Worms are yucky . . .

Talk about being freaked out?  I went to go potty and there was a dark colored worm in my toilet.  It was all wriggly and squirming around the bottom.  I thought I was going to hurl . . . of course, my first reaction was to flush the toilet.  Number 1, because I didn’t want a worm in there while I was using the toilet and Number 2 . . . I had to do a number two.

Nobody had used that toilet for at least ten hours, it had been flushed, and it was clean.  So, where did the slimy did unwanted visitor come from?

Ironically, I hadn't been feeling well for some time so I broke down and went to the doctor.  I usually don’t go to the doctor unless I think I’m dying, so you know I was concerned.  Anyhoo, the doc did all kinds of tests, drew seven tubes of blood and sent me for x-rays.   Thankfully all of my tests came back normal and the doctor declared me healthy . . . although still unsure what was causing my symptoms.

So, the same day I get the results back I come home from work to find the worm swimming around in the toilet bowl. 

I immediately Googled “worm in my toilet” and came up with scads of hits on the subject.  I directly went to the sites that discussed human parasites.  Without getting too graphic, I think I can pretty safely say that the worm didn’t come out of my body.  Parasitic worms don’t look anything at all like earthworms and what I saw looked exactly like your standard garden wiggler. 

It didn’t come from me or hubby . . . I don’t think . . . and the cat is strictly indoors so I know she didn’t drag it in from outside.  So, how in the heck did it get there? 

We had been getting a lot of rain . . . like nine straight days worth . . . and much if it was solid downpours.  There is a possibility that the water levels in the sewers are so high that it made its way into my bathroom.    Apparently, it’s fairly common . . . it’s just a first for me. 

Okay . . . that’s a reasonable explanation.  But the thing was very much alive.  I thought worms drowned in water.  Further research uncovered that earthworms can survive for several weeks under water providing there is sufficient oxygen in the water to support them.

Earthworms don’t have lungs. Instead the blood flowing close to the worm's surface absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide directly through the moist skin.  They can actually live for some time in water if the oxygen supply is adequate. They don't drown per se, but they may suffocate if the oxygen content is low.   But, they do need to eat, so if I had left it there it would have eventually starved to death.

I read one story where a guy had been feeding night crawlers to the Oscars in his fish tank.  Three months after he had stopped feeding the worms to his fish he unearthed a pair of them that had been living happily in the gravel and muck at the bottom of the tank.  They were, in fact, very healthy . . . that is until the Oscars spotted them.

 

As a side note . . . evidently, earthworms don’t come to the surface after a rainstorm to avoid drowning . . . as I had always thought.  But rather to find a mate since their mobility is much better on wet ground.

All of this yuckiness reminds me of a movie I saw at a drive-in as a kid.  It was a 1976 horror flick called Squirm.  Basically, the movie is about a storm that causes some power lines to break and touch the ground, drawing millions of man-eating worms out of the earth, and into a town where they quickly start munching on the locals . . . from the inside out.  Yep, pretty gross, I know.

I distinctly remember the shower scene . . . yeah; all good terror films gratuitous nudity inserted wherever possible . . . even if it’s not plausible or adds nothing to the plot line. Anyhoo . . . the hot babe was showering and earthworms were pouring out of the showerhead onto her unrealistically bodacious body.  I also remember a one particular “sex” scene.  The chick was sleeping in her bed when she feels what she thinks is her lover fondling her . . . uh . . . love muffin.  So she’s moaning and writhing around the bed in ecstasy until she realizes that it’s not her lover but the worms visiting her in her bed.  Uh huh . . . ew!  Who comes up with this crap?

Anyhoo . . . worms are gross.