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Returning threadworms for years....

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Anna196444
Anna196444

HI, I've had treadworms for almost 5 years now! Ive been eating loads of Opex and Mebendazole. I tried the pumpkin seeds and eaten garlic every day for months...I've also gone up to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases In London to see a specialist for the last 8 months....All their treatment has not worked either. It always comes back! My husband or my two children have never had it and we dont have any pets....I keep a very clean house and im so careful with my hygiene...What can i do to get rid of these? Help Please.....Its driving me insane! 

4 likes, 290 replies

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  • ntsaint
    ntsaint Anna196444

    Posted

    It's a very common condition to have. We're fighting it right now in my house. For a week or so my son would squirm from the itching but only when he had a BM.  Once I took him to the doctor early in the a.m. the doctor did a tape test and found no eggs.  I insisted on a lab and a few mornings later we did the lab and the lab found a small amount of eggs. He was the only one with any symptoms.  We have foregone albendazole for a much much much cheaper pyrantel pamoate. Being a parent of younger children 7,10,12 I can say that kids ( at least mine ) VERY rarely are able to follow the kind of hygiene it requires to beat something like this. Even my 12 yr old can't remember to wash her hands EVERYTIME she decides to shove food in it.  And I'm sure anyone with a 5 yr old boy can see the nice brown stains in their underware.  From not wiping well, perhaps but my money is on scratching.

    I'm sorry to hear about your hard time, I'm a bit of a germaphobe and I've taught my kids ( in some cases unsuccessfuly ) wash wash wash your hands.  I found out shortly after this all started that their school does not ask them to wash their hands before lunch and in 1 case sends kids directly to the lunchroom from recess.  I'm trying to be optomistic...

    Anyway I'll toss out a few ideas for you and some extra things I've been doing that you may not have thought of in addition to morning showers and in some cases even after having a bm.

    FIRST consider your furnace filter if you have one. not all of them are rated to catching things like pinworm eggs.  I dont even know if mine are but I purchased the highest rating I could which is supposed to catch things as small as .3 microns, several times smaller than pinworm eggs.  Also it seems reasonable that your furnace and/or a/c, fans, etc will spread dust which will likely contain eggs all over your house.

    SECOND heat your house up and keep blinds open for sunlight, if you can, preferably dry heat like a fireplace. Pinworm eggs don't do well in heat but thrive in cooler damp climates and in fabrics.  I didn't go crazy but I set my thermostat to 75 it may not help but I figure every bit will help. I found a site once that said they can only survive 16hrs if the temperature is hot and dry. I've also read the 2-3 weeks thing which pertains to optimal conditions but I've read they lose infectivity in 1-2 days on normal surfaces and are not likley to do well hard surfaces. 16 hours seems like a pipe dream right now lol

    THIRD put the toilet seat down before flushing ( should be done weather or not you have pinworms in the house )  This will keep from eggs that may have fallen in or got stuck on the rim from getting airborn in your bathroom. Then clean the toilet after each use.  I'll leave it to you to decide how long to keep up that practice.

    FOUR wipe everything you use daily. I don't go super crazy cleaning mostly because I dont want to stir up new dust to get blown around. I wipe the couches, counters, fixtures, light switches, keys, car doors/buckles/shifter etc. and anything else people touch, and mop, twice a day. Consider cabinet door edgeds and walls as well.

    FIVE consider that you're being reinfected the same way you were infected in the first place.  School, nieghbors, family friends, there are so many ways.  Have everyone wash their hands when they come home from school, consider wiping books, backpack, etc to eliminate eggs they may be picking up.  You're obviously getting reinfected somewhere you just have to eliminate the source.  I've even read stories about people not getting rid of them until they have moved away. Extreme but I gotta say I'd consider it if I was continously infected.

    Currently I'm only 1 week in and have washed all bedding and clothes every day since treatment. in 6 more days I'll repeat the dose of reese's for everyone and we'll hope and pray for the best.

    All of that being said I'll say this.  My sons pediatrician told me that in all his years as a doctor he hasn't once tested for pinworms and when someone calls with the sypmtoms he just perscribes them albendazole for the whole family which is $500 a dose here btw.  For a family of 5 thats quite the investment and may or may not kill 100% of the females.

