Threadworms

caitb1

Hi guys jus looking for a little information on threadworms 😨, jus wondering if a child has them is there bum itchy all the time r most of the time r what, one of my kids says his bum is itchy, maybe 3 to four times a day but only for bout a minute r no more than 5minutes. The latest in the evening his bum was itchy was half 10, I tell him no itching and he doesn't itchy and it stops after a bit of wriggling,he doesn't remember if his bum is itchy in the night so I guess if it is it doesn't wake him r maybe he itches it b 4 it can I don't no, I'm absolutely terrified of them, I have OCD and every time someone's bum is itchy it's the first thing that springs to mind.
I don't have any experience with them and I no the signs are itchy bum but don't no how often for how long r how itchy, should it wake u from a sleep?
I gave him a shower Tuesday evening and he wasn't itchy at all yesterday just there now, none of his brothers are complaining of itching nor r me or his dad. I really just want to give him the dose for worms to put mind at ease but hubby says he doesn't have them so not to

Zadkiel

caitb1 wrote: »

Hi guys jus looking for a little information on threadworms ��, jus wondering if a child has them is there bum itchy all the time r most of the time r what, one of my kids says his bum is itchy, maybe 3 to four times a day but only for bout a minute r no more than 5minutes. The latest in the evening his bum was itchy was half 10, I tell him no itching and he doesn't itchy and it stops after a bit of wriggling,he doesn't remember if his bum is itchy in the night so I guess if it is it doesn't wake him r maybe he itches it b 4 it can I don't no, I'm absolutely terrified of them, I have OCD and every time someone's bum is itchy it's the first thing that springs to mind.
I don't have any experience with them and I no the signs are itchy bum but don't no how often for how long r how itchy, should it wake u from a sleep?
I gave him a shower Tuesday evening and he wasn't itchy at all yesterday just there now, none of his brothers are complaining of itching nor r me or his dad. I really just want to give him the dose for worms to put mind at ease but hubby says he doesn't have them so not to

Maybe bring him to the doctor for an opinion?

Foweva Awone

Is he wiping him bum properly when he goes to the loo? I'd be against medicating for anything unnecessarily to be honest.

caitb1

I think he wipes properly, he says he give an extra wipe to be sure, iv looked at his bum and it doesn't look like it's irritated, I no everyone will get itchy bum from time to time but a few times a day mite b not normal

Foweva Awone

Still, it could be something like piles, in which case the worm medication will do nothing. I'd bring him to the GP before dosing him with anything.

caitb1

Would worms be more frequent itching

Zadkiel

caitb1 wrote: »

Would worms be more frequent itching

Why are you so fixated on worms? Surely the best thing is to bring the child to the doctor who can say definitively?

caitb1

Can a doctor tell u definitely if it's worms, I have OCD mainly around contamination and parasites,I'm anxious about worms in the house,I can't help it its tormenting I might make an appointment for doctor

Zadkiel

caitb1 wrote: »

Can a doctor tell u definitely if it's worms, I have OCD mainly around contamination and parasites,I'm anxious about worms in the house,I can't help it its tormenting I might make an appointment for doctor

A doctor should be able to rule out worms. You may need to provide a stool sample. Sorry to hear you suffer from OCD and I hope this gets better for you.

Take care

mordeith

You can physically check for worms.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/threadworms/

jlm29

The worms usually come out at night, causing desperate itchiness during the night. One of the signs of threadworms is night waking.

However, when one of my kids had them, I did spot some in his nappy, that’s how I knew.

jlm29

Also, the worm dose is an OTC, harmless medicine. Just dose the whole family. It costs about a fiver

lazygal

I'd dose. My daughter had no symptoms whatsoever. The medication worked very effectively.

CheerLouth

Perhaps speak to a pharmacist rather than going straight to the GP - pharmacists also have a wealth of information & will be able to advise you accordingly.

caitb1

Had a look lasnite at round 10 when he said he was itchy, saw nothing but bits of toilet roll so I'm hoping that's the itching stopped,

Sunrise_Sunset

Worms come out at night. The advice I read was to go into the child's room at night when they are sleeping and to check with a flashlight. You could also do the tape test. This is how I saw them on my then 4 year old. There's no need to go to the doctor as the medication is sold over the counter. The entire family will need to take the medication, and also some extra hygiene measures for a few weeks.

