Has anyones child been circumcised?

[mumnotmachine]

And what should I expect?
My 9yo is due to the drs on Weds as he has a tight foreskin which really doesnt retract without a lot of pulling.
I was told a couple of years ago that it usually loosens naturally, but if its worst case scenario and he needs an op what are we talking recovery/pain wise.
He hasn't got a very good pain threshold anyway, but wondering what to expect

DS (age 6) was circumcised in the Summer - it was a 'day surgery' and we were done in an afternoon and we were home by teatime (went in about 12.30, home by about 5.30).

Immediately after the op DS cried a bit but I think that was mostly shock and confusion if that makes sense, I don't think there was much pain. He ate a little bit of a sandwich, managed to have a wee (they like them to do that before they go home) without too much trouble and we went home. He did throw up in the car but I'd put that down to him having inherited my crappy reaction to anaesthetics!

Once home he polished off a good half of an adult pizza and went to bed. He slept the night through which surprised me. When he woke up the next morning he did howl a bit which I suspect was due to all the painkillers wearing off etc. We basically kept him dosed up with calpol/nurofen (we did the alternating thing) for a few days afterwards. He was pretty much fine through all that period - a bit tired and cuddly but we basically had a lazy few days on the sofa watching TV etc. It's important to let the 'air' get to it to help with healing - we were advised when at all practical long t-shirt and no pants is the way to go.

The hardest bit was having to put the antibiotic cream on (3 times a day I think - it was GoldenEye ointment so quite 'fiddly' as it's very thick - we got the knack of almost 'piping' it out through the nozzle and then very gently almost stroking (rather than rubbing) it in. Not sure how you'd handle that with a 9 year old as DS was only 6.5 and so had no qualms about letting us manhandle him.

By about day 5 or 6 he was getting bored of sitting watching TV so I took that as sign he was well on the road to recovery and we started doing more stuff. I'd hold off things like bike riding, trampolines etc for a week or so but I know some kids who were bouncing around after a couple of days...

You also get advised to shower not bath for the first week.

It might be different with a 9 year old but a few weeks later when we were checking DS was healing ok when he got out of the bath I commented that it had all healed nicely and he commented 'but it hasn't grown back yet mummy' - bless him, amongst all the explaining and preparation we'd done with him it hadn't occurred to us that he'd thought it would be like hair, fingernails, teeth etc and if you lose some you get more .

Thanks for the answer- it would probably be a general anaesthetic then if it needed to be done?
Reassuring to know that recovery is fairly quick, DS doesnt tolerate pain well, but is a quick healer generally, so hopefully will stand him in good stead- I'm probably overthinking it all- it may not come to it, but I would rather be prepared for any eventuality!!
Thanks again- appreciate your reply
x

Immature I know...
I see my popcorn not needed here

Goodluck op

They did it under general anaesthetic with DS2 age 6. He was in quite a bit of discomfort. Try to buy him some loose pants and a very good idea to have it done in school holidays. He really will not feel like running around a football field for several weeks. Less embarasment too.

Acekicker has given you an excellent report notmummachine.

Because my sister was in hospital, I had to deal with my nephew being circumcised at seven. This was because, after years of infections, creams and antibiotics, his foreskin was scarred, tight and un-retractable.

For the benefit of others reading this, and facing the same problem I think the NHS policy of leaving circumcision until it is absolutely necessary is not a good one. The earlier boys are circumcised, the better they cope with it. I speak from experience of having my own two boys done in infancy when it is a trivial procedure lasting only a few minutes under LA. We did this not for religious reasons but to avoid the possibility of them needing it later on as DN had. Prophylactic circumcision is pretty much standard practice in the USA.

DN didn't react adversely to the GA but his penis was very swollen for about three days, then this settled down and he was well healed within a week or ten days and able to resume school. During the healing period he wore just tops or baggy shorts only, (no tight underwear) allowing air to reach the wound as advised. I also kept him off his bike, quietly reading, watching tv and playing with his electronic whatsit. For the first week back at school I padded his underpants to avoid accidental knocks and the now permanently exposed glans tip rubbing on the fabric. That part is oversensitive until they get used to it.

We also had the 'will it grow again?' question too. Because he asked me about it I had to explain. He seemed OK with it once he understood and I told him lots of boys and men had it done.

????Prophylactic circumcision. What madness.

Please let's not turn this into an anti circumcision thread ( although my fingers are itching to) the OP needs support and advice. Let's not rise to Susannesee.

Restrain yourselves. If I can you can!

My friend's ds just had this done - aged 9. He was sore for a few days, took the painkillers, and was back at school after a week - he wasn't in agony, just sore, but the worst was over in 48 hours (or so his Mum said).

He had the same problem, and had a partial op (? not sure what she meant by that, presumably partial circumcision) which didn't work - so they went ahead with the full circ.

He's absolutely fine now, 3 weeks later!

Thanks all- we have appointment with Dr in the morning, so will have a better idea then about what course of action is likely to be taken.

Think Im more bothered about the possibility of a general anaesthetic than the actual procedure- my daughter was under for 8 minutes a few years back when she had teeth removed (I cried solid the whole time she was under!)

Mummynotmachine - this link is very interesting wrt non-retracting foreskins in children.

"About 50-60 percent of boys at age ten do not have fully retractable foreskins.17 This is normal.17 After puberty, the percentage of boys with full retractability rapidly increases spontaneously.17"

DS1 still has a non-retracting foreskin and he is nearly 6. It hasn't caused him any problems or discomfort and we have been reassured enough by talking to lots of people and doing our own reading that this is very normal and will very likely resolve itself by his early teens.