    Being clean doesn't mean the eggs aren't in your house and being dirty doesn't mean that they are.  The statistics are scary. I've seen posts with claims like 90% of walls and surfaces in homes with a pinworm infestation contained eggs.  It's important to be diligent and require the same diligence around you, it only takes one butt scratch and a door knob, light switch, toilet seat etc to reinfect everyone in your home. Persistent infestations seems like hell and require an extraordinary amount of dedication to eradicated.  You must also consider the other side of the coin and the longstanding repercussions and the strain on your family.  Does the cure justify the means.  I almost get choked  up when I think of those little buggers inside my family but I also know that they aren't dangerous physically.  But the mental stress of constant cleaning and fear can be sevire.  I'm comforted by the fact that considering the amount of infections there are in the US and worldwide that there aren't more google results. You aren't going to get very many people coming to google to sing the praises of being worm free and are FAR FAR more likely to see the horror stories of lifelong infections.  Just like consumer reivews your far more likely to see a complaint that good feedback, most people just aren't interested in telling anyone good things these days.

     

    • Anna196444
      Anna196444 ntsaint

      Posted

      Thanks for you advise. The medicine is not expensive here in the uk.

      But my problem is, it's only ME who has it. No one else in the family has ever had it over the last 5 years that I've suffered from it.

      Now, if there is eggs floating around in my house why don't anyone else get it? Ever? 

      We don't have air condition only underfloor heating so no filter to change. 

      Im thinking, the worms might never leave my body? Can that be it.. .? 

      The longest I've been without it is around 3 months, and then it comes back. Even though my family  members have never had it they all been treated for it. Just incase..

      im feeling lost in options..

      is this something that is never going away? Do people really live with it all their lives?  😞

    • gail_22155
      gail_22155 Anna196444

      Posted

      Hi Anna. I've google returning thread worms and came across this. Like you I'm clean and they keep coming back I have three kids and they haven't had them. I'm embarrassed I buy ovex all the time I'm sure the people In the chemist say here's  the worm lady. Have you found a remidie. Thanks hopefully you will get this. 

    • Anna196444
      Anna196444 gail_22155

      Posted

      HI, Its hard isn't..Not sure what to advise as i have not had a cure and still suffering. As ive said in previous messages i do think some people (us..) is more susceptible to them, We must be! As no one else get them in the household. Clean house, wash everything a lot etc..Ive seen countless doctors and they cant help. Ive eaten lots of Ovex and as a precaution  ive had my liver tested to just incase of any damage of eating so much...It was all ok though! Not sure what to suggest then keep going..You can message me private if you like. A

    • achraf14
      achraf14 Anna196444

      Posted

      i have the same problem for 2 years now rolleyes althought mine is only cured when i dont eat sweet i mean like no more sugar for a week (cofee free sugar ... not a single sweet for like a week) but then the first sweet i get whatsowever the come back :'( 

  • Balmpot
    Balmpot Anna196444

    Posted

    As I said in my last reply - pinworms are cyclicle and can re-appear anything up to 3/4 months.  They treat animals for 13 weeks for their kind of pinworms  funny that the longest you have ever been free of them is 3 months (13 weeks).

    Think taking your medication/herbal whatever over a longer period of time.  Not everyday but as prescribed and keep up your hygiene.

     

    • Anna196444
      Anna196444 Balmpot

      Posted

      Ok, the doctors don't want to give me medicine longer then 6 weeks as it is damaging for the liver...that's what they say. I haven't really tried any herbal medicines yet. Maybe I should buy the treatment the sell to dogs!! 
    • ntsaint
      ntsaint Anna196444

      Posted

      Not everyone that has pinworms have symptoms many are asymptomatic but they can still spread them.  No, it's not possible they never leave, they hatch, they feed and grow, they mate, lay eggs and die.  You're problem could very well be retroinfection where once the eggs hatch they manage to find their way back in.  I read that it happens but they don't know how often. Also the worms don't move around with purpose once they hatch and finding their way back inside your colon is just blind luck.  Your body can deal with them but it's not able to keep up with reinfection.  Aslo retroinfection rapidly increases your parasite load. If I had to guess and thats all it would be because I'm in no way and expert or a parasitologist but I'd venture to guess someone if not everyone esle in your family is asymptomatic and spreading the eggs.  I know the parasites can build up resistance to the drugs and by now the drugs probably have a deminished effect. I've seen a few stories about people that struggle with this kind of thing long term but I haven't found any real solid concrete answers and belive me I've tried. I'm a little obsessive and the first 10 pages of links on pretty much every search I could think of concerning pinworms are all purple. I've read everything from pinworms generally die out and go away with good hygiene to they never go away and everything inbetween.  I've seen 100 herbal remedies and daily routines to 1 dose of meds and then never another problem.  