lamb stew

Nearly most Children get worms, I don't see what the big deal is. If you have kids, the chances are you will more than likely encounter them. If you don't want to dose him, try having a look at his Bowel movements. They should be visible, maybe have him go to the Toilet in a potty, where you can examine it. Also from experience with my Kids, Worms only cause itching at night and it will drive them spare. When you see them in this distress, if you have a look, up his Bum hole, they should definately be there. I remember having them as a child, and the itch was unbearable, couldn't sleep or nothing. Make sure those pieces of tissues aren't in fact worms. However I think he maybe wiping too much, leaving tissue fibres behind and then that's what is causing the itch. Worms are part of childhood and there's nothing to freak out about. I've had them as a kid a few times and I've experienced them also with my own. Even though they are contagious, it doesn't nessearily mean the other kids have them.

Neyite

By the time threadworms are externally visible, you can pretty much assume that they've had them for a while and there's a decent population of them inside. It also means that they are mature enough to crawl out to begin laying eggs. And that everyone in your house has been exposed to them. Also by the time they are visible, they can be quite sore but usually there's no redness or rash so nothing 'looks' sore. The only symptom is...well, lots of itching especially at night and you may spot a worm or two. They are fast!
A dose is a 5ml spoon of over-the-counter medicine two weeks apart. It's cheap. Do everyone in the family. If you have a confirmed case of threadworms then you'll need to do a deep houseclean as well including all beds, bedding, mattresses, towels and any other soft furnishings. I was lucky the one time we had them in the house I had no soft furnishings other than the beds and bedding but even then it was a big job to sanitise the house.

So now it's a preventative dose for everyone in our house every 4 months or so. Because guaranteed there will be a kid in school or at a play centre who's parent's are adamant that their child doesn't have them - even if all the signs point to them being riddled with them.

Sunrise_Sunset

Neyite wrote: »

So now it's a preventative dose for everyone in our house every 4 months or so. Because guaranteed there will be a kid in school or at a play centre who's parent's are adamant that their child doesn't have them - even if all the signs point to them being riddled with them.

Yes to all of that. And they are notoriously difficult to get rid of. You think you get rid of them, but really the population has just depleted and will take time to build back up again before you start seeing symptoms in the kid.

As well as the medicine you definitely need to follow the additional hygiene measure, and clean the house, sheets, towels etc extra well.

caitb1

He hasn't complained of itching now since Friday so I'm hoping he doesn't have them, we never had them growing up so I guess it's fear of the unknown, but I'm afraid he cud b itching in his sleep and not remember r realise, noone else in the house is complaining of bn itchy so I'm hoping that's a good sign, I want to dose him just in case but I have severe OCD and hubby is convinced it's not worms but my OCD that is going on

Neyite

A dose for everyone in the house will do no harm. And if it means that you've got peace of mind again, then it's worth it.

jlm29

As Neyite says, it’s a cheap harmless medication. When my mother was buying it, the pharmacist told her that in many countries, it’s advised to be given every six months.

Sunrise_Sunset

caitb1 wrote: »

He hasn't complained of itching now since Friday so I'm hoping he doesn't have them, we never had them growing up so I guess it's fear of the unknown, but I'm afraid he cud b itching in his sleep and not remember r realise, noone else in the house is complaining of bn itchy so I'm hoping that's a good sign, I want to dose him just in case but I have severe OCD and hubby is convinced it's not worms but my OCD that is going on

I know that some people say you'll know when it's worms cos the itching is so intense. But this was not the case in my kids and others that I know. Not much itching at all, and they definitely had them. I'm squeamish too but you don't have to do much, just give them the medicine anyway, it's really not a big deal.

lamb stew

Sunrise_Sunset wrote: »

I know that some people say you'll know when it's worms cos the itching is so intense. But this was not the case in my kids and others that I know. Not much itching at all, and they definitely had them. I'm squeamish too but you don't have to do much, just give them the medicine anyway, it's really not a big deal.

True, even though I'll never forget the itch when I had them, and my own will always complain of itch when they have them, I remember when my Mom brought me to the Doctor when I was about 9,because I was Hyper(Teacher let rip about me at PTA) and I , wasn't normally hyper, but went through a phase of it. Doctor told her that I could have worms so told her to dose me anyway. My Mother didn't because she had routinely dosed all of us a month or so before and thought the Doc was old and losing it. Fast forward a few weeks later that maddening itch suddenly appeared so looks like doc was right. After Dose Mother swears my hyperactivity disappeared 😋