Circumcision - vent

Miranda1127 wrote: i'm really getting upset about this. i think they did the circumcision wrong and no one will admitt it. it just doesn't look right. first of all we have to retract the skin on a regular basis b/c it keeps adhearing to the shaft. the last time (yeasterday) we pried the skin from the shaft it left his penis looking very red and irritated, it is also painful to the touch. i have a pedi apt tomorrow concerning this but... well nothing i guess. i just changed him and it made me want to cry. i've been doing everything the pedi told me to do i just feel like such a bad mom with this, like i haven't taken good enough care of him.

thanks for listening
Miranda

Jamison'smama replied: Jack's was/is the same way. We still have a little trouble and he is 2. We constantly had to retract, put on a little neosporin and sometimes he'd even get a little yeast and we'd have to add in Lotramin. Now we just have to make sure we dry the area every once in a while to avoid any extra bacterial growth. My doctor called it a "generous circ" or even a half circ. Compared to other babies I thought he looked so odd. The pediatrician said that eventually the "baby fat" pad at the base of the penis will slim up making things look much more normal, in fact when I push down on that area I can see that things will be fine. My thoughts are this.....this is probably the best of both worlds, he has a circumcision but with the extra foreskin.

Mommyof3 replied: Don't feel like a bad mom! You didn't do anything wrong! I hope the Dr. can do something to help your little guy. I didn't know a thing about circumcision before having a boy and I still don't know anything after having him. All I could do is what the Dr. told me to do...and it seems like that is what you're doing. Don't worry.

redchief replied: We had a similar situation with John. As he grew the problem went away, but it was a pain in the butt for a while, and I'm sure it was uncomfortable for him, though he seems to have no memory of it as a young adult.

Miranda1127 replied: have any of you noticed scaring? Steve thinks Steven may scar from the last episode

redchief replied:
Other than the scar from the circumcision, John had no other complications other than an unrelated problem with the opening to his urethra that was surgically corrected when John was three. Oddly enough, he remembers that vividly.

Jamison'smama replied: No but it has had some painful inflammed moments where I felt I was just tearing it when pulling it back---it has been really stuck before. The doctor did the worst pullback though and we had to treat it with medicine for several days.

redchief replied:
Ohhhh... I remember our ped doing exactly the same thing when we were so concerned all those years ago, Brenda. What you said reminded me chillingly of that. I felt so badly for the kid. It was all OK in the end and by the time John had his surgery I remember there was no further issues with the skin sticking to the glans.

Miranda1127 replied:
uggg, that sounds like what we just did yesterday. we haven't put anything on it except Vaseline, could that be a problem? he is going to the pedi first thing tomorrow, but thats still 2 full days untreated.

Twelve Volt Man replied:
Our newborn was circumsized at just over one day old. The doctor instructed us to just keep a large "glop" of vaseline on it at each diaper change. We did so, and he had no problems whatsoever. He completely recovered in a few days. I'm sure each child is different, though, and I hope your son recovers soon.

Jamison'smama replied: I'm sure just using vasoline was not a problem, you kept urine off the area and that would have saved him from pain. I was instructed to use neosporin when it was red and inflammed but that was only after those "pullback" sessions. I'm sure your doctor will tell you what he/she thinks is best. Don't worry about this, you do the best you can, there are a couple of us who've been there as you can tell, it gets easier as they get older.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: Okay, just a word of warning. About 15-20% of the population is allergic to neosporin. I'm one of them and believe me, it makes the owie 10 times worse. If your doctor hasn't suggested an antibacterial cream, I'd stick with the vaseline. I remember Logan's ped doing one of those pull back things once, I nearly cried with him. But he's fine now.

Miranda1127 replied:
t.y. i'm pretty sure he isn't allergic. i've used it on his face before (but we are talking about a more sensitive area so maybe). i'm going to go with what i've been doing until tomorrow.

thank you everyone for your advice/input it's nice to know i'm not alone and this situation is a little more common than i believed

MyBabeMaddie replied: I dont know anything about it but just wanted to give

Mommy2BAK replied: Ahh you guy's stories have scared the bezeesus outta me, especially since I'm having a boy and planning on getting him circumsized.

Anyway, I just wanted to offer my support and tell you that I hope it all works out soon!

