Questions about Dealing with Pinworms

I've been dealing with pinworms now since May 10 or so this year. My first clue was the Sunday that week when, after I ate some oranges and chewed some gum, I noticed these dead, white thread things in my poop. They weren't moving, but it was gross. Monday, I burped a lot, for whatever reason -- every time I consume something, I burp a little, afterwards. I also did a lot of intenet research on the possibilities of it being a pinworm. Tuesday and onward, I've been mostly constipated -- it's a big deal whenever I get a bowel movement, and usually, it's not much at all. That same day, whenever I chewed gum, my head ached.

That Thursday, I drank some orangeade at my mom's cousin's house, ate pancakes, and had a chicken sandwich and a Medium Hi-C that day. That night? My anus had a burning itch, and it was very uncomfortable.

That Friday, I found a worm in my poop. It looked like a male pinworm.

That Saturday and since then, I've struggled with wiggling every night, I've stopped eating anything with Sugar in it (and this, from someone who loved snacking on cookies and other sweets all day), I usually feel crawling in my butt throughout the day and it gets worse and more uncomfortable at night. I used to wash my hands with anti-bacterial Dial soap, but I've stopped doing it because it was damaging my skin. I just wash when I expect that my hands might have contact with my mouth but not with harsh soap and not every single time after touching something. Up until this week, I ate eggs for breakfast, beans and rice for lunch and/or dinner. Sometimes, I'll eat some shrimp pasta (rotini and shrimp, with some spices and Italian salad dressing for seasoning and flavor). I almost don't eat meat anymore, except for salmon and shrimp. I've stopped drinking milk. I drink nothing but water. I've stopped the eggs this week because my family complained that it was going to raise my cholesterol, even though my blood pressure is typically normal or low, despite my being moderately obese (I'm 5'5" and WAS 220 before this all started: now I'm around 205).

I wear my clothes once and take them off and have them washed regularly. I wash my nightwear and lingerie in hot water; I bleach my whites; I don't wash my other clothes hot anymore because hot water was shrinking them, and I'm not working (I'm not hired at the post office: they've been screening me for a month), I don't have health insurance, and I'm broke.

During that time, I've taken Pin-X the second week into it, and it didn't really do much at all -- the best it did was help me poop more, for whatever reason. Also, I went to a doctor the following week, and she prescribed for me 6 100 mg Mebendazole pills to take twice a day for three days. I took them, and I didn't feel like I had absorbed them or if they were working much at all, but the worms were only minimally *quieter* than the previous weeks.

Last Tuesday, the doctor referred me to an Infection Specialist at a downtown hospital. He had checked me differently than the other doctor had. She had me lay down on the hospital bed, and she had checked my rectum in the dark with a light, and she saw them; he had me bend down with the light on in the room, my butt facing him, my upper body on the bed, and he looked through that way -- said he didn't see anything. Then, he prescribed me just ONE 100 mg Mebendazole pill.

I've taken it today, and I feel a little like they're a little weaker than before. *shrugs* I'm not going to get my hopes up.

Here are my questions, finally:

1. I've been ironing my clothes before I wear them after I take a shower. My mother complains that the electric bill is nearly $400 this month -- I should stop. She's also complaining about the constant laundry. Is ironing necessary? I saw it as a tip on either this board or some other one, and then, my first doctor told me I should do that.

2. How clean should I keep my room? How often should I wash my sheets? Sorry to say, but I still haven't cleaned my room. All I've done is keep my hands clean, and I wash the bedding between every 3-7 days a week. Sometimes, I've gone over. I just don't wash it daily because it's tedious, and my sheets take a long time to dry. Also, I've been sleeping with the fan on, like I've always have before it all started, but I'm worried whether or not eggs will be airborne afterwards. The Specialist told me I have nothing to worry about, but can you guys tell me?

3. Since I have no insurance, should I just buy the drugs online instead of going back to doctors? The last doctor, the Infection Specialist, charged me $208.50 for his appointment. The doctor is a friend of my mother's, so she only charged us $100 for the blood work she did.

4. What foods am I really allowed to eat? I avoid Sugar whenever I can, because it seems they become stronger and itchier with it, but I'm wary of bread, chicken, and beef. Pasta is probably not so good for me, but I feel OK after eating some. Raw tomatoes don't seem too good -- spaghetti sauce seems fine. (Yeah, it's weird). I'm not that keen on pineapple -- I don't think it does anything. After this week, I'm definitely not ready for any berries. The Specialist claimed that I could do "normal hygiene" procedures and eat normal food, but then, I had a smoothie (I know...) from my oldest brother, and I had a terrible time that Monday. Bum burned and itched like never before. The worms almost practically made a comeback. Stupid, stupid me, I know. Beans seem alright, but unless I eat a whole pound of them, I don't really poop with them. Beef and chicken seem to help me poop.

5. What should I do about any wiggling at night? For the past two weeks, I was putting Noxzema in my anus. After the store-brand Noxzema ran out, I started using two q-tips, having them stick my anus open while up in different directions -- it makes it uncomfortable to sit around, but I feel less moving around. I also put hydrocortizone and Vaseline around my anus, since I heard that it was a good way to control the itching and to keep the eggs in one place for easy washing away in the morning.

6. I've also been showering twice a day, morning and night. When should I sleep at night and wake up in the day? I've been falling asleep at 6 am the past few days, but I shower before I sleep. I tend to wake up now and shower in the late morning/early afternoon. Are my sleep patterns bad for the worms?

7. How do I keep furniture and the floors clean for when I sit on them and whenever I do laundry? Should I mop or clean the floors on the regular basis? Whenever my friend comes over, I usually vacuum the living room floor and the furniture before he sits on it and puts any of his things down. Is this effective?

8. How do I keep the toilet clean? I used to use a bleach solution before my brother complained (we share bathrooms), and I used to use glass cleaner with ammonia until he complained that it was staining the toilet seat blue. Now I just use regular Odo-Ban and wipe the toilet seats clean. What is a more effective way to clean toilet seats and other various items of eggs? Should I really clean the whole house? I live with my mother and my two brothers, and only my older brother has been sympathetic and cooperative since the whole ordeal started: my mother and brother keep doubting the severity of it all and saying I go over the top in keeping myself clean.

9. When the eggs are laid, what's an effective way of cleaning them off? I usually put a lot of soap down there and wash it off. Is that effective at all? And do I have to worry about spreading just from laying down in my bed or sitting on a chair? How badly are the eggs able to spread?

10. What more can I do?

I may have more questions later. Sorry for the post being so long, but I wanted to be as clear and thorough as possible.

Thank you for reading. Tweet