Help fast. Doc wants to circ friend's baby w/ urine reflux!

893 Views 15 Replies 14 Participants Last post by minkajane, Apr 6, 2006

Getz

Discussion Starter · Apr 5, 2006

I am posting on behalf of my friend whose 6 wk old is in the hospital right now. She needs some support and guideance on what she should do. I told her that MDC was the place to go and I would post for her.

They did a VCUG test on him today, where they cathed him, shot dye into the cath and x-rayed how it traveled to his kidneys. 1 is a low occurance of urine reflux, 5 is a high occurance and Baby scored a 3.

The American doctor is recommending Baby be circumcized (the foreskin is creating a moist environment that is harming Baby). My friend also saw an Indian doctor who said the foreskin had nothing to do with the reflux.

My friend is also certain that circumcision isn't going to help her son at all, the problem is more internal. She just needs some "reinforced" opinions, people to tell her that she is making the right decision (by leaving him intact).

Any words of encouragement/advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated!

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

splash

· #2 · Apr 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Getz
The American doctor is recommending Baby be circumcized (the foreskin is creating a moist environment that is harming Baby). My friend also saw an Indian doctor who said the foreskin had nothing to do with the reflux.

Bolding mine.

WTF? A moist environment that is harming the baby? That's got to be one of the worst I have EVER heard.

The foreskin isn't the problem. What would he cut off of a girl? What if the kid WAS circ'ed and having this problem? Then what?

Tell her to get another doctor. This man just wants her 300 bucks for chopping up her kid.

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Yoshua

· #3 · Apr 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by splash
Bolding mine.

WTF? A moist environment that is harming the baby? That's got to be one of the worst I have EVER heard.

The foreskin isn't the problem. What would he cut off of a girl? What if the kid WAS circ'ed and having this problem? Then what?

Tell her to get another doctor. This man just wants her 300 bucks for chopping up her kid.

had to emphasize that. Estelle always words it so eloquently. But if he sells that foreskin to a cosmetics agency he gets more than 300$ too.

*sarcasm*Foreskin... moist.... God I hope that kid never as sex... what would that moistness do to the poor kids kidneys....

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Zamber

· #4 · Apr 5, 2006

2

Strongly encourage her to get a new doctor for her son. If he is recommending circumcision as a "cure", he has no business being a doctor

. Even though she will be keeping her son intact (as it sounds

), I would fear that other forms of treatment this doctor may provide will make the situation worse.

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gabysmom617

· #5 · Apr 5, 2006

That's a load of garbage. What does the foreskin have to do with what's going on internally?

Doesn't that reflux have to do with the urine in the bladder somehow backing up into the tubes that leads from the kidneys to the bladder? It is some kind of an issue between the kidnies, the tubes leading from the kidneys to the bladder, and the bladder.

Why is that doc trying to drag the foreskin into the picture?

I would go back and deal with that foreign doctor rather than the american one. The foreign one probably knows more about how to deal with the problem without involving the foreskin.

MCatLvrMom2A&X

· #6 · Apr 5, 2006

Circed boys and intact alike can have reflux circing will solve nothing and saying that a moist environment is making things worse is a bunch of horse splat. There are a few moms here with intact sons who have reflux maybe they will come by. She is doing the 100% best thing by keeping her son intact.

She does however need a new dr because this one could end up causing trauma to the foreskin it has happened before a dr actually causing damage so that the parents end up circing

I would switch dr's to the other one she saw that said circ wouldnt help since he isnt from the USA chances are he actually knows how to deal with a intact penis ie LEAVE IT ALONE.

If your friend is reading this I want her to know how happy I am that she isnt gonna mutiliate her son and he will have the opportunity to grow up and have the full unaltered use of his body as it was ment to be.

I hope your friend finds the strength to stand up for her son and tell the dr to go jump in a lake.

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morning glory

· #7 · Apr 5, 2006

Insane. Do you think this Dr. hears himself when he speaks and realizes he sounds like an idiot?

My guess is he doesn't see that many foreskins and his best idea of how to deal with them is to chop it off. Once that is done then he *might* think of something that can be done to actually HELP the baby.

Good to hear that your friend has better sense than to believe the Dr. Makes you wonder though...how many other baby boys has he "cured" through the "miracle of circumcision"

As for helpful info... http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...ey_reflux?open ...this is a really basic run down of what reflux is. Golly gee...no mention of forskins being involved...just the valve between the kidneys and bladder. And it says that around 80% of cases will clear up as the child matures (by age 5).

