Ive Eaten Some Worms

[taxexile]

not sure whether to put this in the thai food section or here , but i'll start here.

for breakfast this morning i had 3 slices of buttered brown toast with some sliced tomatoes.

delicious.

when i came to wash up , i noticed 2 small worms on the plate , they were white , about 2mm or 3mm long and barely 1mm wide. i could just see little legs on the blighters.

i found one on the floor later it had crawled off the plate and fallen.

i assume they came from the tomatoes , as the bread was straight out of the freezer and well toasted.

i also assume that i must have swallowed a couple or more of them.

will they just be harmless 'tomato worms" , or could they be something more sinister that will fill my blood stream , liver , and bones with hard to eradicate parasites.

can anybody tell me what they might be , will they die in my stomach or will they be full of eggs that will eventually hatch and make me ill.

any serious replies will be gratefully received.

[Wolfie]

Its advisable to worm yourself often in Thailand. I would suggest going to the pharmacy and getting a course of worming tablets anyway.

[sriracha john]

Its advisable to worm yourself often in Thailand.

...good, sound advice... he's right, it's cheap and safe.

I would suggest going to the pharmacy and getting a course of worming tablets anyway.

Make sure it's the human worming and not the often-substituted dog worming course of treatment. It won't harm you if it's mistakenly taken, but it does lower your resistance to fleas.

-------

Seriously... tax, my friend.

You'll be fine. Those little critters will be devoured by your stomach acid. Really no different than the ever-popular fried Thai bugs. Those tomato vermin are not so distant relatives and humans have been eating insects for milleniums.

The problem is far greater from those things that aren't visible. The viruses, the bacteria, the parasites (which the aforementioned "worming" treatment is used for).. that will cause you harm of varying degrees are all teensy-tiny and mostly microscopic.

Can you fall ill from bad tomatoes? Yes, but it's not from those "worms"... those will end up processed by your stomach and simply will turn into protein... no, the danger is from the green, oozy fungus they were festering in. If the sliced tomatoes didn't have much of that sort on them, then you'll most likely be very safe.

Keep healthy and keep posting. If you're getting up in age, you might be developing far-sightedness, where you don't see things up close so well. It can lead to situations where when we eat, we don't notice distinctly exactly what it is we are consuming.

It's ok, though, as it happens to many of us. We recall that when we were younger, we would have noticed squirmy, writhing, slimy, little alien maggots writhing in a sandwich BEFORE we actually bit into it, let alone consume the whole thing and only notice them we we've gone to "wash up." Might be worth an eye check-up to prevent similar episodes from occuring in the future.

Best of luck to you, keep fit, and keep up the tremendous posting. You are a profoundly clear spot in the fog that is Thailand.

[Ijustwannateach]

Sounds also like they could have been garden-variety (sorry, couldn't resist) maggots of some sort, though I suppose those are usually found in rotting meet.

Our ancestors ate grubs for millions of years, and you can, too (if you really want to).

The danger would be if you had the kind of worms which are adapted to go through the digestive cycles of animals (tapeworms, hookworms, some sushi worms, etc.).

You can get rid of most of those with fairly benign drugs- look for "antihelminthic" or "vermifuge." Alternatively, raw pumpkin seeds are a good natural remedy for worms. Either way, you'll never get rid of all of them. If you could freeze time and remove all living creatures except the worms, they would be left floating thick enough to form shapes of all the living creatures they had previously inhabited.

"Steven"

[Sheryl]

Sri Racha John is right, the tomato worms are harmless. I know just the ones you m ean as they invade mny tomato garden. No relation at all to the worms that cause parasitic infections in humans. They'll have died in your stomach acide and if anything added a bit of protein to your meal.

But it is also sound advise to deworm oneself periodically when living in Thailand. Albendazole 400 mg single dose, sold almost everywhere.Very safe but should not take if pregnant.

[dekka007]

Should one eat the nasty variety of worm for humans....such as a parasite etc.

