circ, buried penis, adhesions? any help or advice will be appreciated!
My 17 month old developed buried penis at about 3 weeks old. This alone isn't a problem because the urologist told us that it will correct itself when my son is 3 and he begins to thin out.
When he was 6 months old he started to get adhesions and they progressed to the point where the skin has grown almost up onto the urethra. I did everything that they told me to do regarding aftercare for the circ, but they still developed. I looked into it further and found that circumsised boys have a higher risk of developing adhesions and that circumsised boys with buried penis almost ALWAYS develop ahesions. The urologist said to watch it and bring him back in a year to have it looked at again. He said that he wanted to wait for him to be over the age of 1 so that anestesia (spelling?) and surgery to remove the adhered skin could be an option. Thankfully, he didn't try to force it back like I've heard some dr.s do, because that probably would have been traumatizing to the poor little guy. I asked about steriod cream which I've heard is very effective on adhesions but he declined to prescibe it because he thinks that steriods are risky for his age group. Is it me, or does surgery sound more risky then a steriod cream? I know I'm not a dr but it seems to me that it is.
So, it's almost time for me to bring him back to the urologist and Im getting worried. I don't know what to do, it's difficult enough to deal with the whole buried penis thing but the adhesions are worrying me, I don't know if surgery is the right option and I'm starting to regret circumsising him at all, because I feel that if he wasn't, then the adhesions wouldn't have occured.
I wonder also if the circumsision had anything to do with him developing the buried penis??? Has anyone else ever heard of there being a connection?
And also, if he has buried penis, wouldn't healing after surgery be a concern?
These are all questions that I'm going to ask the dr. but any advice from you guys will be helpul to me!
Answers:
DS had to have surgery before he was a year old due to a double hernia that was preventing his testicles from dropping. It was very traumatic for me and DH but DS has no memory of it. They gas them out before giving them a needle for the anatesia(sp?). Also Ds had some small adhesoins since having his circ due to his penis being buried. He has alot of baby fat from the hernia. The Dr has just ripped the adhesions open every time. The first time DS didn't even blink and the one time he cried a little and he did cry when I touched it to put cream on it after that. To me, I think, as horrid as it is, ripping it is better then surgery or steriods. But depends how bad the adhesion is. Like you, I did everything they told me to do. And I do wonder if it was worth having him circ.
Answers:
Thanks for the reply! Thankfully, they have never ripped them back...it just seems so painful. His are pretty substantial so the urologist said that they would knock him out to do it because it would probably traumatize him. He cries even when I "push" it out to change him so know he would be sensitive to a dr messing with them and I'm glad the dr realized that. I don't know if he planns on cutting or pulling but I wonder if with the buried penis they should wait? Because it sound like it just recurs when the penis is buried. I wish that I was more informed before I decided to circ him, theres a ton of misinformation about it, even the stuff that comes from dr.s I never really looked into it until after though. The dr who did his told me there was a 17%
adhesion rate, but EVERYONE I know who has a boy has had problems with adhesions, even the ones who meticulously take care of it.
Answers:
buried penis can occur with an uncircumcised boy, but it is extremely rare.
most often, it is an unintended consequence of circumcision, as are adhesions.
if your son continues to have buried penis after the age of three, there is a simple operation which can fix it. in my opinion, it is much better to have it done, than to have the psychological scarring and physical infections which often go with buried penis.
I agree with the other poster. don't let the doctor tear the adhesions free. if he needs surgery to slice the adhesion free, it is an office procedure under a local anaesthetic. the trick is to prevent the skin from adhering to the head once again. if the instructions you were given didn't work the first time, you need to figure out, either with another doctor's help, or the internet, or both, how to prevent any subsequent adhesions from forming.
good luck with your boy.
Answers:
I'd suggest you seek another doctor's help,
such as a general, plastic or pediatric surgeon.
Circumcision can be a delicate procedure and
should preferably be done in skilled hands, in
my opinion.
This short guy in my office had his done by
some GP, and it ended up so botched that
he keeps talking about his "deformed" penis
and suing the doctor every now and then.
