Mothering › Forums › Health › The Case Against Circumcision › Hypospadias and Circumcision
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Hypospadias and Circumcision  

post #1 of 10
11/5/06 at 10:01am
Thread Starter 
My oldest son was born with a mild case of hypospadias. At birth an on-call doctor stated that they couldn't circ him until later because they would need to use the foreskin to repair the problem. (we weren't planning on circing anyway) We were supposed to get it done when he was around two, but we opted out of doing it.

We are still uncertain of the surgery because for him it is purely cosmetic. I do believe that he will probably have to sit down to pee, and I guess I am okay with that. (I just hope he is).

Anyway, as I posted in another thread Patrick is autistic and nonverbal. Lately he has been crying a lot and grabbing at his penis. Last night he woke up and grabbed his penis (he was sleeping in bed with me) and just started crying and crying.

He is unable to explain what is wrong with him, and I am afraid it may have something to do with his hypospadia. I know very little about the condition, and most of the information I find just recommeds surgery (which includes circumsision) So... Does anyone have know anything about it? Is surgery always required? And do they really HAVE to be circ'ed?

Are there any other reasons he could be having pain in his penis? I took him to his reg doc, (because this has been going on for a few months) and she looked him over, but didn't seem concerned about it. She never retracts (he is fully retractable) so she has never even seen his urenary opening.

I hate to take him back to the uroligist because we have been avoiding him for so long. Ugg!
post #2 of 10
11/5/06 at 10:11am
If the hypo is cosmetic then there is no way I would do the surgery. Especially since he is autistic the trauma would probably be even more intense on him.

Could it be that he is having pain especially when he sleeps because he is getting a erection? Sometimes the sensation can be very intense especially if he is starting the separation process. This can cause burning and pain when it is stretched.

For a mild hypo I wouldn't think circ would be required at all. It just depends on were the urinary opening is. If it is still on the head of the penis then skin grafting wouldn't be needed I dont think.

Can you give more details on were the urinary opening is? Does he have a complete foreskin or is it "hooded" incompletly formed? How was the hypo diagnosed?
post #3 of 10
11/5/06 at 10:22am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMoMof2 View Post
If the hypo is cosmetic then there is no way I would do the surgery. Especially since he is autistic the trauma would probably be even more intence on him.

Could it be that he is having pain especially when he sleeps because he is getting a erection? Sometimes the sensation can be very intence especially if he is starting the seperation process. This can cause burning and pain when it is stretched.

For a mild hypo I wouldnt think circ would be required at all. It just depends on were the urinary opening is. If it is still on the head of the penis then skin grafting wouldnt be needed I dont think.

Can you give more details on were the urinary opening is?
He didn't have an erection when he woke up. I took his diaper off to check that he wasn't dirty. It is not just at night, he has pain during the day too.

His urinary opening is on the underside of the head of his penis. It is located where the frenulum should be. It's hard to describe.. He does have a complete foreskin. He was diagnosed after brith during the newborn exam. (I am not sure how they saw his urinary opening as I was under general) I hope that helps some.
post #4 of 10
11/5/06 at 10:26am
Yes that helps. I dont see how the hypo could be causing his pain. Could he have a touch of yeast infection? Does his penis looke red? When he takes a bath does he use soap to wash his penis? Soap can be very irritating and shouldnt be used. No bubble bath and dont let him sit in bath water that has soap in it.

Does the pain happen when he pees? if that is the case I would be suspicious of a UTI.

I wanted to add that if he is not happy with sitting down to pee then he can always have surgery to correct the opening later. I dont know much about autisim tho.

In his case I truly wouldnt put him thru a cosmetic surgery like I said before it would probably be even more traumatic for him to go thru since the healing process takes a while and he will have vivid memories of it.

