Meatal Stenosis

[womenswisdom]

I suspect that my almost 5 y.o. circ'd son has meatal stenosis. I deeply regret having him circ'd already, so please no flaming. I know better now and if I have another boy, he will not be. I would like to hear what you all know about any methods other than surgery to correct it.

I just started suspecting yesterday after reading the definition of the condition and am in the process of finding a new ped (since I will soon be fired for not vaxing). I will be taking him to the new D.O. as soon as possible and am going to call tomorrow to have the records transferred. I am also considering an opinion from a pediatric urologist at the local Children's Hospital. I would just like to get this stress out of my head and ask for any help you might have to offer.

His urine aims distinctly upward, so much so that he has to point his penis almost straight down in order to urinate into the toilet. His stream does not seem to be very narrow or forceful as described in some symptoms lists and he has never complained of pain during urination or had any UTIs. I did look at the tip and I think it does look smalli-ish and like there may be some scarring near the bottom. But I haven't seen any other 5-yr-old penises to compare it to, so I don't know for sure if what I'm seeing is normal or not.

I really don't want to have him go through surgery if there are other options, but I also don't want to cause any additional problems if that's the best thing to do. Please hit me with any wisdom you might have. TIA.

[Fellow Traveler]

When you know better you do better. Here is a site that might help:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1016016-overview

There is a 'treatment page'

ETA: I just read the treatment page it's not that good sorry.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I dont know much about it but I know others here have talked about this in the past.

[Fyrestorm]

My Dh has it. He ended up having a surgery to correct it as a child and another as an adult. He has tried dilation techniques but it looks like another surgery is on it's way.

No one ever told him it was because he was cut, so at least you have the benefit of knowing.

Good luck to your son. Hopefully he won't need lifelong corrections and one time will fix it. The dilation technique might work, but I don't know what the psychological ramifications would be for a young child since an adult would have to be manipulating his penis for weeks. Surgery can cause additional nerve damage so there really is no good answer.

I wonder if they make that fake foreskin thing small enough for a child as it might give some protection against additional scarring.

[SleeplessMommy]

Please be sure to send a letter of complaint to the ped or ob/gyn who did the procedure. They really need to get this kind of feedback.

"My son has meatal stenosis and may require surgery with general anesthesia to correct this problem. It could even become a life long series of complications, surgeries and interventions to his penis. I have recently found out that this is a common side effect of circumcision and am both shocked and disappointed that you did not warn me this might happen."

[Quirky]

I think talking to a pediatric urologist is a good idea, although keep in mind that the bias of many doctors is to treat, i.e. do something, so definitely ask the questions about "what happens if we do nothing and wait and see."

If it's not bothering him too much, and he can get the pee in the potty by aiming his penis, it doesn't sound to my (layperson's) ear like there's a huge problem that requires surgery yet. From what I've read on meatal stenosis, although it's a very common complication of circumcision, that doesn't mean that all boys who get it will need surgery.

Hang in there. No flames from any of us -- we are all sorry for what you and your ds are going through and I believe every person on this board subscribes to the saying of "when you know better, you do better." Unfortunately too many of us didn't know better while there was still time to make a better decision, and there wasn't anyone who stepped up to the plate (like doctors or hospitals) to ensure an informed decision.