Threadworms - how many have them?

[Mumof3darlings]

Dear All,

I feel like I am going mad!

1 week ago I noticed DS (age 4) scratching his bum a couple of times, I immediately thought he might have worms. Checked that night by looking up his bum with a torch and immediately saw a wriggling little blighter which quite honestly made me feel sick to the stomach! My DS is a clean little boy, ie washes his hands after loo, not always before eating though and we have a very clean home but I try not to be too OTT with the kids about not touching mud/sand etc while we are in garden etc as I feel like they have gotta play/get germs etc!!!

So I gave kids and me and DH medicine... Next day checked DS no 2's nappy whilst changing him and noticed a worm in there too!!!! agggrrr!!! This sent me over the edge tbh as I felt like the medication was my only hope!!!

OK so in last week I have checked DSno 2's nappy probably a dozen times and nothing... Also checked up DS1's bum while he sleeps every night and it's clean as a whistle.. I need to give the medication again after 2 weeks but to be sure I gave us all it again yesterday just in case.

I have a doctor who advises both on natural and mainstream medicines and he advised we could all take an aloe vera drink each morning which is preventative.. so we are taking this (which I feel is more for my mind than anything else)..

I have cleaned bedding, hoovered, washed, towels have been washed after every wash - the amount of washing I have done this week is as much as a busy launderette!!! Poor little DS1 is marched home from school and told to wash his hands immediately... I am watching other kids in his class and noticed one of them scratching his bum the other day - I am thinking about this subject 100% of the time - I honestly feel like I have become obsessed with it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had threadworms as a child quite a few times and I have had them as an adult too - immediately treating the problem. It always freaks me out everytime but this time seems worse as I noticed it in both my kids... what am I doing wrong???

I think the worst thing about this is that I feel so alone with it as nobody has EVER told me that their kids have this... Do people just not realise? or is it just that we are unlucky and get it more than others... Today I decided (after 1 week) to tell my DS's teacher. I found it so difficult to do as I am so embarrased and feel so guilty about it. I was hopeful she would tell me that she had seen it a hundred times before - she's been a teacher for about 15 years - but she didn't!!!!!!!!!! She was very nice, very understanding but said she had never known of a child having it before - OMG made me feel like a freak!!!

Help me - please tell me either what I am doing wrong or why it is that people don't discuss this????

Thanks for reading!!

x x

[toomuchpink]

My DD1 had them and my husband got them then too. She sucks her thumb and goes to school nursery so I think this might be why. We got Pripsen from the doctors - the same disgusting pink milkshake we had as kids. Anyway, it solved the problem, with the two doses a couple of weeks apart like you said. I ran around washing all towels and bed linen extra frequently for a few weeks too.
I was amazed by how few people seemed to know about them. I think maybe they just ignore their children scratching their bottoms from time to time!
My mother, a retired infant school head, has this theory that kids are either prone to worms or head lice, but not both! There is no science behind this at all, but I thought it might make you feel better.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

toomuch,

you would be surprised at the amount of people who wont admit to knowing anything about them as they think its only dirty people who get them.

my mother swears to god that if you have nits you also have worms and they go everywhere hand in hand but she is madder than a box of frogs

[manitz]

dd just came down to show us a worm. Has been crying all night - when I looked earlier I couldn't see any worms but saw white stuff in her vagina so thought it was thrush. She came down in tears with a worm on her finger having done a wee and said itwas stingin her bum. I guess she's itched so much that she's scratched herself.
Looking forward to starting the washing.

she always has nits as well. poor sod.

[mathanxiety]

Don't dose them monthly. The medicine is not meant for such frequent use.

When your family has an outbreak you need to give the correct dosage to everyone and repeat a week later. This takes care of the entire life cycle of the worms, including those in the pipeline so to speak.

After the first dose you need to take every single piece of bedding and all towels and clothing your family has worn and wash on hot and then dry in a dryer. You need to take a hoover and do a very thorough hoovering of all carpets, get rid of the hoover bag if it has a bag, thoroughly wash down the cannister if bagless. If you don't have carpets then you need to wetmop all floors. You also need to launder their cuddly toys and damp wash their non cuddly toys, all of them.

You need to give your bathroom the once over of its life. Leave no surface untouched.

Your DCs and in fact you and your DH need to trim your nails quite short and use a nailbrush -- a nailbrush should be part of every day's bedtime routine when it comes to handwashing.

Children should all wash hands and use the nailbrush and lots of soapy water whenever they come in from outside and especially when they come in from school or playground or from public transport. It goes without saying that everyone should wash hands thoroughly after using the loo.

[mathanxiety]

DO NOT take anti worm medication while pregnant or is you think you may be pregnant.

[mathanxiety]

is = if

[mathanxiety]

Oh yes, and keep toothbrushes in a cabinet after you have bought new new for everyone. Want to add also -- use a clean washcloth for every wash. Buy loads of them.

