To wish people would stop freaking out at threadworms?

[Inkandbone]

Sorry if I sound a bit brusque but I've clicked on at least three screamy threads about threadworms, oh god, oh no, how awful, how disgusting, I must burn the contents of my house followed by my own children.

And thousands more in search engines.

Here is the thing. They are totally, entirely, absolutely NORMAL. They are no more or less disgusting than any other parasite type thing - nuts or whatever- very common in children and very easy to treat.

They can be very painful for children around their bottoms because their skin is soft and sensitive. This is why you should freak out, because your child is in pain, not because 'oh, ewwww.'

All the daft over the top reactions do is perpetuate the problem as people don't talk about it thinking it's some grim, gross, horrifying thing when actually they are perfectly normal, extremely easy to treat and no matter how much you boil wash and encourage hand washing your kids may well get them for the simple reason kids put things in their mouths more than adults.

So seriously lighten the fuck up!

I didn’t know about the nits/worms thing. None of us had ever had nits, but we have had worms a few times.

I agree that I wish people would talk about it more rather than it being some horrible secret you should hide from the world. There are probably tons of kids out there who have them but the parents don't even know or are in denial. My kids have had them a few times, my son has never ever complained of an itchy bum, it was only when I noticed the dreaded itch myself and asked him that he admitted to having the itch too. I have also barely ever seen actual worms in his or my poo but we definitely had them as the itching stopped after treatment. The only other way I know for definite that we have them is my dd always seems to get them wriggling into her girly bits (urgh!) and wakes up screaming that her bits are hurting. I actually saw one in her vagina once (super gross).

Babysat a family once and their little girl woke up lots of times exactly like my dd screaming and clutching her bits. When they came home I said you may find she's got worms as that's what my little girl is like with them. She messaged me a few days later saying "no sign of worms". I was very sceptical, just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean you don't have them.

I disagree that they are easy to get rid of. The pills are easy enough but the hygiene recommendations are insane. Wash all bedding, clean all surfaces, including toys, hoover all floors, scrub the bathroom etc? With a family of 5 that is like a major spring clean which I don't have time to do. And it feels like, if you don't do all that in one day, the day you take the tablet, they are almost certainly picking up eggs again in the meantime anyway so you may as well not bother. We have approximately a million toys, there is no way I'm ever going to be able to wipe or wash them all.

Look ink if your into worms coming out of bums and find it quaint , interesting whatever then great but most people feel naturally repulsed by the thought of parasites wriggling in and out of their bottoms .

pinky

Will you give it to someone you don't like !?

housework id believe that as my siblings and I had nots several times but never worms.

That's really not normal though is it? I've never had worms. My children have never had them either. Where do you even get them from?

So feel repulsed, by all means. I am repulsed by many things. But that doesn't mean I feel the need to come over all faint and write about three paragraphs justifying myself before explaining one of my kids had a perfectly normal childhood thing and and and .

All I am saying is that it really isn't a biggie. Just stock up on Ovex and wash a bum!

There's a thought Ink! Although I'm starting to think it may have sneaked out without us noticing as it's been a week

Ringworm now, that is a pest to have, although it isn't a pest but a fungal infection, because the stuff they give you can damage your liver. at least worm treatment doesn't damage the host.

Not nice but easily dealt with. Not a problem

You didn't have them, ttbb, nor did your kids. However many others do.

Some women are not sick when pregnant but being sick in pregnancy is still very normal.

You get them when some little poppet has them and scratches their bum. The eggs get caught under said poppet 's fingernails. She then picks up a toy. Your little darling toddles over and puts the toy in her mouth and swallows the eggs. They then hatch in her bowel. The females then come out onto her bum to lay THEIR eggs - and this is the upsetting bit as it will hurt her- but everything else is, conceded, totally gross and totally normal

Ttbb kids with them scratch, get the eggs under their fingernails and then end up passing them on -- primary school-age kids of course are constantly sticking hands in mouths, biting fingernails....adults can get them the same way but most adults wash their hands a bit more than kids. In schools, just think of the sand and water pits, the toys, the bathrooms....I found poor DD would end up with them any time the nursery got the playdoh out (bleurgh). Worm-free all summer post-nursery, and within a few weeks of starting Reception (loads of playdoh) DD was squirming again!

