Would you go to the ped for this?

[Pumpkin_Pie]

DS has been scratching his penis off and on now for about a week (see thread on his teacher retracting him, which I later found out she didn't actually retract). He has been complaining a bit that it hurts occasionally too. Today I looked pretty closely at it with a bright light and he has little red bumps on his foreskin at the tip. I did not retract him in any way, but he does say that it is itchy on the inside.

Everything I read about separation here leads me to believe that he is in the process of separation, but I am worried that the itchiness and now red bumps have gone on for too long. The thread up in "Resources" states that itchiness shouldn't last longer than 24-36 hours, and now with the red bumps, I am worried that maybe it is yeast. I am TERRIFIED to bring him to his ped. She has never retracted him, but he has never had a penis issue before.

What to do?

[MommytoB]

It sounds like a yeast infection my ex whose intact had one and his sign of yeast infection was red bumps it was only his one ever time issue with it because he got it from me when I had a yeast infection that was when we were still together .

He used my monistat cream on the bumps just rubbed a little on it he only used it for 3 days if I recall it went away & he had no problem he even complained of it hurting a little too .

So try that and if it is yeast the bumps should go away after the cream within the 2nd day that was the response it had with my ex but he still used it for the 3rd day for the safe side .

Also, scratching is a common thing for many boys circ'ed an intact . Along with grabbing their penises because it's like they end up just are going through new sensations and more aware of it than they knew before . Plus the touching privates itching , playing, toying and talking about it gets pretty worse in gradeschool time.

I can't believe the inappropiate talk the K-3rd graders have it's like wow !!!!!!!!!!! It is even teaching 3yr old to say inappropiate words like when Brendan had the scooter fall on top of this lil boy who was riding his trike he the little boy said it landed on my pee a&&. I was stunned by the word and so was brendan even though i lecture brendan to not talk inappropiately .

If you use it and the bumps are still on there during the 2nd day I would take him to the doctor.

Is your son potty trained ? Also if he is potty trained and you want your son's foreskin tip cultured request fungal and bacterial swabbing. Because sometimes if it's more of a severe case of yeast issue they more likely will prescribe nystatin I think it handles more tougher yeast infection.

Also, does your son have any scratch marks and if so what are you putting on them because if your putting neosporin on the scratches that may be another answer to the bumps because some people are allergic to neomycin.

Make sure you have your son sit in your lap you hold his penis so your hands are only exposing the tip of it hence preventing the retraction if the doctor tried to retract because if a infection is going around by retracting it can actually spread the infection.

[PinkinPA]

I would try giving him a bath in epsom salts before anything.

[eepster]

It is unfortunate that in the US it is highly likely that minor problems that should be easily treated/remedied by a Dr often get blown out of all proportion and can lead to surgical amputation or injury.

I would not take an intact male child to see a US Dr over a suspected yeast infection. Though in an ideal world one would want to get a culture to confirm the dx before starting treatment, in this cultural climate it doesn't seem worth the risk of opening the can of worms with the Dr. Since yeast treatment is OTC, I would just start treating and see if it fixed the problem.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Thanks so much for the tips. I am off to get some Monistat after writing this post. How often do you put it on there? He is in preschool for about 6 hours tomorrow and 10 hours on Thursday, so I am assuming that he will need it applied while he is there.

MommytoB, there are no scratch marks that I can see, but he has been scratching pretty heavily this afternoon and evening. He grabs it pretty much non-stop and is pulling VERY hard on it. At one point in a store, I asked him to stop until we got out of the store, and he just couldn't do it and almost seemed ready to cry when I asked him to stop. I haven't put any Neosporin, or anything on it yet, although I did just read in the "Resources" sticky that Neosporin is not ok to put on. He is potty trained, so definitley not sitting in a diaper.

