Threadworms: do they make you feel like you have a bug/upset stomach?

[PorridgeAgainAbney]

DS is 7 and announced tonight that he's noticed "creatures" moving in his poo for the last week or so. Looked between his legs just after he'd been tonight and sure enough, there was a tiny white worm moving around.
I feel terrible that I haven't noticed for a week but he has food allergies and poos are normally pretty loose and pale with bits of undigested food in so it's not like a tiny bit of white would stand out once it's gone into the water. It was only because he made me look before it had all gone under the water that I saw it.

Anyway, for the last week his tummy has been more upset than normal and he's had bad tummy aches in the evening and he's been scratching his torso a lot (but not round his bum). I've assumed it was some allergen he's managed to come into contact with but now I'm wondering if the worms would cause the tummy aches (plus both me and DH have felt ill all today) or whether it's just coincidence.

Five him garlic tablets, they will help with the worms and are good for immune system anyway.
When mine had threadworms i dont remember it being accompanied by sickness.

Yes, I had threadworms a couple of times when my kids were little and both times I felt a bit sicky and yuck.

Thanks both. Yeah, just feels like I'm going to get a really upset stomach, a bit like just before my period starts. Just as well my Christmas shopping is done as tomorrow will be spent washing all the bedding and cleaning the house after the trip to the chemist .

IME no, there are no symptoms except the itching and the horrible wriggling. I've never actually seen any in poo though, perhaps it is a larger infestation if you can see them, and that causes ill feelings? I just keep own brand Ovex in all the time and we take one at the first hint of anything. Try to keep on top of hand hygeine - including when you first come into the house and after putting dirty washing in machine - and keep everyone's nails short, especially anyone who nail bites, sucks fingers/thumb or puts hands in mouth regularly (e.g. young children).

You don't need to go mad cleaning everything, I would change his bedding (Don't shake it as you take it off, roll and move gently into a laundry basket) and get him to sleep in pants under his pyjamas. Brief type if possible, rather than boxers. I sometimes wipe down things like door handles and light switches, but I think it's quite unlikely there would be live eggs in those places.

There are no symptoms other than the itching.

Thanks for all the advice. It might be a coincidence as a couple of his classmates have been off sick so maybe we all have a bit of that anyway and none of us are itchy around our bums.

We tend to keep his nails really short anyway due to ezcema but need to get on top of handwashing as he'll do the minimum unless he's forced back into the bathroom! He always wears pants under pj's too so at least that won't have something 'new' to protest about.

Well, TBH, TMI but it might be no bad thing if you are a bit loose as it helps get rid of them quicker. The drug in Ovex kills the live ones but doesn't get rid of the eggs so you may need to dose again 2 weeks later to catch any which have hatched. There used to be another drug available in the UK called Pripsen which did the same thing but also gave you diahrroea in order to flush the eggs out as well. You can't buy that any more but a tummy bug at the same time might turn out to be more of a good thing than it would usually be.

Maybe do a reward chart for hand washing to establish it as a habit? After toilet and before eating as a minimum. Will also help prevent you getting tummy bugs and colds.

My son had horrendous stomach pain and was sick . I presumed it was a bug so I stopped dairy then he would be ok for 24 hours then on the second or third night he would be up with the pain and vomiting again. I was in in and out of the doctors who kept saying it’s a bug starve him . He lost half a stone. He was 7 . In desperation on yet another night of pain and vomiting I phoned the local children’s a and e. They said ok it’s rare but it could be tape worm. They told me what to look for and sure enough there was a small wiggly worm. One tablet for each family member and it was solved. So yes it can cause a lot of pain and vomiting.

Well, I thought the tablet had worked but no. We all took one Sunday morning, nothing in DS's poo until this morning and not exaggerating to say there must have been 15-20 of them wriggling around in it.

Chemist said he can take another tablet 2 weeks after the first one but I'll have to go back to them as it seems like it's getting worse, not better (sick, NOT jealous!)

They said ok it’s rare but it could be tape worm. They told me what to look for and sure enough there was a small wiggly worm

I'm not a doctor but a tape worm and threadworms are two very different things aren't they?

I did some research when my DC were younger and I don't remember anything about feeling sick being a symptom

They take a while to die after taking the tablet but it stops them being able to cling on during a bowel movement, which is why you might see them wriggling in poo. They're coming out so that's good.

Ah ok thanks. Have to say it was definitely not a pleasant surprise to see them all there this morning! Definitely threadworms too, tiny white things.
Will monitor for the next couple of days and speak to the pharmacist if it doesn't look like it's easing off.