Pin Worms

I have never had a child with pinworms...however, I, myself dealt with them for all of my younger life. You do NOT want to have her just let them "go away". They're painful...they make you itch...and it's horrible. I remember when I had them as a child, my mom always got medication from the doctor for them. When I was in high school and got them, I was living in Germany, and was able to just get the medication from the drugstore. And...as an adult, when I got them...I used a natural remedy (fresh carrots & fresh garlic...NASTY stuff, but it works). Unfortunately, being that I've been a chronic nailbiter ALL my life...that is where my problem was from, because obviously, with my hands always in my mouth, it passes germs more quickly. I am 29 now, and the last time I had to deal with them was about 10 years ago. Like I said, though...I personally would never make my child go any length of time with the pinworms if I could help it. They do crawl out of the anus at night, and in females, often find their way to the vagina...and, like I said...VERY painful. Anyway...for medications...here's a couple of sites: http://www.pinwormanswers.com/ and
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&...

Anyway...good luck!

My son got pinworms at the gym and his Dr. told us to use the perscription stuff. He used it one time and it went away they did a follow up dose about aweek later to make sure it was all gone. We crushed the pills and put it in applesauce. My son was so uncomfortable and this worked quickly. Hope this helps.

my sister got this when we were kids. I don't know what there is now, but you could call your local pharmacy. With my sister my mom went to our dr. and he made everyone in the family take medication for it so that we wouldn't get it and pass it on to other people. I'd recomend that everyone in your household take the medication you choose and make sure everyone washes washes and washes their hands. And I would also throw every toy you can in the dishwasher or laundry. And spray everything else down or wash with hot soapy water. Get a nail brush and teach everyone how to scrub under their nails too. Hope this helps. My sister was a thumb sucker and she got pinworms a couple times in the same year so some kid at school was bringing it back into the class room repeatedly.

Dear A.,

You need to call your local county Health Department and ask them if they have any information about Pin Worms. Also, you need to ask your doctor about what medicine to give for that condition and age. Please do those two things before you buy an over the counter medicine. Maybe that is the right one, but you need to find out for sure first.
Sincerely, C. N.

My daughter got pin worms once. Washing hands and keeping fingers out of the mouth will minimize the likelihood of contracting. You can pick up an over the counter medicine for pin worms at any drug store (Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, etc.) Pin worms are very uncomfortable and painful for the child and get worse the longer they go untreated. Relief with 1-3 hours of taking the medicine. Be sure to wash all clothing and bedding.

I have never dealt w/ pin worms personally, but I had a biology teacher that talked about them years ago---so when I became a mother I was totally paranoid of all parasites. My kids are no longer toddlers so I havent thought of them much, BUT I do remember always looking for them digging into their booties and constantly checking their bottoms...or spreading their cheeks--if you will.

I know it sounds gross, but it also helped them to keep wiping properly so that I wouldnt be checking them so much if they werent scratching! I heard they look like tiny white strings that move. If you are concerned w/ your daycare, just try and make the parents aware...maybe look up some info online and hand out a newsletter.

Oh yeah, and OTC ointments should work to rid of them.

How the heck did you find them? How did you see them? Did baby's diaper fill up with worms?

I actually got pinworms as a child they are horrible but the dr told me and my mom i probably got them from school or just being around our dog since they get them easily. I had to get a prescription along with everyone in the house to make sure they didnt have it or get it I am not sure if there is an over the counter cure or not but if there is make sure the whole house takes it

Hi,

This is my first time, responding to this site. But I started reading about this pinworm, and I got a lil worried. My 4 year old, for the past couple of months has been sticking her hands in her butt area, and I keep telling her to take her hands out, I haven't caught her scatching latley, but if I think back a few months ago, I think I have. If I can remember correctly she would say that her butt would hurt her, and somtimes her private area. So I would have her come lay down and I would check her to make sure she didn't have anything in those areas and I didn't see anything, I was thinking that maybe it's just that she's not whiping herself right. So I would wipe her with a handy wipe and she would say it felt better. So I'm wondering if this is something I should bring up to our Dr? Or am I being a over protective parent??

Okay, 1st of all, calm down. It's gross, but it's not a HUGE deal. Pin worms are a parasite, but it does not indicate that you or your family is dirty in any way. They can be seen in the evenings when we are less active, and a great way to see them for sure is to use a piece of scotch tape to remove some from the bum. They are white, about the width of a strand of hair, and vary in length.It is very common in small children and in school age kids because they don't wash their hands as well as they need to. (My son's kindergarten teacher used my son's case as a GREAT chance to teach proper handwashing techniques!) The nasty little dudes live in the intestinal tract and when they are ready to lay their eggs, they head out the bottom (no pun intended). When they lay their eggs, they excrete a sticky substance that actually stings the sensitive tissue down there. The child scratches to relieve the discomfort and then later put their fingers (or something else they have touched) in their mouth and transfer the eggs back into the digestive system to complete the cycle. Your doctor will give your child medication to take and will probably also prescribe it for the rest of your family. (I was not medicated as I was pregnant at the time, but I never contracted the parasite.) My DS had relief almost immediately and the rest of us never had a problem. Don't worry, it will clear up. It's uncomfortable and very memorable for the child.
It's also a great learning experience. Ever since our incident, all we have to say is, "Do you want 'butt worms' again?" and DS's hands get as clean as can be. Funny side note: By the time we got into see the doctor in our Base's ER, it was after 2am and we were all a bit punchy. When the doc asked our chief complaint, my DH blurted out "Butt worms!". The doc didn't blink an eye, but replied, "If you think I'm not writing that in his chart, you are mistaken." To this day, my son's permenant medical records say "CC: Butt Worms". lol
If you want to discuss this further, you are welcome to contact me off board. Good luck, and keep your sense of humor. This, too will pass.
Jen