Apparently his wife has been so turned off it
has affected their sex life.
When he was 6 months old he started to get adhesions and they progressed to the point where the skin has grown almost up onto the urethra. I did everything that they told me to do regarding aftercare for the circ, but they still developed. I looked into it further and found that circumsised boys have a higher risk of developing adhesions and that circumsised boys with buried penis almost ALWAYS develop ahesions. The urologist said to watch it and bring him back in a year to have it looked at again. He said that he wanted to wait for him to be over the age of 1 so that anestesia (spelling?) and surgery to remove the adhered skin could be an option. Thankfully, he didn't try to force it back like I've heard some dr.s do, because that probably would have been traumatizing to the poor little guy. I asked about steriod cream which I've heard is very effective on adhesions but he declined to prescibe it because he thinks that steriods are risky for his age group. Is it me, or does surgery sound more risky then a steriod cream? I know I'm not a dr but it seems to me that it is.
So, it's almost time for me to bring him back to the urologist and Im getting worried. I don't know what to do, it's difficult enough to deal with the whole buried penis thing but the adhesions are worrying me, I don't know if surgery is the right option and I'm starting to regret circumsising him at all, because I feel that if he wasn't, then the adhesions wouldn't have occured.
I wonder also if the circumsision had anything to do with him developing the buried penis??? Has anyone else ever heard of there being a connection?
And also, if he has buried penis, wouldn't healing after surgery be a concern?
These are all questions that I'm going to ask the dr. but any advice from you guys will be helpul to me!
Answers:
DS had to have surgery before he was a year old due to a double hernia that was preventing his testicles from dropping. It was very traumatic for me and DH but DS has no memory of it. They gas them out before giving them a needle for the anatesia(sp?). Also Ds had some small adhesoins since having his circ due to his penis being buried. He has alot of baby fat from the hernia. The Dr has just ripped the adhesions open every time. The first time DS didn't even blink and the one time he cried a little and he did cry when I touched it to put cream on it after that. To me, I think, as horrid as it is, ripping it is better then surgery or steriods. But depends how bad the adhesion is. Like you, I did everything they told me to do. And I do wonder if it was worth having him circ.
Answers:
Thanks for the reply! Thankfully, they have never ripped them back...it just seems so painful. His are pretty substantial so the urologist said that they would knock him out to do it because it would probably traumatize him. He cries even when I "push" it out to change him so know he would be sensitive to a dr messing with them and I'm glad the dr realized that. I don't know if he planns on cutting or pulling but I wonder if with the buried penis they should wait? Because it sound like it just recurs when the penis is buried. I wish that I was more informed before I decided to circ him, theres a ton of misinformation about it, even the stuff that comes from dr.s I never really looked into it until after though. The dr who did his told me there was a 17%
adhesion rate, but EVERYONE I know who has a boy has had problems with adhesions, even the ones who meticulously take care of it.
Answers:
buried penis can occur with an uncircumcised boy, but it is extremely rare.
most often, it is an unintended consequence of circumcision, as are adhesions.
if your son continues to have buried penis after the age of three, there is a simple operation which can fix it. in my opinion, it is much better to have it done, than to have the psychological scarring and physical infections which often go with buried penis.
I agree with the other poster. don't let the doctor tear the adhesions free. if he needs surgery to slice the adhesion free, it is an office procedure under a local anaesthetic. the trick is to prevent the skin from adhering to the head once again. if the instructions you were given didn't work the first time, you need to figure out, either with another doctor's help, or the internet, or both, how to prevent any subsequent adhesions from forming.
good luck with your boy.
Answers:
I'd suggest you seek another doctor's help,
such as a general, plastic or pediatric surgeon.
Circumcision can be a delicate procedure and
should preferably be done in skilled hands, in
my opinion.
This short guy in my office had his done by
some GP, and it ended up so botched that
he keeps talking about his "deformed" penis
and suing the doctor every now and then.
Apparently his wife has been so turned off it
has affected their sex life.