Could it be worms?

[Cantdeal5]

I have health anxiety so could be making this up so would be good to have an outside perspective.

Yesterday morning DS said he was uncomfortable as his pants were in his bottom, he wriggled a bit and was fairly happy after that. 2 hours after going to bed last night he woke up and did a little irritated wriggle with a hand to his bottom and said he needed a poo. I instantly panicked about worms but I checked his bottom and poo and couldn't see anything.

As it was nighttime would I have been able to see something if he had worms?

I've also had an itchy bottom since evening and don't know if I'm projecting that onto DS or if it's thinking about him potentially having worms that triggered my symptoms, not sure which came first!

A week ago he played in a sandpit at public park, I read you can sometimes catch them this way? Would we be this quick to get symptoms?

Urgh it's triggered my anxiety especially as I'm BF and have a newborn so getting treated won't be that easy. Help!

As a fellow health anxiety sufferer, let me say I definitely understand. However, something I've learnt through therapy is to try and makes sense of the situation in as much of a logical way as possible. If he did have worms, would that be the end of the world? It's not a life threatening condition - granted it's not pleasant. But it's a simple treatment to resolve it. Keep an eye on him the next few days and try your best to distract yourself. Don't constantly ask DS if he's itching etc as kids feed off of this stuff and he will pick up on your anxious behaviours and may start to develop them himself. Health anxiety truly can be awful and all consuming so I'm definitely not minimising your feelings but it's important to try and get a grip on it now if you don't want your children to also be affected. Sending hugs x

wash bottom before bed, wear pants
take medication if it carries on, ovex

wash hands before eating, cut fingernails.

Torch patrol. They only come out at night, are easily visible then, so you will have your answer. Ovex works as long as you follow all the instructions.

Thank you so much @quaglenga for understanding. It's true It's not the end of the world, I just always go to the worst case scenario. Imagining we won't be able to get rid of them, baby will be affected and stop sleeping, our whole routine will go out of the window, I'll be sleep deprived which will make my anxiety worse, won't be able to stay with family at Christmas so we don't pass it on etc... I need to get a grip.

@endofagain what do you see at night? Full worms around the anus, a bit of worm poking out, do they wriggle?

Checked him when he woke and myself a couple of times through the night and couldn't see anything.

Sounds like worms, no big deal, they're really common, get some ovex over the counter and they'll be gone in a couple of days. My daughter gets them at least once a year as she's a thumb sucker.

@foobio thumb sucker here too... does the whole family get it when your DC does? Do you have to do the crazy cleaning routine every day for a few weeks every time? I've hot washed all bedding, towels and pyjamas this morning just in case. Shall I wait till I am more sure before I give Ovex? Don't want to give unnecessarily as I have little to go on, just one wriggle which my DH would have thought nothing of. He had another poo this morning, and there was nothing there. I don't know what to do for the best.

It sounds like worms.

I would get Ovex and give him a dose. Don't forget the follow up dose.

Mine are thumb suckers and have had numerous bouts. They now just take Ovex every 3-4 weeks.

Yes, they do literally come out of the anus and wriggle. They are just tiny little threads. You can see images on google.

@Cantdeal5 they aren't always that obvious at the start.

But with nighttime itchy bottom I'd always assume worms.

If you don't treat early you might find yourself picking multiple worms out tonight or in a few nights.

I'm freaking out. The first thing DS said when he came home is that his bottom was itchy. He had a poo which looked very wormy/stringy but the wormy bits looked very long, much longer than threadworms. Is that a thing? The poo was also frothy.

I have given him Ovex now but guessing we've probably all been infected already and am freaking out for 8 week old DD. She has been so chilled out, is she going to become an irritable crying baby that doesnt sleep if she gets worms?

The fact that half the household can't get treated (newborn/breastfeeding mother) is making this so much more of a nightmare. I want to cry. My anxiety is so bad, I'm not cut out to be a parent.

i believe breastfeeding doesnt stop the medication but the pharmacy will tell you.
just wash hands, trim nails, wash bottoms,
but what you describe doesnt sound like worms, in america they call them pin worms, because they are tiny
has he eaten parsnips or anything stringy?