Some people seem to be more susceptible than others. I had them often as a child and was too embarrassed to tell anyone and suffered hugely as a result. I can remember desperately wiping my anus with neat dettol in a desperate attempt to stop the itching. My brother and sisters never got them as far as I know.

I have had them a couple of times as an adult but by then I had discovered Ovex and so they were easily dealt with. I dosed up DH and DCs too as recommended and they were all most puzzled as they have never suffered from them.

Nits are less uncomfortable but much harder to shift.

I think loads of people have worms without realising. My grandma used to say people get itchy bottoms when they eat too may sweets, but now I know its probable worms.

Thinking about it - the sugar thing makes sense. The medicine works by inhibiting their ability to take in sugar - hence dying - so sugar must be the primary source of energy - so eating lots of sugar = lots or wriggly worms trying to lay eggs???

I think I;ve just slightly grossed myself out now...

I never had worms. Had to be treated for them because of my dad when I was younger 🤢

I have never had them but i had severe ocd as a child and scrubbed my hands and under my nails religiously. I assumed worms come.from the eggs going under fingernails and kids putting them in their mouths.

I've never heard about it up until this moment 😂 I'm 29

I think the general population are very much removed from the everyday functioning of the natural world these days. Our ancestors will have been very affected by various parasites just as people in developing countries are today.

Go onto YouTube and look for ‘mango worms in humans’ and really be shocked. The hysteria over threadworms, nits and bacteria on the kitchen floor is a bit annoying in light of what could be living in us.

DS has never had them. Yet. As far as I know. I have, however, had them as a child, and also have had scabies and bed bugs as an adult. Never nits, though.

DS specialises in Victorian sounding illnesses. The latest being Scarlet Fever, which was interesting. I had whooping cough in my early twenties and it lasted for ages.

All this, and I'm actually a relatively clean person. Just picked things up at work (when working with children) and public transport, and bed bugs came from next door (now THEY are a nightmare to get rid of- truly... I'd rather have worms a thousand times over).

Ahhhh ok yeh take the thread off haha..... dope

That's really not normal though is it? I've never had worms

Well if you read the thread you'll know that
a) 40% of kids have them at anyone time
b) A lot of adults have them but have no symptoms, so you wouldn't have a clue
c) Even your eyelashes and eyebrows have teeny mites living on them- all the time
d) We are constantly covered in bacteria, which is just a microscopic parasite really

Yeah I agree with you op.

It's really weird and massively unhelpful to not talk about stuff like this.

I suspect, like nits, it's seen as something only "dirty" people get, who don't wash or launder enough, and that "naice" clean families don't get them.
Despite all medical evidence to the contrary, it's still seen as something gross and dirty, rather than a natural part of life like mosquitos, gnats etc.

People need to get a grip.
In Africa the parasites blind or kill you.
We should be bloody grateful that the worst we'll ever get is a flea bite or some (relatively) harmless worms.

God yes. I think they say that around 40% of children have them at any one time so it's hugely common.

When people get all stressy about it I just think they're a bit precious and ridiculous. We all defecate every day. They need to get over themselves. Shit happens. ;)

Surly its normal to be disgusted by parasites in our bodies though? Like from an evolutionary perspective we should be grossed out.

See I know it was probably a while ago Lii (apologies if you're a really young mum and your wormy experience was only a few years ago) but this is what I don't like about the stupidly hysterical reactions to them. I'm not saying people can't say/think "ugh!" but by encouraging people to harbour such a sense of shame it's counter productive. I hate to thinking a little girl being in agony and feeling she can't tell people because it's just so disgusting

Actually, a lot of people have them without realising, because they don't get any symptoms. If you have kids, apparently it's not a bad idea to get everyone "de-wormed" every so often, just in case....