What would the symptoms be?

(Just asking because I have been unusually hungry for the last 3 days!!! )

D.

Sri Racha John is right, the tomato worms are harmless. I know just the ones you m ean as they invade mny tomato garden. No relation at all to the worms that cause parasitic infections in humans. They'll have died in your stomach acide and if anything added a bit of protein to your meal.

But it is also sound advise to deworm oneself periodically when living in Thailand. Albendazole 400 mg single dose, sold almost everywhere.Very safe but should not take if pregnant.

[taxexile]

thanks for the replies , spoke to my mother in law about them and she just laughed and said theres no need to worry about those little things .

we are off back to the uk next week and i dont want to fall ill there , i have little faith in albanian doctors.

wolfie and sheryl and ijwt , thanks for the info and advice re. worming tabs , maybe i'll take a dose , i do eat in strange places sometimes.

srjohn , thanks for the kind words , my eyesight isnt too bad , but i take your point.

[chuchok]

thanks for the replies , spoke to my mother in law about them and she just laughed and said theres no need to worry about those little things .

we are off back to the uk next week and i dont want to fall ill there , i have little faith in albanian doctors.

wolfie and sheryl and ijwt , thanks for the info and advice re. worming tabs , maybe i'll take a dose , i do eat in strange places sometimes.

srjohn , thanks for the kind words , my eyesight isnt too bad , but i take your point.

Yes..little tomato maggots..nice

Crunchy?

Edited June 22, 2006 by chuchok

[Phil Conners]

Worms huh, mother naturs own diet plan

[Sheryl]

Should one eat the nasty variety of worm for humans....such as a parasite etc.

What would the symptoms be?

(Just asking because I have been unusually hungry for the last 3 days!!! )

D.

depends on the type of worm

Roundworm (ascaris): often no symptom at all or can have spasms of abdominal pain. A really heavy infestation can cause obstruction in the intestinal tract, but that's not so common.

Hookworm - may also hae no symptoms but over time will cause anemia which in turn will cause weakness & fatigue. Can also sometimes cause stomach pain.

Strongyloides - can be without symptoms or like the others, stomach pain, and can also cause respiratory problems and especially worsen asthma.

tapeworm - this is the one that will cause extreme hunger & weight loss (the worm grows, you don't). Pieces of it sometimes visible to the naked eye in the stool.

trichuris - causes anal itching

Albendazole will zap most of these but for tapeworm niclosamide is recommended. To get tapeworm you need to have eaten raw or under cooked meat. If you have, and if the hunger persists, could be tapeworm.

Besides these they are the "flukes" which can be gotten from raw fish/shellfish. These are REALLY nasty and can cause abscesses in the liver. Som tom lovers, beware the raw crabs!

As a general rule in this part of the world, anyone with anemia & either new or flared up asthma should be dewormed. In addition, anyone who presents with abdominal pain (usually intermittent & spasmodic) after first ruling out other causes.

[Mark L.]

A bit of oil of oregano and grape fruit seed extract on hand is a good idea in places like that..

It would be nice if things like that didn't make it through the stomach but sadly thats not true. There are many factors.

I don't know much about those little guys you had but I have learned a bit about parasites in general. (different herbs or meds are needed for different ones-need testing)

If one doesn't chew there food well then that is one way they can make it through. Chunks of food often don't get fully broken down and therefor the acid in the stomach etc doesn't kill off any little nasties in them.

Your transit time-how long from eating till it comes out-plays a big factor in how likely your little visitors will take up residance. Also since anything sitting in there for days starts to go bad and gets that enviroment real nasty (frindly to fungus, yeasts, parasites etc)

If you take a dump every third day you should really look at changing some foods and or habits etc and get $#!% moving. Health WILL suffer one way or another sooner or later.

Its not easy to get rid of these guys.

Now I don't know what those worms were but I thought it pertanent to discussion.

I have some guys along for the ride and know many people with them (most N. Americans have some)

So chew your food like your Momma always said.

