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Original poster

How this could even happen?

37 replies

Ethny · 14/11/2024 20:14

Posting here for traffic as I’m panicking.
My 5yo dd got threadworms. I gave her ovex 24 days ago, then 18 days ago and 4 days ago. Today she complained she has an itchy bum after the shower. How is it even possible she still has threadworms? Even if she is reinfected it shouldn’t come back that soon! What do I do now? I’m scared. I have a newborn in a household.

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Original poster
Ethny · 05/03/2025 09:25

Rowan6 · 04/03/2025 21:47

Hello, Just wondering how you are both getting on? Any luck getting rid of them?

Well we treated our family 3 times over the last 5 months. They return every 4-6 weeks. The thing is I can’t spot them. Maybe I’m not trying hard enough. I think they return because my kid starts to be clearly uncomfortable, trying to adjust her underwear all the time and complains about slightly itchy bum before bed. I wait a day or two, the behavior persists, I treat - she is back to normal again. We are definitely cursed.

OP posts:
Rowan6 · 04/03/2025 21:47

Hello, Just wondering how you are both getting on? Any luck getting rid of them?

Rainbow24x · 18/12/2024 17:50

@Ethny how have you been getting on?

Original poster
Ethny · 04/12/2024 08:37

AlertCat · 04/12/2024 07:31

I agree with Msloverlover that some kids are more prone- like with nits. We’re lucky enough not to have had worms but my sister’s kids routinely catch them at school.
As to why medication may not work- with dog fleas and ticks, they get immune to the active ingredient- so Frontline for example is no longer effective where we live. Perhaps you need to try a different type of drug for the worms you have?

There is only one drug against pinworms available in the UK as far as I know

OP posts:
Rainbow24x · 04/12/2024 08:11

Msloverlover · 04/12/2024 07:15

I have been through this cycle many many times. We have a very prone child. I am now convinced that some children are just not symptomatic and some are very very symptomatic.

I have also been through it with a newborn and it is the WORST. Mainly because my daughter will wake up screaming at 10pm when she has them as they migrate to her vagina 🤮.

Things that work - sudocream or Vaseline as a preventative when we know they’re active. Weekly worming for a few weeks. Shallow bath if she wakes in the night. Pants in bed changed every morning. We also use a sachet of movicol now when we worm as if there is any constipation, it won’t work effectively. All this means we can kick an invasion very quickly rather than it setting in for weeks as it has previously.

Things you are told to do but we stopped and haven’t made a bit of difference:
-worming whole family. We do this first time round just to be sure but once we get stuck in a cycle, we don’t as it doesn’t seem to make any difference to it stopping.

  • washing EVERYTHING. Honestly made no difference to stopping a cycle and was very very hard and stressful to manage with a newborn.i just do pants and pyjamas daily during an outbreak and change sheets after each worming.

You will find as you talk to other parents that there are some children who are just more prone to it. It’s nothing you are doing wrong. It is thé worst and you have my sympathies but once you get good at spotting the signs and nipping it in the bud, you can get over it pretty quickly without having to wash all the teddies in the house as I was on the verge of doing!

we share on our class what’s app if anyone’s had to worm and then people can preemptively worm if they want to which I think stops them from really taking hold.

you have my sympathies!

This is helpful! I do suffer from constipation so I wonder if this is why I haven’t been able to shake them

AlertCat · 04/12/2024 07:31

I agree with Msloverlover that some kids are more prone- like with nits. We’re lucky enough not to have had worms but my sister’s kids routinely catch them at school.
As to why medication may not work- with dog fleas and ticks, they get immune to the active ingredient- so Frontline for example is no longer effective where we live. Perhaps you need to try a different type of drug for the worms you have?

Original poster
Ethny · 04/12/2024 07:25

Msloverlover · 04/12/2024 07:15

I have been through this cycle many many times. We have a very prone child. I am now convinced that some children are just not symptomatic and some are very very symptomatic.

I have also been through it with a newborn and it is the WORST. Mainly because my daughter will wake up screaming at 10pm when she has them as they migrate to her vagina 🤮.

