Pin Worms!

My daughter had this problem. I think she was wiping after BMs herself and not doing perfectly and was causing itching.

I have 3 daughters and 2 of them have had pin worms. They are no fun and are pretty yucky, but fortunately, they are pretty easy to get rid of. The one pill from the doctor did the trick for us.
A couple things that I didn't see in other responses...
1) the best way to spot the worms is to go in with a flashlight at night. The worms come out at night when your child is still, to lay the eggs on their little (bottom)cheeks. You will see tiny white worms squiggling on her bottom. And, yes, you will probably lose your composure for a moment. My daughters complained of pain when the worms came out at night. The eggs are sticky and will itch. Your child will scratch her bottom, then reinfest when her little hands make their way to her mouth. Yuck, I know, but this is how the life cycle of a pin worm works. So, (2) make sure your daughter's fingernails are as short as possible. This will make it harder for the pinworms to be transferred from her bottom to her mouth, starting the lifecycle all over again.
Good luck!

hi A., they used to be pretty common when i was a kid. if your daughter is extremely uncomfortable, you can lay her over your lap and probably extract 'em with a gentle q-tip. i understand the squeamishness<G>. but medicine will take care of them quickly.
:) khairete
S.

I had them once when I was a teenager. It's hard not to be graphic when talking about it because of where they come from sooo your warned. I noticed when I wiped after a bowel movement that there were 1/4 in. long white thin looking worms on the toilet paper. I originally thought they were towel dingles, I couldn't possibly have worms. Than maybe a day later I saw some more and had to do a double take and saw one moving. I freaked out and didn't want to tell my mom, that was way embarassing but I did! Anyhoo, my mom's Dr. gave us some pills, I think I only had to take 1 and she was advised to take 1 as well even though she didn't have any symptoms. The Dr. said it could come from anywhere really, maybe some raw meat, the dog, or yucky water. So I took the meds and the worms were gone and never seen from again. Can you be there and look on the toilet paper real good when she poops, I'm betting you'll see them there if she has them. I've also heard tales of moms going in the middle of the night and inspecting kids butts cause they are reported to come out of the butt at nighttime to lay eggs.

Hi A..
I hope your daughter is okay. Hopefully its not pin worms and she just needs more fiber or juice to loosen things up a bit. From my experience (with pets and worms), they are visible in the poop... as for how she may have gotten it, its as simple as getting your hand liked by a pet who's been exposed/has them and then going to the bathroom or eating without washing your hands first.
Best Wishes.
M.

ah, pin worms. my husband had never heard of them, but i suffered from them on more than one occassion as a child and once in my teens. my mom used masking tape and taped over my anus when i went to bed at night and that was that. (they bite so you flex open and they can escape to lay eggs in the vagina and surrounding area where it is toasty warm and moist-perfect environment for them. so the tape caught them on their way out):from what i understood, they were brought on from poor/no hand washing after bowel movements. when i was a teen, i was able to sit over a mirror and see them to confirm the biting sensation was what i had thought. i applied the same treatment my mom had and again, that was that. since then, i am very conscientious about washing my hands after all toilet visits and have never had a reoccurrence.

Hi MaMa PinWorms.

Pinworms are common in children especially young children who go out and play in the dirt and put their hands in their mouths. Pinworms are easily treated and probably should be checked on an ongoing basis until the child is older and understands about washing hands, wiping their hands across their mouths, etc. I had pin worms as did my cousin and brother.

L. Flanery

Hi A.,
my children caught them from another child who would drop her pacifier in the dirt, then put it into her mouth! She was always coming down with them. Eventually her parents treated the yard with lime, since pets can cause the cycle to keep on going, but the lime seemed to deter them.
As for your daughter, just follow the directions to the letter with the medicine and then you have to do all that washing and vacuuming....aarrgghh...like we arent busy enough!
My husband was deployed when we went through our little saga, so I was letting the girls get into bed with me, which meant....you guessed it.....the passed them on to me! It was not fun at all, BTW. You can soothe the itching by applying witch hazel on a cotton pad and holding on her skin. Also..I had lots of stomach discomfort as well....maybe some of it was nerves since I was kinda freaked out by the whole thing! Just make sure you take that washing and vacuuming seriously. I had to retreat all over again because I didn't do my son's room thoroughly enough(he wasn't infected)...but my girls were in there and the eggs can become airborne and stick to anything, so I also recommed dusting w/ furniture polish.

Just know that many moms have been in your shoes, make sure you explain to your daughter the importance of washing her hands, especially before eating, hot water w/ soap. And be careful...you can also pick this up from her, so keep that in mind when cleaning up your home or wiping her.
Good luck to you,
L.

LOL Don't freak out :) Kids get them repeatly it seems...easy to get rid of.

Dear A.,
My children's pediatrician told me when my children were young that 50% of all kids get pinworms!!! That was great comfort to me when he told me that all four of them had them (pinworms, that is).
FYI: One dose of medicine is all that is necessary to eliminate them from the body!
Blessings!
J.

Hi, A..

I had pin worms a few times as a child... there was one bad summer.... all my friends had it, as well. From your child's perspective, I feel for her... I remember the discomfort well. It kind of feels like a yeast infection... but in the anal area... and no secretions. As I recall, I believe the worms are super tiny... so you will probably not notice them when they pass... but I could be wrong about that... it was so long ago and I was little.

The reason: we were eating dirt, sand and grass... I know that sounds crazy. Our parents all kept very clean homes, etc... we washed hands before eating and after using the toliet. They couldn't figure out how it was happening. But, we had active imaginations and would play games, make potions, etc... our parents had no idea when they saw us playing that we were actually eating our concoctions!!!!!

My stepdaughter had them about 2 yrs ago. They are no big deal. She took this over the counter liquid and they disappeared within days.

A.,
My son was having problems pooping. His bum was itchy and would bleed after pooping. It turned out he had a strep infection in his bum. I never knew you could get strep there. If it is pin worms, don't think too much about it. If that is the worse thing that happens to her during her toddler years, you are lucky!! My 4 yo has had a surgery and a few trips to the ER.

My mom was a preschool teacher and unfortunately had them a lot, so I had them as a child often. You'll want to wash all the sheets and bedding in your home in very hot water to make sure all the eggs are killed, because the laying of eggs does happen at night. The medicine should knock it out quickly, but in the process, try to watch your daughter and make sure she's washing her hands constantly since I'm sure she's scratching a lot.