Threadworms - what’s normal?

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I have ocd and anxiety surrounding this ailment but think they have made their way into our house. I have an almost two year old and a five year old who are symptomless but I have had vagina itching and spotted something in my underwear that looked like a dead worm a few days ago.

I know I need to treat us all with ovex but what else do I do? What’s a reasonable amount of cleaning to do? What have you all done to be rid of them? I know I will struggle mentally to know when to stop so I’m wondering if people can share experiences and/or advice?

very much aware this isn’t a huge deal to most and isn’t a danger to our health but it really does terrify me!

To add- we’re going away tomorrow and I’m supposed to be packing today! Argh!

we also have a sandpit- do I need to quarantine the sandpit? Is that overkill or is that where children often reinfect themselves?

It doesn’t sound like you actually have thread worms though?

yes, totally know what you mean and I have been a bit confused about it all to be honest. I had an appointment with a nurse yday for something else and mentioned what had happened re itching and finding something in my underwear later that day. She said it sounds like I do have them in the house so I feel like I have treat as though we do 🤷🏻‍♀️

No big deal, just choose a day when you’re washing your bedding and towels and give everyone a dose that day. Your 2 year old will keep bringing them home if they’re at a crèche. It comes to an end in time. Really no big deal.

Sandpit is a definite factor

This is a really good fact sheet and covers the hygiene steps to take.

www.nhsborders.scot.nhs.uk/media/197883/threadworms-June-2014.pdf

The first time my daughter had worms I cleaned her room so thoroughly , bleaching whatever I could and washed her bedding and her towels. When it kept coming back , as she was catching it in nursery I realised it wouldn’t make a difference. So now I just wash her bedding and towel and a dose of ovex. Shes older now and still gets it here and there but I’ve told her about not putting her fingers in her mouth and I always make sure to keep her nails short.
in short don’t drive yourself mad because you can’t stop them catching it again from other
places

We’ve had them a few times in this house and they’re a right pain but easy to deal with.

you need to treat the whole family with ovex now and again in 2 weeks as the first dose doesn’t kill any eggs.

I strip all bedding, and wash everything along with all the towels currently in circulation.

quarantine teddies for 2 weeks in a plastic bag

damp dust surfaces around the house to clean any eggs off the surfaces and thoroughly hoover

cut all nails and get a nail brush for getting under the fingernails when washing hands

stop any nail biting!

we had a period where they kept coming back so I had to really go hard on the cleaning and did all of the Above every day for 10 days. It was exhausting but it did the job.

Thanks for your reply. Any tips on stopping nail biting? Mine do it so I expect that’s how we got here. And finger sucking, nose picking. Horrible stuff!

It’s all good for their immune system!

That horrible tasting polish can help stop nail biting.

Yep the nasty tasting polish you can pick some up in boots! Worked for my two.

I dealt with this when my kids were little, and beyond hand washing and keeping fingers out of mouths, there is little you can do - if there are kids at school reinfecting everyone, you're fighting a losing battle.

What I do remember though is that if your kids have them, it's difficult not to notice. They are SO itchy, and, um, little ones just can't stop themselves.

I seem to be catching threadworms regularly and I have seen them on my young children when then were in bed time nappies but now they are out of them I can't see them.

I seem to be the only one complaining in the family of itching.

What I can't figure out is why I keep catching them

It would be your Bum itching though so are you sure? Examine yours and childrens faeces you can see them wriggling.

I believe if you have a vagina they can migrate there 🤮 I haven’t seen any in any ones poop but have read opposing accounts about whether you see them in poo. Some people have said it’s very clear, others said unlikely.

I’m not entirely sure if I’m honest. I thought it might just be a bit of tissue or something but when I tried to pull it apart it wasn’t fibrous like tissue is. It looked like what I believe they look like so I don’t know. I just panicked really.

believe if you have a vagina they can migrate there 🤮 I haven’t seen any in any ones poop but have read opposing accounts about whether you see them in poo. Some people have said it’s very clear, others said unlikely.

I’m not entirely sure if I’m honest. I thought it might just be a bit of tissue or something but when I tried to pull it apart it wasn’t fibrous like tissue is. It looked like what I believe they look like so I don’t know. I just panicked really.

Thank you. I’ll grab some! I don’t want to scare them too much with the truth as I don’t want them to end up living with ocd like me!

This losing battle business is what scares me! did you manage to rid your household of it? I just can’t see how it ends in a house with a many toys and stuff.

It goes away when they’re past the eating everything on the ground and licking other children’s stuff stage. One day you’ll do a final family worming and you’ll find that’s it.
(If you even have them).

Then the nits start