Circumcision problems, help!

[audibear78]

Ok, so my DH and I decided to circumcise my DS when he was born. I didn't really want to do it but my husband insisted because he is circumcised. My motherly instinct told me to just leave it natural but I had just gone through an awful labor followed by a c-section and was totally wiped. I went against my better judgement and decided to go ahead with the circumcision and the pediatrician assured me everything would be fine as he does lots of them.

Well...everything was fine for the first 3 months. The circumcision healed nicely. When my DS went through a growth spurt, the fat pads around the base of his penis enlarged and his thighs got pretty big too and it forced his penis to cave in....I am told this hidden penis thing is completely normal and that by the time he is walking it will pop back out. What has happened though is that his penis started to adhese. I took him to the pediatrician at 4 months and was told that is was perfectly normal and that the circumcision was a bit generous but everything looked fine. I took him again at 6 months and the Pediatrician did say that he had a slight adhesion and that it would be fine as he got older. That like un-circumcised boys, it would natural retract on it's on as he got older.

Well, I decided to take him to a pediatric urologist to confirm anyway and he is not due to go until July, but within the last week or so the adhesion has creaped higher and higher. It is almost covering the tip of his penis now and I am scared. I am told that I should gently try to pull it back each time I change his diaper and now i'm noticing that if I try and pull it back the pee hole is becoming red and irritated so I don't want to do that anymore.

What should I do? This may not be the right board as this is for people with uncircumcised children, but because his penis is much like an uncircumcised one, any advice would be much appreciated.

BTW.... I don't plan to do any surgery and I really don't want the pediatrician or urologist to pull the adhesion down either. I would just like to leave it alone at this point, but I don't it to be abnormal or painful for my DS either.

TIA

[thixle]

Leave it alone. There is very good research out there that adhesions, even those happening after circ, will eventually release on their own... as long as no one keeps forcing trauma to them, which causes thicker scar tissue to form.
You can do a search on the forum.

When you know better, you do better.

[nini02]

I agree, I would just leave it be and it should resolve on it's own.

And it will be a good thing later that he had a loose circ, the extra skin will make some of the potential problems from circumcision less of an issue

[audibear78]

Thank you!

my intuition tells me to leave it alone and everything will work out on its own, but the fact that the adhesion seems to be getting worse scares me.

There's no way it can actually adhese over the pee hole, right? It seems to be creaping up right next to it.

[thixle]

Here are my thoughts:
Origionally, there is a "seal" between the glans and foreskin. It's very similar to the bond between your fingernail and nailbed. On the penis, there is a personal time-frame when this seal should dissolve. When a boy is circ'ed, the seal is ripped apart. If the boy is lucky enough to have an overlap left, those bonds will try to heal together, just like a fingernail would, to release at some time in the future. So it would be normal for the adhesion to get worse with time, then eventually heal itself back to something close to the origional bond.

As for growing over the tip-- he's going to pee, a lot, which would keep it open. And there would have been no origional bond right over the urinary opening. So it just wouldn't grow there, unless some wound (abrasion, cut, whatever) happened right on that exact spot and he didn't pee, which would give time for scar tissue to form (which isn't the same as the origional bond growing back).

Does that make sense the way I wrote it?

[audibear78]

Thixle

Thank you, I appreciate your input and it does make absolute sense.

I am worried though that the adhesion will continue to grow over the "helmet" (i'm not sure of the medical term) of his penis and then when he is older and it starts to pull back...will the adhesion pull away from the helmet or will it heal to the helmet? My husband tells me this is the most sensitive area of the penis and I can't imagine it retracting on it's own, but I'm hopeful.

Also, will the helmet start to look more formed as he gets older. Right now it looks like a pencil.

[snangel]

The helmet, is called the glans. Please just leave his penis alone. Allow it to re adhere over the glans. The glans is very sensitive, but it is the foreskin that keeps it that way. If the glans is not covered and is subjected to constant rubbing, and pulling and such it will desensitize it. Your son is very lucky to have a "loose circ" If you leave it alone it will adhere as it should, and will gradually become a normal functioning penis. The skin will release when it is ready, my 6 yr old is retractable, but my 3 yr old (and the baby of course) are not. It is normal to stay adhered until puberty in some cases. You will cause more harm by not letting it adhere then if you leave it alone.

[fruitful womb]

Please mama don't circ anymore sons!

Your story is so similar to mine. Ds1 had a concealed penis that didn't resolve until he was 4. He had MOST of his skin ripped away from his shaft. Its a very tight circ.

Being that you didn't want the circ but went against your better judgment is a recipe for poison. If your anything like me, you'll start to go through the steps of the grieving process. The guilt is incredibly unbearable.

Your ds is a victim of a medical scam. The doctor shouldn't have solicited this procedure to you ESPECIALLY since you were second guessing yourself.

The more you know the worse it gets. I encourage you to speak to the Pediatrician who did this to your ds. Tell him how you feel. He didn't give you a proper INFORMED consent (by proxy). If he had, neither you or your dh would allow a knife to go anywhere near your ds's sexual organs.

Reading how your ds's doctor just ripped you off (and literally your ds's most sensitive part of his penis) just gave me a bad snake oil taste in my mouth.

I'll echo the advice to leave it alone.

I'm so sorry this happened to your ds.

[audibear78]

Thanks everyone for your input!

It is really helpful and, yes, I will continue to leave it alone. I am just going to let it take its course and I am hopeful it will heal properly and pull away on it's own in time. It sounds like I should be greatful that at the very least my DS has a loose Circ and I am.

And NO, I won't be circumcising the next one. I do feel awful about the whole situation and I blame myself everyday for not going with my gut on this one.

I had a horrible labor and delivery and was basically forced to have a c-section after I was jacked up on Pitocin and an epidural. I was out of my mind for the first few days and I am thankful I was even able to nurse. I wish there had been someone there that could have spoken on my behalf, but I guess that wasn't in the cards.

It will not be like that next time....I'm only going to work with a midwife next time.

Thanks all!

PS: I'm really glad I found this site

[Fellow Traveler]

Originally Posted by audibear78

Thanks everyone for your input!

It is really helpful and, yes, I will continue to leave it alone. I am just going to let it take its course and I am hopeful it will heal properly and pull away on it's own in time. It sounds like I should be greatful that at the very least my DS has a loose Circ and I am.

And NO, I won't be circumcising the next one. I do feel awful about the whole situation and I blame myself everyday for not going with my gut on this one.

Don't beat yourself up too much, it is hard to see past lies rhetoric on this issue especially here in the US. At least you're strong enough to realize the mistake and do better the next time and that is very important. If you're interested perhaps you could add your story to the regrets thread; who knows it may help another parent to be.

Originally Posted by audibear78

I had a horrible labor and delivery and was basically forced to have a c-section after I was jacked up on Pitocin and an epidural. I was out of my mind for the first few days and I am thankful I was even able to nurse. I wish there had been someone there that could have spoken on my behalf, but I guess that wasn't in the cards.

It will not be like that next time....I'm only going to work with a midwife next time.

Thanks all!

PS: I'm really glad I found this site

We too hope you'll stick around and contribute from time to time. The more people who are advocating for boys the better.