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!

They are vile horrible things. DD got them once and I was totally freaked out and horrified and still am now even though it was years and years ago. Oh the shame of it.

It's super gross

Schadenfraude She's like a bloody piggy bank my child. It's the second time she's done this to me. First time it was a 20p. I'm waiting for the £10 notes now that they're plastic

poster donajimena Oh god yes, that vile red drink. It used to make me gag. My mum had to bribe me with sweets to drink it

Pinky

The tapeworm Diet is an actual 'thing'

I remember watching a programme where two blokes (brothers?) used to deliberately infect themselves with stuff and they both swallowed a tapeworm. After a specific length of time they took a tablet to expel them and then laid them out on the floor to measure who had the longest one

Nail biting thumb sucking and skin nibbling obviously predispose you to worms. Hav8ng a hot head increases your chances of getting nits.

I used to do the whole boil wash, wet dust, freeze the toys th8ng until I realised that it wasn’t helping, it was easier to just take over regularly until they were gone. I also stopped dosing everyone in the fam8ly at the same t8me. All the precautions in the world weren’t helping, so I just dosed the symptomatic person.

Honestly, if you haven't had them, you probably have.

Me and my Mum saw a massive tape worm in our dog's poo when I was a child. We were both massively grossed out and convinced we would all end up infected. Then we realised it was just one of those really wide, flat rubber bands. Bloody dog.

THank you for your kind words OP. Yes it was a long time ago but really it was the tip of the iceberg in a childhood where my very existence was seen as wrong and shameful (although we went to stately homes!). I have had lots of therapy and am pretty well adjusted now but it still means a lot to have someone recognise that things were not great back then.

I have four DC and none of them have ever had worms of any description.

I fail to see how it’s normal and I’m in the completely grossed out camp.

You can’t stop yourself picking them up, Mrs Pink, so if you are in the unlucky group who are susceptible to them then you will get them. Most people do, at some point. Therefore it is normal, albeit unpleasant. Like a cold. Or a stomach bug. My family hardly ever get sick bugs. As adults, never. I don't kid myself that it’s anything except luck.

My doctor advised me years ago and he told all his patients this.

If suffering with worms waiting on the medication to work to place a bit of cotton wool in your bum hole basically which stops them coming out and also itching at night

It worked

I effing hate them but have had them at least five times. 3 DC and I work with children too. I am house-proud and clean my bathrooms daily, by the way!

All it takes is a child with worms to have their hands down their pants or not wash their hands after the toilet, get microscopic eggs on their hands and then touch surfaces/handles/pencils/anything. The eggs stick to the surfaces and live for weeks. Other people then touch them and pick up the eggs on their hands. Clever parasites!

The key is not to put your hands in your mouth after being around kids, until you’ve washed your hands thoroughly. Short fingernails are best. It’s all about the hand hygiene and breaking the cycle!

MINGING! But so common. And often undetectable.

wolfie none of my kids have ever had headlice, or warts, or verrucas. doesn't mean they aren't normal, common things. 2 have never had impetigo or threadwords. the other has had threadworms about 10 times and impetigo twice.

Oh DD has had the lice. Frequently thanks to the untreated kid at school.
DS had impetigo once. Shudder!
I'm obsessive over proper hand washing. Maybe that's what's saved us. So far.
Jinxes it!

I suspect it's one of those things, the first time you get it you freak out entirely, the next and subsequent times it's eh, threadworms, hey ho.

I have never had them but have had nits. First time I freaked out completely, boil washed everything, cancelled a social engagement because CONTAGIOUS PARASITES. Second time, meh, just got the electronic comb and the hedrins out.