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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To take DS3 to A&E

47 replies

DD0314 · 24/08/2017 23:26

Last two nights my 3 year old son has woken up through the night screaming that his willy hurts. Took him to GP who said it looked fine and have a urology appointment in two months time. The thing is when the doctor saw him it wasn't hurting so if he wakes up through the night again tonight AIBU to take him to a&e to get it seen while he's in pain. After 2 nights of hearing him cry for hours on end I don't know what else to do.

OP posts:

eatabagofdicks · 25/08/2017 00:00

Genuinely it sounds like an infection if it's red.

Bettyspants · 25/08/2017 00:01

Just read your up date. If he's more settled, drinking and passing urine there's less urgency and ooh in the morning may be more appropriate. Don't try to pull his foreskin back at all (you'd be amazed at how many parents in the US do this)

Bettyspants · 25/08/2017 00:02

Bettyspants · 25/08/2017 00:05

Eatabagofdicks a child's foreskin should not be pulled back before it has seperated naturally. There is no need to 'check for infection '

AnnieAnoniMouse · 25/08/2017 00:08

I'd take him. Things like that can get very nasty, very quickly.

Yes the NHS is in a mess, but that's not down to children being taken in when they're in pain & children suffering isn't going to fix it.

IvorHughJarrs · 25/08/2017 00:13

I'm not sure that taking him to A&E would accomplish much. I would guess that, if it is not an emergency that needs immediate treatment, they would just give pain relief, advice and send home. Having said that, I'm not a doctor so might be wrong.

Original poster

DD0314 · 25/08/2017 00:24

@bettyspants thank you, I'll do that.
Really appreciate the responses 👍

OP posts:

Icantstopeatinglol · 25/08/2017 00:28

My sons had similar but wasn't as distressed. He saw a dr etc and they just kept an eye on him. He went through phases and even now at 9 (think he was about 3/4 when he was initially having problems) he complains on occasion but I thinks it's just a bit too tight but not concerning. However, if he'd been as upset as you're saying I definitely be chasing things up as he might need circumcision but it could also ease off by itself. Hope he's ok poor thing.

Original poster

DD0314 · 25/08/2017 00:32

He's been fast asleep since his bath at 8. The last two nights he's woken between 1 and 4am so if he does again tonight I'll be calling 111 and going to ooh. I've heard such mixed advice about foreskin that I don't touch it at all.

OP posts:

HorridHenryrule · 25/08/2017 00:36

Does he touch it. I have a little boy he's 2 and he won't leave it alone. He has even tried to pull the foreskin back and he's never in pain but it horrifies me. I tell him him nicely to put it away and leave it alone.

JohnHunter · 25/08/2017 00:38

"I would ring 111 to see a dr tonight , a GP or ANP can refer direct to paeds. If you can't get an appointment take him to A&E".

What is 111, OOH, or A&E going to do that hasn't been done already? If the wait to see a urologist is two months then I don't know what would be added in A&E. The only exceptions I can think of would be if he were unable to pass urine through a ballooning foreskin or he had a painful erection that had lasted a couple of hours. Otherwise, they're likely to send the OP back to her GP to await the outpatient referral.

Painful nocturnal erections aren't uncommon in toddlers. Hopefully the OP's son won't be having this problem any more when the outpatient appointment finally turns up.

N0tfinished · 25/08/2017 00:39

My youngest had tight foreskin, it did that ballooning thing too. They stretched it when he was under GA for surgery to correct undecended (sp?) testicle, he didn't need a circumcision.

I have a feeling that they might try to stretch without anaesthetic, but if I were you I'd insist on it- or at least a sedative. My boy found the whole thing very distressing - the pre surgery examinations etc.

NoMudNoLotus · 25/08/2017 00:48

It is always best to check out with a child if things don't improve and if the child is distressed with a lot of pain or just not right.

OP definitely ring 111 tonight if the same happens . for you.

