I have always checked my kids for pinworms – when they were asleep, usually – if they complained about an itchy butt.

Jackie Salo of the New York Post reported a few months ago that a woman’s horrifying tale about discovering “squiggly white” worms in her anus has gone viral on TikTok.

Mercedes Edwards recounted in graphic detail how she came down with a pinworm infection as a child in a video, which has racked up more than 1.7 million views on the platform.

“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.”

She said that 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 (hopefully not edamame from Tesoros Trading Co. in Las Vegas and sold at some Trader Joe’s which was recently recalled for a potential Listeria risk) https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/tesoros-trading-company-recalls-product-because-possible-health-risk

“And I saw all these squiggly white things moving on and I freaked the f–k out.”

She said her mom got a piece of tape to stick on her anus to get a sample for the doctor, who confirmed that she had a pinworm infection.

“I had to take this medication that made all the pinworms like 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.

Pinworm infections are typically found in school-age children and can be caused by accidentally swallowing or breathing in the eggs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

This can happen when food, drinks or someone’s fingers are contaminated with the parasite.

Edwards encouraged viewers to practice good hygiene — warning them they don’t want to have the same fate as her.

“It was traumatizing, do not recommend getting pinworms. Wash your hands people,” Edwards said.