Dr. insists that DS needs a circ!

[adamsfam07]

My 8yr DS woke up last Sat. morning and his penis was so swollen he could barely urinate, so I rushed him to the ER, they said he had a fungal infection, to keep it clean and put this medicated lotion on it 3 times a day and to follow up with our dr. in a few days. They didn't seem concerned, and even said this was a fairly common occurance. So I wasn't worried, until we went and saw our dr. We drove 40 min. to get there saw the dr. all of 3 minutes where he retracted the skin a little and announced that my son needs a circumcision! How can he just jump to that conclusion? He said that DS has no elasticity. He's referred us to an urologist and we have an appointment for Sept. 29th. How did it get from a common occurance to circumcision? The swelling is pretty much gone and it doesn't hurt at all anymore when he goes to the bathroom. Help mommas, I don't know what to do, my DH wants us to go ahead and see the Dr. in Sept just incase but I really don't want to put my DS through this. I'm scared for him. And then what if they do push for a circ? Should DH and I hold our ground and say no? What should we do?

[LavenderMae]

What would you do if it was your daughter with a genital fungal infection instead of your son? I doubt the doctor would have come close to recommending she be circumcised and if he did you'd think he'd grown three heads. I am almost 100% sure your son does not need to be circumcised due to a fungal infection. I would not go to the urologist for a fungal infection really it seem extreme and absurd.

[KJoslyn78]

unless the urologist can recommend something to help ward of future infections (besides a circ), i wouldn't go.
good luck - and i hope he feels better!

[dinahx]

Find a urologist that supports intact penises and is preferably himself intact or a woman. Seeing a urologist can be very tricky, as they are trained to circ away any problem.

You can help your son keep his foreskin. You can also contact NOCIRC for assistance. When my son was forcibly retracted at 8 months at the 'best' hosptial in my area (and I was told that I had to retract it everyday and put vaseline on it!) they helped me out a great deal.

The medical community is not provided with a lot of education when it comes to foreskins. At all.

[ChristaN]

Originally Posted by adamsfam07

He said that DS has no elasticity.

What does he mean by "elasticity?" The skin of the foreskin is usually adhered to the head of the penis at that age. It isn't supposed to be "elastic" or stretching away from the rest of his penis.

[hakunangovi]

This is so true:

"Urologists are generally very dangerous, as they make the bulk of their money on vasectomy and circ, and are trained to circ away any problem."

I would most definitely cancel the appointment with the urologist. Even if he can't find a problem - and he won't be able to - he will likely give you some b.s. reason to circumcise your son like "It will reduce the risk of penile cancer". They often try laying some kind of guilt trip on you to force you to comply.

As for your Dr - he is out to lunch - Your Ds is perfectly normal. Only about 50% of intact boys are retractable by age 10. See www.cirp.org/anatomy/normal/

Like a previous poster stated - They would not be telling you to whack bits off your daughter for the same kind of infection !!!

I hope you can persuade your DH to quit worrying. Good luck.

[adamsfam07]

Oh thank you mommas! I'm not really sure what the Dr. meant by no elasticity either. I just want to do what's best for my DS and Dr's are suppose to know what's best right? Ha! I agree with the mommas that say that most urologist are just out for the cash. I will show these posts to DH and help him see that we should cancel the appt. I don't like our family Dr either but we're stuck with him because of insurance. And yes DS is feeling doing much better, everything looks back to normal. Thank you again!

[Fellow Traveler]

Scheduled for September? Doesn't sound like much of an emergency does it? I am glad your son is doing better. Read closely the link providedabove abou normal development. A dr saying it's too tight or has no elasticity is probably thinking it should be retractable at his age. Not true. If he is fine hen don't worry you could hold the appointment but if you go make sure you're informed. If September comes and nothing has happened cancle.

[Blu Razzberri]

Originally Posted by Fellow Traveler

Scheduled for September? Doesn't sound like much of an emergency does it? ....

Simple and well-said.