      All I can say for sure is if they go away and come back you've most likely been reinfected over and over. To me, if you've gone 13 weeks or more without them you either dont show symptoms until your parasite load is sufficiently high from retroinfection or you just plain got reinfected.  Also I'll say that if you constantly have them the odds are your family does. I know you say they don't have them.  It would be EXTREMLY hard to avoid contaminating at least a few surfaces over the course of the years even with the best of hygiene.

      As for the stuff for dogs, I've read ppl do it I'm not sure it was effective but imo it's not worth liver damage if thats a risk.  I urge you to get some labs for your family to make 100% sure they aren't infected.  If that makes you uncomfortable buy a microscope and do them yourself.  Many times it takes multiple tests to actually catch the eggs so often 1 test isnt' enough.

       

  • chanel144
    chanel144 Anna196444

    Posted

    Hello. Did you ever get rid of them? Your story is the same as mine - my family show no symptoms, only me. I'm also based in the UK and am desperate. I've had them for five years. Really don't know where to turn now.
    • Anna196444
      Anna196444 chanel144

      Posted

      Nope, still got them. I've been to the tropical hospital in London today actually and seen a professor again about it!! I can tell you more if you like. I'll send you a message. 
    • nina.42
      nina.42 Anna196444

      Posted

      id be intetested to lnow please? I constantly suffer with these things, nothing I can do to get rid and both times the doctor have seen a sample they come back and say it’s negative which makes no sense at all as I can visually see them

      my son said to me a few days ago that he saw something in his poo and it looks like a worm! I know 100% he has them now as I’ve been getting symptoms again for the last three weeks, but I cannot get rid of

  • dennis85957
    dennis85957 Anna196444

    Posted

    I live in usa and they don't give us same drugs, so i Have to go to mexico. to get MEB. have not got it yet But I am trying to control them, we have over counter drug call reese pinworm, it does not kill them only parlyzed them. So have be doing Enema three times a day, I do coconut oil enema and garlic enema with three drops of cloves to kill the eggs, now i heard eat a cigarette. will kill them so I am going to try this. But i heard you get very ill. but anything is better then these, will keep you updated,
    • Balmpot
      Balmpot dennis85957

      Posted

      Wouldn't bother eating a cigarette, that definitely won't do the trick.  You can buy medendazole online, just google it. 

      ​Enemas aren't a good idea either, they only get into the large intestine and the small intestine is where the females live and grow.

      Many people on this site have tried lots of 'so called' remedies and have failed.  I am one of those.

      ​My current position is that I went to the doctors and he asked me to do a swab test which is totally different to the sellotape one others have been asked to do, waiting for results.  Because it has made me depressed fighting these threadworms for the past four years I was prescribed an anti-depressent which has helped me enormously.  I am now in my eleventh week of taking one meb once a week and have seen a definite downturn in the irritating little hatchlings.   Normal treatment for animals infected with worms is 13 weeks and I am determined to give this a try.

      ​Good luck in you quest and I will keep you informed of my progress and perhaps bring these persistant parasites to an end.

       

    • s54525
      s54525 Balmpot

      Posted

      Hi, can I ask was 1 mebendazole a week for 13 weeks recommended by your Dr as safe or was it something you decided to do yourself? Just asking as thinking of doing the same dose myself but all the instructions are once then repeat in fortnight which clearly doesn't work. Thanks for your help.
    • nina.42
      nina.42 dennis85957

      Posted

      I know this thread is very old, but I’ve been reading through the whole thing with the same desperation that everyone on here seems to have. I’d like to know your success story and what work for you please

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