Circumcision - Yes or No?

[The Anchor]

OMG, WTF!!! I just got back from teh docs with my 4 yr old because it is hurting him to wee and the doc tells me we will most likely need to circumcise because his foreskin is REALLY tight. Like so bad you can't see the hole. I can't believe it. After just saying no way to this question a few days ago... What is that about??? Can't see the specialist until Feb so won't know til then but I REALLY HOPE NOT!!

Any suggestions on stretching it?? Warm bath every night? Does it even work or is that an old wives tale?

No kidding, really? Can I ask why you took him to the doctor, was he acting like it was hard to go? Did it come on suddenly? Just curious...I haven't circumcised my son, he's 2 now, and we're in the midst of potty training and every once in a while he acts like it hurts, but I can't really tell.

[LacePrincess]

Wow, I'm so impressed with this board! Usually the circ debates explode out of control.

To answer the OP, it's a personal decision and there are some pretty strong (understatement!) advocates on both sides. None of my boys are circ'ed, it's highly discouraged by all the doctors of my personal experience. I'm in Canada too, and I had the impression that in Ontario at least the medical boards have discouraged routine circ but I could be wrong. To be honest it was never up for debate as DH isn't circ'ed either so it was the 'norm' in our household. We've never had any issues healthwise with infections or anything.

OMG, WTF!!! I just got back from teh docs with my 4 yr old because it is hurting him to wee and the doc tells me we will most likely need to circumcise because his foreskin is REALLY tight. Like so bad you can't see the hole. I can't believe it. After just saying no way to this question a few days ago... What is that about??? Can't see the specialist until Feb so won't know til then but I REALLY HOPE NOT!!

Any suggestions on stretching it?? Warm bath every night? Does it even work or is that an old wives tale?

Yowch, poor bub! Sounds like penile adhesions, so you might want to google that. Your doc hasn't been pulling back on the foreskin or anything, right? Because on babies and little boys the foreskins don't retract until they get quite a bit older. Some kids won't be able to retract their foreskin until 7-9 years of age, you're supposed to leave it alone until then, just soap and wash the outside.

If it hurts to pee, has your dr done a pee sample for a uti? It could be something like that. Please don't be pulling or stretching the foreskin though, it's so delicate. At least without talking to a pediatric specialist first, you don't want to be doing any permanent damage!

[RedCanoe]

I'm impressed that everyone is being civil too, WTG ladies!

My boys are not circumcised either. I'm in Canada too, and none of my friends have their boys circumcised except the ones that are Jewish and did it for religious/cultural reasons. My DH is Swedish as well and he was adamant that it was not going to happen. Before having kids I had not given it any thought, so I really had no opinion about it. But his argument is that it's no different than altering a girl's genitals, and since we would never consider that why should we consider altering our sons'? So I left it up to him since he has such strong feelings about it AND he has the same bits as them, lol.

GL with your choice.

[Wanting a daughter]

He's complained a few times over the last couple of months that it hurts to wee so we've been bathing it in mild sallty water as the tip looked a bit red. My husband is not circed either and he remembered doing the same as a child when it got sore. But then the other day Kindy rang us and said he was crying because he'd done a wee and it hurt really badly. We took him to the docs and he was really crying when we tried to make him do a sample. He flat out refused. He was on the tail end of strong antibiotics for a chest infection so the doc ruled out a UTI. She inspected the tip and it was red so she gave us a script for some cream (Otocomb Otic ointment) and said to try getting him to go in the bath or shower. He finally let go the next morning when we were ready to take him to the hospital.
Can't be good for his kidneys if that keeps happening right??

I looked up penile adhesions but isn't that only on boys that have been circed?

Got our appointment with the paediatric specialist in FEB!!!

[LacePrincess]

I'm honestly not sure, none of my boys have ever had any issues with their bits. I'm sorry your l'il guy is having a rough go of it.

Geez, Feb?!? That's crazy. I hope the cream helps, I dunno what else you could do.......where I live there's a huge children's hospital that we'd go to, is there anything like that you can take him to? I don't see how your poor guy can live with it being so painful to wee for months on end.

[mercury]

Things go wrong we all know that. Circumcision can go deathly wrong sometimes. But there is a much worse crime after the first is done it is a gender change they do on them cause they messed up. Well all I ask is if you do make anything illegal you make gender changes on little boys illegal at least. Because parents have no right to make that decision. Neither do doctors for some kind of random crazy experiment on normal little boy with nothing wrong in order to prove there right. If you do anything and something does go wrong let your little boy decide if he wants to be a girl at least..

[Wanting a daughter]

Geez, Feb?!? That's crazy. I hope the cream helps, I dunno what else you could do.......where I live there's a huge children's hospital that we'd go to, is there anything like that you can take him to? I don't see how your poor guy can live with it being so painful to wee for months on end.

I nearly took him this morning to the children's hospital. We were dressed ready to go because he wouldn't let it out but he ended up so busting that he finally did and found it didn't hurt. the cream must be doing the trick. He's been fine weeing for the rest of the day but if it happens again we'll just go straight there and try to jump the queue to a specialist. Poor little man. We often have these sort of waiting times for specialists here. It's terrible, but at least we have some sort of health care. We are better off than half the world. I keep trying to remember that.

[PeonyPrincess]

DH is, but we didn't get the boys done. I feel that if they want it done when they are older then that is their choice. I know sometimes it needs to be done for medical reasons, but so far so good with my boys. They have never asked DH why his penis looks different, only asked him why his is bigger-lol!

[glory]

WAD I am sorry your little one is hurting. I wouldn't rule out a UTI or even some kidney infection. Antibiotics for chest don't always go with infections like these, a simplest abx like keflex usually does the trick. Good to hear he was doing well today. Don't cancel your appointment even if he does get better, the wait sucks but it is worse when you cancel it and then really do need it later on.

With the foreskin I believe we all make the right decision in regards to our particular circumstances. All 3 of mine have been done and I don't regret it.

Both my sisters sons had problems from birth and at age 4 had to have circumcision and it was not the nicest thing, so it made me even more glad that I had done it early.

From Perth also, it was harder to get done, but amazingly more people do it than you think. Here the percent is 10% and then another 10% will have to be circumcised for medical reasons. I read in the paper the other day that there is a trend in circumcisions again, who knows.

I nearly took him this morning to the children's hospital. We were dressed ready to go because he wouldn't let it out but he ended up so busting that he finally did and found it didn't hurt. the cream must be doing the trick. He's been fine weeing for the rest of the day but if it happens again we'll just go straight there and try to jump the queue to a specialist. Poor little man. We often have these sort of waiting times for specialists here. It's terrible, but at least we have some sort of health care. We are better off than half the world. I keep trying to remember that.

[mercury]

UTIs are not cured by circumcision. Because they are infections there is the risk that the infection will get into the circumcised wound and mutilators like doctor money would suggest he be turned into a girl. Now back to mutilation some people call this procedure of circumcision mutilation. Its not circumcision that is mutilation it is when you turn them into a girl cause they had a infection which spread to a circumcised wound which cause them to cut there penis off. These gender ID doctors would have you believe the best idea is to cut the foreskin off then after a infection takes there penis they would suggest you turn them into girls. It’s a easy way to get victims for there experiments. So ignore the lies give you baby antibiotics then after the uti is over you know it probably wont come back if the antibiotics were given in the right dosages and amounts and type of antibiotic.