Help! Second UTI

[Melaine]

My poor three month old has his second UTI. We have had so much going on, extended jaundice, finally FINALLY diagnoses with MSPI, trouble with his latch. I have been so overwhelmed and stressed.

Now my ped and the only pediatric urologist in our area says that with the second UTI they will want to circ him. I'm just devastated. After the first UTI, I declined the VCUG because I was worried him being exposed to the X-rays and now I am feeling horribly guilty about it. Plus I'm worried he may have had this UTI for awhile anyway. I am terrified he might have kidney reflux and I just don't know if I can deal with more stress.

We also have huge medical bills (about $9000) and our deductible is $26000 so the potential to owe a ridiculous amount for further procedures.

Any BTDT advice?

[Monkeygrrl]

But a circumcision is not going to fix a UTI. Something else is going on. I would get a second (or third/fourth) opinion, and I would do whatever tests necessary to get the answers. Circumcision is not the answer here. If your son has a legit UTI, there is something going on with his kidneys and urinary tract, not with his foreskin. 

I don't have any BTDT advice, but I would refuse the circ until my dying breath.

And I'm sorry your medical bills are crazy. :(

[Melaine]

Yes the VCUG should tell us whether or not Kidney reflux is the issue. It sounded like their rec was going to be to circ either way.

[Monkeygrrl]

I'm sorry, I didn't know what VCUG stood for. 

Regardless, a circ is a cosmetic procedure, unless hypospadias is the issue. Taking off the foreskin (and whatever other penile tissue ends up going with it) will not fix what is going on INSIDE the body. 

If it were my child, I would continue to stand firm against circumcision and demand they figure what what the actual problem is. Skin outside the body is not going to make organs inside the body not work properly. They need to do their job and earn the payment for their BMW, instead of expecting you to hand it to them in the form of a circ.

[sillygrl]

They can "want" all they want, but you don't have to agree to a circ. Obviously, something's going on because two UTI's are not normal, but cutting off part of the penis is not the answer. You have a right to a second opinion especially when a doctor is proposing to permanently alter your child's body.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Circ will not fix UTI even if he has no internal issues him having a foreskin has nothing at all to do with getting UTI's I agree with pp tell them it isnt an option and that you want them to treat your ds like they would if he where a girl having issues with UTI. And like you mentioned it could be that the first UTI never really cleared up. Is he in day care or does anyone care for him other than you? Asking because of possible retraction.

Here are some links about the foreskin and UTI myth:

UTI myth: http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/
http://www.nocirc.org/statements/breastfeeding.php

In fact, UTI's are so rare in any case that, using Wiswell's data, 50 to 100 healthy boys would have to be circumcised in order to prevent a UTI from developing in only one patient. (Using more recent data from a better-controlled study, the number of unnecessary operations needed to prevent one hospital admission for UTI would jump to 195.

FORESKINS: Seek Elsewhere for Infants' Urinary Tract Infections
http://www.cirp.org/news/1997.12.22_PhysiciansWeekly/

UTI Neonatal circumcision revisited
http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/FN/fn96-01.htm#PREVENTION%20OF%20UTI

The incidence of Geniturinary abnormalities in circumcised and uncircumcised presenting with an initial urinary tract infection by 6 months of age
http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/UTI/mueller/

http://www.nocirc.org/articles/fleiss2.php
Protect Your Uncircumcised Son: Expert Medical Advice for Parents
By Paul M. Fleiss
Mothering Magazine, Issue 103, November/December 103

-Your son has a urinary tract infection (UTI) and needs to be circumcised to prevent it from happening again.

The belief that the foreskin slightly increases the chances of a boy having a UTI is highly controversial and, more importantly, unproven. Members of the medical profession in Europe do not accept it. Medical research proves that UTIs are most often caused by internal congenital deformities of the urinary tract. The foreskin has nothing to do with this. Even if it could be proven that circumcision slightly reduces the risk of UTI, it is an absurd proposal because UTIs in boys are extremely rare and are easily treated with antibiotics. Breastfeeding, too, helps prevent UTIs. Child-friendly doctors advocate breastfeeding not penile surgery.

Girls have a much higher incidence of UTI yet no one says lets cut something off because ofit.

[tonttu]

Yep , totally agree with the others , those docs sound , like they just want a cheap excuse for chopping that poor baby up . 

I mean , what are they going to do , if he still has UTI´s in the future ( which he probably will , as circ is not going to change that ) ?

Are they going to sew his foreskin back on ? 

I think , you should try to find a different doctor and get him evaluated for kidney and bladder function problems and forget the crap about circumsition , if you don´t want to do it for any reason other than what the doctor recommended doing it for !