To not send a photo to the Dr?

It's completely safe to send a photo to the GP, they will treat it completely confidentially.

But also you can't necessarily see threadworms, and their eggs are definitely too small to see to a course of threadworm treatment wouldn't do any harm while you wait.

If you're not in the UK, you need to ask some people in the same country as you what is considered normal there! This may be absolutely routine, or it may be a bit weird. Then you can decide how you feel about it.

A hundred people saying their UK GP wouldn't ask for this is of absolutely no relevance if you don't live here.

I assume the important thing is the health of your wee boy, not whether the rest of the world does things in a 'British' approved way, which is where the thread is heading.

Perhaps not as defined but close enough.

Also even if it’s not genitals likely to be visible in the photo !

🙄 Just because YOU 'can't get worked up' about it, that doesn't mean the OP (and anyone else) shouldn't. Such a patronising response!

Don't photograph, don't send and the practice need to review their safeguarding policy on this if they have requested it knowing what area of the body it is.

I really can't see the issue with a close up of a bum hole. It needs to feature 0 other parts of him. Just the literal anus. I can't get to worked up about that going on a email really.

I remember reading about a father who had a lot of trouble after sending a photo of his child's private parts to a doctor after a phone consultation. His e-mail account was shut down by Google. It was flagged by some kind of bot as child abuse images. They didn't seem interested in helping him resolve the matter.

I received a similar message from my GP and when I phoned to question it they explained it was a mistake and photos should never be sent of intimate areas. I was given a face to face appointment.

Hmmm, yeah I hear ya @swissrollisntswiss I wouldn't like to do this either. It's a bit too intimate. I would not send a photograph of my small child's anus/arse to anyone via email. Not even the GP. IDGAF if they have 'seen it all before.'

I don't think the bum is actually genitalia?

One of my colleagues is married to a GP. He joined one of our Teams calls, laughing, because he’d just given his wife a cup of tea and saw “a big vulva on her computer screen” — ha ha ha, he thought it was absolutely hilarious. So no, I wouldn’t email in intimate photos. No way.

I'd sent it. It won't have his face in and nobody apart from the doctor will know that it's an image of a 4yo.

And to be really crude about it - every person has an arsehole - I just can't see how a faceless photo of one could be used for porn (or whatever you are thinking).

God no. Explain you are not going to distribute photographs of the genitalia of a minor.

They can’t be serious. They may have misunderstood where the rash is ?

People are so naive. Even to have this photo on OPs phone would be a criminal offence. Let alone how many systems it has to pass through to get onto your drs likely insecure system

It's literally a picture of a rashy bumhole. You are not including his face in the image.
What exactly do you think might happen?

No I wouldn’t send one either. Just wait for an appointment, maybe

Don't send it. A photo is potentially a permanent record and GDPR breaches can and do happen. Explain why and you should be allowed an appropriate way of getting clinical advice. The GP surgery should have a policy against people sending in photos of intimate areas. Clinical staff also shouldn't be put in the unethical position of storing or viewing intimate photos unless they believe it's clinically necessary- a doctor may be able to advise based on a discussion/description.

I would send it myself. It's a photo of his anus, it's not going to be identifying, and in the very unlikely event the emai lis hacked, they have a photo of a child's painful bottom.

If it's not worms, it's probably a fungal infection like thrush. If you have Canesten (1% clotrimazole) cream, you can apply this thinly. I was advised by a paediatrician to buy over the counter for my baby when he had a fungal nappy rash. It will often be available to buy as Athletes Foot cream. Use as directed, usually a few times a day. Also try to otherwise keep clean and dry.

Does he use wipes to clean his bottom, as these might be causing an irritation or leaving the area damp?

Our e-consult form specifically says not to send photos of the genital or rectal area. YANBU.

Your surgery and the OP's surgery aren't the same, though. Different surgeries do things in different ways and use different systems. The OP has already asked for her child to be seen in person and they said they didn't have an appointment.

What do people think is actually going to happen to a photo of a kid's itchy bumhole? You know that people who are interested in kids' bums really, really don't need to attempt to hack NHS systems to find photos of them.

I wouldn’t send that photo either

YANBU