red inflamed swollen foreskin help!

[ShaggyDaddy]

There used to be a thread dealing with this but I can't find it. Does anyone have a link?

My wife and son(13m) are traveling and he is having problems

[QueenOfThePride]

They deleted that thread because we're not allowed to give medical advice here anymore because of liability issues. You should seek medical attention, but remember not to let anyone retract his foreskin. Make the doctor take a swab to do a culture and examine under the microscope. Then they can determine the cause (bacterial, yeast, or nonpathogenic irritation) and prescribe the most effective treatment. Don't let the doctor prescribe without first figuring out what the problem is. Good Luck, I hope your son feels better soon.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

You can give it 24 hours w/ soaks in the tub. If it is still red, swollen take him in for a culture.Only the very tip of the foreskin should be swabbed do not allow any retration as this could let bacteria invaid even more. Dont just let me prescribe a general antibiotic since it may not cover what the problem is at all and make things worse. Setting him for up for the bad advice of circ due to the fact they cant seem to get ride of the infection.


I was : before so didnt get a chance to finish. Is there any chance that he was retracted? Has he been in wet diapers more than usual lately? Is he getting any diaper free time?

He could have caused the redness and swelling during normal play and if that is the case then it should get better within 24hours or at least start to show major improvement in that time. I really miss that link there was some really good info on it about herbal treatments

[jessjgh1]

Was there a post about the sticky-- I missed it. Last I knew (about 2 weeks ago??) it was still being reviewed, just taking a long time.

I've missed a bunch of threads lately

Jessica

[Quirky]

The "not allowed to give medical advice" thing makes no sense. If that were the case, this whole forum shouldn't exist, and neither should the vaccinations forum, the breastfeeding forum, the PPD forum, and arguably not the family bed forum either (given that the AAP has a policy statement against co-sleeping).

But anyway - ShaggyDaddy, can you be more specific about what's going on with your ds? What kinds of problems is he having? Can he pee OK? Is there any discharge? If it's just red and irritated, odds are it's no biggie, but if we're *ahem* not going to give any medical advice, we need to know more about what's going on.

[ShaggyDaddy]

He is not in constant pain, has no problem peeing. It is just swollen and red.

He sometimes gets a little rough with himself and scratches the end... that happened then he got diarea and it got bad fast.

There is no discharge, and no fever.

She has tried hydrocortizone and antibiotic ointment. mostly she is just trying to keep him in no diaper, or at least a dry one.

Not asking for medical advice, but any similar experiences with positive outcomes would be appreciated in a PM.

[Islay]

Originally Posted by Quirky

The "not allowed to give medical advice" thing makes no sense. If that were the case, this whole forum shouldn't exist, and neither should the vaccinations forum, the breastfeeding forum, the PPD forum, and arguably not the family bed forum either (given that the AAP has a policy statement against co-sleeping).

Inappropriate credence was given to a certain person's posts, I believe. Both that individual and another went 'on holiday'. (I'm surprised about the second person, though.)

Perhaps every post offering advice of a kind that could be perceived as 'medical' should be accompanied by a statement disclaiming medical authority.

To the OP: Continue to take medical advice. Inflamation requires proper care, which is why you sought it in the first place. Boys - and males in general - rarely have problems with their foreskins; but they can be treated with the same success as female genital infection, which is a lot more common.

Christopher

[aja-belly]

the swelling seems to be down. it's hard to tell as anytime you open up the diaper it can look completely different. he is diaperless tonight.

i really DO NOT want to take my intact baby to a dr in a strange town across the country. if anyone can help us, please pm me or shaggydaddy.

if it comes to that, does anyone by chance know of a dr in or around seattle or portland that is anti-circ? someone mentioned dr's opposing circ are based out of seattle...

[Lula's Mom]

I think I would be inclined to try a little OTC yeast treatment on it. Monistat, etc. BTW I have read that antibiotic ointment is not useful on the foreskin, and some boys are allergic to it. You can put breastmilk on it too, that's what I use for anything red and inflamed around here! If that's medical advice, I refer you to the recent Mothering Magazine article advising same.

[aja-belly]

Originally Posted by Lula's Mom

I think I would be inclined to try a little OTC yeast treatment on it. Monistat, etc. BTW I have read that antibiotic ointment is not useful on the foreskin, and some boys are allergic to it. You can put breastmilk on it too, that's what I use for anything red and inflamed around here! If that's medical advice, I refer you to the recent Mothering Magazine article advising same.

thanks a bunch. it did seem like the antibiotic cream might have been making it worse. i am tying hydrocotisone cream right now, and adding GSE to his drinks. it looks better today, possibly just from diaper free time and stopping the antibiotic.

it's scarey having your babe get sick when you are far from home. :

[Islay]

Originally Posted by aja-belly

thanks a bunch. it did seem like the antibiotic cream might have been making it worse. i am tying hydrocotisone cream right now, and adding GSE to his drinks. it looks better today, possibly just from diaper free time and stopping the antibiotic.

it's scarey having your babe get sick when you are far from home. :

Hydrocortisone cream should be used sparingly, I believe. I'm speaking only from personal knowledge which may or may not be valid. Was the cream prescribed or did you buy it 'over the counter'?

Essence of pure tee tree oil is remarkably effective for many things. It will not harm and has no side effects. It will either do nothing or work with amazing efficiency.

Glad it seems to be improving!

Christopher

[winter_dawn]

I second the tea tree oil and breastmilk, glad to hear that he's doing better!

[Islay]

Originally Posted by winter_dawn

I second the tea tree oil and breastmilk, glad to hear that he's doing better!

I can't produce it, of course - but isn't breastmilk just about the most perfect natural food product we possess?

Christopher

[DreamsInDigital]

It's better than food. It also cures all kinds of infections!

[sadkitty]

If you are still worried and want to see a doctor, post in the Oregon/Washington "findig your tribe" threads. We are the most active and you will get tons of responses.

[ShaggyDaddy]

My wife did a phone consult with our (awesome) Dr.

I feel like such an idiot. After further describing it (looks kind of like a burn and is peeling a little) the Dr said DO NOT put antibiotic ointment on it. Keep it dry and clean(with water only) and put aloe on it.

Of course only then did I say "Duh this happens to me when I get a new soap or shampoo" (I have to be pretty careful so it hasn't happened for years and years). And of course the only thing that worked for me was Aloe.

I have very little Foreskin left due to some freak accident where they performed plastic surgery on me at birth but the spot that this happens to me on is the small part that is still there. GRR I seem to forget that this boy is my clone and if I would just think back I could have figured this out for myself. I think the intact vs not thing kind of got in the way of my perceptions... I thought "Foreskin problem, don't know about those" but I really did.

Oh well we live and learn. DS is doing much better now

[dnr3301]

Originally Posted by ShaggyDaddy

I have very little Foreskin left due to some freak accident where they performed plastic surgery on me at birth

What a great way to put it.