Could it be threadworms?

[Wormanxiety]

If you had them as an adult, what were the symptoms? I've been having a mild sort of tingling sensation, which is no worse at night than in the day (and certainly not "intense itching" as described on the NHS website), its just on and off but mainly when I think about it! I've checked a few times in the day when the tingly feeling has been a bit more noticeable and can't see anything. Been checking my poo, nothing there. Although this morning there was a sort of thin whitish thread in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement, which now has me questioning if it could be. It wasn't on the poo though, just at the bottom of the bowl. Would a worm float I wonder?

Anyway I'm starting to get increasingly anxious that it is and I have passed it onto my baby as I know they can't take the medicine. We're joined at the hip and Co sleep... :(

I imagine I would have caught them from my preschooler but I've also been checking her like a hawk and nothing. Nothing in her poo, and she's sleeping through the night.

What do you think?

It can’t hurt for you and toddler to take the medicine for threadworms even if you don’t have them. But, I think you are very aware of your body and may be catching early signs that most people would miss.

If you had them, it would be much worse at night and you'd see them on the paper when you wiped.

Thank you. Yes, it could be that I'm feeling the early symptoms, or it could be that I'm making up the symptoms in my head because of anxiety, I'm not sure which at the moment :(

I had a stressful week which triggered my anxiety and suddenly the thought of threadworms popped into my head and I've been obsessively googling and wondering since.

I think I'll treat myself and toddler for my own sanity, and wash bedding and towels. Should I go crazy on other cleaning if I can't see actual proof we have them?

Baby and toddler love cuddling in bed in the morning, playing with soft toys etc. I'm wary of stopping them just because of my anxiety but if someone does have them I'd really rather spare the baby. Argh, what to do!

Threadworms are tiny, only a few mls long - you can see them in your poo, but they wouldn't look like a 'thin whitish thread' like you're describing.

You don’t always spot them in your poo or on paper when you wipe. It usually takes awhile for the infection to be that easily visible.

They do look like little bits of white cotton thread (hence the name threadworm), although it is true they are very short in length of 1cm or shorter.

If you're itchy in the day too, could it be piles?

Most likely if you have a toddler, they are endemic in nurseries. Take the medicine both of you and wash all the pjs, sheets & towels. They come in a variety of lengths and you wont see them really until you have a heavy infection, but if definitely starts off as a mild irritation in that area.

I don't think I have piles but I must say I have had this discomfort on and off since baby was born so could be.

I got everyone to take ovex shortly after baby was born because of it but we never saw any actual worms then either. I wouldn't say it's an itch really, I don't feel like scratching it, more of a tingle that makes me aware of the area. It's also in my vagina a little bit, but I read worms can migrate there so made me worried! Though the infestation would need to be quite bad and more visible if they had migrated?

Also realised my current shower gel sort of stings/burns in that area so perhaps it's just too harsh and has made the area irritated.

I took the Ovex earlier to stop me obsessing, and will give it to toddler later when she comes home just in case. She is in nursery and a thumb sucker, and has been playing in their new sandpit every day for a few weeks, so I know the risk factors are high! I'll wash everything once tomorrow morning and try to put it out of my mind.

I checked on the NHS website what they are meant to look like but they look quite big and very wormy, but I think the pic is zoomed in? Definitely not like what I saw which was like an almost see-through, flattened, short, thread-like thing.

Here is a picture with a cm ruler for scale.

If it is worms, we'll be OK right? I think I'm doing some actual damage to my health with all the worrying and imagining all sorts of catastrophic scenarios where they'll be everywhere and we won't be able to get rid of them. I think I need to re-address my anxiety issues, and stop googling.

You’ll be fine. If you want, repeat the treatment in 2 weeks to kill any eggs you might miss. In two weeks, they will be newly hatched and you zap them then. Then there’s no chance of them coming back, You’d have to catch them from outside the house to be reinfected.

Well DD had a poo when she came home and there was definitely a worm on it😭. Don't think mine was a worm his morning, now that I've seen that one it's pretty obvious when it is. There's no way the baby will get away with it is there, they have been cuddling in the eldest bed and she puts absolutely everything to her mouth. What a nightmare.

I also don't see how my eldest won't catch it again straightaway with the thumbsucking. I'm trying to tell her to suck it less, or only after she has washed her hands but she's only 4, she just can't help herself. Urgh.

Thread worms are really common when you have young kids, they're easily treatable so don't worry too much. You can treat with some ovex from the pharmacy, make sure you wash bedding, towels etc regularly and tiny hands are washed often especially if one is a thumb sucker, it wouldn't hurt to have her use a soft nail brush either then retreat in 2 weeks.