[Anastasiya]

I am guessing that "no elasticity" meant one of two things:

1. That your son's foreskin is still fused to the head of his penis, in which case there will be resistance when the foreskin is pushed back (retracted). The doctor probably felt this resistance, decided he wasn't stretchy enough for full retraction (not realizing the foreskin is FUSED), and thought circ was in order. It's not. It's totally normal at this age.

or

2. The sphincter at the end of the foreskin (the little hole pee comes out) isn't big enough or stretchy enough to open up and over the glans. The doctor likely thinks this is a problem. It's not, and is again totally normal.

Just growing, and the hormones of puberty, will release the bond the foreskin has to the glans AND allow the sphincter to relax and open wider when the time is right FOR YOUR SON.

I too would cancel the appointment.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Your ER dr was right on your family dr couldnt be more wrong. The only reason for circ is frostbite, gangrene & cancer. Your ds had what sounds like a yeast infection. As you saw an easy fix with the cream to put on it.

[tutucrazy]

Originally Posted by adamsfam07

Oh thank you mommas! I'm not really sure what the Dr. meant by no elasticity either. I just want to do what's best for my DS and Dr's are suppose to know what's best right? Ha! I agree with the mommas that say that most urologist are just out for the cash. I will show these posts to DH and help him see that we should cancel the appt. I don't like our family Dr either but we're stuck with him because of insurance. And yes DS is feeling doing much better, everything looks back to normal. Thank you again!

There is no reason to circ your son and there is absolutely NO reason to go to see a urologist.

The foreskin of a boy is very fiberous and non-elastic. These fibers keep the foreskin tight so that no harmful pathogens get inside and harm the developing penis. It operates like a sphincter to keep the foreskin tight. Puberty hormones replace the non-elastic skin cells with more elastic skin cells. This is why retraction is very much a sexual function. Very few men have tight foreskins after puberty b/c the hormones have done their job. Even if a man had a tight foreskin after puberty, circumcision is not necessary. Should this happen a man can apply a steroidal cream that mimics the effect of puberty hormones and allows the foreskin to stretch. Amputation is not necessary for this rare condition.

Moral of this story, your doc has NO idea what he is talking about and is not familiar with the development of the intact boy.

Btw, if he ever gets a yeast infection again, oral diflucan works great too!

[Dev]

Cancel appt. with the urologist. The previous posts are all correct. Surgical amputation of your 8 yr. olds prepuce due to “inelasticity” is harmful medical advice. It’s disgusting that licensed physicians can be so incompetent, unethical, and money hungry in the U.S. Find a competent doctor for your son and please please tell your doctor why you dumped him and the incorrect surgical recommendation he gave for your perfectly normal, healthy, intact son. File a complaint with his clinic director and the state licensing board. If parents don’t complain and tell doctors what they don’t know, they will continue to recommend circumcision of intact boys for erroneous, illogical reasons. When will this madness end !

[milkybean]

"he retracted the skin a little and announced that my son needs a circumcision! How can he just jump to that conclusion? He said that DS has no elasticity."


Not to mention the swelling you described...funny, how skin won't stretch when it's swollen... I thought a doc would know this about swelling...

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

A helpful link http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=764732 so that when/if something like this comes up again you might have an idea what it is and how to fix it. That way if a Dr. tells you wrong you will know it right off and not get upset.

[Dolphingirlsd]

Get second and third opinions! That's always a good idea regardless of whether you like your doctor's prognosis. Doctors can vary so much and your little boy's penis is too precious to leave it up to one doctor to decide! Good luck!

[eepster]

Read this:
http://www.mothering.com/protect-you...advice-parents

[Christine_T]

He is probably thinking " oh it can't do any harm". No doubt he is circumcised himself and that is why he feels that way. I often find that doctors have a great urge to do something just to demonstrate their worth. Often, letting the body heal itself is the best option. That seems to be the case here.

[Dave2GA]

Paul Fleiss, M.D. in L.A. knows how to treat intact boys. If there is any question I would take my son to him since you live in CA.

[Yoshua]

Ignore the appointments and find a doctor competent in pediatrichs.


You don't cut off pieces of your body to fix a fungal infection.....

/palmface