Hi everyone. This is a new one for me. My son started complaining about a week ago about his rectum itching. We thought he might not have wiped well and cleaned him up and he went back to playing. On Wednesday he started throwing a fit about how badly it itched. My husband and I looked down there with a flash light and saw two thread like "worms" wiggling around down there. We called the doctor (of course we were out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday) and he prescribed a medication that the whole family took on Thursday morning and then again in two weeks. He is continuing to have these fits of extreme itching in his rectum.
Has anyone else experienced pinworms? How long does it take for the medication to take effect? When will he stop complaining about the itching? I feel so bad for him because we can tell he is SO uncomfortable. Is there anything we can do, besides putting him in the bath tub, to alleviate the extreme itching? Any help is appreciated. We are staying in seclusion right now because we understand how contagious these are and we don't want to infect anyone else. We aren't sure how long we are contagious though...ugh!
Thank you all for your insight. I'm so relieved to hear others have experienced these disgusting parasites, although I wish you hadn't for your sake. I still can't believe how prevelant they are in our society!
Well the doctor put us all on the medication and after three, long, sleepless nights, my son seems to be through the worst of it. His little bum was so raw from all the attention it was getting. Thanks for the kidhealth.com link someone sent. That one was the only site that said the itching could last for up to a week after the medication was taken. Thanks again, I really appreciate all the advice.
visit www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/parasitic/pinworm.html
i just read all about this. very interesting indeed.
good luck
C. (sahm of 3 kids)
Hi L.,
One thing that you can help your son with is to give him and yourself Homeopathic pellets Cina and Black Walnut drops. They both work to get rid of the worms from your body. You can purchase both of them from Vitaminshoppe or online. The Cina is by Boiron and Black Walnut is by Natures Answer. Make sure the black walnut is alcohol-free for your child which I purchased at Vitaminshoppe. I know it helped everyone with the same problem. Good luck-A.
My daughter got these when she was in first grade. She's now in 7th! I remember it itched really badly. We gave her a warm bath at night and put cream on her bottom. I sort of remember a supository, but I'm not really sure. It was a long time ago. I always like homeopathic remedies.
Thankfully we have not had experience with these, but I do recall an episode of Oprah with Dr. Oz & he also suggested using the scotch tape. I hope this clears quickly for you & no one else becomes infected.
You may ask the doctor for a cream or ointment for your son to help the itching.
When my kids had it, the medicine took effect in a day or so. Not to be gross but the bowel movements for a couple days were coated and intertwined with the worms. It was disgusting!
You all may have the infection to some degree. Wash all sheets and bedding in hot water. Make sure you wash your hands well.
You can read about it on www.mayoclinic.com. Go to "P" under diseases and conditions. It's a good website for a lot of things.
Good luck.
Growing up my brothers got them and we were told it was from playing in the dirt. We didn't treat the whole family and we were never told it was contagious. That's a new on me.
Curious do you just get them by being around those that have them? or do you get them from eating something or playing in the dirt like we always believed.
Pin worms suck. I had them as a child. It will get better but once you have them the itching is just awful. It takes several days to get rid of them. The eggs survive every where. I know you do not want to but every surface at home and school should be scrubbed. Just like when someone has strep.
Unfortunately, my 11 yr old daughter has had them twice in the last 2 years. The first time she took the first dose of the medicine and they were all gone by the time she was supposed to take the 2nd dose (less than 1 week). The same thing happened the 2nd time so we skipped the 2nd dose. It is a pretty powerful medicine so I decided, as her parent, not to give the 2nd dose. We have no idea where she got them and it really grossed me out. I cleaned the toilet after every time she went to the bathroom! We have 5 kids and I didn't want anyone else to get them. Every one else used the other bathroom in the house just as a precaution. We also washed her sheets about every other night. When the medicine starts to work you will notice a lot of dead worms. She washes her hands after every bathroom use, but must not have been doing a good job. Make sure he doesn't bite his fingernails either. Good luck!
L., My kids had these and I had them too as a child. It is actually pretty common for kids to get and it doesn't have anything to do with cleanliness. I don't remember the itching going on for so long but it seems to me you can put zinc oxide arund their rectum They come out at night and lay eggs outside the rectum. Even if you put the cream around his rectum and tell him it will help the itching that might help him.
I don't think you need to isolate yourselves. Just wash your hands well after bathroom use and use a fingernail brush. I think lots of times the eggs end up under their fingernails (because they are itching with their hands).
I got them when my kids had them and the itching is so awful. Good luck. Just part of childhood. A.
Hopefully, he's experiencing some relief by now. Our daughter went through 2 episodes this summer. Vaseline on the rectum will keep them from sticking to the skin when they come out at night/early morning. A mixture of tea tree oil in a good carrier oil (we used almond oil) can help relieve the itching. The pedi gave us hydrocortisone, but our daughter responded to the tea tree oil/almond oil mixture much better.
I did not take the medication that rids the body of the worms as I was pregnant at the time. There are adverse implications for an embryo if you are pregnant.
Make sure to call the pharmacy for the right dosage. My sister had them and they gave her a minimal dosage when she needed a much bigger dosage to get rid of them. Once she got the right amount of medicine, it cleared within a day or two. An enema will "flush them out". Make sure to wash all bedding and if you have furry pets, get them checked too. They are often the carriers. Good luck!
This is what a friend of mine told me and then I confirmed it with my son's pediatrician when we thought he had them. Also, my mother said she did this with my brother as a child. Put scotch tape on his anus at night (for real!) and when the worms crawl out to lay eggs they'll stick to it. Then you throw the tape away. This keeps the worms from going back in once they come out to lay eggs, plus it gets rid of new eggs. For real. I know it sounds a little farfetched, but apparently it works. Luckily, my son didn't have them, so I never found any worms on the tape. All the other advice is good too, so if you don't want to mess with the tape, just follow them! :) If nothing else, this response could give you a good laugh! Good luck,
M.
you need a way to get rid of the paracites and cleanse and detox simply and healthy without drugs.www.v4l.com/nancyschacht can help you find out a way to help your son and your family simple and inexpensive. May God bless you and yours with peace and health this Christmas. N. mom of 8
Poor baby! I feel for your little one. I had these as a child, too. He must avoid scratching himself since the eggs get under his fingernails then are ingested (most commonly if he puts his fingers in his mouth or bites his nails).
A coating of A & D ointment on his anus should alleviate itching. Reapply after a bm.
I dont know how contagious they are but the rest of my family never got them and I had them twice. (I was a nailbiter.)
Hello all,
Pets can have pinworms but they are not the same ones that people get. Pinworms are species specific so there is absolutely no way that you could get them from your pets.
Just wanted to clarify.
Hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving,
V.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/pinworm/factsht_p...