Things that work - sudocream or Vaseline as a preventative when we know they’re active. Weekly worming for a few weeks. Shallow bath if she wakes in the night. Pants in bed changed every morning. We also use a sachet of movicol now when we worm as if there is any constipation, it won’t work effectively. All this means we can kick an invasion very quickly rather than it setting in for weeks as it has previously.

Things you are told to do but we stopped and haven’t made a bit of difference:
-worming whole family. We do this first time round just to be sure but once we get stuck in a cycle, we don’t as it doesn’t seem to make any difference to it stopping.

  • washing EVERYTHING. Honestly made no difference to stopping a cycle and was very very hard and stressful to manage with a newborn.i just do pants and pyjamas daily during an outbreak and change sheets after each worming.

You will find as you talk to other parents that there are some children who are just more prone to it. It’s nothing you are doing wrong. It is thé worst and you have my sympathies but once you get good at spotting the signs and nipping it in the bud, you can get over it pretty quickly without having to wash all the teddies in the house as I was on the verge of doing!

we share on our class what’s app if anyone’s had to worm and then people can preemptively worm if they want to which I think stops them from really taking hold.

you have my sympathies!

I really appreciate your message. I’m glad you’ve found your way through it. Did your newborn get it? What did you do? How old were they?

OP posts:
Msloverlover · 04/12/2024 07:15

I have been through this cycle many many times. We have a very prone child. I am now convinced that some children are just not symptomatic and some are very very symptomatic.

I have also been through it with a newborn and it is the WORST. Mainly because my daughter will wake up screaming at 10pm when she has them as they migrate to her vagina 🤮.

Things that work - sudocream or Vaseline as a preventative when we know they’re active. Weekly worming for a few weeks. Shallow bath if she wakes in the night. Pants in bed changed every morning. We also use a sachet of movicol now when we worm as if there is any constipation, it won’t work effectively. All this means we can kick an invasion very quickly rather than it setting in for weeks as it has previously.

Things you are told to do but we stopped and haven’t made a bit of difference:
-worming whole family. We do this first time round just to be sure but once we get stuck in a cycle, we don’t as it doesn’t seem to make any difference to it stopping.

  • washing EVERYTHING. Honestly made no difference to stopping a cycle and was very very hard and stressful to manage with a newborn.i just do pants and pyjamas daily during an outbreak and change sheets after each worming.

You will find as you talk to other parents that there are some children who are just more prone to it. It’s nothing you are doing wrong. It is thé worst and you have my sympathies but once you get good at spotting the signs and nipping it in the bud, you can get over it pretty quickly without having to wash all the teddies in the house as I was on the verge of doing!

we share on our class what’s app if anyone’s had to worm and then people can preemptively worm if they want to which I think stops them from really taking hold.

you have my sympathies!

Fairislesweater · 04/12/2024 06:58

my DD was forever getting worms from nursery through to about Y6 she would have them every so often, I’m sure there was someone in her class not being treated. Luckily ovex worked for us. If it’s not effective for you speak to the pharmacist, but also hot wash everything, insist on handwashing after toilet and before eating, wear pants to bed as others have suggested. I ended up worming the whole family along monthly along with the cat. They are a bit grim but don’t warrant a big panic, just need dealing with.

Original poster
Ethny · 04/12/2024 06:39

PortiasBiscuit · 04/12/2024 06:05

Everyone needs to stop panicking, this is a natural thing and quite fixable, just takes patience.
It’s no reflection on you, or your child or your household.l, you’re not a bad mother or a bad housekeeper. It is a bit yucky, but it happens to almost everyone at some point and people don’t die of threadworms.

I agree with you. I was always quite skeptical about persistent threadworms. How could it happen with effective medicine? But I don’t know what to think after I found 2 threadworms on me 4 days after 6 weeks of bi-weekly ovex. There shouldn’t have been any adult worms inside me at this point. Yet I’ve seen them.

OP posts:
GildedRage · 04/12/2024 06:08

Have you changed out the toothbrushes?

Rainbow24x · 04/12/2024 06:06

PortiasBiscuit · 04/12/2024 06:05

Everyone needs to stop panicking, this is a natural thing and quite fixable, just takes patience.
It’s no reflection on you, or your child or your household.l, you’re not a bad mother or a bad housekeeper. It is a bit yucky, but it happens to almost everyone at some point and people don’t die of threadworms.

