Red and swollen foreskin

[mamaroni]

Hi -- I did a search in this forum, and didn't come up with anything fitting our specific circumstances, so I hope you all don't mind me posting yet another question about this.

My son will be 2 this month. Since before easter, the tip of his penis has been red and swollen. Some days worse than others. I didn't think too much of it, since it didn't seem to bother him and I figured it was part of diaper rash (which he gets often, but mildly). About a week after easter, it got really bad (red and puffy)--almost like there was a blister or a cut or something. Even though it still didn't seem to be bothering him, we got more concerned, so I started using a little lanolin, and trying to give him as much air time as possible, along with frequent diaper changes (he is cloth diapered). We also used a little bit of neosporin. About the same time I got mastitis, and was using dr. jack newman's nipple cream for myself. thinking my son might have yeast, I used a bit of the nipple cream on the tip of his penis. In the process of looking at the foreskin and gently pulling it back (only as far as it would naturally go, as I had done before), then entire foreskin retracted! I was totally surprised to see the glans pop out! It slid right out, there was no forcible retraction at all. My son didn't even notice. I used the nipple cream for a few days, and the really bad redness/puffiness went away. that was a few weeks ago. It's still red, though. He has a 2 yo check up at the end of this month with our (holistic) ped. I'm thinking I can wait until then. Is there anything specific I should know, or be looking out for?

thanks for reading if you made it this far!

[ekblad9]

I can't help but would like to hear the replies. Ds3 is 18 months and has this problem as well.

[Frankly Speaking]

Usually when we see posts about redness and puffiness here, it seems to be connected with the natural release of developmental adhesions and self cure in 24-36 hours. However, since this has been going on as long as it has, there may be something more going on here. If it continues to improve, continue with the current treatment until the scheduled appointment. If the improvement stops or the child shows indications of pain, it would be wise to go ahead and see the pediatrician. It is necessary to determine if the problem is bacterial or fungal and treat it accordingly. If it is bacterial and an antibiotic ointment is prescribed, you should see noticeably improvement in 24 hours or so. If an oral antibiotic is prescribed, watch for a yeast infection to follow as the antibacterial can prompt a yeast infection. If it's a yeast infection, you should see a marked improvement within 24 hours. Which ever it is, continue to give the medication until the prescription is completely used up to avoid a drug resistant strain.

Some boys will also develop an characteristic pinkness of the foreskin tip when they are perfectly healthy. It appears that this eventually goes away as they get older. However, this doesn't seem to be the case here.





Frank

[mamaroni]

Frank,
thanks so much for your reassurance and advice. it is looking 100% better--no longer red and swollen. My mama feeling is that is was a little infected or he had a little bit of yeast, and that we've just finally beaten it. I will keep an eye on it and discuss it with our ped at the end of the month.

thanks again!

[ekblad9]

I thought back and decided that my ds gets it when he's teething. My other kids used to get diaper rash but this ds doesn't. I'm thinking that's what it is. Thanks!

[Frankly Speaking]

Colleen and Amy:

It's great to hear that things are getting better. Boys are very resilient and most bounce back well. It sounds like what ever it was, their natural systems are defeating it. Kind like having a cold . . . Feel terrible for a few days and the body fights it off with no surgery required! :LOL I'm sure a little help and TLC from Mom had a big part in their recovery.




Frank

[sevenkids]

My DS used to get red and puffy after drinking citrus juices. My girlfriend's DD used to get ulcers around her urethra after drinking OJ. Once the juice stopped, so did the problems.