Pinworms, urgent!

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I realized I have obtained an intestinal parasite known as pinworms. I am mysophobic so immediately I started to research these parasites. It seems like me getting pinworms is a virtual impossibility. I am stringent about not bacteria and contamination. I regularly sanitize my desks using antibacterial wipes. I sanitize my hands very frequently. I sanitize my hands before touching my stuff. In fact I obsess over my cleanliness.

I am looking for people who are medically competent to help explain some things to me.

How might I obtain these pinworms given my stringent cleanliness?

I read that pinworm eggs can grow under one's finger nails, does that mean all of my stuff that I touch is contaminated with these pinworm eggs?

I already threw out all of my papers because I was so worried, I also disinfected my entire workspace multiple times. I am currently in a state of panic. Please help me understand pinworms.

How about consulting a real doctor, instead of a bunch of random strangers on a social website?

Really, that's what you need to do.

... and maybe boil your bedsheets, your clothing, your underwear ...

Not really random strangers, but I understand. My father is a doctor, but he often lies to me in order to make me less anxious so I don't trust him. I also don't know my family physcian's phone number. Perhaps I'll contact a reliable medical organization or corporation by phone to ask them about this.

http://www.healthline.com/health/pinworms#Infection2

I suppose I could have inhaled these eggs in they are airborne, which makes sense. The pinworms aren't really the problem. I took medication and I washed my underwear/bed sheets and disinfected my mattress. The problem is the fact I am extremely concerned about these eggs getting on my items, more specifically paper.

the eggs die in three weeks on a surface. so if you can do without something for a month, but want to keep it, you have options.

Okay. If I constantly clean my hands will the eggs be killed so there won't be any eggs on my things to begin with.

Fnord's advice about doing lots of laundry, including bedding, was also a very good one.

if you wash your hands thoroughly, including under the nails, after any time you touch your nether regions, you should be good.

NO! The pinworm is an intestinal parasite that comes out of the anus of its infected host at night to lay its eggs. Those eggs can survive up to three weeks, even after falling off of the host at night and infesting nightclothes, bedding, and blankets. If you have pinworms and fall asleep on the couch, then anyone else who sits on that couch could become infected.

Merely washing one's hands is not enough. The victim must undergoes treatments with anti-parasitics, and literally boil every piece of fabric that they may have worn or slept on.

Source: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pinworm ... fault.aspx

Must I boil my clothing? Can't I just wash and dry my clothing on high heat?

he already said he was being treated.

Washing clothing ... what does you doctor say? Follow his/her advice. An important aspect is to wash everything, even the clothes you've already ironed and put away. I would scream-clean the upholstery, too.

When it comes to things like this, I take a scorched-Earth, total war perspective - destroy the enemy, and leave no place for the survivors to survive for very long.

according to the CDC, washing in hot water is good enough.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/pinworm/gen_info/faqs.html

How do you know you have pinworm?
Is it common to pick up pinworm eggs?
I hate worms, I wonder if I have worms too.
I looked up pinworm, it looked not as nasty as tapeworm.
But it is still very nasty.
Yuck, it was not a good idea to click google images for pinworm.

Now is a great time to stop any nail biting habit if you have one. Only takes one egg to reinfect and start the cycle all over again. Eggs will survive up to 3 weeks in ideal conditions, most will not live that long. They are vulnerable only to heat and sunlight/UV. Drugs cannot kill the pin worm eggs, they can only kill the worms. You need to break the cycle with proper hygeine, handwashing, wear tight underwear to sleep, wash bedding every day and clothing in hot water and heat dry, shower ideally every morning making sure to wash your anus with soap and warm water, and try and have lots of sunlight shine into the rooms during the daytime. Be careful not to shake out bedding or laundry or the eggs could become airborne.

You'll need meds like anthelmintics like mebandazole(kills pinworms in the intestinal tract but not eggs) and OTC pyrantel(only paralyzes worms temporarily so they can be expelled with regular bowel movements) and lots of fibre to help expell the dead or paraylzed worms. You'll need another dose at the point when the eggs left over from the first dose have matured into worms, but aren't mature enough to lay their own eggs in order to completely break the cycle of a pinworm infection. My pharmacist tried to tell me that pyrantel kills worms, but really that isn't how the drug works at all. After I called him out on it, he admitted he was wrong. Don't just have blind faith that your pharmacist or doctor knows everything or is telling the truth, do your own research as you should for any health problem you face.