[sriracha john]

Should one eat the nasty variety of worm for humans....such as a parasite etc.

What would the symptoms be?

(Just asking because I have been unusually hungry for the last 3 days!!! )

D.

depends on the type of worm

Roundworm (ascaris): often no symptom at all or can have spasms of abdominal pain. A really heavy infestation can cause obstruction in the intestinal tract, but that's not so common.

Hookworm - may also hae no symptoms but over time will cause anemia which in turn will cause weakness & fatigue. Can also sometimes cause stomach pain.

Strongyloides - can be without symptoms or like the others, stomach pain, and can also cause respiratory problems and especially worsen asthma.

tapeworm - this is the one that will cause extreme hunger & weight loss (the worm grows, you don't). Pieces of it sometimes visible to the naked eye in the stool.

trichuris - causes anal itching

Albendazole will zap most of these but for tapeworm niclosamide is recommended. To get tapeworm you need to have eaten raw or under cooked meat. If you have, and if the hunger persists, could be tapeworm.

Besides these they are the "flukes" which can be gotten from raw fish/shellfish. These are REALLY nasty and can cause abscesses in the liver. Som tom lovers, beware the raw crabs!

As a general rule in this part of the world, anyone with anemia & either new or flared up asthma should be dewormed. In addition, anyone who presents with abdominal pain (usually intermittent & spasmodic) after first ruling out other causes.

I would add that ascaris (roundworm) is similar to the tapeworm description in that it also is sometimes visible to the naked eye in the stool or even in the manner below, where they are expulsed like a stool, but that no feces is contained in the stool or bowel movement; it's all worms:

a close-up of our little friend:

In contrast, the tapeworm is usually a solitary worm instead of the gaggle of roundworms shown above, although even just one tapeworm can equal the same mass:

Both of these groups of worms are found in Thailand.

[taxexile]

i used to like tomatoes!

[smartecosse]

Its advisable to worm yourself often in Thailand.

...good, sound advice... he's right, it's cheap and safe.

I would suggest going to the pharmacy and getting a course of worming tablets anyway.

Make sure it's the human worming and not the often-substituted dog worming course of treatment. It won't harm you if it's mistakenly taken, but it does lower your resistance to fleas.

...........................

[Crushdepth]

when i came to wash up , i noticed 2 small worms on the plate , they were white , about 2mm or 3mm long and barely 1mm wide. i could just see little legs on the blighters.

Relax. If they had legs, they aren't worms. Almost certainly the larvae of some kind of insect.

[Phil Conners]

High-speed weight-loss, yuk

Edited June 23, 2006 by madsere

[kurgen]

There's only one thing worse than finding a maggot in your food...

and that's finding half a maggot in your food

[sriracha john]

There's only one thing worse than finding a maggot in your food...

and that's finding half a maggot in your food

And in keeping with the health perspective on this thread...

don't forget... maggots are our friends...

**Warning: Gruesome photos on website**

Maggots Mean Us No Harm

Edited June 26, 2006 by sriracha john

[TBWG]

i used to like tomatoes!

Hi Taxexile

Now you know all you have done is increase your protein intake, thought I might lighten the issue and mention a quote by some famous admiral made in response to one of his crew using the royal we.

"Other than royalty the only people entitled to use the royal we are pregnant women, people with tapeworms and schizophrenics, now to which group do you belong?"

Rather good I thought!

TBWG

[TBWG]

Its advisable to worm yourself often in Thailand.

...good, sound advice... he's right, it's cheap and safe.

I would suggest going to the pharmacy and getting a course of worming tablets anyway.

Make sure it's the human worming and not the often-substituted dog worming course of treatment. It won't harm you if it's mistakenly taken, but it does lower your resistance to fleas.

You will also develop a wet nose and glossy coat, and alarmingly start to cock you leg up every tree and any other immobile object.

However this is nothing to the damage you could do to your spine when you start to try to lick your own bottom!!

TBWG