Just remembered, I have some Nystatin cream when we had thrush. Would that be overkill to use on his penis at this point? I don't think it is expired yet, or if it is, only by maybe a month or two.

eepster, I agree that it is a sad thing that things like this should cause so much anxiety for a parent, and can cause injury to a child, when it should be so easy to take them to the doctor and for the doctor to treat the child without chance of hurting them. Hopefully one day, circumcision will be such a rare thing that all docs will know how to handle an intact penis.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Ok, I just checked my tube of Nystatin and it says that it expires in November of 2011, so not expired, and it also says to use 1-2 times per day, so I won't have to worry about it needing to be applied at his school. I went ahead and had put a glob on his finger and had him rub it in. We'll see how it goes!

[MommytoB]

My ex only used the yeast cream only at nite right before bed .

It is a shame that we have to be nervous about doctors but that is sadly what happens when doctors of medical school lack education or be taught inaccurate teachings that leads to misinformaion in the foreskin department.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

The nystaten is a great idea and will save you from having to buy monistat. It does sound like yeast to me as well. The monistat/nystaten wont hurt if it isnt but you should see improvement fairly soon. If it still is bothering him then you can move on to the bacatracin.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

He is still scratching, and complained about it tonight. I am going to give it another day and then start in with the bacitracin on Friday if he is still scratching. Does anyone know if I could do both? Maybe the Nystatin in the evening and the bacitracin first thing in the morning?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I am not sure. Since the bacatracin is an abx ointment if he has yeast then it might make it worse. I wouldnt do both personally just go with the yeast treatment and if no improvement by Friday switch to the bacatracin.

[To-Fu]

What about dipping the end of his penis in some plain, unsweetened yogurt? Yogurt can be inserted vaginally to treat yeast infections in women, so it seems like that could be another low-risk solution to try.

[AbbieB]

I highly recommend plain yogurt. Get a brand that has no sugar or anything other than milk and bacteria. I often end up getting a Greek style (DH needed that info to find something suitable so I added it here.) Put a scoop in a bowl and let it come to room temp (for comfort) and than just slather it on your son's penis and anywhere else you suspect yeast. Do this 2 or 3 times a day.

I also encourage bakeing soda baths to sooth the itch and as much naked bottom time as possible, obviously not right after slathering on yogurt.

Wash towels, washcloths, underpants, diapers etc... with some vinegar. You can also add some to the bath, just not with baking soda. Use hot water and a hot dry cycle or hang in the sun.

I personally have had great success with yogurt.

[titania8]

Poor little guy. he must be so uncomfortable.

I hate to say this, but the nystatin might not be strong enough. When I had thrush it sure wasn't anyway. Maybe look into grapefruit seed extract (I think that's it anyway, can' clearly recall right now!). Do you have any probiotics you could give him in addition to the topical cream? also, limit sugar in his diet.

I sure hope he feels better soon. Really stinks that we have to be so reluctant to go to the dr. I totally understand though- I had a urologist try and retract my son while I was holding his penis to try and prevent that very thing.

[prothyraia]

You've gotten some good advice about how to treat yeast issues.

I know it can be difficult, but I really encourage you to try to find a doctor that you aren't terrified to consult about legitimate medical issues.

[confustication]

As a positive note I just took my 7 month old ds to the local clinic (we saw a PA, not a doc) for a pretty aggressive yeast infection that wasn't resolving and had become particularly invasive on his penis. The PA simply had me take off his diaper so he could examine the rash, but didn't even touch his penis- let alone think about retracting. We've been using nystatin and it hasn't made a dent, so he's suggesting monistat for a few days, then we'll move on to other options if that doesn't show some improvement.

Just wanting to say that not all providers will jump to being terribly invasive right off the bat.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

So, I took DS to the ped's office yesterday, and she said there is no signs of yeast. There were two little red spots that were not raised in any way, and she was positive that he did not have a yeast infection. She really thinks at this point that it is a combination of separation discomfort and just plain old habit. She thinks that he is scratching because it genuinely itchy at first, and then just keeps doing it and then it gets a little sensitive due to his scratching too hard.

I am inclined to agree with her mostly because he can go an entire day without ever scratching, and then it just sort of happens all day the next day. She said to pretty much ignore it unless he complains, but to keep an eye on his penis and if it gets red to bring him back in.

Just hoping it all goes away on its own soon at this point. Good to know about the yogurt though. Thanks to all for the advice.