Advice needed....bad infestation!

Hi, so i'm 15 now; but i've probably had pinworms since I was 5/6? I never told my mum because it freaked me out until last year - I told her, she freaked out and bought me pills for it. I think we may of forgotten to take the second pill; and she believed I had been ridden of them.

They still carried on to breed and bring me pain and make me feel as if I was on my own and a freak. Enough was enough, I plucked up the courage to secretly by them at a pharmacy yesterday when my mum was out at work, I also lied to my brother for why I needed to go out. They gave me Ovex again, yet look at me as if I was a complete wierdo. Now it's the day after, and i'm feeling alot of paindue to the egg laying so i've panic'd and temperarily plugged my anus with a tissue to stop them coming out. I'm so glad I've found this site, as now i've realised why my vagina, ears and nose itch badly.

Does ANYONE know what I can do that doesn't involve telling my family? I know I should so they can take Ovex just in case, but if they had pinworms they would say so. I barely have any money as my three person family have alot of money issues. I have started to clean my room because i'm super paranoid. (This doesn't help because it makes my head itch *which doesn't help because 4/5 years ago I had a really badcase of headlice, it literally covered the bathtub several times, scared the hell out of my mum).

Am I just a paranoid, freak of an infected kid or what? I really think I may be on the verge of a breakdown because i'm too scared to tell anyone, and I really need someone there to be there for me...

Hi There Fleur97

First of all welcome to the Forum.

Right as you can see from my earlier posts I too had these dreaded things, but I went down a slightly different route, and as of today’s date am still clear.

I believe I fully understand about your confidentiality regarding your parents etc.

This is where the infestation stops, but you have to do several things.

Buy the Ovex pills, but if you can afford it go for the family pack, all will become clear later.

Start a diary or calendar etc. to write down the dates when you will be taking the pills.

If memory serves me right (I stand to be corrected on the date issue) the manufacturers say take one pill every 7 days.

Here is some background information

Threadworms lives for about 5-6 weeks and infect the gut. Just before the threadworm dies they lay their eggs around your anus which then in turn causes the itching. Ovex will kill the worms but not the eggs which have been laid. In order to kill the eggs you will need to follow a strict hygiene regime for at least two weeks.

To ensure cross contamination all members of the family must be treated at the same time even if a family member is not showing any symptoms. Also you will need to ensure bedding and clothing is changed as they can drop off your body and fall off into your clothes and bedding and survive for about two weeks.

For ease of use we will use an example

They say every 7 days

Sunday x tablet

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday x tablet

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

That to me seems to long a gap for re-infestation

So I undertake the following

Sunday x tablet

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday x tablet

Thursday

Friday

Saturday x tablet

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday x tablet

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday x tablet

Saturday

Sunday

Monday x tablet

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday x tablet

Friday

Saturday

Sunday x tablet

You should be clear of eggs by the fourth tablet; the rest is to re-affirm the treatment, you can carry on longer if you feel it necessary.

While you are doing this, you must not and I stress must not put your hands anywhere near your face or vagina after contact with your anus, as you will re-infect.

Remember that even a drowsiness state your hands will wander

The thing with the bottom bed sheet, every morning when you wake up, take it off and go outside and shake it, if you Mum asks what are you doing just say I am airing my bedding ! ! !

You like the fresh smell ! ! !

It goes without saying about washing but make sure you wash from your face downwards and not the other way round, use your hands and not a flannel, as you do not know who has used it last.

Then as a final tip immediately before you go to bed, get some clean toilet paper and wipe your anus (even if you have not been to the toilet, if you use the toilet then a separate bit) I know sounds stupid, but these little blighters think that they are in for a good nights infestation instead of going for an unexpected swim.

There we have it 22 days in your life that may seem purgatory but well worth the effort.

Oh yes as an afterthought, I still wipe before I go to bed, it’s just routine now.

I sincerely hope that this has helped you if you need any more information then please come back to me either on here or via a p.m.

I use baby wipes as well as toilet paper to wipe as well make sure you are completely clean!

Drat, I was trying very hard to think of something witty to write, but kept on deleting it.

So I will just say 5th August 2012 ALL CLEAR.:O :O :O :O :O

I do not understand why Ovex do not do / undertake some studies in relation to the time frame for the taking of this particular medication.

The reason why I say this is their directions fail because it did not clear up, but when I used my schedule, bye bye thread people >>>>and their children have gone aswell.>>>>

Ahh okay, thanks alot, I shall try taking one every three days, hope to god it works; I can't continue my life with these swines

Hi Guest (and Everyone),

I am hear to share my experience, extensive research and advice. I'm not a doctor, but I am a scientist and have spent an awful lot of time reading about pinworms. I can tell you how to cure this horrible thing, because I've nearly cured myself.

I feel your pain

So first - emotional response. I feel your pain. I have been going through hell for 8 months with this, but I think I've had pinworms (or some kind of roundworm) for about 6 years. It's absolutely terrible, I know the anxiety, depression, stress, that they can cause. I think in my case they have become completely embedded and thus I have a particularly hard-to-shift case. Much like the opening post. If you're like me, then be prepared for the long-haul. The good news is you can feel much better within a month, but one doctor told me that it'll take 6-12 months for your intestines to fully heal.

