Is anyone up? Threadworms?! Please help

[Rolypops]

7YO DD has had itchy and sore private parts for about a week, but she has fine motor issues and doesn't always wipe well at school so isn't hugely out of the ordinary. However this morning she had scratched so much she'd taken skin off her public area so I've been cleaning and applying sudocrem all day.

However about two hours ago she woke up really uncomfortable again and I've applied her cream and seen what I can only assume are bloody worms!! I am so upset I didn't realise sooner but none of my DCs have had this and I assumed you only had an itchy bottom.

Going to ring GP first thing in the morning but wtaf do I do? She is autistic so cannot know she has them or she will be hysterical. Also she's saying it hurts to wee and I'm really afraid that this means it's quite a severe case? I'm so out of my depth. What do I tell the school??

Handhold/advice would be VERY appreciated.

Personally…. I wouldn’t bother with the GP or telling school and I would just get the medicine over the counter (can get liquid or chewable tablets) and tell dd it will take the itching away. Look online for all the advice about hot washing bedding, towels etc. the medicine will work in a night or two.
she will be fine during the day
if she’s in a lot of discomfort tomorrow night before the medicine kicks in then Vaseline can relieve the itching a bit

You don't need to see a gp. You can go to the pharmacy and get ovex tablets or liquid. Then everyone in the house takes a dose, then another in 2 weeks. Wash bedding and towels. Try your best to make sure your daughter keeps her hands and privates really clean. Put sudocrem on if she is sore. It will be fine don't worry!

She is still itchy in the day though, and I think the painful wee means she probably should be seen. Getting her to let a Dr take a look at her is a nightmare in itself but I'm worried it's caused some kind of infection

She doesn't need to be seen OP. The meds for worms are available over the counter. It's sore because it's itchy and she's scratching. The area needs to be kept clean, soothed with sudocream or similar (as you're doing) and nails kept short. Bedding, towels all hot washed and not shared.

If she has painful urine ask GP for a sample pot and get a sample. Main priority is to get the worm medication as soon as a pharmacist opens if you can see GP tomorrow then great but don’t wait any longer. Do you not have an out of hours GP service over the weekend? A number you can call? We do here and you are usually dealt with over the phone or ftf over the weekend, we may have to travel to the walk in clinics but Drs and Nurses can prescribe medication. Do you have any walk in clinics? You can just turn up at our walk in clinics however, the wait time is long so it’s better to ring the out of hours GP service. Bepanthen is a better cream to help with itching in that area too. Hopefully your GP will see you this morning and it will be sorted asap.

I agree that getting to the pharmacist and the meds is the most important thing.
Everything can get very sore with worms so I wouldn't stress about that.
Meds, for everyone in the family not just her, high temperature washes for bedding and towels.
It should get better quickly.

If she's scratching then wee will feel painful to her. More sudocrem, paste it on thick then they can't wriggle about and the tablets.

Ohh poor thing.

She won't need seeing by a GP, especially as they only come out at night - eek!

She's made herself sore by scratching. Get medication from GP by all means, but easiest and quickest to get it over the counter.

Treat the entire family, wash all bedding etc. Scrub nails too just in case any eggs are under there from scratching.

If possible get DD to wear pants in bed until sorted, so that she's scratching through material rather than direct.

I think a lot of us have been there!

Vaseline all around also helps remove itching

Thanks all you've helped talk me off the edge as I am properly horrified as she seems to have a bad case. I have no idea how I didn't notice but she hasn't once complained of an itchy bottom only her vagina and she is so sore now. I can't send her to school like this so I'm going to have to tell them. I feel like the worst mum in the world, she's probably had it for a while but with her autism she's so sensitive to any sort of discomfort I just thought it wasn't a big deal until I saw she had hurt herself this morning with the scratching. Cannot stop crying.

We've been slathering sudocrem on all day. Hasn't helped with the itching but the sore patch of skin looks better

Can someone go to an all night pharmacy?
Honestly OP it is so common and no reflection on you at all.

Unfortunately no, we're in the countryside and don't drive. Going to have to wait until the morning and get a bus. My poor baby. I'm so anxious about telling the school, she already has so many issues there with her sen etc, I hate to think of her being seen in a negative way because I was useless and inattentive .

Does anyone know how quickly the medication works? We are all going out of our minds with lack of sleep, and she will be devastated to miss all the fun end of term stuff.

Honestly it's a completely normal common thing for young kids to get. My 2 DC have both had it, each time I've notified the school - they then send an email out to say a child has it, to keep an eye out for symptoms, remind about regularly washing hands etc.
the itching stops very quickly. When DS got it last we got his first dose into him the next day & there was no itching that night.

everyone in the family needs to take the meds.
lots of info on the NHS site on what and how to clean.
in addition to what they (nhs) suggests. through clean of the bathroom, change all toothbrushes.
wash on hot, dry on hot ALL bedding.

You don't need to tell school
She doesn't need to miss school
You don't need gp

Go to chemist first thing and buy ovex for everyone
If they only open after school starts then go into school and pull her out for 5 mins and dose her

Remind her of the importance of hand washing and keeping hands out of mouth

Hot wash her bedding towels and underwear

Check bottom area with a torch at night and manually remove any worms you see

This is normal
It's not a slight on you or your kids
They pick them up all over the place all it takes is one poor hand wash, a hand hold, and a bitten nail for them to pass on,

Threadworms - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Also, after you've treated this episode it's a good idea to get a set of doses in so you have them to hand as soon as you realise a new infection has happened - & it probably will happen again. Saves time in the future.
By the way Boots do they're own version which is cheaper than Ovex.

And dose everyone again in (I think) 2 weeks just to make sure the lifecycle is broken.

I think the ovex kills live worms in a couple days but won't kill any eggs already laid hence the repeat dose

Poor you and her but honestly please don’t fret about feeling like a bad parent - they are so, so common! They tend to be particularly painful for girls because they cause vaginal pain. itch doesn’t really describe it, it is awful. I would try to get the meds ASAP.

I probably do have to tell the school because her attendance has been awful this year through all her sensory issues/autism diagnosis etc it's something like 90%. I just don't want her to be the subject of gossip, I know I'm probably just being paranoid. Most important thing is making sure we get her better so I just have to be grown up about this. I'm just in shock as there are a lot, and I don't know how I didn't bloody notice!

OP don’t beat yourself up about this. You are being so hard on yourself. Life is busy. We don’t always pick up on these things. Worms are very easily caught. I agree with others to go to pharmacy, treat and then see how she goes before going to GP… soreness most likely from scratching at night. They clear up very very quickly with treatment. All my kids have had them repeatedly… it’s not a sign of bad parenting and nobody will judge you!

Still awake after the night from hell. I've had to wipe her a few times to help with the itching and there are new ones there every time. I'm absolutely horrified. Really don't know what to do re gp and school. She finds the gp so distressing bug if it's causing vaginal pain I probably should take her shouldn't I? I don't know why but the idea of telling the school is upsetting me so much. I don't want her labeled or gossiped about but I have to explain her absence. Just a nightmare! Going to admit defeat and start washing things.

Sorry you've had a bad night OP you do what's best for you if you feel she needs GP just give them a ring x