# Itchy tushies in school-age children (or younger)



## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

So we went to the doctor today, she told me how to look for worms or whatever is supposed to be crawling around his tushie. An acquaintance suggested putting scotch tape over his anus before bedtime adn then take it off in the morning and see if anyone stuck. If you know what I mean.










Am so sure that my sweet yet stubborn 8yo boy is *not* going to sit still for tape on his tush, no matter what kind of answers-leading-to-relief it promises.

A friend told me the way to get rid of worms is to slide a thin piece of garlic up their bums. It blocks the opening that the critters need to exit to lay their eggs (which are laid on the outside) thereby ending their lifecycle. Sad for them, good for my sweetie's tush.

Sigh.

And, of course, the doctor gave us some syrup stuff to kill the buggers more directly.

Any other comments, suggestions, experiences? Am a little skeeved, am a lot distressed for my sweetheart (he walks around scratching his tush all day, and I watch him walk off to school doing this scratch-n-sniff thing ... he tells me it's to make sure his fingers don't smell after the scratching







). And yeah, I keep reminding him to wash them with soap every 30 seconds ...

Anyway, poor kid's very uncomfortable.

Tell me this ends. Or that there's possibly another cause.


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## mavery (Jun 3, 2005)

I don't know about garlic but if you (or he maybe could do it himself) put a big blob of petroleum jelly over his anus, that keeps them from laying eggs too. You have to do it every night for a couple of weeks, I think, to make sure you completely get rid of them.

Also, in addition to washing his hands is he scrubbing his nails? He could be reinfecting himself if the eggs get under his nails when he scratches (and then eats something with his hands, etc.)

I hate those things. Ugh.


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## HeatherHeather (Jan 7, 2004)

Are you sure it's worms? You can just scotch tape his anus in the morning and look at the tape under a magnifying glass to see if there are any eggs. You don't have to leave the tape on all night.

Has he had any antibiotics lately? Maybe the itching is from yeast (even if he hasn't had antibiotics).







:


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## CallMeIshmael (Sep 12, 2004)

Oh how unpleasant.

Pinworms are a big cause of itchy bums in kids, but by no means the only cause. Basically, anything that irritates your anus can get you into a vicious cycle of irritation --> itchiness --> scratching --> more irritation. Certain foods will do it, hemorrhoids or skin tags will do it, a few days of too loose, too hard or "caustic" stools will do it....Check out "pruritus ani" (the fancy Latin term for "itchy bum") on google for more info.

You could try slapping on a little desitin (or getting him to do it) for a few days to see if you can break the cycle. If it still keeps up (particularly if it's worst at night), it might well be the wormies after all...


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

merpk said:


> So we went to the doctor today, she told me how to look for worms or whatever is supposed to be crawling around his tushie. An acquaintance suggested putting scotch tape over his anus before bedtime adn then take it off in the morning and see if anyone stuck. If you know what I mean.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

Sometimes cheap toilet paper makes my kids itchy. Changing it and then bathing stops it instantly.


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

Yeah, cheap toilet paper's a possibility. Also a not-very-skilled wiper is a possibility, IYKWIM.

Sigh.

Well, we tried the tape thing last night. The tale of the tape on the tail. Didn't find anything, but then again, am not too sure it was like right smack over the anus, so not sure it would be a true reflection of what's going on.

Would like to get hold of some of his stool to see if anything's in there. Thanks for that suggestion. Will remind him to tell me before he goes in to poop so we can check some out.

Sigh. It's easier to do when they're in diapers, ya' know?


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## mavery (Jun 3, 2005)

The other thing that occurred to me is, I think pinworms itch primarily at night (because that's when the worms come out to lay eggs). So if he's itching all the time, it's maybe something else.


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## teachma (Dec 20, 2002)

My 6 year old was always itching that area from about ages 2-3.5 years old. Turned out to be a chocolate sensitivity. We eliminated chocolate at around three-ish, and it went away. But sure enough, if there was ever a cupcake at school that I didn't know about, I could always tell about 24 hours later...But I'm sure if you've been guided by a dr. to check for worms, you've already decided it wasn't a food thing. Just thought I'd share anyway!


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## raksmama (Feb 20, 2005)

An itchy bum can be from so many different things. As mavery already pointed out, with worms it itches at night when the worms are laying eggs.
ds (8) had an itchy bum for ages.I treated him with herbals for parasites even though his bum itched all the time not only the night.Then I gave him herbals for candida and stopped sugar but it still did not go away.he was scratching so much his bum was burning. Finally we tried a zinc based cream (penaten) and believe it or not the itching stopped.Also we avoid paper and use wet wipes instead. I always have him rinse his bum in the shower with fresh water after he goes to the bathroom.


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

beansavi said:


> Quote:
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *merpk*
> ...


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jalilah* 
An itchy bum can be from so many different things. As mavery already pointed out, with worms it itches at night when the worms are laying eggs.
ds (8) had an itchy bum for ages.I treated him with herbals for parasites even though his bum itched all the time not only the night.Then I gave him herbals for candida and stopped sugar but it still did not go away.he was scratching so much his bum was burning. Finally we tried a zinc based cream (penaten) and believe it or not the itching stopped.Also we avoid paper and use wet wipes instead. I always have him rinse his bum in the shower with fresh water after he goes to the bathroom.


