Beyond mortified, please help! TMI

[Beyondmort]

I'm so so embarrassed about this and have obviously name changed.

I seem to have the world's most persistent case of threadworms and I don't know what else to try. I can't bring myself to see the Gp - I'm in my 50's and feel so ashamed :(. I've followed all online advice and have taken 6 ovex tablets over the course of the last 3 or 4 months - which is how long I've had them for.

I shower twice daily. I change my underwear twice daily. I wash towels/bedding/nightwear at least twice a week. I wash my hand thoroughly after using the toilet. I wipe the toilet and flush button after each use. I don't share towels. I'm the only person who uses my en suite.

I have no idea where I can have picked them up from. My youngest dc is 15, I don't work with children and I've no partner.

Please can anyone suggest anything other than the Gp? Could it be something other than threadworm? It's getting me seriously down :(. Very grateful for any suggestions.

They don't look at your sodden anus and there is something the doctor can do. For God's sake.

I had them a long time ago, late teens, quite bad, went to the doctor, he took a urine sample, and gave me medication. The embarrassing part was at the pharmacy when the pharmacist said " who are these for, you? It's a very strong dose". I wanted to die.

I then went back and the doctor checked another sample to confirm I was clear. I took the tablets for a few days, it sorted the problem.

So yes, go, but don't listen to some of the nonsense being posted on here. No one looks at your bum and there is something they can do.

You don't actually need to go to the doctor's, a pharmacist can advise on the medication and everyone in the family must be treated. My oldest had brought them home several times because he bites his nails, now the youngest does too!
It's nearly impossible to see them in the toilet, I have to get the kids to do it in a potty to make sure it's definitely thread worm.

Urgh. Is that the raspberry stuff?
I remember standing over the bathroom sink gagging with my mum reminding me that if I vommed, I would have to have another.

Sorry that was a response to moose

Where do you keep your toothbrush?

A lot of people keep them by a sink next to the toilet. Not a good idea!

I used to get them in my teens regularly. I finally got rid when I lived in France. Their treatments were followed up by another treatment a month later (to kill the ones hatched from eggs). No uk treatment ever did that (although it was decades ago, things may have changed).

OP, I'd have to trawl through my archives. I thought, though, that it was a way to treat children while they were asleep. So it might work for adults, too?? Unfortunately the rest of my article is on XH's computer so I can't access it. Otherwise I'd send it to you...

You already have good hygiene ( changing underwear etc). I agree with all of the advice offered ( short nails etc) and would also add

• close the toilet lid before you flush. Drill the family into doing the same

Use the banana flavoured liquid medicine on the whole family and remember to repeat.

Do they still make Pripsen?

That stuff made me insta-projectile-vomit. Absolute filth.

Oh I shudder at the horrific memories of pripson, that foul evil liquid! My Dad had to hold me down whilst my Mum forced it down my throat, I projectile vomited it straight back up at them! Then they would hold me down and hold my mouth shut so I couldn’t spit it out. I hated them for it (they are generally lovely people too, but desperation drove them to it). I remember the sheer relief when ovex came onto the market!

My kids had it so often when they were in nursery, that we would worm them every month like the dog! Bloody sandpits are a nightmare for it, as is play doh, actually if your kids are into slime then they may have caught it there!

I recommend to wash all bedding in hot washes, wear underwear and preferably something to avoid you itching at night (a cotton all in one/ onesie would be ideal). Wash and shower first thing in the morning. Another thing you can do is smother the skin around the anus with Vaseline, this stops them from being able to lay eggs. Nail brushes and hand wash at every sink and dusting everything with a damp cloth, help too!

Oh god, Pripsen was the absolute worst. My mother still threatens me with it (as a joke), 40-something years since my last dose.

In our house, we refer to it as The Dreaded Bumworm.

Horrid little critters. No doubt coming from your teenage critters. Hate to think how many worm eggs could be on door handles and cubicle locks in the average school loo.

Hope you get it sorted soon - be sure to tell your teens to wash their hands because if they bring it home again, you’ll start charging them for bed and board for their uninvited ‘guests’.

🤢 I have memories of holding down and projectile vomiting that medicine too. Hideous.

By the grace of God we’ve not had it in the house since the DC but seriously OP don’t be embarrassed, you can and will sort this and please see the GP.

I still can’t eat raspberry/chocolate as a combination because of ‘botty medicine’ AKA fucking pripsen.

Oh my goodness OP - this is so common. Please please don't suffer in silence. Previous posters are absolutely correct, if no one on here is batting an eyelid (and lets face it, there are numerous threads where posters literally don't hold back) then take heart and know that your GP won't either. He/she will be relieved that it's only threadworms. They have far far worse to deal with. Take a breath, call them tomorrow and just go. You'll be so glad you did. Let us know how you get on. Take care.

But seriously, don't waste the doctor's time. S/he'll just tell you what we have. Family pack of Ovex and good hand hygiene. There's nothing else they can do

It's not wasting the doctor's time. There might be something else the OP should/shouldn't be doing. Every time I've seen the pharmacist they've told me to see my GP.

I remember discovering I had threadworms as a teenager, I completely freaked out and ran to tell my mum. I was horrified at the thought of them being alive. Credit to my mum she now tells me that my unnecessary hysterics were pretty funny but she held it together. Drove us to the late night pharmacy and bought a family pack, my little sister had to take them but mum didn't tell her why. So I agree treat everyone! But go and see the GP they've seen a lot worse than that.

Literally just found tnem on my DD tonight after seeing she’d scratched herself raw.

She was so so grumpy tonight. Is this normally the case with worms?

Unwashed fruit & veg can be a cause, especially those disgusting bags of salad leaves that are supposedly washed and often contain lots of tiny dead flies, and the odd snail among other things (including threadworm).

Eating out can be a problem if you like salad, or anything uncooked, or touched by human (unwashed) hands. Never knowing what is going on in the kitchen always makes me wonder. Being served by a waitress who used her sleeves instead of a clean cloth for serving hot plates also put me off a bit too.

Pripsen! I'd forgotten that word. Even the word brings back that rank powdery taste to the back of my throat and my stomach turn.

AngryTears

Yes they are very irritating so that's probably why she was grumpy.

It's not wasting the doctor's time. There might be something else the OP should/shouldn't be doing.

It is wasting the Doctor's time if Op hasn't treated the whole household first as it says to do on the instructions for the worming meds. This is obviously the reason she can't get rid of them.