~Roo'sMama~ replied: Oooh ouch! Poor guy, I hope it resolves itself soon! I don't have any experience with this - Andrew was circumcised but his was fine - but from what the others are saying it sounds like you're doing all the right things.

Miranda1127 replied: thank you all for your advice and support. we just got back from the pedi and she said it looks good, a little redness and irritation but nothing a cream cant handel. so we were sent home with a cream and a few more instructions.

thanks again
Miranda

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Yep, that would be me...highly allergic. My derm told me the same thing. Neosporin is actually for burns, not cuts. Vaseline is best on cuts (is what she suggested) or Aquaphor, which is what I use.

Sorry about the circ. My boys are not circ'ed, so I have no advice. My ped has pulled it back pretty far before and made it quite red. Made me cringe. So I was told to put a little diaper cream on it, which helped clear up the redness.

I bet its something your little guy will outgrow.

Cece00 replied: Ok, so I never had my 3 sons circumsized, I just couldnt do that to them, BUT

I know ppl who do have boys who are circ'ed and I've heard both trains of thoughts- pull back the adhesions, and then DONT touch the adhesions, that they will disolve on their own as they grow.

But I dont honestly know...it just doesnt seem good that they are pulling back the skin & tearing it again and again and again...

If it were me, I think I'd get a 2nd opinion from another ped about the circumcision & how it looks. I've also known someone who had their child circ'ed and they didnt do it right & he had to have it redone when he was like 7...ow.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: This same thing happened to Ethan. I wasn't pulling it back like I should have after every changing and it reattached. The doctor had to pull it back. I just kept vaseline on it and remember to pull it back...which just freaked me out for some reason. He's 3 and he's fine now.

Brenda, the way you describe Jack is exactly how my mother described one of my brothers...I know, ewww (that she would tell me about my brother) It was right after I had Ethan and I had questions about his circ. But she described it as a half circ. Apparently there are different ways of doing it. Ethan had the bell? I think it's called.

moped replied: I don't know - Jack's is and was fine the whole time

Don't worry Tamara.......

Jamison'smama replied: Yes, vasoline was our daily treatment as well--just seemed to help ease the diaper changes. We only used the Neosporin when it showed signs of inflammation (I had no idea about allergies to it..thank goodness he wasn't one of the percent). Aimee, I never knew there were different methods of circs although it makes sense.

3_call_me_mama replied: poor little guy.
I wouldnt' touch it. Seriously i would just leave it alone, nature will do it's thing and playing around with it will make it worse. HUGS to your little guy!

TANNER'S MOM replied: I have two boys and I never had to retract anything. I thought the foreskin was removed so there was nothing to retract? I am leanring something new here.

Tamara it will be okay.

Miranda1127 replied:
Stevens circ was properly done (i spoke to 4 dif docs and have gotten the same explanation) the problem is some docs don't take as much off as others, that and the fat pads most babies have at this age is forcing the skin over the head of the penis (so it looks un-circ). if a baby boy has this problem after circ and you do not retract the skin back the skin begins to 'reattach" itself (to the glands, i believe). if this happens what than needs to be done is another surgery to correct it around 1 or so. so leaving it alone is actually a lot worse than the occasional pull back (which makes me cry every time i need to do it). but definitely not as bad as a corrective surgery.

Bamamom replied:
Yep - this is what we were told as well. Definitely continue to pull it back at every diaper change. A little owie is better than a big owie by the dr.

I think the new train of though with these half circs is that when they get to be "big boys" and have erections you want to make sure there is plenty of skin there so that it doesn't hurt. At least that's what my 2 drs told me. Think about how painful that would be if you didn't have enough left!!!!

MommyToAshley replied: I only have a girl, so I have no clue about boys. But, I am glad the doc was able to ease your mind. Sounds like you are doing all the right things, and eventually he will grow out of it.

kimberley replied: both boys were circ'd.. Jacob's was perfect.. no probs, healed quick. James had redness and irritation for some time. lotsa vaseline and pulling back to clean at diaper changes helps with adhesion. i wonder now if it has something to do with their build. they were circ'd by the same method, same hospital... but Jacob was really chubby and James was long and skinny. maybe the extra fat helped