So while my mom was visiting this week Madeline was experiencing an "itchy bottom". At first I thought it might be a girl problem and something with her va-j-j (as Oprah often refers to the lower part of the female reproductive tract :-). But she didn't seem to show any other symptoms to show she was. As the week went on the itchy-ness seemed to be getting worse and she was itching front to back. So I finally called her pediatrician to ask what to do. Figuring if it is a va-j-j issue they instructed me to give her baking soda baths 4 times a day for the next 2 days and to no longer use soap while bathing her. If it didn't seem to go away after that they wanted to see her. After I expressed that the itchyness also seemed to come from her bottom area, and was even waking her in the night, the nurse thought it may not be a va-j-j issue but something in the bottom area such as pinworms (what!!). She said it's common for kids this age, often they get it from playing outside, their hands getting dirty and carrying the pinworm eggs and then sticking their hands in their mouths (which Madeline does since she's a thumbsucker). She reminded me how important it is to wash hands, etc. but also said that kids can still get this even while faithfully doing preventative matters like washing hands all the time. So yesterday evening after Madeline fell asleep we were to check her bottom area for pinworms. They are tiny and the size of thread but come out of the rectum opening at night time.
So after her bath before bed last night I decided to check her while getting her dressed. Lo and behold - she has pinworms!!! Poor baby girl. :-( I called her pediatrician's after hours number and got a prescription for her to get rid of them. Luckily it's only 1 chewable tablet she takes today, and then 1 more follow up tablet in 3 weeks. I was also instructed to wash all her bedding and clothing in hot water, vacuum her room everyday for the next week and give her hot showers the next 3 days. She is also not allowed to take a bath with James for at least 3 weeks since it is mildly contagious. The pharmicist also told me to open all the windows, as the pinworms/eggs do not like a lot of light.
Besides constipation, Madeline hasn't really experienced any other childhood issues. So I guess this is just the beginning! :-)
5 comments:
Poor Madeline. I never heard of pinworms before. I guess my kids were too ornary to get those. Hope she feels better.
That's too bad. I'm just glad you chose not to put any photos on this blog post.
Hahaha..the last commenter just about killed me. Had I been drinking milk, it surely would have come out of my nose!
That sucks!! Poor Madeline!! I hope she gets better quickly!
Poor Maddy! Thanks for the post - it was really informative to a new mom.: ) Hope all is well by now.
Yikes! Poor girl. Some day she will be like "mom why did you blog that?" :)
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