am feeling about this whole thing. I honestly feel like I am developing OCD with cleaning things, my kids and myself! My hands are chapped with the amount of times I am washing them..

Thanks for the support just knowing others have experienced it makes me feel less of a freak!

Thanks for tip on clean pjs every day and washing bedding at 70degs.

I think if DS got this at school then he's gonna get if again and I honestly feel like I can't cope with episodes repeatedly!

I know this all might seem totally dramatic and I do realise that it's a minor problem and it could be something much more serious. So why am I going nuts?

Thanks everyone x

[FunnysInLaJardin]

we have just got over our first bout. DS1 and DH had them. We have never had them before and I felt yuck about it.

[FannyFifer]

Aww love, you need to calm down, no need to keep checking his bum, you've have him the medicine.

I've had them loads, several times as a child, a few times as an adult.

Both my kids and DP had them last month, poor DD had a horrific dose but the meds worked quickly.

I'm a nurse so quite relaxed about it, it's really common, if people were more open about it then it wouldn't be a big deal.

Don't stress, you have dealt with it.

[Mumof3darlings]

Thank u fannyfiter!! This is just what I needed to hear - thank u x x

[crappypatty]

dd had them three times in one year. I treated everybody and cleaned etc etc. Nobody else ever caught them.

However she started to get stomach ache every night, my imagination ran riot . I took her docs who insisted it was colic and not a 10 ft worm growing in her stomach

That was about two years ago and she has been fine since, worm and stomach ache free.

[newlark]

Dd(5)had them in the summer holidays - apparently incredibly common- so the pharmacist in Boots told me when I went to get the tablets - she seemed almost surprised it was our first experience of them. We are all pretty careful with hand washing etc - I suspect it got picked up at a summer camp she did for a week. Dd woke up in the night saying her bottom hurt and dh had a look and saw them and called me in - rather grossed out by it really!

[SleeveOfWizard]

We have them too! Chinese laundry here as we speak.

[loler]

We've had them loads of times too.

DS1 has had them 3 times since the summer holidays - he bites his nails so I think he gets it from that. We have tonnes of stop-n-grow as well as over now!

I've been into school every time, they got the school nurse in to give a talk about hand washing but there was no information sent home. I don't think lots of people are aware of the signs, even the school secretary said she was going to go home and dose up her son who had an itchy bum.

They are completely gross and I am tempted to dose the kids monthly like I do the dog (non-transferrable wigglers by the way).

[Mumof3darlings]

It's interesting you say about this dosing them monthly I was thinking of doing the same. I'm not one for giving any of us medication regularly but with these I make an exception!

Does anyone know if you/the worms would become immune to the meda though?

Thanks for replies it's making me feel much better. It's a pity people don't talk about it more openly because I think it would be so much better, however I am reluctant to be the first to confess at the next play date!!!

I am taking the following measures - what else should I do?

Washing towels after every use 70degs, bedding was washed after first sighting and then again after 7 days (70degs) I think it would be better to do everyday but can't manage the washing! Everything else hoovered cleaned but not every day! Hands - mine are chapped from cleaning.. DCs wear nappies and pants at night and are bathed as soon as they get up now (poor things can't even eat their breakfast) or have a cuddle! Hands washes after toilet (always were) and ALWAYS before eating (I was not as strict on this if they had just been playing in house or in park if we just grabbed a snack!..

I know ideally the bedding should be washed every day but I am struggling with the washing as it is with all the towels, clothes they go through anyway.. I have almost stopped ironing stuff this week, devoting my time to the extra washing cleaning - kids may be more scruffy but at least they have clean intestines!!!

The worst thing (for me) about our infection is that I saw it in 2 of my kids - this confirmed that the eggs WERE loose in our home as they had got them off each other some how!!

Thank you again for all the replies! x

[pumpkinsweetie]

My dc & i have had them once, doctor misdiagnosed eldest with dermatitus when i described her itchy bum to him hence the reason we all caught them considering he gave her cream for that instead of worm treatment!
So off we all went to the pharmacy and i ended up having to buy the treatment grrr nearly £8!
Bloody doctor!

[FannyFifer]

Not necessarily eggs in your house, may have been them both playing in garden or a toy or in someone else's house.

You sound so stressed, you have done everything right, no need to dose every month, it's quite strong medicine so only if you suspect worms again.

Bed sheets will be fine.

[FannyFifer]

The only extra thing I did was damp dust, and got rid of playdoh.
I told DD's playgroup and they ditched their sand and playdoh and did an extra clean of the toys.

I don't get embarrassed easily though, would rather they knew and maybe decrease chance of dd catching again.

[DuchessOfAvon]

We've them a couple of times with both kids.

You are doing a lot of washing! Rather than wash everything every day, I just do all towels and bedding immediately, then make sure they wear clean pants at night. Whip them off first thing in the morning and wash their bottoms to get rid of any eggs. Keep on with that until the second dose after two weeks then you can calm down.

Change towels and sheets and PJs weekly, keep fingernails short and try to encourage good handwashing routines as much as you can at home.

DD1 is a scant handwasher at school, I am sure of it, and she's the one that gets reinfected. It is very common.

[Mumof3darlings]

Thank you ladies, we don't have any play doh at the moment but good tip as I can imagine this is a bad place where fingers have been used a lot..

I actually am so stressed maybe worstened by reading too much on other sites of people who can't get rid of them and reckon they have been infested for years! I think I have deep down convinced myself this is gonna happen.. Totally irrational I know, I think I have lost the plot. This is not a serious thing and I have experienced so much worse in my life. Right now I feel like this is taking over me and I am not like this normally. I know so many people who found new baby, breast feeding, sleepless nights, tantrums etc etc hard but I took all this in my stride - this feels like the biggest challenge yet!!! Kids have had virus' and infections etc and yet this seems different as I've seen it squirming!!

Fannyfifer I really appreciate you telling me I'm doing everything right and

[Mumof3darlings]

Duchess thank you for your tip on washing so just to confirm you mean you washed towels after first sighting of the worms then after medication given and therefore worms killed you washed weekly towels, bedding and pjs with pants washed every night? My rational for washing towels after every wash is that after a bum wash I might have left some eggs on the skin!!??!!! I need to sort myself out because I feel like I'm developing OCD!!!

Quick question on meds - mine had vermox 20mg (5ml) for 3 consecutive days then after one week I gave them a 1 off 100mg vermox capsule - does this sound similar to the meds u buy in the uk and am I doing it right? I live abroad and bought over the counter this is what it said to to (the medicine for 3 days not the repeat after 1 week - that was me being paranoid)

A final question. On day 2 of the meds (I think it was) DS2 had a live worm in his poo when I changed his nappy - is that normal that the medicine didn't kill them all straight away? It made me think it hadn't worked!!

Thank you again and sorry I keep going over and over this x