6 week threadworm nightmare

[Rosieposieposie]

Rosieposieposie
We have had threadworms in our house for
6 f-ing weeks! I'm at my wits end.
Some people say just take the meds and it'll be fine.
I have changed beds/towels/pj/knickers daily for 3-4 days after treatment every time we use it.
I then repeat the treatment 2 weeks later but they have usually come back a day or two before then.
On the day and few days after treatment I clean the whole house top to bottom.
I'm so exhausted doing this on top of all the other jobs needed to be done for a family of 4. My two kids are 4 and 2.
Help!
Has anyone else been in this position? The thought that it only takes one microscopic egg to be ingested and we're in the same boat again is making me feel mad. Why does this keep happening!?

Are they coming from nursery? The re-infection must be coming from outside the home. If one or both children are in nursery you need to tell the manager to send a letter to every parent to advise them to treat, and the nursery needs a deep clean.

Yeah we had this for months and it was school!! Once they deep cleaned and enough children were treated we seem to have got on top of things. But I even ended up with them, absolute Bork

Diatomaceous earth - a spoonful each in a glass of juice
It's not a medication so you can use it continuously

Pumpkin seeds. Grind them and take a tablespoon daily.

Came on here to recommend this. Incorporating pumpkin seeds into our daily diet saw off the school reinfection cycle.

Does this clear them?

What does this do? Kill the worms?

Wow. This is amazing, how?

Sortumn · Today 23:17
Pumpkin seeds. Grind them and take a tablespoon daily.

Amazing! - everyone should know this, wish I did a few years ago when we were plagued

They're the worst. I think I have them but I always feel very itchy even hearing about them. I've told the school so hopefully they sort it. Some people must never get rid of them! To think I'm cleaning this much and still can't is mad.

We've got them at the moment too. Kids 9 and 7, haven't had them since they were toddlers. We all took ovex and we're washing all towels/ pjs etc after one use only, feels like I'm constantly washing.

Took the stuff on Sunday but DD9 couldn't sleep last night for the itching so now I'm worried the stuff hasn't killed them? How long does it take? Aaargh, the thought of them just going round and round is awful.

I was intrigued by the pumpkin seed suggestion but I've just looked that up and the jury is out on whether that is an old wives tale!

It doesn't. DE harms only hard bodied insects by drying out and abrading their shells, but it does not kill intestinal worms.

Diatomaceous earth has not been shown to be effective for human parasites

https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-diatomaceous-earth

I agree with PP who say the nursery is probably the source. Also consider that you may be infected yourself and are reinfecting the children.
Everyone in the family should probably be treated.

Make sure you are keeping their fingernails as short as possible and that they are wearing gloves at night.

sudocreme around the anus and pushed gently inside reduces the night time itching.

Avoid sugar and sweets for as long as you can as they multiply faster when they have that to munch on

I used it when I was pregnant. It was very effective.
I would use the ovex and then shift to pumpkin seed to prevent an infestation taking hold again.

Raw carrot is another thing that's recommended but ime that didn't work.

Apparently it paralyses them so they pass and can't reproduce. When I've used it, it's slower so I'd use ovex initially then keep on with the pumpkin seed to prevent them taking hold again. It can easily be stirred into soup, porridge etc.

It takes a minimum of 6 weeks to get rid of them. Minimum... because it's cycle of the worms life that needs ending and just as you are treating the ones inside of you, there are eggs that are around ect...the eggs go in your hands, hands into mouth, into the body, eggs hatch, worms grow up and breed, female pinworm then crawls out of the anus at night to lay eggs in a slimy itchy goo, people scratch because it is in insanely itchy and the cycle begins again, takes a minimum of 6 weeks to just begin to break the cycle

You do have to treat everyone in the house too.

Go to the Dr's get different treatment? I used to treat my son like a cat and regularly dose him because he always has his fingers in his mouth so he reinfected constantly

I keep a glass jar of pumpkin seeds on the kitchen counter and took any opportunity to add them. For eg adding to a banana milkshake or any kind of smoothie. I would also grind it and add to breakfast porridge. One child eats it no problem, the other I had to disguise it. You can buy pumpkin seed butter, like peanut butter and add that to toast, sneak into cupcake batter, pancake batter etc. As I say, I have one child who will eat the seeds straight up and another who thinks anything that isn't pasta or sugar is potential poison. The problem only occurred during term time, during holidays we were able to get rid of them. As my 2 are older now the issue has gone but I still keep pumpkin seeds around and vacuum vacuum vacuum.

I believe we are in the same boat.
First of all how do you know it’s worms? Do you see them? Is only one family member affected?
In Germany Mebendazole is taken 3 days in a row then treatment repeated in 14 and 28 days. It makes more sense to me. Because if treatment is not 100% effective but lets say 99% taking it a couple of days in a row will ensure this generation of worms is killed.
I don’t believe you could spot reinfection in less than 2 weeks. It usually takes 2-6 weeks for worms to become mature. If that’s indeed worms I believe they are not eliminated by a single dose.

@Ethny Yeah I spotted my daughter had a very red bum. Then saw a worm when I checked her bum 🤢. My boy started being uncomfortable in the night so I guessed he had them. It goes quiet a few days after the medication but then after about 10 days it starts up again. I would totally do the three days of meds but my son shouldn't technically be having the meds as he is under 2, and I'm still breastfeeding. I worry about that. What do you think? Would you just crack on? He's a few months off 2.
Sending solidarity anyway 🫡

Do you see live worms every time? When you say they “reappear” do you see them? Or kids are unsettled?
I can’t give you a medical advice. But if I was confident it’s worms I would treat again. Either a couple of doses in a row or weekly. Personally I took 3 in a row as I kept feeling weirdly (probably piles tbh).
I don’t believe hygiene measures help a lot. You are fighting the enemy you don’t see. You can’t control young kids all the time and stay sane. I’m washing bedding/towels/pants on hot and clean everything more frequently but not every day. Everyone is washing hands and keeps nails short. That’s it. I can’t do more. Our school refused to send the letter.

@Ethny I've only ever seen one worm. It grossed me out so much I don't want to see another! I don't believe my daughter had it again, but I think my younger boy has had it before the last two treatments. He's unsettled at night like he's itchy and he gets a very red, sore looking bum. I think it's irritated by the eggs or something, it looks very raw. Then once treated I use sudocrem at night as I believe it helps ease the itch. He wears nappies and a onesie at night so he can't scratch.
I'm going to ask the doctor about the treatment.
And yes it'll make me go crazy all this cleaning, imagining where the possible eggs have gone. I do as much as I can, which I think is a lot.
That's weird the school won't send a letter! Is it because it's just a fact of school life for them?

I have no idea why the school won’t do it. But I got a letter from them that they don’t believe it’s necessary.
was your little one treated 2 times? If yes it could be a rash/irritation/allergy? He is still in nappies so there is a very high chance you would have seen worms if he had them.

Had the same problem with my twins when they were small. Nothing helped apart we were on holidays in Poland and I pop up to pharmacy and gave them polish medicine for threadworms after this medication we never had them back. I use to drink sauerkraut water when I was small for threadworms that was old fashioned way and always helped.