[MrsFruitcake]

We all had the Ovex last week!

DD went to the loo and saw them. 2nd time for us, last was summer 2010.

Did tell the school as DD adamant that they have been told not to bother washing their hands if they use a loo at lunch-time as the dinner ladies just want them out.

Hot washed all bedlinen and towels and cut their fingernails. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of the nasty little gits for a while!

[lastflowerinbloom]

They're easy to get rid of and very common. I don't know what all the fuss is about - there are some seriously nasty worms out there which are a proper threat to health. Microscopic organisms live all over your body - thread worms are just not a big deal. I think shining a torch up your child's bum every night is far worse than having a few worms - think of the psychological damage.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

mathan it is perfectly acceptable to take medication when pregnant if you do so under the guidence of your docter and you have also tried the cleaning method correctly for at least 6 weeks. and your dr is aware you are pregnant and you are past 3 months.

lots of dr's will perscribe it if there are some of the less usual side effects of thread worms also happening.

is is also recamended that the dose is repeated after 2 weeks not 1.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

when treating under 2's its important to use the powder ones as the dose is different.

off the top of my head (but do check the packet)

for a 3month-1 yo its 2.5 level spoon of the powder mixed in with milk/water
1 yo-6yo its a 5ml teaspoon mixed in with milk/water.

its also quite important with young children to not do more than the 2 treatments in a 28 day rolling period so no monthly worming, repeated doses can cause nasty reactions. im also pretty sure that people with epilepsy are more likly to have a negative reaction to it.

[DoubleDoubleTwigletTrouble]

lastflower, "all the fuss" is because it's horrible to see your children in pain and losing sleep for a few nights in a row. You're very lucky if you've never been through that.

[booboomonster]

As someone who has had worms for over 6 weeks now (if not read upthread, I am 11 weeks pregnant so can't take medication as advised by GP) and I can attest that in my experience they are not really that noticeable. I am avidly looking for them and have found none in my stools (sorry TMI!) but every so often I find one as I wipe, not always at night, and I have to use a wet wipe for them to come away (have bought a stack of flushable wet wipes). They don't even itch or hurt - more just a tickly sensation as someone else said upthread. I am sure that people just do not notice them, or maybe it's those with less sensitive bottoms (!). I have been following all the cleaning advice and wear a mask changing sheets in case of inhalation. Am really hoping mine are on the way out as they are unpleasant, even if relatively harmless. But of course, easy to get rid of if you can take the medication!

[booboomonster]

Also I'm no doctor, but aren't repeat dosages of medication going to lead to the worms becoming immune? (as happened with headlice) Or does it not work like that? I would be worried about repeat dosing unless on advice of a doctor.

[MummyPigsFatTummy]

Oh God - threadworms. The bane of my childhood. I remember the vile milkshake stuff we had to drink whenever we had a dose (Pripsen I think?). You could mix it with water or milk. For years my Mum mixed it with water and it was the most stomach-churning stuff I ever came across. I used to cry every time she brought it in. My brother wouldn't drink it or would bring it back up. The last time Mum gave it to us she mixed it with milk and it was actually quite pleasant (relatively speaking). All those years of unnecessary drama. Still if I get the smell anywhere it brings the horror all back.

Thank God for Ovex!

OP, I don't envy you - it is unpleasant - DD is 2 and so far we haven't had to deal with worms, although I am sure it will happen soon as she is in nursery.

However, don't get upset about it. Most children get them and they are just an unpleasant but inevitable part of growing up. All the cleaning you are doing will help but I think putting the children in pants under their pyjamas and washing their underwear in a hot wash might save you having to do quite so much laundry in the future.

And I am with those posters who say not to medicate between outbreaks - I am pretty sure worms did become immune to some of the medicine which used to be on the market and you really don't want that happening.

[manitz]

can I just say that 'flushable wipes' are not necessarily flushable. apparently the wipe industry and the sewerage people disagree on how they are defined, it is easier for the wipe industry to call them flushable but I remember listening to a radio program where they followed a sewage worker into a sewer and the wipes had mingled with more organic matter and created a sort of paper mache effect ultimately causing massive blockages in our victorian sewer system. They are really annoyed at what is allowed to be called flushable. RAdio 4 prob have a transcript. I'd been flushing them for ages until I heard that. only toilet paper shoudl be flushed evryhting else in the bin or our water prices will continue going up.

sorry to hijack. Just taken a moment off from bloody laundry. All had ovex this morning. Got to find some powder for 1 year old ds2. Brilliant.

[kateecass]

I would have said we'd never had them but now thinking about it perhaps we have!!

DS before gong to bed has complained of itchy bottom at night and got me to put sudocream on and has also complained of hurty bottom on way to school (not sure if this happened at same time as itchy bottom).

