The human body is such a beautiful mystery. Just kidding, it’s freaky and weird and hosts all sorts of parasites we can’t even see that can mess us up super bad. What’s worse is the parasites we CAN see, because they also haunt our dreams. That’s what happened to TikToker hoopdolphin, or Mercedes Edwards, as a child.
Edwards shared her story on TikTok while eating an enormous bowl of edamame beans, because if there’s anything I like better than a story about butt worms, it’s a story about butt worms that makes me think about food, too. To start the video, Edwards says she had pinworms when she was 11 years old.
“If you don’t know what that is, it’s these little white worms and they like to live in your butthole,” she edified. “They come out at night to lay eggs all around your anus. Delicious.
“I remember one night my butthole was so itchy so I got a little mirror cause I wanted to look to see like what was going on down there ya know?” she asked her audience, who I hope do not know.
“I saw all these little squiggly white things moving around,” she continued. “I freaked the f–k out. My mom had to take a piece of tape, stick it on my butthole and then the doctor had to like examine it and confirm I had pinworms.”
@hoopdolphin I’m eating a bowl of edamame. #momsoftiktok #edamame #pinworms
She goes onto say she took meds to kill the pinworms, but that was also traumatic because they then were being flushed out every time she pooped…and were sometimes still alive. The good news is, it’s very easy to get pinworms. Haha, just kidding, I’m messed up for life.
BuzzFeed interviewed gastroenterologist Supriya Rao, who confirmed that a piece of tape is usually used to catch pinworm specimens for a diagnosis. But there are preventative measures to take.
“Because they are itchy, people scratch that area and the eggs can get lodged under their fingernail,” explained Dr. Rao. “Then, if they don’t wash their hands well, and touch a surface and leave eggs behind, someone else can pick it up.”
So basically, wash your hands, keep them out of your mouth, keep your nails short, and if someone gets pinworms in your household, clean EVERYTHING.
“Both kids and adults who live with the infected person usually take the medication as a preventative measure as well,” she said. “You also have to wash everything in the house. The worms can live in the bed, on clothes, towels, bed linens, etc. Everything in the home needs to be thoroughly cleaned — and everyone’s fingernails should be cut super short.”
Thank you, TikTok, for giving me yet another thing to fear. I’ll never scratch my butt in peace again.