please help... drs want to circumcise my son following uti

[earthymato2]

hello- i'm hoping someone here can help me either by directing me to some articles/research or by recommending a foreskin friendly/knowledgeable pediatric urologist (we live in the northeast).

here's some background on my 7 month old's problems...

when he was 2 weeks old he was admitted to the hospital with uti/pyelonephritis.  while in the er, they began to try and retract his foreskin to insert a catheter, but i stopped them right away and insisted on a bag specimen collection if no one was capable of cathing an intact boy.  anyway, following this hospital stay we saw a pediatric urologist at children's hospital of phila.  They did a vcug which showed that his kidneys and ureters were all normal and he had no reflux.  the urologist basically told me the infection was nothing more than bad luck but to notify them if he has any further problems. well, all was fine for seven months until last week when he was once again admitted to the hospital with pyelonephritis.  his renal ultrasound was normal so we know he has no kidney damage.  our pediatrician has been very pro-circumcision from the start so i was not surprised in the least by his response, but then when he told me that they set up an appointment with the urologist and (rather sternly) informed me they'd be discussing circumcision i really began to worry.  my gut just tells me that is not the answer.... i have two older intact boys who have never had this problem and have heard that often boys who have this as babies experience no problems after the first year.  i also feel like circumcision is such a huge leap to make... shouldn't there be something short of a surgical procedure that we can try to prevent infection??  i am just so upset by this... i want to protect my little boy and do what is best for his health.  any help or input would be so incredibly appreciated. 

[Jenivere]

There's a lot of info out there but cancel or don't show for that appointment. http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/  They are convinced you have to circ for two whole infections in seven months and nothing can change their minds. The whole point of that appointment is to scare you/pressure you into having your son circumcised. Since it's been proven that his internal organs are normal, it is likely he'll outgrow this. I don't know how to help you find a new dr but you definitely need too. 

[Plaid Leopard]

And what will happen if he gets circ'd and then gets another UTI? Nothing left to cut off, so they will prescribe antibiotics - which is what they do for girls and women who get infections.

[billikengirl]

http://www.thewholenetwork.org/intact-friendly-doctors.html

[Mom2Brendan]

I would just tell your doctor that when he's UTI all your going to do is have him take antibiotics because more likely down the road he will stop having UTI's because sometimes it's just a phase kids go through as in both genders.

I guess you can try to give him a little bit of cranberry juice in the bottle if he's on the bottle but if he's nursing maybe have you drink extra cranberry juice .

Also, where are you located ?

[rabbitmum]

No doctor here would recommend circing because of a UTI. This is a purely American phenomenon and comes from circ-happy doctors. You should treat your son's UTI like you would your daughter's!

[A&A]

Tell them that the gold standard of care in medicine today should be antibiotics, not amputation.

[Papai]

Seems like you should tell the doctor that you're seeking a second opinion. As others point out, if this were a girl, surgery wouldn't be an option on the table.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

They can tell you all they want he should be circed but you are in charge here and if it where me I would say not an option tell me what you would recommend for a girl.

I would also find a new Ped. or tell this one that you are not in any way willing to consider circ and no longer wish to discuss it.

UTI and foreskin are not related in any way and any Dr. that says it is does not know what he is talking about.

Some kids are more apt. to get UTI most of them are girls yet they dont cut anything off of them they just treat it as needed with abx. That same standard of care should be applied to boys. Your gut it telling you true here your ds does not need a circ and actually doing so can make things worse for him since the foreskin helps protect him from the bacteria that cause UTI.

I actually wouldnt go to the urologist appt. or if I did I would go in there armed with resources to show that being intact dosnt matter where UTI are concerned and you will not consider circ at all.

I would also think about contacting Maralyn Milos information below. She is always happy to help people like you find a Dr. and give you accurate information.

NOCIRC(Maralyn Milos)
PO Box 2512
San Anselmo
CA 94979-2512
[e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.nocirc.org

[eepster]

I would be somewhat concerned over the second UTI, and want to look into it a bit.  So, I would ask around for a Dr that I felt comfortable with and whose opinion I actually trusted.  I would post in your tribal area for recommendations.

I would actually start with a new pediatrician, and not go straight to a urologist.  I would want to take a more broad look at the problem, and what might be causing it.  Was this a recurrence of the original infection b/c the antibiotic wasn't strong enough?  Is he carrying the bacterial that caused the infection in his intestines?  Was he colonized by a resistant strain of bacterial at birth in the hospital?  Is he chronically dehydrated?  Etc.

Since he is 7 mo now, I would start giving him a very small amount of cranberry juice as a prophylactic.