Threadworm egg phobia is ruining my life

[embarazzed]

Since I was a child and experienced threadworms once, I've had an absolutely crippling fear of catching them again. I read the NHS page on them a while ago and it said that up to 40% of schoolchildren have them at one time or another.

Ever since I read that I've just been terrified in public and in places with lots of children (eg soft play centres) that it's just crawling with millions of invisible eggs that are going to infect me and my family. I'm even scared to spend time with infants in my own family in case they're carrying them.

I wash my hands insane amounts and now I have a child I'm even more terrified.

Saying that they're not a big deal really won't help me as I've heard that from so many people so many times. I'm so scared of getting them and never being able to get rid of them and then being all over my house. I'm scared of sending my child to nursery where they might pick them up.

I've had CBT recently and am on Prozac already which isn't helping, I feel like I'm just living in constant fear and I feel like a mad person with no other options.

Please help.

That sounds really debilitating and stressful and I’m sorry CBT hasn’t helped. Are you possibly in a position to look into private therapy options - maybe someone focusing on phobias?

Agree you need some specialist therapy for phobias.

You might need to try a different med if Prozac isn't helping.

Also you might want to investigate Exposure response prevention therapy rather than CBT.

What is it about getting them you are afraid of?

I've never had them but DD has..... she is extremely uncomfortable for 2 nights.... none of us get any sleep but as long as we treat her ASAP that is the worst of it.

Yes we then have the annoying cycle of cleaning bedding and towels everyday etc

Sorry, just trying to understand what the fear is of exactly? Is it the thought of the worms in you? Or the possible discomfort? The stigma?

No one here is going to be able to help you - not because you're beyond help, you're absolutely not, but because you need individualized, professional help. I know it's so hard to get this with the current state of mental health funding. If you can afford to fund therapy with someone who specializes in phobias yourself then do it - even if the money's a real stretch it'll be a huge investment in yourself. If you can't then you need to be prepared to make a nuisance of yourself with your GP until you're referred on to the right service, and then you need to make a nuisance of yourself to them. Either way you need to see the person who prescribed you the prozac and make it clear that it isn't working - it needs reviewing. Good luck - you may need to push very hard for it but there is help out there, this isn't something you need to live with.

Not thread worms but I was like this about vomiting. It ruined my life for about 5 years. Every decision, every outing or interaction was based around this debilitating fear.

And now it's not.

And I did it myself.... by facing my fear.

I joined the ambulance service. I'm not scared any more.

I hate phlegm though.

I may be trivialising things here but genuinely it ruined my life for years. There is hope for you x

I read the NHS page on them a while ago and it said that up to 40% of schoolchildren have them at one time or another.

‘At one time or another’ is key here. It’s 40% having them even once during the school years.

If they were that easy to catch, most of us would have them most of the time. And that’s not the case.

The very worst case scenario re threadworms is an itchy bottom and two timed doses of medication. (I call bullshit on the deep cleaning you hear people going on about as it’s simply not achievable at home, never mind in primary schools, and yet most of us remain worm-free for all but a few weeks of our lives, at worst.)

I agree with HardbackWriter, it's a phobia and therefore reassurances from us won't help. This is significantly affecting you and you need further therapy to face it and get better. I would pursue this. Try and stress how many intrusive thoughts you are having and how much it's controlling you.

Phobias are awful to live with.