PetyrBaelish · 25/08/2017 00:48

According to this www.baus.org.uk/patients/conditions/13/tight_foreskin_phimosis and this urology.ucsf.edu/patient-care/children/phimosis foreskin ballooning when weeing is normal in children under 5. Just had a Google because I thought crap my DS gets that!
Hope you get an answer for your DS's pain, I agree, take him back to see another doctor or OOH.

eatabagofdicks · 25/08/2017 01:27

@Bettyspants my son had the same issue with tight foreskin. It did indeed get infected. I took him to the doctor once not knowing why he was in pain and she very gently pulled back the skin and it was infected. Until he grew he needed frequent salt baths. He doesn't have an issue with it anymore but had it continued we would have had to circumcise.

eatabagofdicks · 25/08/2017 01:28

And at no point did I tell the op to pull it back herself. I asked if the doctor had been able to.

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 25/08/2017 01:46

We were advised to put child in warm bath and gently massage foreskin. I think it started around second birthday. We also had a cream to massage in which relaxed it.

It didn't get as far as even a little snip with us, so we were lucky. I know of several who had to have various degrees of snip, including full circumcision.

HorridHenryrule · 25/08/2017 01:46

I think the op should not pull it back herself leave that to the doctor. I wouldn't worry some boys go through this and he will be fine. My brother needed surgery and he was fine after. He wasn't weeing straight so they corrected it. Is he weeing okay?

I have never encouraged my son he cant help it I am always telling him to put his willy away. He used to piss on my carpet it was a nightmare but thankfully he has grown out of that. He puts it back in his pull ups to pee now.

mikeyssister · 25/08/2017 07:50

DS also had a problem with his foreskin at this age. Urologist said to gently ease the foreskin backwards and forwards in a warm bath.

This was 15/16 years ago so the thinking may have changed since then.

Bettyspants · 25/08/2017 09:10

Johnhunter, if a child is screaming in pain I would expect to see them to examine and ensure that there wasn't an immediate issue that needed addressing. just because he has been referred to urology already does not mean that a medical emergency won't happen in the meantime. A child screaming in pain and a mother beside herself with worry is absolutely a reason to be seen. As op then stated DS had settled I updated.
Dicks, don't worry I did see that you didn't advise to pull back the foreskin, you asked if the Dr had managed to to check for infection. Again, this is not something that is needed or advised. Are you in the UK? In some countries it seems to be common practice but can cause more problems if the foreskin has not separated from the glans. Op mentioned ballooning of the foreskin which is usually just part of the natural process

eatabagofdicks · 25/08/2017 09:22

Betty no I'm not in the UK. I was told never to touch his foreskin when he was born, so never did. But if the doctor hadn't checked for infection how would I have known it was infected? Genuinely curious. I believe it's called balanitis. Anytime it got infected it caused him a lot of pain. I was referred to see a surgeon, who wanted to wait and see if it resolved with age (which it did).
Here we go, just looked it up.

Balanitis
More severe inflammation of the glans penis +/- foreskin is often due to infection and is usually termed balanitis. It is common, affecting around 6% of uncircumcised and 3% of circumcised males.
Soaking in a warm bath with the foreskin retracted (if retractile and not too painful) will help with cleaning and urination may be easier in the bath. Topical hydrocortisone 1% cream or ointment may help in mild cases. Topical antibiotics creams are sometimes used but are of unproven efficacy.
Candida infection may be responsible in some infants. It is usually associated with more generalised napkin candidiasis and the presence of satellite lesions. Topical anti yeast creams (eg nystatin, clotrimazole, miconazole) will be helpful. See also napkin rash guidelines.

Bettyspants · 25/08/2017 11:09

Eatabagofdicks , I asked as unfortunately it can be common practice outside of the uk to retract the foreskin of children to clean or inspect , there is no reason to do this UNLESS the child has naturally fully separated foreskin from glans , even then there is no need for a parent to do anything other than reminding the child at puberty . Note that the link you give on balanitis states if retractile . This means if the foreskin has seperated. At 3 most boys are still partially or fully attached to the glans, the ballooning op describes could just as easily be this process happening naturally or -in consideration of the pain she describes -a condition that needs urology.

Horridhenry , don't worry let your son play with his penis, if it hurts he'll stop!

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