phimosis

[Bot Girl]

Please no flames. I don't have a DS, and I don't know ANYTHING about cird/not circ so this is purely just a question.

I personally would seek the advice of another medical professional. I mean, if doctors are saying that something needs to be done, then a non-medical person says, "no, that dr. doesn't know what he's talking about."... Well, the non-medical person might be completely RIGHT, but I'd still want to run it by a medical professional, kwim?

[hippydippymama]

OMG NO NONONONONO!!!! Don't ever ever EVER retract his foreskin! I know the other ladies already told you and you know this now, but I just have to say it again! I can't believe they told you to do that...premature forced retraction is often what leads to infection! It will retract on its own when it is good and ready, usually by the time the boy is 5. Don't mess with it AT ALL!

[MamaSpi]

Originally Posted by Bot Girl Please no flames. I don't have a DS, and I don't know ANYTHING about cird/not circ so this is purely just a question. I personally would seek the advice of another medical professional. I mean, if doctors are saying that something needs to be done, then a non-medical person says, "no, that dr. doesn't know what he's talking about."... Well, the non-medical person might be completely RIGHT, but I'd still want to run it by a medical professional, kwim?

I agree that she should seek medical advice if she thinks that something is wrong. But she should be aware that most doctors in america are not familiar with intact boys/men. They are basically just schooled to take them off. Also, a lot has changed in regard to how to care for them and a lot of old school doctors are not up to date in that information. If she wants to continue with this pedi, she should print out the AAP information for the care of intact boys because he obviously needs a refresher. Just the fact that she was told to retract him is an indicator of the lack of info the doctors have.

We grilled our pedi before even opening DS's diaper to make sure he was up to date on his foreskin info. Luckily he was or we wouldn't hesitate to find someone new.

-Jamie

[Tasha]

Originally Posted by Bot Girl Please no flames. I don't have a DS, and I don't know ANYTHING about cird/not circ so this is purely just a question. I personally would seek the advice of another medical professional. I mean, if doctors are saying that something needs to be done, then a non-medical person says, "no, that dr. doesn't know what he's talking about."... Well, the non-medical person might be completely RIGHT, but I'd still want to run it by a medical professional, kwim?

Yes, I did. Our ped was more up to date on uncirc'ed babies and basically reinforced what I had already researched.

[snangel]

Phimosis article....from MDC CAC article protect you intact son.

-Your son's foreskin is too tight. It doesn't retract. He needs to be circumcised.

The tightness of the foreskin is a safety mechanism that protects the glans and urethra from direct exposure to contaminants and germs. The tight foreskin also keeps the boy's glans warm, clean, and moist, and when he is an adult, it will give him pleasure. As long as your son can urinate, he is perfectly normal. There is no age by which a child's foreskin must be retractable. Do not let your doctor or anyone try to retract your child's foreskin. Optimal hygiene of the penis demands that the foreskin of infants and children be left alone. Premature retraction rips the skin of the penis open and causes your child extreme pain. There is no legitimate medical justification for retraction. The child's discomfort is proof of that.

-Your son's foreskin is "adhered" to the glans. It must be amputated.

The attachment of the foreskin and glans is nature's way of protecting the undeveloped glans from premature exposure. Detachment is a normal physiological process that can take up to two decades to complete. By the end of puberty, the foreskin will have detached from the glans because hormones that are produced in great quantities at puberty help with the process. There is no age by which a child's foreskin must be fully separated from the glans.

Some misguided doctors might suggest that the "adhesions" between the foreskin and glans should be broken so that your son can retract his foreskin. This procedure is called synechotomy. To perform it, the doctor pushes a blunt metal probe under the foreskin and forcibly rips it from the glans. It's as painful and traumatic as having a metal probe stuck under your fingernail to pull if off. It will also cause bleeding and may result in infection and scarring of the inner lining of the foreskin and the glans. The wounds that are created by this forced separation can fuse together, causing true adhesions. There is no medical justification for this procedure because the foreskin is not supposed to be separated from the glans in childhood. If any doctor suggests this procedure for your son, firmly refuse, stating, "Leave it alone!"

