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Help Please! Infection in Intact 2-Year-Old

post #1 of 4
Thread Starter 

About 3 weeks ago my intact son (almost 2&1/2 years old) started complaining that his "Owie penis is hurting" after he woke up from a nap. My mom was babysitting at the time and noticed that when she tried to pick him up he would resist sitting flat against her, like he was trying to protect that area (He also did the same thing every time I tried to pick him up). He also walked a little bow-legged.


I took him to the doctor when I got home and the doctor said it looked a little red. The doctor moved the skin back so you could see the tip, which looked a little red. My son looked like he was going to cry and I freaked out thinking the doctor was going to try and retract it so I quickly said "I thought the new information was that you're not supposed to retract the foreskin, but let it happen on it's own?" and the doctor agreed. When he moved it, you could see probably 3 millimeters (diameter) of the red underneath. Was that considered retracting? Or is retraction when it is pulled all the way back? Sorry for my ignorance but this is not my area of expertise!


The doctor said ds has tight foreskin, and that often people will wait until their kids are about 5 years old as it often resolves itself by then, and if not then he can see a pediatric urologist and they can make the opening a bit bigger. Anyhow, he prescribed an antibiotic for ds, which he took for a week (2 doses per day) and I had an extremely difficult time masking it enough in food for him to take most of it. The last 3 doses he outright refused and there is NO way to force medication on a resistant 2-year-old.  A few days after quitting the medication, he was complaining again about "my penis is hurting".  I gave him epsom salt baths about once a day and it seemed to be ok, but for the past few days he has mentioned pain again, and tonight as well.


Please help!!  I hate putting him on antibiotics, I know that overuse trashes a kid's system and I've always avoided them when necessary.  Is there any way to treat this without antibiotics?  I'm starting to feel really discouraged.  Is this what my son has to look forward to... constant doctor visits and antibiotics from now on?


I would SO appreciate any advice, and things I can do at home to help his body fight the infection, and any way to reduce the pain for him, if anyone has dealt with this before.  Thanks in advance! :)

post #2 of 4
My son is 3 & has complained in a similar fashion about his penis hurting...we did not seek treatment but I put some triple antibiotic ointment on & it was fine. Check out the article by Paul M. Fleiss entitled, "Protect Your Uncircumcised Son" from the Nov.-Dec. 2000 issue of Mothering. I have the reprint of it in The Case Against Circumcision. I think you can purchase it online???
post #3 of 4
It is very possible that it isnt an infection especially since you have not mentioned swelling. He could be experiencing pain associated with normal separation. During that time pain will often come and go as the new skin is exposed to urine kind of like a paper cut. He is on the young end for separation by it is very possible.

The normal appearance of the glans is a bright purple/red so that in itself dosnt mean infection.
post #4 of 4

Yes, what that Dr did is retraction. Any pulling back of the skin is retraction. Also tight? You need a new Dr as he is uneducated. Boys cannot have a 'tight' foreskin in the sense he means. It's meant to be attached to the glands with the tip closed tightly. If he can pee the opening is big enough. Ugg that Dr makes me so angry for you and him. It becomes detached in it's own good time. There is no set age. The average age of retraction is 10 not 5, but even if it's at 14 it makes no difference. It's possible your son is having an erection when he is sleeping and that has pulled the skin causing painful areas. I would apply some good nappy (diaper) rash cream or coconut oil, give him some plain warm baths and keep him away from ignorant Dr's.  If it seems swollen and he develops a temperature or has a lot of pain when peeing, that isn't really relieved by peeing into warm water then he could need antibiotics. Make sure if he does that they take a culture without retracting.

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