Medicine

You have two options, Ovex (the pil) and Pripsen Piperazine (the sachet). In my experience, the Ovex is *useless* for a serious infection. I took 7 pills within 5 days (by prescription - the doctor suggested it) and it had almost zero effect. So, if you have a serious case, I'd forget ovex. I think that the laxative in the pripsen mix is actually just as important as the piperazine (the component that paralises the worms). It makes sense - the only way you can shift these things is to get them out of your system. So I'd go with pripsen.

Two separate doctors have both been happy for me to take more than the usual one-dose-every-two weeks of both medicines. With pripsen, it seems stronger stuff, so I haven't taken it more frequently that once a week.

The good news is that repeated pripsen has eventually improved me. I'm not quite 100% yet, but I'm a world away from where I was. The bad news is, it's going to take months to get rid of a serious infection. Stick with it - when you start to feel better, you won't believe how amazing you feel.

It's worth noting that if you live with other people *you must treat everyone at the same time*. Also, do not share towels!

Hygiene

I considered myself a fairly hygienic person, but I've stepped up my hygiene routine. Particularly, you need to change your bedding as frequently as possible. I'd say every 2-3 days at least. My flat has been like a launderette for the last few months, but it's worth it :-). Vacuum and clean the floors every day or two, particularly in your bedroom and bathroom, and open the windows to bring in fresh air and get rid of the eggs. You need to clean everything - I found small worms at the bottom of my laundry basket, and even after getting much better I still find them in my bed. It's a long haul and you have to be absolutely disciplined.

I think that my toothbrush was a constant source of reinfection. To clean your toothbrushes:

- soak them in mouthwash (I use Corsodyll)

- put them in boiling water.

Some organisations recommend keeping your toothbrushes in an airtight container.

Trim your nails as short as you can, and wash your hands with alcohol-based handwash. All the time.

Shower 2 or 3 times a day, and make sure you clean your ass very well indeed. Clean your hands thoroughly afterwards.

*Very important* - sleep in tight underwear, so the eggs are trapped, and change your underwear every time you shower. Don't shake out clothing or sheets, screw them into a ball and get them straight into the laundry basket or washing machine.

Symptoms

Here are my symptoms, for everyone's reference:

- itchy ass (this clearly marks out worm infection from anything else)

- abdomen pains (note, NOT your stomach, which is just below your ribs, rather the abdomen, which is just above your hipline)

- bloating

- 24 hour cycle of symptoms (it *should* be worse in the night, but in my case they seem to have gotten confused and I get them worse from 2pm-7pm)

- dry cough, usually white stuff brought up but occasionally horrid brown/red - I presume the latter is damaged capillaries from my lungs.

- low B12 - this can (sometimes) be serious and causes anxiety, depression, inability to concentrate, poor mental function, and if left untreated can cause anemia. If you're worried about this, go get a blood test at the doctor to check B12 and blood count, and start taking B12 supplements right now.

- sweating, particularly at night but also during the day (same time as other symptoms)

- gas - lots of burping/passing gas

- abdomen noises - annoying and embarrassing!

- insomnia - from the discomfort.

- secondary skin infection, for which I took antibiotics for and was cleared up in a few days.

This is the first time I've read about anyone else having the white snot thing - I have it too. I figured that this is a side-effect of the eggs getting into your lungs from the blood stream. I've also got itching in one ear, which I have been worrying about and it seems pretty likely it's related.

Diet

I have found that diet makes a huge difference. Pinworms love sugar, so stop eating chocolate and sugary foods, the worst being lager - it's like rocketfuel. And don't be tempted to go back when you feel better - take a quick bite to cheer yourself up, but don't consume in normal quantities (I love chocolate!). This is made worse by the fact that I've read pinworms cause you to crave sugary foods.

Advice on Dealing with GPs

Most doctors don't have much experience with worms, particularly in adults. I have been constantly fobbed off with a diagnosis of IBS, which is nonsensical when you consider the visible presence of worms and egg clusters (I get white dots on my hairs). Problem is, IBS is such a general diagnosis that a lot of the symptoms overlap. I don't find doctors pay much attention to the coughing symptoms, so I wouldn't waste your time arguing about that.

I have taken photos of the worms after taking a sample from my skin (the 'sellotape method' being the easiest way of doing it), and photos of my stools (yes, I'm a real nightmare patient!). I've submitted three stool samples so far - one was rejected by the lab (good grief!), one wasn't a very good sample and showed nothing, but I'm hoping the third will be diagnosed correctly. It's not unusual for it to take a few attempts before the lab is able to confirm pinworms. You should be able to see the worms in your stools, so wait until you've got a lot of the little blighters in your stool before using it as a sample.

The photos are the only reason I've been taken seriously and finally got to see a consultant about it.

