Pus and Swelling?

[DocsNemesis]

So um...I have no idea what this could be. My ds is 10, not retractable as far as I know, and told me his penis was hurting earlier. He told me there had been something yellow on it but he washed it away before I could see. So I figured it was smegma or something and was maybe starting to seperate.

Well, he called me back up there a bit ago because there was more yellow stuff. Much to my surprise, there was a LOT of pus. I didn't retract him at all, but (after getting permission from him of course) I did try to get some of the pus out of the way to see if there was anything obvious going on, but there was just too much too far in. Its definitely a bit swollen at the end as well.

Any idea what this could be? I'll be taking him in tomorrow morning, but I'm still wondering in the meantime if anyone has any ideas. I feel so bad for him!

[eepster]

Pus and smegma look really similar. Are you sure it's not smegma? Swelling, discomfort and smegma discharge are all normal during separation. Unless the swelling is severe, the discharge smells really foul, the pain is unbearable or there is fever, I would take a wait and see approach.

[DocsNemesis]

Its pus. I'm an MA and going for my RN-I know the difference Its actually got a bit of a green tinge to it-not super green, but slightly green. I think thats why he thought it was "yellow stuff."

I didn't notice a smell (though I didn't exactly TRY to smell it, lol)...but I'm going to take him in anyway. His ped is very hands off/anti circ so I'm not really worried about it. If nothing else, it'll put my mind at ease right?

[titania8]

in the meantime, you can suggest he pee in a cup of warm water if its hurting when he urinates. it sounds an awful lot like separation, i hope that's what it turns out to be. wonderful that he is old enough to be able to communicate and that you have a good doctor!

best of luck to him!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Please let us know what it was when you get back. I would have a culture done to see.

Any time separation is going on infection can set in since there are raw areas. It dosnt happen a lot but I have seen a few posts about it before.

[DocsNemesis]

He has balantitis (sp?). She said it may be due to seperation-the area was a bit raw due to that and then infection set in-or it may just be because he's been messing with himself too much...or...well, who knows? Anyway, she prescribed him an antibiotic, said to do lots of warm soaks in the tub, and lots of fluids. The good news is his urine was clean and it just seems to be a local infection so its really no big deal. He should be feeling better within 24 hours

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Thanks for the update I hope he is better fast

[Lula's Mom]

I'm glad you found out what it was, and hopefully he's better really fast.

Just for lurkers out there- smegma can sometimes be yellow or green. My son was 3 when he became retractable- he showed me as soon as he figured it out, of course. A couple of weeks before that, when separation must have been happening, he had 1 day of redness, swelling and a smear of green stuff in his undies. I was glad that I had read here that smegma can be colored like that, so I didn't worry much, and then it went away.

[Girlo]

I was just here to post something similar!! I'm glad I found your post....we're not alone!

My DS is 6.5 and has been complaining of his penis being "itchy" for a while, and that it's been hurting and SUPER itchy for a couple of days. Yesterday, it hurt to retract the foreskin and it was a bit red....but not bad. We had him take a warm bath and it felt better. This morning, it was MUCH worse! Very red and swollen penis and foreskin area, impossible to retract (too much pain), and oozy.
My DH took him to the doc today and he was diagnosed with an infection. He got some oral antibiotics, some cream to put on it, and he has to take a bath with baking soda 2x a day.

We've been thinking that it was just poor hygeine. We've been a bit lax on insisting that he retract his foreskin to wash himself for a while and figured that this infection was attributed to that. His ped said not necessarily. He said some boys just get infections! It's comforting to know that this is the first one he's had, so I'm not convinced that this is chronic. We need to keep an eye on things and if he gets another infection in the next few months, we might need to consider getting him circ'd. I REALLY don't want to do this, so I'm so glad to read a similar story with an older boy (not a toddler).

[eepster]

Originally Posted by Girlo

I was just here to post something similar!! I'm glad I found your post....we're not alone!

My DS is 6.5 and has been complaining of his penis being "itchy" for a while, and that it's been hurting and SUPER itchy for a couple of days. Yesterday, it hurt to retract the foreskin and it was a bit red....but not bad. We had him take a warm bath and it felt better. This morning, it was MUCH worse! Very red and swollen penis and foreskin area, impossible to retract (too much pain), and oozy.
My DH took him to the doc today and he was diagnosed with an infection. He got some oral antibiotics, some cream to put on it, and he has to take a bath with baking soda 2x a day.

We've been thinking that it was just poor hygeine. We've been a bit lax on insisting that he retract his foreskin to wash himself for a while and figured that this infection was attributed to that. His ped said not necessarily. He said some boys just get infections! It's comforting to know that this is the first one he's had, so I'm not convinced that this is chronic. We need to keep an eye on things and if he gets another infection in the next few months, we might need to consider getting him circ'd. I REALLY don't want to do this, so I'm so glad to read a similar story with an older boy (not a toddler).

Did they take a culture?

This sounds more like a yeast infection than a bacterial one. If it is a yeast infection, antibiotics will make it worse, not better.

Also, if the ointment is neosporine, it has a high incidence of causing irritation on genitals and should not be used on the penis.

Infection is actually more likely to be caused by too vigorous cleaning than by not cleaning. Soap, bubble bath, chlorinated pool water and such can cause a flora imbalance that can lead to infection, usually yeast. The intact penis is similar to the intact vagina, and should be care for the same way. Just rinse with plain water.

[Night_Nurse]

Originally Posted by Girlo

...
It's comforting to know that this is the first one he's had, so I'm not convinced that this is chronic. We need to keep an eye on things and if he gets another infection in the next few months, we might need to consider getting him circ'd. I REALLY don't want to do this, so I'm so glad to read a similar story with an older boy (not a toddler).

Hi Girlo,

Do you feel comfortable elaborating on this a bit or maybe starting a new thread? I'm not sure if what you've described is truly an infection. It sounds like yeast to me, especially the itchy part. Did the doctors do a culture/swab? Sometimes antibiotics can make the yeast worse. I also hope you will get more than one professional medical opinion before considering a circumcision for your son, especially if he only gets his second "infection" of his life. Surgery seems a bit drastic for only a 2nd infection. I'm a bit concerned he might appear to have another problem, especially if the first problem was yeast and not a true bacterial infection and an antibiotic makes it worse.