Also more scary is a while back DD woke up in late evening grabbing her groin in pain. It happened a few times. No one I know had any explanation and I put it down to growing pains. Now I'm thinking this is what someone else described up thread. Camt bring myself to describe it properly!!

I did look at DSs bottom but didnt see anything and never seen any in their poo.

DH is working until 10 tonight and when he gets back is going to have a look. He is a Dr so really I'd have thought he'd know something about this!!

Could the kids still have them? Do they go away by themselves? We haven't had any symptoms.

And we have never had a note about anybody at school or nursery about anyone having threadworms despite DS being Yr2.

We have just had nits and my friends were quite amazed I actually told them. I guess we are a bit more open as we have a medic in the family. Could really do without anymore visitors though!! Just spent at least £50 on nit related products!!

[lastflowerinbloom]

DoubleDouble - I was trying to put having thread worms into perspective. I've got 3 dc and they've all had worms at various times and I know they can keep children awake at night etc. etc. I think its useful for parents to be informed about worms and not to feel embarrassed and freak out at the thought of them- they're not a big deal. Also, I'm surprised that any teacher would be unaware of thread worms - surely they must be an occupational hazard?

[IneedAsockamnesty]

last i agree with that last post compleatly.

you would be surprised how many people wont tell a soul they or there kids have them due to shame ect if more people had the same attitude as you it would be easyer to reduce infestations.

katee they can go away without drug treatment but only if you halt the spread of eggs do the cleaning method and probally chop your childrens hands off (that bits a joke) it will take an apsolute minimum of 6 weeks from start of trying but will probally take longer.

[DoubleDoubleTwigletTrouble]

katee, my DD reacts exactly like yours when she has them. I've never seen them on her or in her poo but I'm fairly convinced it's worms as it only ever happens at night and a day or two after Ovex it goes away.

[MummifiedBonkeyMollocks]

Another one here who had the fuckers when pg.

Found them at 15wks and they stuck around until 24 wks. I was too to go to the midwife so phoned nhs who told me there was nothing i could do bar cleaning. After that I didn't think there was any point in going t o the docs. I cleaned like a mother fucker!

If I went to the loo they were in my knicks, fucking fucking horrendously loads of the fuckers! I could literately wipe my arse and get hundreds :( I ahd visions of giving birth and the midwife screaming because of what was on my arse...

We have had them once since ds (4) was born , we all took some medicine from the doc that gave us all the shits but sorted it out, and ds had a slight scratchy bum a few months ago so I dosed us all as a precaution.

I wouldn't be happy doing it regularly though because it is effectively poison.

[MummifiedBonkeyMollocks]

I'm a bit that there are teachers/nurseries out there that have never heard of worms. Everyone gets them at some point, more than likely more than once.

[stoo]

My DD has had them a number of times and it is sooooo gross. We all took the meds and cleaned the house incl bedding, towels, SOFT TOYS. made sure she had pants on under PJ's each night and showered her down each morning. Then took 2nd dose and relaxed. No-one else in the house seemed to get them not even DS. They were gone and stayed gone for months. She has now had them a total of 3 times and most of those we noticed within 2 weeks of the start of school hols. I am convinced it was the lack of cleanliness in the particular school toilets she was using. She's been fine ever since she moved class. No-one else in the house seemed to get them.

Told friends and most of them looked at me as though I was a leper but I know some of them have had them in the family they just won't admit it but I know!. I think people just get really embarrased which seems silly to me coz we all get these things and it doesn't mean you are unclean or scummy it's just nature at it's most gross.

Don't worry about it as I am sure you have killed them all.

You may get them again but next time you know what to do and (although no less gross) it will be much easier to handle although still incredibly annoying.

Oh & stop reading up on the subject it won't do you any good!!!!

[booboomonster]

ooh mummified that sounds awful! Compared to that I feel I must be getting off lightly! Very glad to hear you got rid of them though, and not just in the 6 week period!

[mathanxiety]

Yes Sockreturningpixie, you are right -- the second dose is taken two weeks later, not one week.

And yes, only the powdered formulation for the under 2s.

The safety of Ovex has not been determined for pregnant women so a doctor should be consulted if you get threadworms during pregnancy.

Want to add to other advice, make sure the family takes off underwear and places it gently and immediately in a laundry basket. (No flinging, no waving around, wearing on the head and scaring siblings, or kicking off to the far corner of the room). Preferable to do this in a room with a washable floor when you have an outbreak. Maybe keep the laundry basket in the bathroom and make them all get underssed there? Bathroom floor needs to be hosed down every day.

You absolutely must clean your laundry baskets thoroughly. I recommend plastic laundry baskets over nice looking but hard to clean wicker or fabric hampers. If you have fabric hampers or fabric lined baskets the fabric should be washed same as bedding when the family has an outbreak.

And the bath needs scrubbing frequently.

Manitz -- yes, if you have older plumbing you should only flush bog roll. No tampons or 'flushable' wipes ever.