Thank you @Moonchild18 how much cleaning is necessary? Today I washed all bedding, flannels, towels, I'll keep doing towels and flannels daily and bedding every few days for the next couple of weeks. I have cleaned both bathrooms, including mopping (will keep doing this every morning and evening), disinfected door handles, switches, phones and remotes, and cleaned bath toys and most used toys. In the morning I'll wet dust and hoover DD's bedroom then will do it every few days. I took soft toys out of the bed, they are quarantining!
I'll also wet dust and hoover downstairs tomorrow. I'll change pants every morning and put straight in the wash.
Is that enough?
About to go to sleep and freaking out about putting my phone down on bedside table as I haven't wet dusted it yet and there are some books I read with DD this morning on it. There was only so much I could clean tonight.
I'm paranoid, and feeling itchy.

My DD had threadworms at the same age. (Long time ago, she is now a teen!) She spotted one on her poo and was pretty freaked out. We mentioned it to the GP as we happened to be going anyway. First question she sked DD was if she sucked her thumb (she did!) and said that would be why she'd got worms. Honestly, we had done everything to try and break the thumbsucking habit. Even when sound asleep it was impossible to prise her thumb out of her mouth. But from that day on she never sucked her thumb again! Never had worms again either. We all took the Ovex except DS, who was a baby at the time, but he never caught them.

DS has had them twice since (in 12 years) because he is dreadful for washing his hands properly after using the loo. Both times I caught them off him. We all had the Ovex and it was fine.

I washed the towels and bedding and made sure clean pants and PJ bottoms were worn every night for probably a week or so. And clean pants every morning. And careful handwashing. Removed any "communal" handtowels for a couple of weeks. Cleaned a couple of teething-type toys. But that was really it. Never did any of the intensive cleaning you've described, OP. I am probably a slattern but nothing bad happened!

If it's any comfort I've read that 40-50% of school aged children under 12 have worms at any given time. It's like so normal and common it's ridiculous. When I've had them I've secretly hoped they might eat some extra calories so I lose a bit of weight 😅

Thanks both! @Bowlowner DD doesn't know she has them and isn't feeling any symptoms so wasn't sure whether to tell her, but love the idea that it may solve thumb sucking for us if we do!

I honestly don't know how anyone can sleep knowing they have them, I'm really struggling! I fell asleep but got woken up by baby DD and now just keep thinking that if I have them they'll be trying to crawl out of me right now and it's an unbearable thought. I feel so wriggly down there, like I am covered by hundreds of worms, but don't dare look. Never had such bad itching up to today, so assuming (and hoping) most of it is in my head.

How long after taking the medicine could I assume they are dead and can stop freaking myself out?

Although completely gross for the DC to have them, I feel like I can cope and deal with it, but having them myself is horrendous. Same with sickness bugs, wouldn't mind cleaning vomit all day if I knew I could never catch it, but it's the thought of having it myself which gives me the phobia.

Totally ruining parenthood for me right now. Just want to be able to cuddle my babies and for them to play with each other without thinking about worm eggs being exchanged 😥

The sun is rising and I've barely slept... baby DD hasn't been settling since her night feed, she'll sleep then wriggle herself awake and cry, then sleep, then start again so I'm now worrying she has them too. I'm struggling to fall asleep and when do I get woken up by her, or DH snoring, or my own anxiety. Not sure how I'll look after both DC on no sleep tomorrow while keeping up with the hygiene. I'm completely overwhelmed

The key thing to do is dose the whole family (not baby) on Ovex. Keep nails short and scrub with soap and nail brush. Get DC to wear pants to bed for a few nights until Ovex works. Wash all bedding and towels and use a special towel only for drying bottom (one each) then wash them once treated to prevent re infection. Separate towels so you can't dry hands and reinfect with eggs.

Wash bottoms with soap and water. Apply layer of sudacrem. Then thoroughly wash hands.

Don't need to clean whole house. Focus on bathroom and door handles.

The Ovex works quickly to paralyse and kill worms so take it today and they will be on their way out by tomorrow night

Then treat again ten days later to clear up any that were at egg stage so protected from the first dose.

Sorted and done.
They are fairly harmless just a bloody nuisance!

Take a deep breath, get down to the pharmacy and buy a family pack of Ovex. All take some, and then repeat the dose in 3 weeks. Hoover bedrooms, open the windows, wash bedding and towels on a hot wash and any cuddly toys dc have had contact with. Dust surfaces with a wet cloth, give your door handles as good clean. Ensure dc are washing their hands properly and keep their fingers out of their mouth. We had this several times when dc started school, I know how overwhelming it is. See it as having a good spring clean, all will be okay!

Sorry just realised my typo, it's 2 weeks when you repeat the dose.

Thank you all, i am taking the advice on board.
"Make sure DC keep fingers out of their mouth" is the part I'm struggling with. I can't control what DD does at nursery and as it's highly likely they were picked up there in the first place so I feel like all the efforts will be wasted as she'll constantly reinfect herself.

Baby DD can't hold anything without putting it in her mouth, so I either need to clean the whole house and all the toys constantly, or keep her contained to her playpen and a few toys, which is no fun for her.

Tell her she should keep her fingers out of her mouth or she will get worms! That one really worked with me and my DS who was the same. If he thought his fingers were dirty he would lick them🙄

Lick them to clean them...

How did it go wormanxiety? I am in the same boat right now and also struggle to control my worries around this :( hope you’re doing good.