AIBU to give up and let the bum worms win?

[BumWormFatigue]

Seven blissful weeks ago, I'd never heard of pinworms / threadworms. Then our toddler was beside himself trying to itch his bum one night, and after researching and looking in everyone's poo, I confirmed pinworms in all four of us 🤢.

Bought Ovex and dosed the household. Cut nails, boil washed everything, thorough showers and fresh towels every morning for everyone. Shampooed the carpet, bought new pillows for the children etc etc. We all take our shoes off and wash hands when coming home anyway, but also bought a nail brush for added thoroughness.

10 days later, toddler up again trying to scratch. GP recommends early 2nd dose, which we all have. Same again two weeks later. We still all have pinworms.

I am sick of laundry and getting up early to shower two furious small children before nursery. The cure is beginning to feel worse than the disease, seeing as three of us are asymptomatic, and the toddler is only bothered periodically. A bit of piriton and sudocrem on his bumhole seems to sort it on nights he is bad. Also, I've spent an absolute fortune on Ovex, which is money we don't have.

So AIBU to just ignore the problem? Or should I carry on all the extra cleaning / getting up early / Ovex indefinitely?

Any miracle cures for the little buggars appreciated too, if anyone has one.

@coldcallerbaiter Good advice, I will try the "chocolate squares", thanks.

I already am!! My hands literally have splits and bits where the skin has worn through, from so much washing!

Do you have a reference for this please? I had a look online, and could only find roundworms / hook worms that could be coughed out?

But if it is possible with pinworms, it would be really useful to know, as my eldest also suffers badly with asthma. We've had two trips to a&e since Christmas, but they always put it down to "viral wheeze"...

It's been a shit 2025 so far 😂

Be careful because there's a lot of rubbish on the internet about worms/parasites hoping to hook you into a very very weird world which starts with garlic supplements and ends with bleach enemas and conspiracy theories about autism.

I think some of the stuff about how difficult they are to get rid of and these very obscure transmission routes are from there.

You can definitely get rid of them just by breaking the bum to hand to mouth cycle - it's just difficult to do that perfectly with young children. But even breaking it imperfectly should at least reduce their number so over time they will die off again.

Yes - some of the websites which recommended garlic, also said homeopathy might work 😕

I imagine a bleach enema would do the trick though 😶

Have emailed nursery today, so will see what they come back with...

And burn your colon into oblivion…eek!?!😳

Touch and airborne are the two methods of transmission. Sources 20 years in health service and 42 years of mothering four. Look up the life cycle of worms.

Car seat covers and the inside of the car need to be done. Perhaps those got forgotten?

Round worms coughed out and reswallowed-ascariasis.
pin worms, thread worms hand to bottom transmission.

Yes, I imagine it'd take your mind off the worms at least!

No it’s round worms and hook worms spread and reinfected by coughing. It’s also a really good indicator of what’s going on. I was horrified when I realised they were in your lungs…eek! You cough them up and re swallow them yuk! I think that’s worse than bum worms…check out ascariasis. Or round or hook worms life cycle.

I would just make sure medicine ok for him and compatible with his meds.

I’m sorry you’ve had a rough ride, I’m asthmatic too so I do understand. Hopefully things will look up from here. I’m thinking about you, try to rest tonight. You know if you’ve found worm just can’t stop coughing.

You have to find the source. We had worms continually as kids. So many childhood memories of being dosed up. Even a slight itch in the bum region fills me with horror.

It was suspected to stem from a sandpit in a play park, but never really bottomed out.

It’ll be the nursery, they touch everything don’t they. No point hand washing if they don’t clean the toys, aprons, surfaces and handles, both for the staff and children.