No we didn't eat anything stringy unfortunately.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the poo but he was already asking why I was staring at his poo and I didn't want to distress him!

I'm so confused now. It was very mucousy poo with long stringy bits but nothing was wriggling I don't think. He is currently having 3 poos a day when he usually only has one so something's definitely off.

Do threadworms change bowel habits? If not maybe he has a bit of an infection and the increased bowel movements are making is anus sore?

Clutching at straws here hoping it's not threadworms...

Just treat it. You can definitely take it as a breastfeeding mum. Baby will be fine because they don't put their hands in their mouth at that age and even if they do they can't reach their own bum because of the nappy and arm flailiness so they won't catch it.

I live in Germany BTW and the treatment here is to take (the exact same tablets, same strength) for three days in a row, not just a one off. I can tell you it works immediately and doesn't come back for weeks on end like the UK instructions.

The poo doesn't sound like it had worms in. That just sounds like a poo that is a bit mucousy. If you do see a worm (which is rare, IME) it literally looks like a bit of cotton thread that has fallen off their clothes, except that it moves. You could/would very easily miss it.

The treatment is so mild/harmless even to toddlers, just treat it anyway even if you're not sure and make sure everyone washes their hands regularly, keep nails short and discourage thumb/finger sucking.

Worms are easy to spot. Bedtime, torch, look closely for 3 mins and you will probably see one. Really common in little children, don't worry.

Thanks @BertieBotts you are right I researched further and it will be OK to take the medicine when breastfeeding, that makes me feel infinitely better! Post partum anxiety is causing me insomnia as it is, the thought of being kept awake for 6 weeks by an itchy bottom was unbearable.

Makes me feel I'll be able to cope better if DD does get them too. She is putting her hands to her mouth a little but I do wipe them regularly and make sure DS washes his hands before he holds hers. But I read the eggs can get airborne and she often sits in my DS' room while we read stories and the duvet gets waved about. They actually snuggled in his bed at the weekend before I suspected anything. Are we doomed?

No. I think there is so much crap written about worms on the internet and it will drive you absolutely to despair, I know it did for me when I first moved here and didn't know how to get the medicine (you can't buy it over the counter). I don't believe they are airborne at all, I think people just touch their faces a lot more than they think and skimp on hand washing. Covid has taught us that.

Change bedding and pyjamas if you suspect an outbreak, but if your older child is still in nappies at night then it's very unlikely there would be any worms on their bedding anyway.

They are killed by normal washing at 40 degrees.

Thank you @BertieBotts I think I'll be able to sleep easier tonight!

DS is actually potty trained but insists on wearing a nappy at night even though he never wees in it. I was actually considering when to put a stop to that and so glad I hadn't yet !! It should make it easier to contain the outbreak, if there is one.

OP, you're doing a grand job. Try not to over think it.

Worms are a very common childhood illness. They are uncomfortable but cause no harm. They aren't airborne.

Give everyone that's allowed it the Ovex (personally I'd take some too). Your baby won't catch it given how little and immobile they are.

This isn't any sign of your parenting, you couldn't have prevented it. Small children get worms. Mine get them regularly. It's just one of those standard childhood things like snotty noses, head lice, chicken pox.

It's so common that I have a bottle of Ovex both upstairs and down. Like I have Calpol.

Than you for the reassurance @BigPyjamas. I feel better about it all. Ds and DH have been treated, and I'll take mine today. DS slept right through the night so if it's threadworms it's hopefully a mild case and we'll forget about it soon.

Will keep up with daily bathroom wipe down and towel and pant washing but won't go overboard with the rest. I was exhausted from the intense cleaning yesterday and felt guilty for neglecting my newborn so I can't be doing that every day.

Thanks so much again for helping me get a grip!