Worms .... another yummy topic!

[Supermum]

Hi all

My DS has been scratching his bottom and his penis for that matter like a madman(boy) for the last week or so. He has also been more irritable than usual… Last night I duly purchased and administered Combantrin to the whole family.

I am told that the only way to confirm worms is to go into his room at nighttime … pull down his undies, spread his little bottom cheeks and shine a flashlight on his anus where I just may see the little eggs laid by the threadworm. Ummm noice! So given that’s the only way to prove it and you're not guaranteed to see anything – I didn’t see the harm in treating it just in case.

So if he does in fact have worms. How long till he stops scratching? How long until they go away? Has a child of yours ever had them and did it affect their mood?

Any info on worms at all would be appreciated.

[Baby Girl]

My DD1 has been grinding her teeth in her sleep which is apparently a sign of worms. I wasn't sure if she was old enough to hit with the old combantrin but I think I will give her a dose anyway and the rest of us for that matter - can't hurt right?

Another way to check for worms (and this is from an OLD italian woman) is to hold some stinky cheese - romano is the best apparently - near the anus and after a few minutes you will see the worms heading out to investigate what smells so good. Back in her day they used to get a pair of tweezers at this point and pull the entire worm out - YUCK!!! :eek: :eek:

[Refresh]

It should only take a day or two to work...maybe 3 at the most. This has been our experience....what does it say on the box?

Did you know another way to treat them is by a garlic suppository??? Ouch, burny! Either that or wearing garlic in your shoes :confused:

[Supermum]

How curious Schmell - I was in DS's room last night and he was grinding his teeth! I don't think I'll be poking any tweezers or romano anywhere near his nether regions in a hurry though. Do you know how much that stuff costs per kilo? :p

Just a thought, the suspension Combantrin that I bought last night was not to be used for children under 1 so just check with the chemist the most suitable one for babies.

[Supermum]

what does it say on the box? .... Either that or wearing garlic in your shoes :confused:
The box says very little ... and the chemist was vague. I google'd the topic and got all sorts of information about how long they stay in the gut, you should clean their fingernails (the child not the worm :p ), change their bedding etc.

So rather than find another chemist I thought I'd come here and ask the experts!

Thanks for the help ...

Ummm - garlic in the shoes? What the?

[Oscar's mum]

I have heard that you may be able to see the worms in the poo within a couple of days of treating for worms.

[Refresh]

I knooooow, apparantly it absorbs into the bloodstream through the feet or something :confused: :confused:

[Supermum]

That's a difficult one Oscar's Mum ... DS now does poo's on the loo!

I suppose I could always catch it on exit. Bring's new meaning to the term "Knowing the in's and out's" of something though :rolleyes:

I never thought pre-children that I would know so much about what comes out of my babies bodies!

[Supermum]

I knooooow, apparantly it absorbs into the bloodstream through the feet or something :confused: :confused:
I'll keep that little gem in mind for next time! Tks,deb

[Chickadee]

Supermum is back!!?? Hurray!

[Supermum]

Yep Martha - I just didn't feel comfortable as BusyBody ... so I sent a nice note to Hilary who has changed it back for me. Bless her. As I said in my note to Hilary ... I AM Supermum :p

[Baby Girl]

Deb, maybe you could put a bowl in the bowl to stop the poo from flushing so you can have a look for worms!! :eek:

DD1 is nearly 3 so shouldn't be a problem giving her a dose. Obviously DD2 won't be getting any yet.

[Supermum]

Schmell

I WAS Supermum ... then I changed to BusyBody ... then I asked Hilary to change it back for me. You know the saying - you don't know what you've got till it's gone!

The bowl in the bowl so I can get up closer???? Oh noice Schmell, noice!

[draught]

No advice on the worms - but what a relief to have supermum back!! And you are!

[nkenward]

Hi there,

I haven't had many problems with this area as yet.

But growing up, my Mum always gave us Vermox (I think its called), not only are the tablets really small, but you only have to take one dose. And then in 3 months time you take another dose so you stop re-infection. May need to check of age requirements.

But yes you have to clean the finger/nails and wash the bedding, and disinfect the loo as well.

Nasty little buggers.

[melfunction]

Found this info on worms....