The treatment option I would consider if it were me would be regular monitoring for infection (urine dip test...she should be able to get sticks to keep at home) and treatment (with antibiotics) if one does show up. If he is chronically getting infections she may want to consider low does antibiotics as a preventative but if thats the route she goes be sure to research what effects that much exposure to antibiotics can have.

Casey

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morning glory

· #8 · Apr 5, 2006

Or maybe her Dr. has read this article...

http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB...name=49859.pdf

(Can't get the whole article this is just the abstract)

Quote:

Abstract

Objective: To describe 4 patients in whom megaprepuce was associated with vesicoureteric reflux (VUR).

Patients and Methods: Four boys aged 6, 4, 5 and 7 months, respectively, presented with dribbling of urine, gross penile swelling and inability to void spontaneously. The first 3 patients had a history of documented urinary tract infection. Micturating cystourethrogram (MCUG) revealed grade III VUR on the right in the first patient, grade V on the left in the second patient, grade III on the right and grade IV in both moieties of left duplex system in the third patient and bilateral grade III in the fourth patient. All patients underwent circumcision.

Results: Follow-up MCUG demonstrated complete resolution of VUR in 2 patients after circumcision. One patient with bilateral VUR showed resolution of VUR on right side but persistence of VUR into the lower moiety of left duplex system after circumcision. Vesicoureteric reflux was downgraded from grade 5 to grade 3 after circumcision in one patient.

Conclusion: These cases demonstrate for the first time the association of megaprepuce with VUR. VUR associated with megaprepuce is usually resolved after circumcision.

No way in hell would I consent to surgery on my son based on a four person study with a 50% success rate.

Really makes you wonder though...how do you come up with the conclusion that circ USUALLY cures the problem when you only had a 50% success rate???

Casey

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wendy1221

· #9 · Apr 5, 2006

Ds2 had mild kidney reflux in 1 kidney. Class 1, so realy mild, no treatment needed, but still. He never had a UTI and circ never came up in talking to all of the docs we saw. And that was here in IN!

eightyferrettoes

· #10 · Apr 5, 2006

Baby's foreskin is probably so tightly adhered to the glans that there's noooo way for moisture to get "in" there, even if that WERE the problem, which I would doubt. I'd go with the Indian doc on this one-- I assume he's coming from a far better-informed mindset WRT intactness than the idiot American doc.

Doctors! Ack!

J-Max

· #11 · Apr 5, 2006

I have to get my girls to bed, so this is quick, but search my past posts in this forum. We resently had a big discussion about VUR and there is lots of info posted on it.

HTH

jessjgh1

· #12 · Apr 5, 2006

Jessmcg said

Quote:

" I have to get my girls to bed, so this is quick, but search my past posts in this forum. We resently had a big discussion about VUR and there is lots of info posted on it."

It took me a while to figure out how to do this (well I just never noticed) so just in case: click on the above posters name on the side column and it will bring up the Find More Posts By option.

I think this is the post that was referenced: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=423599

Jessica

pdx.mothernurture

· #13 · Apr 5, 2006

This doctor sounds really ignorant, and I cringed when I read he'd already been cathed. Do you know if he was forcibly retracted? Be sure to remind this mamma that under no circumstances should her baby's foreskin be manipulated or retracted---even a tiny bit---even for cathing. A catheter can be inserted without retracting the foreskin *at all*.

Jen

Getz

Discussion Starter · #14 · Apr 5, 2006

Thanks everyone! That was what she needed to hear (I am telling her that she needs to join MDC).

His foreskin was not retracted during the cath. She did have a nurse tell her that she needed to start retracting it regularly. What a load of baloney!

The baby is in no danger of being circed (thank goddess) but she just needed to be told that she was doing the right thing!

michaelasmommy

· #15 · Apr 6, 2006

I just wanted to post support for your friend. I had a reflux as a child, too. I, unfortunately, did not grow out of it, and had to have corrective surgery. I was a 3 on one side and a 5 on the other. I am now, even as an adult, a 1 on on side and a 3 on the other. I assume his rationalization for circumsicion is to prevent UTI's. In a child with a reflux, UTI's can be much more severe, as it is very easy for infected urine to travel up into the kidneys. Kidney infections frequently require hospitilazation. However, good heigene is the best prevention. I don't have a foreskin (cause I'm a girl), and I still had frequent UTI's. I'm glad nobody thought they should cut off my body parts!Best of luck!

minkajane

· #16 · Apr 6, 2006

Actually, Michaelsmommy, you do have a foreskin. We just call it a clitoral hood when it's on a girl. The medical term for both is "prepuce."

Just wanted to share.

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