[urchin_grey]

Originally Posted by Bot Girl I personally would seek the advice of another medical professional. I mean, if doctors are saying that something needs to be done, then a non-medical person says, "no, that dr. doesn't know what he's talking about."... Well, the non-medical person might be completely RIGHT, but I'd still want to run it by a medical professional, kwim?

Its very common for doctors to not know proper care of the intact penis. Ever heard of David Reimer? He and his twin brother were incorrectly diagnosed with phimosis at 6mo (when there is no such thing) and David wound up losing his entire penis during the circ. And he wouldn't have been circ'd in the first place if his doctor wasn't an idiot.

[crittercrazy3]

allright i'm FUMING now. at the hospital it was the pediatrician in charge that told me to retract it every day during his bath (so i wouldn't forget) and that's what i've been doing!!! OBVIOUSLY it hasn't worked at all since i'm not about to force it in such a way that would rip him you know? it's still as tight at day one. I just cannot BELIEVE this pediatrician! ugh! i'm gonna look through my discharge paperwork and see if his name is in there somewhere and call his office or something. he must be telling this to all his patients!!!

originally, we were gonna do a partial circ like ds1, but we had no money and insurance doesn't cover that. after that i just decided to leave the boy be. and not circ, never researched on the issue. even though DH fights me every time we discuss it. he even said to me the other day look what we've done to our son (by not circ with that phimosis diagnosis) bla bla bla. all for my ignorance you know? for not really reading up on my choice. GOSH i'm so angry. thank you girls, thank you so much for telling me this.

[madebytrudi]

ABSOLUTELY what everyone said above!!

My DS is always 'playing' with his little guy & can retract quite a bit at age 3. In the tub, he plays 'peek a boo' with the glans and now his little brother is now picking up on the game! LOL! ohhhh BOYS!!

He had a infection when he was 2. So red & swollen I was scared, but more scared to take him to a dr who would have suggested cutting it off. So I applied a lot of garlic oil on the infection & within 2 days it was gone. After we found a good ped. I asked him about it & he said most infections are caused by yeast if they're not caused by an unnecessary forced retraction. When my girlfriend babysat a couple hours, she freaked out because she thought he didn't have a pee hole!! LOL!

Glad you listened to your 'gut' that what the dr said wasn't right! Right now, America is about the only country that circ for no apparent reason and it is quickly declining.

[MamaToBe84]

i want to add that from everything i've heard, all the ladies above are 100000% correct. Im so glad you asked before blinding following the doctor, good for you!!! I found this article, ive seen a more recent one, with the same info from the AAP, but i cant seem to find it right now.

http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/aap/


just an exerpt:

Summary: Care of the uncircumcised boy is quite easy. ``Leave it alone'' is good advice. External washing and rinsing on a daily basis is all that is required. Do not retract the foreskin in an infant, as it is almost always attached to the glans. Forcing the foreskin back may harm the penis, causing pain, bleeding, and possibly adhesions. The natural separation of the foreskin from the glans may take many years. After puberty, the adult male learns to retract the foreskin and cleanse under it on a daily basis.

[titania]

Originally Posted by Bot Girl Please no flames. I don't have a DS, and I don't know ANYTHING about cird/not circ so this is purely just a question. I personally would seek the advice of another medical professional. I mean, if doctors are saying that something needs to be done, then a non-medical person says, "no, that dr. doesn't know what he's talking about."... Well, the non-medical person might be completely RIGHT, but I'd still want to run it by a medical professional, kwim?

yea, in most cases. but i can't tell you how many times i have read about drs retracting babies and children, causing open wounds and leading to infections. which the doctors then say 'need to circ'. they are only taught how to take foreskins off, not how the penis normally develops. at least not here in cut-happy america. i just had a urologist try and retract my son while i was holding his penis so he wouldn't retract him!!!

under no circumstances should someone other than the owner of the penis retract the foreskin of said penis. doing so could actually cause infections, adhesions, and in some instances actual phimosis as the child grows. the normal age for being retraction is birth to adulthood.