Yeah, am going to go the zinc-cream route, too. Have heard stories of how worms wake kids up at night, hysterical. We have *not* had anything like that, so am thinking maybe there's nobody there, IYKWIM. And he's still scratching.









Am stressing also because it must be awful for him at school. And on top of the discomfort, I mean, other kids see him scratching his tush, they're not oblivious ... and kids aren't known to be nice about most things, you know?


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## mamaverdi (Apr 5, 2005)

poor Amy's ds. Eating garlic dipped in honey is good for worms and yeast. Apple cider vinegar mixed with water is also good. Also a garlic oil: boil some garlic in olive oil. Any of these are good for both worms and yeast. Or that lovely gentian violet.


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## Metasequoia (Jun 7, 2005)

A friend of our's Dd had pinworms & the Daddy went in to her bedroom in the middle of the night with a flashlight & rather quickly took a peek at her bum & saw them crawling around. I've always heard that that's how you're supposed to find them.

I came here intending to start a similar thread, but while you're all here....do you mind if I join ya?









Dd1 has been scratching her bum. She has a weird ring around her anus, like 1 1/2-2" in diameter, when I googled that, I got a lot of hits for "Rings of Uranus."









I wasn't sure what it was at first but suspected yeast or a food sensitivity. I'm trying to look back & figure out if there was anything new to her diet & the only thing that come sto mind is that twice in the last couple of weeks, her Daddy took her out for breakfast & she had a tall glass of pasteurized milk both times & then said that her belly hurt (we only drink raw & water when out.)

Anyhow, she's now scratching her girly bits too, so I'm thinking that it's yeast. A friend recommended Weleda fiaper cream, which is what I use when Ds gets a pink tushie, because of the zinc, she said yeast doesn't like zinc oxide.

Any other tips for clearing a yeasty bottom aside from Nystatin? I also wonder if it could be systemic & if anything topical will fix the itchies.


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Metasequoia* 
when I googled that, I got a lot of hits for "Rings of Uranus."



















Well, we're still not seeing worms here. I made him bend over for quite some time this evening to look, too. He just leaned over the couch and played his gameboy while I watched. Nothing to see. Sigh. So I put the zinc oxide on.









Folks keep telling me my other kids have to be "treated," too, because if one has it, they'll all have it. But nobody else has anything like it, no itchy anythings at all.

Sigh. Where is Dr. Crusher when I need her.


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## Demeter9 (Nov 14, 2006)

I used to have this myself, and my one daughter started to complain about it all the time. Yeast creams etc. didn't stop it, and it isn't a parasite for us.

I don't know what causes it, but what got rid of it was tea tree oil.

Now, I'll warn you that if there are scratches in there (vagina, penis, scrotum, anus) it'll sting like the dickens.

But the itchy goes away permenantly on us. I thought it was worth it. My 2.5 year old may not have the same thought on it, but at least she isn't complaining that she itches all the time anymore.


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## littlest birds (Jul 18, 2004)

Pinworms can be 100% controlled without "treatment" if you stop their life cycle. (AND the treatment won't work reliably if you don't stop their life cycle.) The hand touches the itchy anus to scratch (and they crawl to the vaginal area too BTW so that can itch badly also), the eggs get on hands, and then somehow get to mouth--my understanding is that they have to go through the human digestive system before reproducing.

If the cycle is stopped, there are no more worms. It is quite hard to do with young children though. Footie pajamas help restrict scratching. If the itching gets very bothersome in the evening, it helps a LOT to clean the area with a washcloth right then as it is soothing and removes them for a while.

Another thing if you are trying to see them is that they retreat from light, so you can't expose the area to light and wait for them. Try peeking when there is acute itching.

Only some children will experience severe wakefulness--and as far as embarrassment with friends fortunately if it is actually pinworms they are rarely at all active in the daytime. Which, based on your description, makes me think he doesn't have pinworms since he itches through the day.


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

Yeah, deeporgarten, he *is* itching throughout the day.

Am wondering also if it's a stress thing ... he has had a lot of stress the last few months (moving to new country, new language, etc.) so that's not an out-there suggestion.

Am wondering about the tea tree oil, do you just put it on the spot? Certain times of the day, etc.? Will get some today. If it stings, man, will he give me a hard time. But if it stops, it'll be worth it.


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## Demeter9 (Nov 14, 2006)

Just put the tea tree oil on the once or twice. I did it for the entire area. Front to back, because I suspect it is something that spreads throughout. Maybe an uncommon bacteria or fungus? Other treatments didn't work for me.

I've given this advice to others. Some just had a "clean spring breeze" feeling, others had the knee-buckling feeling. I was a knee-buckler the first time I tried it. But getting the itch to go away was worth it.

My little girl wasn't too impressed with it either - but she isn't itchy anymore.


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