Re: waking up screaming UPDATE pg3: pinworms back, and I'm POed!!

[sensfan]

In the morning you basically put a piece of tape around the anus and if there are eggs from the pinworms (they lay them in the night) you can see them under a microscope.

Sounds lovely.

[sensfan]

Well, he STTN with no problems last night. Like I said before, 2 nights in a row for this is new. We'll see how he does over the next few nights...think I'm going to keep a mini-log so I can try to keep track of how often it's been happening.

[*Liz*]

My DS does this sometimes - not in the middle of the night - but not infrequently at bedtime. I think being potty trained has helped a bit though. But what I *think* happens is that if he hasn't been cleaned properly (and you know how hard it can be with this age - they wiggle during cleaning - or hold a poop while they finish a game with trains etc) and gets a little sore. Nothing major - just a bit itchy and uncomfortable. And then he can't fix it and cries. I usually offer to put some cream on and that settled him down.

Anal fissures and the like tend to be mainly painful when you actually go - same with piles (trust me - I know a LOT about this these days thanks to certain drugs  ).

Just wondering if it is something simple giving some sore skin and inflammation.

[lesliemarie]

It could be pinworms but I think it could equally be a wiping issue.  DD gets this sometimes because she is too busy for a good wipe  . 
Here is a link for the symptoms for the worms.  My MIL always said go in at night while LO is sleeping and use a flashlight to actually look.  Not sure how deep a sleeper your LO is but I could do this with DD once she passed about 2.5.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_pinworms_10866.bc

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pinworms/page3_em.htm

[sensfan]

Liz, that's definitely worth considering. We've recently started insisting that he wipe himself since he'll be starting school in the fall. If we're nearby when he goes we usually double check, but he'll sometimes take care of things by himself. The way he gets so worked up, it makes sense that he might be frustrated. I've tried laying in bed with him and just cuddling to settle him, and he'll yell at me to stop and insist that I'm hurting him. And I'm glad to hear you say that about fissures...I really didn't think that was the problem. Sorry to hear you've been getting some personal experience though.

Lesliemarie, there's no way he'd sleep through me pulling his pants down and poking around his bum. I'm kind of amused by the mental image of me trying though..I hear the Mission Impossible music in the background.

[lesliemarie]

Ya I can imagine it wouldn't work with most kids.  Mine sleeps like a log though.   

[Love, laughter, & PJs]

Anal fissures and the like tend to be mainly painful when you actually go - same with piles

I guess I just wondered if he had a painful bowel movement with a fissure or the like and is remembering that?  The wiping is a good thought, too, though...

[sensfan]

I guess I just wondered if he had a painful bowel movement with a fissure or the like and is remembering that?

Oh, I'm sure this is why he sometimes tenses up when he actually has to poop. There have been 1 or 2 times where he insists on holding one of our hands while he poops in case it hurts. Started giving him magazines to look at in the bathroom though, and that seems to relax/distract him so he can take care of business when he's feeling nervous.

This nighttime stuff never involves him actually pooping. We'll put him on just to see if he needs to (thinking did he wake because he's gassy?), but he'll just pee and keep crying. Fingers crossed he sleeps again tonight...

[sensfan]

Eureka!! We have pinworms. He was up again last night, but not freaking out so at first we thought he just had to pee. Then when he had trouble settling afterwards, DH took a look (for once he was calm enough to let us do it!), and sure enough, little white and wiggling. Gross, but SO relieved to finally know what the problem is!! We thanked him for being so calm and letting us look, and told him we knew how to fix the problem now and make his bum better. Off to get the pill this morning!

The doctor had asked if we'd seen anything moving around, but never said anything about it only happening at night, so after he checked and found nothing I assumed that was off the table. Thank you so much everyone for helping me figure this out! Never would have known what to look for otherwise.

[Love, laughter, & PJs]

Phew!  Yuck but at least you know what it is and it's easily solved. 

[lesliemarie]

Not fun but now you know.  I'm not sure but I think you also have to make sure that you wash everything around his bed as well in case the eggs got onto it.  So sheets, blankets and stuffed animals.  It might not be necessary but better safe than sorry 

[sensfan]

I'm not sure but I think you also have to make sure that you wash everything around his bed as well in case the eggs got onto it.  So sheets, blankets and stuffed animals.  It might not be necessary but better safe than sorry

Already done.

[*Liz*]

Oh yuck  , but yey for a simple solution!

These kids do know how to pick up some horrible things don't they?!!!

[sensfan]

DH's aunt is a nurse with R's pediatrician, and when I called this morning she just laughed and said, "Welcome to parenthood."

[~inbalance~]

Yuck!  But so relieved you figured it out!