My DS had it done last month aged 7, and I can pretty much reiterate what Acekicker has said. He was off school for the following week, but apart from a bit of soreness was pretty much fine. Slept and ate normally (including a 3 course hospital meal within an hour of waking up from the anaesthetic!) and is now so relieved to be pain-free when he wees. The hospital were fab about showing him round the ward first, and letting him know exactly what was going to happen - including letting him know that it wasn't going to grow back! Only difference for us was no cream to rub in, and advise to have baths but no soap.
Hope all goes well if your DS does have to have the op OP

Fwiw DH's foreskin was still partially fused until he was about 14/15 when it spontaneously resolved itself .

A slightly off the point answer here but thought I would let you know that my DP was circumcised at 10 for medical reasons. He says the operation was "no big deal". I am not suggesting for a moment that it's not a big deal now for your DS and you- but the fact that my DP has no bad recollections suggests that it wasn't too traumatic.

Without wishing to say anything too inappropriate, whilst being opposed to circumcision on non-medical grounds, in our case it has caused no issues whatsoever in any department .

Just a cautionary note re researching/doing your own reading. Whilst it's a very good idea to be fully informed about the procedure, risks/benefits etc make sure you get a good cross range of articles - I'm mindful of seeker's plea but CIRP has a very definite anti-circumcision message to get across and it may be worth looking at other sources as well to get other points of view.

FWIW I'm absolutely 100% happy that having my son circumcised was the right thing to do. He had had problems and discomfort I'm comfortable that having him done in the Summer was the appropriate medical decision.

Let us know how you get on tomorrow at the docs mumnotmachine, we'll try to answer any more questions etc you might have.

Acekicker, I don't think anyone would be against circumcision for medical reasons where the tight/non-retrating foreskin is causing problems. I just found it quite reassuring to see that it was actually well within the range of 'normal' to have an older child with a non-retracting foreskin that wasn't causing any issues.

He doesn't need to be retractable until after puberty, and then only if he wishes it. About 4% reach adulthood unretractable (while erect) and about half choose to do anything about it.

The appropriate strategy is 3 to 6 months of gentle stretching with Betamethasone ointment. If that fails, the appropriate surgery is NOT circumcision, but triple incision dorsal slit with transverse closure.

Foreskin is not to be discarded flippantly. Its loss changes sex dramatically. See an intact doctor.

How do people know whether their son's foreskins retract or not?

TLCTugger - I would imagine most UK doctors are uncircumcised. The cultural approach to circumcision in the UK is very different from in say the US and has been for generations.

Where on this thread have you seen anyone saying they're talking about doing it 'flippantly'? I do find the way you steam onto MN whenever there's a circumcision thread with no regard as to if it's being discussed in a medical context or not somewhat tiresome. The throwing in of comments about how it dramatically affects sex etc is borderline obnoxious.

bumbleymummy at your comment about your dh and I take your point re wanting to provide some reassurance and your stance on there being a need for medical circumcision. Re how do people know, we were aware DS's didn't retract at all from when he was having baths and he would fiddle with it (as small boys do!). We were very much of the 'wait and see if it retracts over time' view but after he ended up at the docs with an infection (which took 2 lots of anti-b's to clear and made him quite poorly) the doc looked at it and said it wasn't retracting at all. Apparently it was totally fused when they came to do the surgery and although I know that can resolve itself I wouldn't have been happy waiting longer due to the infections. They were also concerned that DS might have BXO which can have much longer term repercussions if not caught and addressed, although he didn't I reckon the doctor made the right call based on what he saw/had happened.

In general, I agree that circumcision is not something one should consider for 'cosmetic' reasons. Same goes for any medical procedure.

In our case, we had no choice but to have DS2 circumcised as he had balanitis. The foreskin was fused and the hole in the end of the foreskin so small the urine was being trapped under his foreskin like a ballon (hence the name balanitis) and this then allowed bacteria to grow and caused constant infections that needed antibiotics.

Without treatment, his glans would have become scarred and that would have had severe implications for later life. I have a friend who suffered with this into his early 30s before having an operation. It affected his ability to form relationships as it severely undermined his confidence and made his life miserable. A fused foreskin may well right itself in early teenage years but if it is causing infections or pain it really needs to be sorted.

As TLCTugger says it is possible to deal with this sometimes using a plastic surgery technique called preputioplasty with a dorsal slit and transverse closure but it is not always possible. We did ask for this in the case of DS2. The surgeon said it is impossible to tell what route to take until the child is under anesthetic and the decison has to be made on the operating table once the foreskin has been separated from the glans and a more thorough examination has been made.

I do not want to start a bun fight but the blanket statement that circumcision has an adverse effect on sexual performance is not true. This is probably not the place to go into detail though.

Hi all
We've been to the drs this morning, and the dr said that while his foreskin is tight, its not the tightest he has seen.
He said that circumcision would be the last option, there are other things that would be done first. We have some steroid cream which needs to be applied twice a day, and he needs to retract the foreskin and put it back 3-4 times, twice a day.
There should be an initial improvement within 3-4 weeks, we need to go back then.
He assured me its very common, and isnt a problem, "these thingsusually sort themselves out at puberty"

So in other words Ive spent the last 7 years telling my son to keep his hands out of his pants- and now I have to encourage him!!

Son - 1 Mum - 0

Thanks for all the comments, its reassuring to know we are not alone- I really dont want surgery unless absolutely neccesary so will keep fingers crossed it will sort itself out