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I’m constantly battling this!

Posted , 1 user is following.

Ellen02
Ellen02

I've struggled with threadworms on and off for years. It devastates me because I have had extreme OCD ever since the first time being a kid, it traumatised me to think these things are inside me. I developed a phobia after this which triggers my OCD and anxiety massively. I had them on and off being a child, again as a teenager and the things are still targetting me now!

I never share stuff due to being a complete germaphobe, I don't nail bite and I wash my hands probably 50+ times a day (no joke) and I always keep up with a good cleaning regime. People think I'm ridiculous and OTT with my hygiene but I don't understand how they never catch threadworm. How are they living a normal worry free life? Why am I plagued with these things. I cant even say the word out loud I'm so frightened and disgusted by them.

I understand people say anyone can get them and it does not mean your unclean however, considering how bad my OCD is with not having my hands anywhere near my mouth and my fear of public toilets ect, I don't understand how this is possible, I don't even eat sugar and never really have! I have no skin on my hands from washing, I'm very depressed now. The last 10/15 years for me have been hell. I can't get away from the worms no matter how hard I try, I'll be fine for a year or two, then they are back! every day i get up and clean top to bottom, I waste my life away doing this. I cant eat or drink anything until the entire house has been done as I'm so worried of inhaling eggs, so I only eat once a day on an evening, then start the process over again the next day.

It sounds so selfish but the amount if times I have just wished and prayed it was something else such as piles or fissures but I have no pain and the itching is so intense until I take an ovex pill, I'm relieved for about a week but then the tickling comes back. It's currently ruining my relationship now as I don't want to have sex in case of eggs flying around. I'm obsessing over worms online constantly, I feel dirty all of the time and I just don't know where to go from here. I just hope and pray that scientists are trying or going to find a cure for this rather than pointless medication which is a short time strategy when people like me are clearly prone to them 😦

Sorry for such negative post but I'm so down right now.

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • robyn67979
    robyn67979 Ellen02

    Posted

    Hi, I'm so sorry you're going through this. I too have suffered with this for over a year. I finally managed to get rid of the threadworm and I believe this was due to slightly changing my personal washing routine... when I first discovered I had threadworm, I scoured through many forums and came across some posts where people had said to try and clean any laid eggs from about an inch into the anus. I thought this theory made sense and was doing this for over a year and nothing was improving, despite taking ovex to no avail and obsessive cleaning that was ruining my life. I then realised that all of the published advice on threadworm says to just clean around the anal area. So I started to just do this and within 2 weeks the threadworm infection cleared up. So what I think was happening in my case was that I was moving embryonated eggs further up into the rectum, thus making retroinfection much easier for any newly hatched larvae.

    Unfortunately I still actually have another worm infection that I believe to be whipworm that I acquired on holiday to Mexico. I've seen the worms and they are bigger, around 4/5cm but unfortunately they have not been picked up in the stool samples given to my doctor, which is not uncommon. The reason I mention this to you is because the whipworm symptoms have been similar to the threadworm symptoms, as I also feel them moving in my rectum, however I no longer have the white stickiness around my bottom/white flakes in my underwear that I would get religiously for the year that I had threadworm. Sadly my doctor doesnt actually believe that I have any parasite and thinks that I've just become 'hyper aware' of symptoms in that area.

    Whatever infection I have is just not responding to any drugs, i have bought various ones online and taken really long courses of ovex and nothing works.

    What are your symptoms? Do you think it's possible that in your case it could be another or are you certain its threadworm?

    Try and stay positive, I know how soul destroying this is x

  • robyn67979
    robyn67979 Ellen02

    Posted

    also do you have any autoimmune conditions? I was referred to a specialist due to my persistent threadworm (he also didnt believe me) and the specialist did say that it's possible to suffer repeated threadworm infections if you have an immune system problem. x

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