A video of woman who discovered “squiggly white” worms in her anus has gone viral on TikTok.
Mercedes Edwards recounted in detail how she came down with a pinworm infection as a child. The video has more than 1.7 million views, the New York Post reported.
“If you don’t know what that is, it’s these little white worms and they live in your butthole. They come out at night to lay eggs around your anus,” Edwards said in the clip last month under the username @hoopdolphin.
She said she knew something was wrong when her anus became “so itchy”.
“So I got a little mirror because I wanted to look to see like what was going on down there, you know?,” she told viewers while snacking on edamame.
“And I saw all these squiggly white things moving on and I freaked the f–k out.”
She explained her mom got a piece of tape to stick on her anus to get a sample for a doctor, who confirmed she had a pinworm infection.
According to Mayo Clinic, pinworm infection is one of the most common type of intestinal worm infection. “Pinworms are thin and white, measuring about ¼ to ½ inch (about 6 to 13 millimetres) in length.
“While the infected person sleeps, female pinworms lay thousands of eggs in the folds of skin surrounding the anus. Most people infected with pinworms have no symptoms, but some people experience anal itching and restless sleep.”
The hub said the infection mostly occurred in school-going children, and the tiny eggs were easily spread from child to child. Treatment involves oral drugs that kill the pinworms and thorough washing of pyjamas, bedding and underwear. For best results, the entire family should be treated.
Edwards said her recovery and treatment were scary.
“I had to take this medication that made all the pinworms die and I remember sitting on the toilet crying – so scared to s–t because when I did s–t, all the dead worms were like in my poop,” she said.
Her video received mixed reactions. Some found it interesting while others wished she kept some graphic details to herself.
Watch the video below:
@hoopdolphin I’m eating a bowl of edamame. #momsoftiktok #edamame #pinworms
♬ original sound - Mercedes