For people with pinworm infections, home treatment is very important to prevent reinfection and the spread of infection to other members of the household. Good home treatment includes the following measures:

Wash hands carefully and often. Frequent hand-washing by all family members, especially before eating and after using the toilet, is very important in preventing the spread of infection. Hand-washing will help remove eggs that may have stuck to the hands. Scrubbing your hands and fingernails for 1 minute is recommended.
Control scratching. Itching around the anus caused by a pinworm infection usually occurs at night. Wearing gloves, pajamas, and close clothing may help prevent scratching.
Keep fingernails short. Pinworm eggs can get under the fingernails when the person with a pinworm infection scratches. Cutting the nails short may help prevent eggs from sticking under the nails. Discourage thumb-sucking if your child has a pinworm infection.
Wash clothes and bedding. Washing underwear, pajamas, and bedding and drying them in a heated dryer on the first day of treatment may help prevent reinfection. Changing and washing underwear and pajamas at least once a day may also help prevent reinfection.
Bathe carefully and every day. Make sure the skin around the anus is cleaned when bathing. This will remove pinworm eggs. Showers may be more effective than baths because there is less chance of getting water that contains pinworm eggs into your mouth.
Do not fan the bedding of an infected person. Fanning the sheets and blankets of an infected person can release pinworm eggs into the air. Airborne eggs can be swallowed when you breathe through your mouth.
Some doctors recommend extra housecleaning, such as frequent mopping and vacuuming and cleaning the toilet seat after each use, to prevent the spread of pinworms, but others do not believe that these measures are very effective.

Preventing the spread of infection is especially important in households that include children younger than 2 or pregnant women because they may not be able to take medication for pinworms.

[Baby Girl]

The bowl in the bowl so I can get up closer???? Oh noice Schmell, noice!ROFLMAO
I just thought it would be better than catching it on the way out!! Unless you have a catchers mit on standby......

[wattle]

Ewwww. Nasty topic.

Unfortunately I caught a show on abc last week about worms. OMG I was horrified. Don't read further unless you have a strong stomach. A man went to South America and he had been back a few years. He was in a restaurant and he felt something in his eye, like a hair. It started bothering him, so he went to the bathroom to look..... there was a worm crawling around in his eyeball. :eek: :eek: Apparantly his whole body was infested with them.

Sorry, I dont' really know why I told you all about that, it was horrible and I've been trying to forget that I even saw it. But the show was very interesting about the different types of worms people get.

I'm off to the chemist tomorrow to buy combantrin.

[Supermum]

Well aren't you just a little ray of sunshine Wattle? :p

Lovely story ... I'm pleased I've also Combantrined the kids and actually surprised that I don't feel compelled to run into his room right now and Eveready his eyeballs for floating worms :eek: .

[Chickadee]

Want to hear more gross worm stories? I have one on par with Wattles. Hmmm. Maybe not.

So how common are worms in kids? I've never heard of it before except as a rarity and then as tape worms which are different I think.

[Supermum]

Martha - I've been told tapeworm is incredibly common ... especially in toilet training toddlers who spend alot of time with other kids ie. daycare.

One kid has worms ... so they scratch their bottom and eggs deposit under their nails. They touch another child and eggs transfer - they put their hands anywhere and eggs can transfer. So they end being swallowed at some stage and that's how they enter the gut. Sometimes they infest little girls' bits :(

So ladies ... was that a nice bedtime story?

[Chickadee]

Thanks Deb. Sometimes it seems like a mountain of stuff to learn! I read on here about parents concerns and little light bulbs (or glaring spotlights) go off as I think "ooooooh" that's what I should have done/been looking for/asked/planned....

[Supermum]

Oh do I hear ya Martha

Some days I feel guilty about the stuff that I DON'T know as opposed to the stuff I do!

I just keep asking lots of questions ... life's too short to learn from your own mistakes alone.

[wattle]

I'm sorry girls. Very icky. They were a special south american type of worm, not good old aussie worms. So fear not.

[funnyfarm]

My niece had worms about 3 months ago (she is 3) . Apparently with worms, children become very irritable at nighttime. This is when the worms irritate the most. She was crying at night saying her bottom hurt. Would sometimes take about 3 hours to go to sleep at night). They couldn't work out what was wrong as during the day she was fine. They spent a week at doctors with one doctor saying she must have an infection in her vagina and put her on antibiotics without even looking down there. They finally went to another doctor and after describing the problem the doctor said she had worms. My brother went home and checked her poo and apparently it was riddled with worms. The combantrim (sp??) took about 2 days to work and she was a changed child. Hope he gets better soon.

After my brother told me this i wormed our family the next day.

Janet

[Oscar's mum]

I know this is disgusting but I just thought I would share anyway.....

When I was alot younger I had worms and I never had the sore tushie like most people I did however get incredibly bad stomach pain, I had to be hospitalised and treated in hospital for about a week with worms, it wasn't nice at all.

[Shazbutt]

I can't remember mum ever actually 'looking' for worms, but she used to dose us evry couple of months regardless, or whenever we were really cranky for a few days! I did Mac a couple of months ago when she said her bum was itchy, but she's been saying it agin, AND grinding her teeth (which i didn't know was a symptom). I might go do her again.

Did you know girls that you're actually supposed to do the whole family at the one time? DH & i do it too when we dose Mac, even if we don't have any symptoms...

By the way, such a nice topic, and LOVELY stories! Ewwwww..... :rolleyes: