Ahhh Help! TMI penis question.

[Chakra]

My son pooped in his diaper last night while sleeping and the poo got all over the head of his penis (not cir.) and now it's so swollen and so red. It almost looks like there is a huge blister on the tip now.I cant even pull the skin back and he's in severe pain. Anyone dealt with this or have advise?

doctor can't get him in which would mean a trip to the ER which im trying to avoid.

[vachi73]

First off, how old is your son? I ask because I'm not sure that you should be "pulling the skin back" if he is still in diapers. Second, what is his diet like? Is he still breastfed, or other stuff, or what? I ask that because this could be a reaction to food/liquid ingested. Third, has he been on any medications, esp antibiotics? If yes, could be yeast. Last, have you changed anything like laundry detergent, diapers, or wipes? Could be contact dermatitis.

However, all that said, usually the foreskin protects the glans from poop (and other irritants). If he has some bad diaper rash, it can look like a blister (whether on the penis or on the buttocks ... it's all skin, and it can all get irritated and blister up.)

I would *NOT* take him to the ER!! They are likely to do things to him that cause more damage (and you more worry) than help. I would use that ONLY as a last-resort for a super high fever or uncontrolled bleeding -- and that doesn't seem to be his issue currently.

Here's what I would do, and probably in this order:

1. Give him a dose of pain meds -- preferrably baby motrin (Ibuprofen), but baby tylenol (acetominophen) would also be OK. EDITED to add, only if age-appropriate for your child -- check with your child's health care provider regarding age, medicine, and dosage.

2. Draw a nice, warm bath, and sit his booty down into it. Let him soak as long as he's happy, adding warm water as needed. But -- this is important! -- no soap, and no scrubbing. Just let him sit in it. Swish any residual poop away if necessary, very gently.

3. While he is in the tub, give him a sippy of water, or diluted juice, to get him drinking and peeing. Assuming he pees while in the tub, that will "wash out" anything that is in the urethra without burning, and you're golden. EDITED to add, only if age-appropriate for your child; breastmilk (or formula) in a bottle or sippy (or directly from the breast, but that could be difficult to manage while child is in tub!) would aso work -- anything to get age-appropriate liquids in and (therefore) urine out.

4. After the bath, use whatever diaper cream you have handy. I like Butt Paste, or Burts Bees, but anything will work. Slather on generously.

5. If practical/possible, allow some diaper-free time. If not, change frequently, but try not to wipe too much. If necessary, go back into the tub every time he poops, so you don't have to wipe. Friction is NOT your friend; dissolving with water is!

6. If he suddenly takes a turn for the much-worse, becomes inconsolable, or listless; or gets a high fever, then call your doctor on-call. Again, I would try to avoid the ER, but you'll have to follow your instinct. At the very least, I would NOT allow anyone to cath him for what is a superficial issue (skin, not bladder).

Does this help?

Edited by vachi73 - 3/15/11 at 12:57pm

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Sounds like a really bad diaper rash brought on by the poo or it could be an infection caused by the poo. He may or may not need abx. Only way to know for sure is to have them do a culture without retracting him (he should be the only one to ever retract his foreskin) and see what if any thing grows. Here is a thread with lots of information about this type of thing and what to do about it http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=764732

[~Adorkable~]

without knowing how old your son is many of these suggestions could be really of the mark folks, lets be careful

[vachi73]

Um, like what?? I assume this post is directed at me, and my FIRST QUESTION was "how old is your son?" I hardly see how "many" of these suggestions could be "really off the mark," but maybe I am just an idiot who is raising four sons who seem to have survived despite my stupidity.
 

Originally Posted by ~Adorkable~ 

without knowing how old your son is many of these suggestions could be really of the mark folks, lets be careful

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I'd like to remind everyone that we are all trying to help the OP and her son out. Please keep your responses respectful and assume that posters have no ill intent. If you feel the need for clarification please ask for it or PM the member to see what they meant. Thanks.

[~Adorkable~]

I'm sorry if my post came across harsh. I was nursing twins and trying to be quick, my bad.

My concern was that advice was being given before we knew the age. And in my understanding Motrin for example is not for very young ones, nor is juice.

Giving medical sounding advice is a concern on MDC, I just wanted to remind folks to be careful.

Again, sorry for the short post that in hindsight sounded curt.

[vachi73]

I'm sorry too -- I was having a really, really bad day (really, really bad month? year? you pick), and your comment just struck a nerve with me. By saying that everything was way off the mark, that could've made ALL the recommendations seem bad to a future reader ... and I feel confident in my advice to use baths and diaper-free time, and also NOT to panic about diaper rash on the penis. Also, I don't think that soaking in tubs or giving tylenol is especially "medical-sounding advice," I consider it to be what I would tell any of my friends or family with children, mother-to-parent, if they asked me. Of course, I actually *do* have medical training, so maybe that is why people ask me.

I agree that motrin and juice could be questionable based on age; however, I did ask FIRST about both age and diet, so I think if the OP had come back with information that would change my "what I would do" list, I could reply appropriately. Unless the baby were quite young (which was not the "sense" I got from the OP), all of the advice was, IMO, pretty reasonable. Even plain water to an EBF baby would be OK in small doses (if he would drink it! none of my four would ever accept anything but BM!)

Given that she hasn't been back, I dunno. I hope everything is OK, maybe she will update us eventually.

In order to make my "what I would do" list clearer, I will edit it to be specific about age.

OT, not to hijack the thread, but I have 17 month-old fraternal twins who were EBF for 15 months. You can do it!! I promise. It just takes a lot of time, which was very hard for me to find with two older kids ... but I think these are your first children, so enjoy it! It flies by. And if I can encourage you in any way regarding twins or BF, PM me.

Cheers.

[~Adorkable~]

Vachi, thanks for writing back, yeah happy to chock it up to bad days, they sure to happen. And yeah the twin beastfeeding is hard but a non negotiable for me, so thanks for the encouragement, hearing others pulled it off is lots of help these days.

To the original poster, so sorry we derailed your thread, please let us know how your son is, all this happened because we care and wanted him to be happy and healthy.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]