Help - Need referral in Massachusetts - Page 2

[Quirky]

Great info above, and I personally would suspect separation irritation as well -- esp. if there's no discharge and your son is not feverish.

I didn't see this linked above, but here's another great article written by a doctor:

http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

Not to bash doctors too much, but as our dearly departed Secdef said, it's the unknown unknowns that get you. Or something to that effect. I.e., many if not most US docs are ignorant about the penis and they don't know that they're ignorant. They learned a bunch of myths and half-baked lies about the penis in medical school, and repeat those myths ad nauseam without ever verifying their foundations or lack thereof. It's pretty darned rare to get reports around here of docs who REALLY know what they're talking about when it comes to the penis! Sad but true.

(Same with breastfeeding, really. If your wife is a BF mom, she might be familiar with that and it might be a good analogy for her to understand that in many cases you simply can't trust what the doctor says about the penis because the doctor is uninformed.)

[eepster]

It's probably just seperation, can you talk your wife into waiting 48 hrs and seeing if it just goes away. These things usually do just go away if you leave them alone.

[familyguy5]

I am certain that I could have held off the initial doctors visit for his penis, but my wife brought him in to be checked out for a bad cough and fever. Neither one of us thought the two were related, but while she was at the Dr, she mentioned the swollen penis.

Update - As of this morning, 36 hours after the initial pain was mentioned by my son, the swelling is gone and everything looks normal. So either it was miraculous antibiotics, as he only had two doses, or not an infection at all. My money is also on separation trauma.

Thanks again for all of your input.

[jessjgh1]

Glad to hear he's better and no immediate need for action.
Sounds like you need a new doctor. What part of MA are you in?
Perhaps you could post at the MA area here and find someone nearby with some recommendations (and perhaps meeeting other parents nearby will help your wife feel more comfortable too??)

Its here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...splay.php?f=83
Jessica

[latinalonestar]

If the swelling returns take him for a culture.

I'm glad to see that things have worked themselves out. Usually separation trauma is like that. It will appear, then be gone in 48 hours.

I'll keep hunting for a pedi in your area just in case and for future pediatric needs.

You know if your wife went to the OB/GYN and had some vulvaritis you'd probably look at her like she had 3 eyes if she said that the vulva needed to be cut off. All genitals are sensitive and composed of basically the same tissues, it is no different for a man. You are right the 4 causes are either: separation, irritant, bacteria or fungus.

I'd still send that pedi some info and a stern letter. Who knows how many other intact boys she is hurting.

[familyguy5]

We ended up meeting with a different pediatrician from yesterday, and she was not as circ happy. I mentioned that the cause was likely separation trauma, but she did not acknowledge the comment. My assumption was that she had never heard of such a thing. I was very forward with her about the fact that his penis is normal for his age, and that at some point the skin will separate and the opening will stretch, so much so that my wife thought I was a little confrontational.

On the plus side, the pediatrician agreed that there is no problem that requires further follow-up with a urologist, but at this point the horse is out of the barn and for my wife's sake I am trying to track down a foreskin friendly pediatrician in Boston. She has been told about four different times that there is something wrong with both of my son's penises, and needs to be reassured by a doctor. It is funny that all of the problems that we have had with leaving our sons intact were due to doctors ignorance...

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by familyguy5

I am certain that I could have held off the initial doctors visit for his penis, but my wife brought him in to be checked out for a bad cough and fever. Neither one of us thought the two were related, but while she was at the Dr, she mentioned the swollen penis.

Update - As of this morning, 36 hours after the initial pain was mentioned by my son, the swelling is gone and everything looks normal. So either it was miraculous antibiotics, as he only had two doses, or not an infection at all. My money is also on separation trauma.

Thanks again for all of your input.

Great news!

Since you did give your son antibiotics, please make sure you give him good probiotics daily for at least a month, at least 10 billions a day (it is VERY important for gut health).

[tennisdude23]

Originally Posted by familyguy5

We ended up meeting with a different pediatrician from yesterday, and she was not as circ happy. I mentioned that the cause was likely separation trauma, but she did not acknowledge the comment. My assumption was that she had never heard of such a thing. I was very forward with her about the fact that his penis is normal for his age, and that at some point the skin will separate and the opening will stretch, so much so that my wife thought I was a little confrontational.

On the plus side, the pediatrician agreed that there is no problem that requires further follow-up with a urologist, but at this point the horse is out of the barn and for my wife's sake I am trying to track down a foreskin friendly pediatrician in Boston. She has been told about four different times that there is something wrong with both of my son's penises, and needs to be reassured by a doctor. It is funny that all of the problems that we have had with leaving our sons intact were due to doctors ignorance...

I am glad that everything worked out. That's absolutely ridiculous that you were told this on four separate occasions. I would probably find a different practice. It's def. worth to shop around for a good doctor. From my experience, I was under the care of some absolutely wonderful doctors as well as a fair share of terrible ones. I swear it's like playing Russian roulette sometimes. The good news is that nobody ever commented about me being intact. In fact, I don't remember any doctor ever mentioning retraction or anything similar, and I began retracting around 11.

[Nate'sMama]

still waiting on that name for you...

:

[falcon]

Originally Posted by familyguy5

I am tired of hearing that they should be retractable by 7, or that they have phimosis every time they are examined. I need to find a friendly doctor in the area, but I have not yet had any luck.

