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!

Apparently worms can help you too, in order to aid their own survival.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151027132835.htm&ved=0ahUKEwjJudTZnJTXAhWCExoKHT4bDtYQFggmMAA&usg=AOvVaw0nbsxdOHiGwijFBiEEo1gt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Who would have thought it?

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

If we were grossed out we wouldn’t be able to deal with them and help family members get rid of them. I think humans are supposed to be pragmatic and just deal with things. I think it’s only recently that people have become hysterical and over reactive to these things.

I did wonder if they might help with my diet, but dh told me to stop being ridiculous

That makes sense. I mean i havent heard anyone talk about worms really but i would hate to deal wirh a wormy child. Or pet. That said i wouldnt scream or make a scene. I would dispose of child in a bin bag at the nearest neighbours house in australia.

We are bloody lucky that the worms we worry about are thread worms ffs. There are some horrendous life/threatening bastards out there

Well OP, I suppose I probably wouldn't bother starting a thread about worms and how rank they are. However, I definitely don't think I'd bother starting a thread about how irritated I was by another person/people starting a thread about worms and how rank they are. We're all irritated by different things I guess, but a thread worm coming out of a bottom seems infinitely more irritating than a thread coming up on the Internet.

I think your missing an obvious point here. They are painful and disrupt sleep for everyone involved. People trying to get rid of them are tired and cranky. They are hard to get rid of. So when you are in pain, tired, and nothing you do seems to work it is totally expected to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Took us 2 months to properly get on top of them, long painful difficult months. Hopefully never again.

4 pages in and no one mentions the horror that was Pripsen

I had scabies once. The itching was awful and it was new year, so I had to wait a few days before I saw a doctor. There was something horrifying to me about the idea of all those little burrowing things crawling all over me. I felt dirty, even though that was illogical. I’ve had fleas and all kinds of things which didn’t bother me and I’ve never (knowingly) had worms, but I can sort of sympathise with the horrified reaction, especially if it’s the first time.

Repeated bouts of anything usually takes the fear away.

Yes, but people aren't posting "fucking threadworms, kill the tossers" - it's more like "oh my God, I'm going to have to replace ALL the towels and ALL the sheets and I think my PFB can go too, I'm horrified, I'm beside myself, how can I ever show my face again ... "

For people who haven't seen a threadworm - they are tiny, like a 1cm long bit of white thread, very slightly tapered at either end. So small that literally all you see is the tiny bit of thread. People talking about mouths and eyes (not on this thread but I've seen it on others) aren't talking about threadworms - although they maybe getting confused about undigested beansprouts.

Worms are vile, and the itching is awful. I had them, treated them, thought they were gone. Oh no no no, the nasty feckers worked their way into my appendix (unbeknown to me) and caused me months of agony till it was finally removed. I was horrified when the doctor phoned and said they had examined the removed appendix and it was riddled with them 🤢

That's a new one on me, peachy

Poor you.

Omg peachy! Thats it binbag the children

I've just had to pick maggots out an old ladies bedsore.

Threadworm meah no biggie you have medicine. You take it. You boil wash the laundry. Jobs a good un. Wish all personal problems were as easy.

Urgh yes Blah! Maggots really are grim. I hate the noise they make.

shudder

although they maybe getting confused about undigested beansprouts.

When DD was about 6 or 7 months old, DH came out a public toilet looking ashen and worried after changing her nappy because he thought she had 'black worms.' After I calmed him down and figured out what the fuck he was going on about I had to explain to him that DD had eaten a banana earlier on in the day and what he could see what's the long thread seeds and that it wasn't 'black worms' at all.

The beansprout one is brilliant. I'd love to see his reaction to that

The maggots will clean the bedsore of any infected material I suppose.

A bedsore that bad is a safeguarding issue though. Who is responsible for the poor woman’s care?

Why does an old women have maggots in a bedsore? That really doesn’t sound right.....

On another note, if worms didn’t keep you awake all night with intense itching I wouldn’t find them so grim..

They are no more or less disgusting than any other parasite type thing

If that comment is supposed to provide comfort, ink, trust me - it doesn't.

I must admit that despite my blase approach, I just gave my hands a very thorough wash!

I did wonder if they might help with my diet, but dh told me to stop being ridiculous

I'm pretty sure that swallowing a tapeworm* was considered an effective slimming technique at one time (Victorian era, I think).

*Don't try this at home

I've never noticed my DC suffering with them, but after reading this thread I think I might stock up on Ovex as a precautionary measure!

Didn't women used to take a tablet with tapeworm eggs as a diet? I'm sure I've seen old timey adverts for it.

I am checking her poo at the moment because I'm waiting for a 2p coin to appear.

The care of the pennies, Pinky

Cross-post eyeboo