Red, swollen question (I read the info above before posting ;))

[mommymarliah]

My DS is 5 and the end of his foreskin has been very red for the last week or so, I just figured it was due to him playing with it too roughly or it rubbing on his pants or something, but since last night he has been complaining about it and saying "my pe-pee is ouchie" I looked at it this morning and now its not only red, but quite swollen and has this crusty stuff on the end, it looks quite painful he said it hurt when he peed too. I gave him a lng bath andlet him just soak for a while and now have him in some nice breathable cotton underpants.....I am just wondering if I should be concerned? I really think it is probably due to a detergent change I made (I have since switched back, since it caused my other son to have bad diaper rash as well). I haven't used the bad detergent in about 3 weeks though so I had expected things to normal out. He's not feverish or anything so I tend to think its just localized irritation, but was wondering if I should take him to the doc anyway? or should I be putting antibiotic ointment on it or anything??

thanks in advance!

one very concerned momma....

[Frankly Speaking]

Yep, it's time. If this were something that were going to self correct, you would be seeing evidence by now.

These irritations/inflamations fall into two categories, either some sort of trauma or pathogens. The trauma could be laundry detergent or rough underwear or such but it seems you have probably eliminated that. The other includes bacterial or fungal pathogens and it appears this it the culprit.

Generally, the doctor will categorize it as either fungal (yeast, etc.) or bacterial and treat it with a broad spectrum treatment. This usually works but if you want to have a one call knock out, ask for a culture. This identifies the specific cause and then it can be treated with with a pathogen specific medication for a final solution. The medication will most likely be a cream that is applied daily for few days. There should be no reoccurances once properly treated. So far, we've had no reoccurances of any properly treated problems. Once treatment is started, you should see visible improvement in 24-36 hours.

Please let us know who the examination turned out and what medication was prescribed. We have had several instances lately where inappropriate or ineffectual medications were prescribed and we want to make sure that doesn't happen to you.





Frank

[mommymarliah]

ok thanks so much Frank, I will try to see if they can fit him in for an appointment tommorrow (should be fine, since my mom is a nurse at the office). I'll let you all know how it turns out! thanks again.

[AmandaBL]

Question, Frank

My son is 5 1/2 and occasionally (maybe twice a year) gets red & irritated just at the tip of his foreskin and will complain that it hurts. The first time this happened it was bedtime, so I couldn't call the Dr. (I have a great ped who actually advises against circ) He was 2 or 3 at the time & he thought neosporin was a cure all, so mostly to pacify him, I put a little on the end & he was all better in the morning. I've kept doing this when he complains and it seems to work. Is that a bad idea?

[Frankly Speaking]

Not that I know of. Of course, we don't know the cause but it appears that your son's body is taking care of it quite handily and maybe the Neosporin is a little help.

This sounds more like some kind of trauma as opposed to pathogenic. It could be that his skin is sensitive and it gets rubbed a little much during a vigorous day of play or it could be swimming pool chemicals, bubble bath or any number of other things, even erections that are stretching the foreskin a bit much. The important thing is that it resolves quickly as it does. You may want to dig a little deeper and try to figure out what is causing it but as infrequent as it is, you may never find the reason. I suspect as you son gets older, these episodes will become much less frequent or abate altoghether.

Since the doctor hasn't raised any red flags, I'm not going to either. This sounds like a variation of normal and nothing to worry about.




Frank

[AmandaBL]

Thank you for your answer. I figured as much, but you seem quite a bit more knowledgable tham me on this topic!