Have you also had a very long period of having them?

PortiasBiscuit · 04/12/2024 06:05

Everyone needs to stop panicking, this is a natural thing and quite fixable, just takes patience.
It’s no reflection on you, or your child or your household.l, you’re not a bad mother or a bad housekeeper. It is a bit yucky, but it happens to almost everyone at some point and people don’t die of threadworms.

Rainbow24x · 04/12/2024 05:55

I’m so sorry you’re going through this too! I really don’t have any advice as we are on the same boat. I feel like a such a moan constantly getting on and the rest of the house on handwashing and cleaning. I read somewhere that hoovering can blow the eggs into the air and make them air borne. But then they say to hoover all the time to get rid of eggs. It’s a minefield. Considered getting a mask to wear when hoovering but I feel that’s extreme behaviour and will only have a negative effect on my mind so I’ve not done this

Original poster
Ethny · 01/12/2024 15:46

Tuhlula · 01/12/2024 15:24

Under finger nails need to be scrubbed and thoroughly cleaned too.

Yep, I keep them very short.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ethny · 01/12/2024 15:46

Trickabrick · 01/12/2024 15:19

You haven’t mentioned it in your post but have you washed her soft toys as well as bedding etc? That’s what we were advised to do, good luck!

Yes, we did it all.
It’s not a reinfection as I’m taking ovex each week and 6 weeks later I still see live worms. They are supposed to lay eggs only in mature phase. It takes 4-6 weeks to reach maturity. Weekly ovex should kill worms before they are ready to lay eggs.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ethny · 01/12/2024 15:42

Error404pagenotfound · 01/12/2024 15:12

Speak to a pharmacist.

I’ve just done a search for similar and there are a couple of posters who were prescribed Ovex to take for 5 consecutive days, and it worked for them.

I talked to 2 gps. They have no idea why treatment is not working for us.
I tried take ovex for 3 days 2 weeks ago, maybe it’s worth trying to do it 5 times.

OP posts:
Tuhlula · 01/12/2024 15:24

Under finger nails need to be scrubbed and thoroughly cleaned too.

Trickabrick · 01/12/2024 15:19

You haven’t mentioned it in your post but have you washed her soft toys as well as bedding etc? That’s what we were advised to do, good luck!

Error404pagenotfound · 01/12/2024 15:12

Speak to a pharmacist.

I’ve just done a search for similar and there are a couple of posters who were prescribed Ovex to take for 5 consecutive days, and it worked for them.

Original poster
Ethny · 01/12/2024 11:15

Well it only gets worse. I had multiple doses of ovex. And yesterday I found 2 worms on me again. I’m depressed. I don’t know what to do. Medication clearly isn’t working. It’s not even a reinfection. I just can’t get rid of initial bunch. I had the most recent dose just 6 days ago.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ethny · 24/11/2024 18:28

DD complained about scratchy anus again. At 5 pm. She wasn’t bothered, even didn’t try to scratch it. What is going on? I gave everyone ovex again but how should I know if it’s worms or bad wiping/allergy/irritation?

OP posts:
Original poster
Ethny · 15/11/2024 14:44

GP wants a stool sample. Which contradicts all nhs guidelines. I tried to ask for a tape test but GP refused. Madness

OP posts:
Original poster
Ethny · 15/11/2024 07:44

I didn’t see anything during the night and she was sleeping well. I didn’t apply any ointment. No complaints in the morning too.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ethny · 14/11/2024 21:28

LucyLocketLovesPollyPocket · 14/11/2024 21:16

Because the first dose would have started the starvation of the worms. Day 6 when given again, would have had no effect on any remaining eggs from the original infestation, or of those that had been picked up since. Its null and void. There would have been eggs at varying stages of maturity, hatching at different periods after the effects of the meds had worn off.

3 days for the worms to die is an estimate, depending on how established the infestation is, it can be longer. Personally I would treat the last dose as day 0 and give again after 14 days.

I disagree with your calculations. But you are trying to help, thank you.
I know in Germany they treat 3 days 1 time per day, after 14 days again 3 doses and after 28 days again 3 doses.
Maybe we’ll try it. Got an online appointment with GP tomorrow.

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