They retracted him!

[tsfairy]

I feel terrible. I took DS to the ER today for a lymph infection. I mentioned that DS's urine had been dark and cloudy and the doc ordered a cath UA.

The nurse completely retracted DS to do the cath!

I didn't even realize what was happening until it was almost over b/c I was holding DS's arms and head and trying to calm him down. I yelled at the nurse to stop and she argued that it had to be retracted to do the cath, and besides I "should be pulling it back and cleaning underneath every day anyway." I was LIVID. I told her she was wrong and she needed to read the AAP guidelines and she completely brushed me off.

I feel SO completely awful. I wasn't able to keep DS from being hurt.

The tip of his foreskin is pretty red and he's in obvious pain now. He was grabbing at himself and crying while he peed a few minutes ago. I gave him a little bit of tylenol to hopefully help with the pain.

What else should I do? I'm thinking just leave it alone right?

Also they used iodine around the inside of his foreskin along with the lube stuff. The nurse said she wiped most of it off but there's probably still some there. Will it clean itself out?

[kldliam]

I always tell people to avoid cathing at all costs!! Wish you could have popped in here first, I would have told you to demand a urine sample in a baggie. The cathing is so traumatic (I was cathed as a child) and it never fails...they always think they need to retract the boys!@!

Is the Tylenol helping? How old is he?

Please read the first post on this thread by Frank for further instructions....

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=129378

Take care.

[tsfairy]

The tylenol seems to be helping a lot. He's in a much better mood. I should have just given him tylenol and kept him home in the first place.

The sad part is I did post about his symptoms this morning, but I talked to my mom and my sis and they convinced me to take him to the ER before I got any responses. I wish I'd just listened to myself instead of panicking, and that I'd followed my instincts and turned down the cath when it felt so wrong.

He's 17 months.

[tsfairy]

Thanks for the link. I was going to send a letter to the hospital myself, but now I'm going to gather all the info I can and contact that attorney.

[mommacanary]

ARRRG! That makes me so !!!

So sorry Momma Hope your little boy feels better soon!

[kldliam]

I so gald he is feeling better with Tylenol. It's hard to go with your instincts sometimes when you are in a panic. i totally understand that. It's even harder to fight off medical staff when they think they 'know' everything :

I'm glad you found that link useful too. Frank is the best!
I'm sorry I missed you this morning. I was here but I didn't see this thread I guess.

be well. both of you.

[kldliam]

an FYI for others re: cathing

If medical staff insists on the invasive 'cathing' in order to get a "clean-catch"...tell them to screw off! They will often insist on it for intact boys esp. Tell them that you will only collect via baggie & some medical tape. Period. If they don't like that answer, they'll have to find a way to live with it.


For children:

To obtain a clean-catch urine sample, males should wipe clean the head of the penis and females need to wipe between the labia with soapy water and rinse well. Sometimes a special clean-catch kit is provided with cleansing solution and sterile wipes.

Your child's genital area should be cleaned and dried, then a collection device (a baggie/tape) is attached to collect the urine. If you are asked to collect the urine, be sure the collection device is attached securely to prevent leakage. After your baby has urinated, the urine (at least 20 cc) is transferred to a sterile container.

[alegna]

Would you mind telling us what hospital? If you don't feel comfortable posting, would you PM it to me?

hope he feels better soon,

-Angela

[PuppyFluffer]

I am so sorry this happened to your little boy!

it is best, in general, to keep the names of practitioners and medical facilities to private message. If you have any questions, please PM me.

[Arduinna]

Please report her to the head of nursing at the hospital, this is completely unacceptable! I'm so sorry for your ds.

[onyxravnos]

Awww your poor ds... I feel bad for him. If there is any Iodine left in there it should clean itself up on it's own.

[Cherries10700]

I am sorry this happened to your little guy!
I hope he's feeling better soon!

[varaonaid]

Ohhhhh, I'm so sorry to hear what happened. I feel terrible for your little guy.

But I want to thank you for posting your story because it helps others (like me) realize what can happen and what to watch out for.

Hope he feels better soon...

[kxsiven]

So sorry thi happened to you. Unfortenately it is 'everyday thingy' in American hospitals.

This is exactly the reason why I find it hard to be really happy when I read that yet another state has stopped covering circ.

How many of those future 'saved boys' will be suffering in the hands of clueless doctors and nurses? 12-15% of intact boys get circumcised due to 'problems' in USA, in intact countries the % is under 1. How many boys has to go forcefull retractions, unnecessary cleaning, pain, adhesions and all the other stuff because of uneducation.

How to change this? Now that circ rates are really going down has any intactivist organisation started to think how to educate masses and especially doctors? Should some of our media contacts(when we write to newspapers etc.)be about proper care of intact penis? Should we start to write articles about these horror stories we here everyday on this board? Should we somehow force medical community to respond? Recognise that there is a huge problem? Can these nurses&doctors be sued?

Leaving child intact starts to be pretty much normal thing in USA but keeping him healthy and intact seem to be quite a challenge.

[tsfairy]

Originally Posted by alegna

Would you mind telling us what hospital? If you don't feel comfortable posting, would you PM it to me?

hope he feels better soon,

-Angela

Pm'd you.

It's a brand new facility, state of the art everything... you'd think they'd maybe keep up-to-date on procedures! grr!

[alegna]

I've *heard* that intact baby boys are fairly safe at TX Children's hospital. If you ever need it, you might head there instead.



-Angela

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I am so sorry this happened to your ds I hope he heals fine and has no problems because of it. I would sit him in the bath and do a lot of swishing to get that betadine out of there since that stuff can be very irritating.

This happens so much and it is why before the diaper even comes off you have to be sure to tell them no pulling the foreskin back. Dont just say retract say pulling it back or messing with because most healthcare workers hear retract and think all the way and that just isnt the case.

It is horrible that on top of worrying about a sick child we have to worry about making sure they dont get there foreskin retracted as well :

[mother_star]

I'm sorry this happened to your son.

My son went through the same thing when he was 4yo. The nurse told me he may feel a little burning the first time he peed and then everything would be ok. It lasted a week. The poor little fella stopped eating and drinking so he wouldn't go pee. He had told me he didn't want to eat because it will make him thisty, if hes thirsty he will have to drink something and that would make him go pee.

I hope your little guy doesn't feel pain like mine did for a week. My heart goes out to you.

[DocsNemesis]

I just want to point out that besides the fact that they really didnt need to cath, they could have cathed with retracting anyway. All they need to be able to see is the urethra, which should be visable with minimal pressure even on a newborn (otherwise pee is going to have a hard time coming out). They cath'd my ds when he was a newbie (NICU baby) and all they did was gently push it just until they could see the urethra. No pain for my son, no damage, nothing like that. I think because they work with intact babies all the time, the nurses in the NICU know what to do most of the time. I'm sure there are some clueless nurses but still. So, if they ever insist on cathing again, ask for a NICU nurse. Seriously. And then watch like a hawk. But yeah, they could have done a catch anyway, just like adults do.
Also, good thing he isnt allergic to IODINE!! That stuff is harsh enough on its own, could you imagine if he had an allergy? That really could result in an emergency!

[Getz]

They can cath w.out retracting. My son needed a cath and before I even put him on the table I said, how are you going to do it? He is intact and cannot be retracted? Of course the nurse didn't believe me, but the doc told her "we don't retract anymore " Anyway, they actually gave me sterile gloves and I was the one that opened his foreskin enough (just milimeters) so they could insert the tube.

Before anyone gets near my son's diaper area I tell them not to retract him. So far no one has argued with me (though they may look at me like I have two heads).

I hope your little one feels better soon!