Anyone dealt with threadworms -need advice!

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My (d)h has just informed me he’s got them after suffering the symptoms for over a week. He’s just picked up the medicine and we’ve both taken some tonight and I’ll give some to the children in the morning. I’ve got just under 5 and he’s about to go away with work for two weeks. I’ve read the nhs website that you should be changing bedsheets (and ironing them?!) daily, vacuuming the house daily and bleaching the bathrooms daily for two weeks because the eggs can live outside the body for 14 days. Has anyone else dealt with threadworms before? Is this the only way to stop reinfection? Doing all of those daily for two weeks (changing 4 beds!) will break me as I have no family nearby so look after the children without a break but I’m feeling worried if I don’t do all that cleaning we’ll never get rid of them! As far as I know only he has them, I’ll check the children in the morning.

My DD has them a few months back. I put all bedding and towels on a hot wash, got tablets for all 4 of us just in case and made sure she only used one specific towel and kept putting it through a hot was every other day.
After that just the usual daily clean round, ultra strict on hand washing and changed bedding weekly as I usually would and (touch wood) no sign of the little wrigglers since!

The biggest thing is making sure the kids (and adults) wash their hand last each time they go to the loo, or go anywhere near their genitals, or underweat. Change underwear every day, and clean sheets on the beds a couple of times a week. Wash on a hot wash or iron the linen. Don’t forget to take another dose of the medicine after two weeks. They are highly contagious buggers... I’d also give the house a thorough going over with bleach etc and bleach the loo a lot. Not sute you need to go to the extremes you’ve mentioned above. They are harmless, but utterly gross.

Thank you cricket. I’m paranoid about them even though I’ve not got them but the idea of changing all the bedsheets and wiping everywhere with bleach whilst the children clamour for attention is making me feel ill!

What I have always done is change sheets, change towels, individual towel rule enforced as much as possible, make the kids wear underpants with their PJ's for a week - easier to do this than change sheets everyday - trim finger nails, thorough hand cleaning! Always seems to clear the little buggers out.

My dd had them.

I hot washed all bedding and towels etc

Then changed her bed every other night - and she only had her own towel.
She was re-infected when she went to stay with her dad, because he didn't do any of the above, but you should be fine.
Main thing is hand washing so I ran around with the hand gel after her ha!

I only did a linen / towel change in the day we treated. Boil wash. Cut nails short. Repeat treatment after 2 weeks. Not had a recurrence. Oh. And bizarrely, lip balm. Because one of mine had chapped lips and kept picking at them which must have contributed to egg transfer.

You need to check the DC at night as that's when they come out. Torch under the duvet.

Agree no need to change beds daily but I would do it now then again in a few days. This is one of the reasons I iron bedlinen. Damp dust esp in bedrooms, be vigilant about hand washing, clean underwear obvs and maybe get DC to wear pants in bed under pjs.

I think you'll be ok without vacuuming and bleaching the bathroom ever day. Seems a bit OTT. Change sheets once, make sure people keep washing hands after the loo and change underwear daily.

Easier to get rid of worms than nits!

Nhs doesn't say to change bedding daily

Oh I feel for you & remember those days.

I washed sheets & towels every day for a week. I got them little ones to help making the bed - I made it into a game.

I gave the tablets to us all for a month I think. I used to do extra tablets every 6 months or so in case.

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/stomach-liver-and-gastrointestinal-tract/threadworms#treatment says wash bedding when first diagnosed/ treated. Doesn't say do it daily. Everything else should be done regularly and not necessarily daily either

They're absolute bastards. I never ironed the bedding but did change pj's, underwear at night, etc, hoover a lot. Also I gave the stair bannister and door handles a wipe down and made sure everyone's nails were short. And definitely give the second dose of pills.

The medicine sorts them out very quickly ime. Treat again after two weeks or whatever is recommended. I just washed sheets and towels on a hot wash, didn't do them again before they were due. Hand washing is really important especially before they eat and encourage them to use a nail brush too, thumb/finger suckers are more likely to get reinfected. Pants under pjs are a good idea.

Sorry, typed before I thought! I meant to ask surely I don’t have to wipe/bleach every surface in the house if only one person has it? It would take me all day and the children wouldn’t have the patience! I’m going to bleach the bathrooms and focus on our bedroom daily I think and I already wash all our clothes every day.

We had the treatment and within.24 hours symptoms had stopped. I repeated the treatment 14 days later to catch any buggers just hatching. No more. Thank goodness.

Fab just seen your posts thank you, you’ve made me feel better I’m not alone! I’m already very tired so the thought of doing all that on my own for the next two weeks was worrying me. I’ll check the children now. We’ve taken ovex suspension liquid but I didn’t read the leaflet properly and took 15ml instead of 5ml so hoping that’s ok?! I’ll make sure we retake in two weeks

dementedpixie this is what I read

Also scrub under their fingernails with a nail brush as if they are scratching the eggs may end up there. Also keep toothbrushes covered/ in a cupboard because the eggs are airborne.

Even if you don't have symptoms you may have them. I am very sensitive to them and it was always me who knew first. DH never had symptoms. We changed sheets on the day if the tablets, clean towels etc an then treat 2 weeks later, and probably 2 weeks after that again. We went through a phase of getting them every 6 months or so. DS was a finger sucker.

That must be an old info sheet as you don't even get pripsen any more as it was discontinued years ago.

It's funny how different nhs sites give different info. We never went crazy with cleaning tbh and just did the doses 2 weeks apart

We have been infected a few times. It gives me the heebies and I get slightly depressed every time. I know that's irrational but it's worse for woman and I've all boys in here. The last time the chemist only gave me one dose said they didn't give out a second dose for the 14 day cycle anymore and we just had too me really strict with the washing! Sure I went to another chemist and got more. I would go for another dose after that aswell just to be o the safe side. I read that once you have them you never get rid of them, which sent me into quite a depressive paranoid state for a few weeks, no idea if it's true. I hope to god it's not.

My dd keeps getting reinfected - I suspect her friend has them. Because she stayed with another friend who then got them.

Anyway, we took the medicine and also I had dd smear Vaseline around her bits and bottom every night. Then wipe clean every morning. This could catch the eggs lain on her plus stop the awful night itching.

I would give them a dose whether they have symptoms or not tbh. Girls can have an itchy or sore vagina too so watch out for that.

Thanks dementedpixie yes it seems a bit scaremongering that info sheet! I got myself in a state last night and felt the same as you Dragon-all boys here too and under the age of 5 so explaining bottom hygiene has just made them giggle! I felt sick last night and itchy all over! My DH went abroad with work to a very poor country so I think he picked them up from there and it’s only him so far but like you say they could spread. I was thinking of throwing out the washing bin and all his pants I got so paranoid last night!!

I did a big deep bleachy clean, then after treating us all, kids all slept in pants under their PJ's then as soon as they went for their first wee of the morning, clothes got put in a carrier bag in the bathroom and taken straight to the machine for a hot wash. Did this every morning, it stops the eggs being dropped into carpets -- not envy.
I also bought each child their own nail brush and they scrubbed under their own nails every time they used the toilet. We binned these post outbreak. Also hoovered every morning.
Touch wood they've never darkened our door again.