There is a surgery to correct hypo that dosnt use the foreskin but it hasnt caught on here like it has in other countries because circ is so common here. So circ is NOT always done especially in mild cases. Here is a link with info on saving the foreskin while fixing hypo
post #5 of 10
11/5/06 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMoMof2 View Post
Yes that helps. I dont see how the hypo could be causing his pain. Could he have a touch of yeast infection? Does his penis looke red? When he takes a bath does he use soap to wash his penis? Soap can be very irritating and shouldnt be used. No bubble bath and dont let him sit in bath water that has soap in it.
No, his penis does not look red or irritated. We don't use soap to wash
him (he has allergies to most dyes and fragrances), and no bubble baths.


Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMoMof2 View Post
Does the pain happen when he pees? if that is the case I would be suspicious of a UTI.
I am not sure if the pain is while he is peeing. I guess I can try and keep a close eye on that to see if that is the case. He has had a UTI in the past, but it was accompanied with a fever, and a overall icky feeling for him. Could he possibly have a UTI for months at a time with no other symptoms?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMoMof2 View Post
I wanted to add that if he is not happy with sitting down to pee then he can always have surgery to correct the opening later. I dont know much about autisim tho.

In his case I truly wouldnt put him thru a cosmetic surgery like I said before it would probably be even more traumatic for him to go thru since the healing process takes a while and he will have vivid memories of it.

There is a surgery to correct hypo that dosnt use the foreskin but it hasnt caught on here like it has in other countries because circ is so common here. So circ is NOT always done especially in mild cases. Here is a link with info on saving the foreskin while fixing hypo
Yeah, I have avioded the surgery this long, mostly because I know that I am going to have to fight to keep my child's foreskin. He has already had a rough medical life (he also has a heart condition), and I hate to put him through unncessary surgery. Thanks for the link, it was very interesting. If and when we go see a urologist I will have to print it out and take it with me.

How do you find an intact friendly urologist? The one we went to when Patrick was younger was a joke.
post #6 of 10
11/5/06 at 11:17am
Maybe it's not really pain. Maybe he's realizing he has to pee? My now 3 yo did this when he was around 2 as a sign that he was ready to start peeing in the potty. Just a thought. My now 7 year old did this when he was a toddler, but it was definitely irritation. Every child expresses discomfort differently. Some will cry only when they're in pain, some will cry when they just find a sensation uncomfortable. Go w/ your gut.
post #7 of 10
11/5/06 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wendy1221 View Post
Maybe it's not really pain. Maybe he's realizing he has to pee? My now 3 yo did this when he was around 2 as a sign that he was ready to start peeing in the potty. Just a thought. My now 7 year old did this when he was a toddler, but it was definitely irritation. Every child expresses discomfort differently. Some will cry only when they're in pain, some will cry when they just find a sensation uncomfortable. Go w/ your gut.
Yeah, it is defintly a "I am in pain" sorta cry.
post #8 of 10
11/5/06 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMoMof2 View Post
There is a surgery to correct hypo that dosnt use the foreskin but it hasn't caught on here like it has in other countries because circ is so common here. So circ is NOT always done especially in mild cases. Here is a link with info on saving the foreskin while fixing hypo
:
I've known two guys who had fairly severe cases of hypospadias (urinary opening just above the scrotum) at birth that were repaired while leaving their foreskins intact, although in both cases the foreskins were non-retractile on the frenulum side afterwards.

If your son has a very mild case and has a complete foreskin, I can't see why a repair would be necessary at all.
post #9 of 10
11/5/06 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BamaDude View Post
:
I've known two guys who had fairly severe cases of hypospadias (urinary opening just above the scrotum) at birth that were repaired while leaving their foreskins intact, although in both cases the foreskins were non-retractile on the frenulum side afterwards.

If your son has a very mild case and has a complete foreskin, I can't see why a repair would be necessary at all.
Well, I didn't really think it was necessary either. I just feared that the pain he seems to be having may be related to the hypospadias
post #10 of 10
11/5/06 at 6:58pm
It could be a UTI without a fever. Have you tried cranberry? I crush the caplets and mix it with some milk or water (insert and liquid here) and give it my dd with an oral syringe. They are much more potent than juices and don't contain the sugar. I hope he feels better
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: The Case Against Circumcision
This thread is locked  
Mothering › Forums › Health › The Case Against Circumcision › Hypospadias and Circumcision