Sounds like one of the pedis in the practice we go to! (Also in Mass.) When will these docs learn that not all boys are retractable by 5 or 7 or 10 or whatever (grrr). DH wrote to No Circ to find ds a new doc, and here is part of the response:

"Alan Retik, MD (617-735-7796) and Robert Troug, MD (sorry no number for him) have both been recommended to us as foreskin friendly. Marc Cendron, MD, is a foreskin-friendly pediatric urologist. I think both Retik and Cendron are at Boston Children's Hospital. If they're too far from you, call their offices (especially Cendron) for the name of a foreskin-friendly physician closer to you. They should know who is like-minded in practice and protection of boys."

I haven't made any calls yet, so I can't personally endorse anyone, but I hope that helps you out if you are in/near the Boston area. I'm feeling rather disappointed with the practice we are with now, they came highly recommended by an area AP group

[eepster]

My insurance company has an online list of Drs. On this list they include where the Dr went to medical school, and where s/he did her/is internship and residency. If the Dr went to school and intership/residency in a noncirc'ing country, then s/he should be reasonably foreskin knowledgable.

Good bets are European countries (older British are an exception), India, China, Japan, South America. Also younger Drs from Canada, Austrailia and New Zealand(these were circ'ing countries 30 years ago.)

[latinalonestar]

Originally Posted by familyguy5

We ended up meeting with a different pediatrician from yesterday, and she was not as circ happy. I mentioned that the cause was likely separation trauma, but she did not acknowledge the comment. My assumption was that she had never heard of such a thing. I was very forward with her about the fact that his penis is normal for his age, and that at some point the skin will separate and the opening will stretch, so much so that my wife thought I was a little confrontational.

On the plus side, the pediatrician agreed that there is no problem that requires further follow-up with a urologist, but at this point the horse is out of the barn and for my wife's sake I am trying to track down a foreskin friendly pediatrician in Boston. She has been told about four different times that there is something wrong with both of my son's penises, and needs to be reassured by a doctor. It is funny that all of the problems that we have had with leaving our sons intact were due to doctors ignorance...

You wouldn't believe how ignorant US docs are! Everyday I see outlandish stories from parents about what a doctor has said. Sadly, many of these parents don't have the insights that you have and just go along with their doctor.

I'm not surprised she didn't understand what you meant by separation trauma. They don't have the slightest clue about foreskin development. I wish it were a requirement for them to take some type of class, but that would be admitting that foreskin IS functional and then they wouldn't get to make money from circing little boys.

Though I have heard of some uneducated/cut happy foreign docs, there are not nearly as many.

I will keep looking for a doc in your area. I have a portuguese friend in Boston that might know of one.

Meanwhile you can contact DOC (doctors opposing circumcision) and they will assure your wife that that there is NOTHING wrong with your sons' penises.

[familyguy5]

Thanks again for everyone's help.

I am really soured by the entire experience that we have had with our pediatric practice. My wife was originally against putting the kids under the knife, but at this point the pediatricians have put so many negative thoughts into her head that I'm convinced the discussions about what to do if she were pregnant now would be a whole lot different. Its a good thing we have no plans for any more kids. If anyone mentions paraphimosis, or swelling that blocks the urethra one more time I swear I'm going to hit them.

What my wife needs now is reassurance from a doctor that the boys are developing normally, and the best course of action is to leave them alone. I reached out to nocirc and was referred to one of the doctors at Children's in Boston. We have an appointment scheduled next month. I'm hoping that will finally put this issue to rest.

On a side note, I have a theory about the increase in UTIs for intact kids. Uneducated doctors put so many irrational thoughts about the need to keep their uncut kids clean that most parents likely spend too much time with a soapy cloth during bath time. Soap is an irritant to sensitive skin, as most women will attest, and the obsessive need to keep things clean is likely the cause of most of the infections that I keep reading about. Just my $.02.

For the record, in the combined 13+ foreskin-years of experience that we have with our two kids, not a single UTI has been had...

thanks again,

g

[robertandenith]

Glad to know you are in the end of the tunnel. US doctors (because they do not own a foreskin and do not study it in med schools) normally misdiagnosed therefore, they recommend amputation. Plain easy for them.

Make sure you update with us

[familyguy5]

this reminds me of a something from an episode of the TV show House, along the lines of
"Tell a surgeon that amputation is an option and he stays up all night sharpening his really good hack saw", or something to that effect.

[Night_Nurse]

Originally Posted by familyguy5

On a side note, I have a theory about the increase in UTIs for intact kids. Uneducated doctors put so many irrational thoughts about the need to keep their uncut kids clean that most parents likely spend too much time with a soapy cloth during bath time. Soap is an irritant to sensitive skin, as most women will attest, and the obsessive need to keep things clean is likely the cause of most of the infections that I keep reading about. Just my $.02.

Yes, you got it!

Think of how many little girls would have infections and irritations if parents were told to spread open their little girls and really scrub with soap and water every bath and diaper change. Those girls would have much higher infection and doctor visit rates. But parents are just told to wipe what they see with girls and to just bathe them in water (I've been cautioned against bubble baths by docs w/ my daughter ever since she was little). My point is, if docs would learn to teach parents to leave boys foreskins alone, parents would, and boys wouldn't have some many problems.

[latinalonestar]

Originally Posted by familyguy5

this reminds me of a something from an episode of the TV show House, along the lines of
"Tell a surgeon that amputation is an option and he stays up all night sharpening his really good hack saw", or something to that effect.

SO TRUE!!! You're a smart man!