If your infection is really prolonged, then you may well have low B12, so asking for a blood testing and telling your doctor you're worried about B12 is quite a good bargaining tool - if it comes back with low B12, your doctor should be fairly convinced if you tell him your reasoning beforehand.

--

That's all I have to contribute. I hope that's helpful, because I know how terrible a situation it is. But you can fix yourself if you're willing to be very, very disciplined. And you are not being stupid about it - basically you're playing host to a parasite that's putting your through pain every day, making you anxious (possibly even starving your brain of B12), and it's a socaily award condition - no-one wants to hear about it!

PWS.

Well done that person, that has given me some food for thought ( pardon the pun )but I will be looking into the B12 area next.

Oh by the way, as mentioned in an earlier post of mine that I was clear, that is still now the case, I still believe it is down to my regime of tablet taking.

Hi Tony,

First - apologies for the stupid spelling mistakes in my post above. I was not on top form when I wrote that!

Hope it's some help.

As for the tablets, I guess if you take it consistently it may help, but for me Ovex felt like trying to kill an elephant with a pea shooter. Then again, it depends on your particular case and I shouldn't generalise too much from mine.

PWS.

Hi Pinwormsufferer

No probs etc.

May I remind you about the little Dutch boy who stuck his finger up ( oops sorry ) in the dyke, ooh that sounds horrid.

Or Jack who slew the giant ( no they weren't beans and he was not jolly )etc. etc.

All I know is that I am still clear, but I defer to your quote of "it depends on your particular case "

Can you imagine where we would be if the the dutch boy did not like getting his hands wet or the Jack who only had meat on the menu.

We would be in a World run by "wet giants" ! ! ! !

Who all had pinworm ! ! ! ! !

Now theres a thought.

Hey guys, I couldn't read everything on this thread so far, but here is an advice:

eat a lot of garlic RAW, this is crucial, don't boil it and stuff! Put it in yoghurt or on a toast, but eat it raw!

Also, about the medications: mebendazole might kill the worms inside you, but will leave behind tons of eggs ... still inside... which will fetch. Hence, I think somply paralyze them and let them get expelled is actually more efficient. Of course, you still will be left with eggs there, but on taking the second round of the powder 2 weeks later, you can catch them before becoming "adult" and lay another eggs. So you break their life cycle and have a good chance to get rid of the basterds.

BUT! Unfortunately, the paralyzing method can't help you if they get into another parts (eyes, nose, ears, vagina).

I woudl highly discourage you to freeze any clothes and stuff, because they can actually very well survive extreme low temperatures. No wonder if you think that they are more likely to turn up during winter.

Anyway, a totally safe and working way is really raw garlic and a lot of hand (and butt) washing, as well as doing everything you can in order to avoid touching eyes, nose, ears, face in general.

Sorry about my english guys and hope I could add some useful info here.

Ah, and try to talk about it with family or with the person you live with. If you don't, you definitely won't free yourself from the worms, for you will keep on passing back and forth amongst each other the fuckers. I've told to my boyfriend immediately, too bad he just won't take it seriously enough...

Good luck to everyone!

Piccola I have too read that Mebendazole kills the worms but leaves eggs inside, not sure if there really is any proof of this. The Mebendazole definitely worked for me (more than the recommended dose). I told my husband and made him take medication - if he hadn' taken it I think I would have filed for divorce lol.. I was so stressed by the whole situation. I have generally become a lot more hygiene conscious, I was always hygenic before but now before I eat anything at all I wash my hands and scrub them after each toilet visit with a nail brush a lot of the time.Plus I would never use a towel more than once(hence the stacks of laundry in my house).

Good luck to everyone :-)

As I am now clear, and have been for some time as seen by my posts, I am now leaving this site.

Good luck to everybody in their own way ( methods ) of tackling this situation.

All I can say is it worked for me.

Hi Carrie1, piccola,

Carrie1 - As far as I know, no treatment kills the eggs. That's why a normal dose of drugs is repeated after two weeks, so eggs that have hatched can then be killed.

piccola - Yep, I came across the raw garlic thing too. Mix it with honey to take away the taste. I found that a good quantity was needed (say 5 cloves a day at least), and you soon smell of garlic!!! If definitely works, but doesn't seem to be as effective as the drugs. I also agree that worm-paralysing medication won't do much for the worms outside of your digestive system, but my thinking is that it's the worms in your intestines that are maintaining your infection, so knock out those guys and you're a long way towards being better. I guess that subsequently taking ovex combined with some extreme hygiene is a person's best chance of getting rid of the non-intestinal worms.

Heard yesterday that my third sample was again rejected by the lab - seems some miscommunication between my doctor and the lab. Fortunately, the hospital I've been referred to is much better and I'll be going for an endoscopy next month for them to check out my intestines. Should be interesting to see what damage the little blighters have done, but I've nearly cured myself now (after 8 months!).

PWS.

Tony I'll second that. I am also at the stage where I just need to get on with things and not read about these horrible things any more and the distress they cause. Good luck to everyone also, I will just have to get on with life and probably will be infected again at some point (although I hope not). In the meantime I am just going to try and use preventative measures and hope for the best.