help/advice needed, too tight a foreskin

[scubamom]

i need help.
both of my boys are intact, and circumcision not a big thing here in newfoundland, so i am not worried that Dr pushing it for his own agenda.
That said, i took ds (2.5) to the childrens hospital yesterday, as over the weekend his penis had been balloning more and more when urinanting to the point at one stage it was 1 inch wide!! the tip is red, so we assumed he had an infection (due to naked potty tarining and him constantly pulling on it LOL). anyhow thats not the case, they examined him, and the redness all part of a diaper rash apparently. They told me though that he has a too tight a foreskin which preventing him urinating . his penis always ballooned a little which i thought was normal, is it?, but now of course its excessive.
they have given me a steroid cream to apply in the hopes to thin the skin, and they want me to gently try and pull foreskin back gradually to see if we can make some progress. but if no improvement in next 6 weeks then he will have to go in for circ. sooner if gets worse to the point where he cant urinate.

they also said when ds#2 gets older we will need to have him checked for same problem.

anyone been through this, no anything about it?
thanks for reading

[phatchristy]

It is normal at that age for kiddos to be non-retractable (some docs might call that a tight foreskin). Foreskins generally become retractable anywhere from a few years old until puberty.

So, he is urinating, right? From what I have read (including stuff written by a ped urologist) the balooning is a sign that the foreskin is starting to separate from the glans (which in itself is normal). : Someone here will send you some good links to check out, I am sure!

[CallMeMommy]

It he hurting at all? And does it seem like he's having a hard time urinating? You said the foreskin is ballooning, but does the opening seem too small to let the urine out in a decent stream? The steroid (if it's the same one that's been mentioned here before by other people) is not approved for safety in children, and if it's not causing him any pain or trouble why mess with it?

ETA: Ack, I just saw the part about "gently pulling it back"! NO NO NO! No one should ever retract a foreskin except its owner! You said you are in Newfoundland and not worried about your ped having a circ agenda, but you can bet your hiney that if a doctor is advising you to retract the foreskin he has no knowledge of how to care for an intact penis and his answer to any problem will be circumcision.

[scubamom]

Originally Posted by CallMeMommy

It he hurting at all? And does it seem like he's having a hard time urinating? You said the foreskin is ballooning, but does the opening seem too small to let the urine out in a decent stream? The steroid (if it's the same one that's been mentioned here before by other people) is not approved for safety in children, and if it's not causing him any pain or trouble why mess with it?

he is not in pain, and urine still flows steadily, but I was so worried thats why we went to the doc, its getting so big, i wasnt exaggerating when i said its swelling to 1 inch across thats big when its so small at 2. I really dont want to get him circed, i want my boys intact but the doc tells me its going to be very painful when he hits puberty, if this cream doesnt work now.
i am very interested in what previous poster said about balloning being normal, doesn anyone have and info or links?

Now im worried about the cream, when i pick up the px i will tell you the name.
thanks for helping me

[alegna]

Ballooning is normal. Your son's foreskin sounds totally normal. Throw out the steroid cream.

-Angela

[Lula's Mom]

It seems doctors in Newfoundland are not taught any better than the ones here... sigh. ITA with the previous posters: if your son is not actually having trouble and pain with urination, he does NOT have a problem! This is a normal stage of development. If he IS having pain, this can be treated with the appropriate medication (antibiotics, yeast cream, etc.) Definitely don't use the cream, and don't try to pull his foreskin back! Thank goodness you came here to ask.

Scroll down for ballooning: http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/

Ballooning
There is a phase of development during which some boys may experience "ballooning." Ballooning is the inflation of the prepuce during urination by the pressure of urine inside. This can occur if the inner layer of the prepuce is separating or has separated from the glans, which typically happens around three years of age, before the prepuce has become fully retractable. Ballooning is an indication that the normal separation of the foreskin from the glans penis has occurred. Ballooning is a transient condition that goes away as the prepuce continues its natural growth and development and the opening at the tip further enlarges. Babu et al. report that ballooning does not interfere with voiding.19 Ballooning is not injurious, and it is not a cause for concern. Ballooning is not an indication for circumcision.

[Lula's Mom]

Oh I went back and read and I saw you said he has no infection. That's great, so really no need to do anything. Be aware that with the separation of the foreskin from the glans sometimes comes a stinging when he urinates, because things may be a little raw under there where it's no longer adhered. So he may or may not start saying it hurts a bit when he pees, but don't freak out! Pulling it back like the doctor advised you could introduce bacteria under his foreskin, which is especially a problem when he has raw spots. He'll get an infection that way.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Since you said he is peeing ok, is not in pain then there is really no problem that I can think of. Like the pp linked to it is very normal it is releasing from the glans and the sphencter (the ridged band at the tip) is still tight (perfectly normal by the way at his age) If it is a problem when he gets into his teens (very unlikly) then you can do the cream. Chances are to that if you use the cream it will make it more elastic and help the ballooning some but then once the cream is stopped it is very possible he will start ballooning again since the sphincter will tighten back up again.

The cream is used to make things more elastic and relaxed. So the sphincter will return to normal after the cream is stopped.

[calngavinsmom]

Hi there. You can definately relax! Your son is perfectly normal, he is just going through the normal separation process. I have two guys, one has been ballooning since birth and the other is still ballooning at 4.5 yrs old.(When it happens to my eldest, it kinda looks like a tootsie-pop(foreskin swells to about 100x the size of the shaft ) The foreskin will loosen up in its own time, you don't need to rush it.

Some foreskins do not become retractile until after puberty...perfectly normal. The doc you saw is going on outdated information. The old school thinking was that a foreskin should retract at a certain time, and that ballooning was a bad sign, but that is not at all true! My guess is that he, like you said, isn't out trying to pad his pocket by soliciting circumcision but is merely not up-to-date on his intact penis development information.

If your son still can't retract after puberty(the hormones and *ahem* playing that occurs at this time usually help to make the foreskin retract) then it might be time for some stretching exercises and steriod creams. But for now, trying to force it will just create tears in the delicate tissue of the foreskin and could lead to infection.

Here is a great article that might help you feel better:
http://www.mothering.com/articles/ne...uncircson.html

Take care,
Tara

[scubamom]

thanks for the advice, i didnt realise it was normal thank goodness i came here first before using the cream. we have decided to hang fire and do nothing for the time being, if it gets worse where urination becoming very difficult and painful i may use the cream. But from the research it sounds like that a rare occurance.

thanks so much, i am so relieved
heather

[Yoshua]

Just listen to their explanation.


'It is to tight and he can't urinate'



but.... you know he is urinating just fine?..... Don't use the cream, their diagnosis makes no sense.



If it is just a diaper rash that is causing him pain, TREAT THAT. if he is urinating fine don't worry about that end of it.


Ballooning can also be a sign of separation which can also cause a redness when it is occuring, so everything you are seeing 'may' just be the natural separation process.


the balooning occures when parts of the foreskin arent completely attatched on the inside, just make sure it doesnt hurt him to pee and that the pee flows steadily and you are 'probably' fine.....


'tight foreskin'.... Did they try to retract him or was this just a 'i don't know what is going on, so here is some medication and it will go away eventually' type of diagnosis.



saying a toddler has a tight foreskin is like saying a person has a nose. it is normal.