Does this sound like balanitis to you? Confused...

[sagesponsoredbymacdonalds]

DS1 is 4.6, and has had balanitis in the past. Very obviously red sore penis, and sore foreskin. It was easily treated (with a prescription for ear medicine from the doctor of all things!) and disappeared within 3-4 days.

Today (and over the past week or so) he has been complaining that his willy hurts, and it did appear to be swollen, with the foreskin pushed back, but no redness. Any pain or swelling seems to disappear quite rapidly.

It dawned on me that this 'pain' he is having seems to happen when he is swimming in the sea or the pool (we live abroad and swim most days) either when he is lying on his body board, or floating in the water with his armbands on.

I asked DP as penises are not my strong subject-and he said that it was probably just an erection 'because of him being in the water' -but surely it wouldn't hurt? Or is he actually not 'in pain' as it were, but just a little surprised/uncomfortable?

Is it worth going to the doctor just to make sure it is nothing more sinister or will he laugh me out of the surgery as it is a perfectly normal erection?

I am clueless!!

It's never silly to go to the GP with young children imo.

So he isn't in pain all the time?

Is his foreskin completely retractable? DS took a long time and a fair bit of fiddling and moaning discomfort before it 'released'.

When he did have balanitis there was discharge, but it wasn't red (hie foreskin did not reetract that that stage) the medicine we were given was chorompenicol (sp?) for conjunctivitis. You can get that over the counter so you could maybe go and get some and see if it makes a difference before you go to the GP?

No, not in pain all the time-when he did have balanitis, his foreskin wasn't fully 'retractible,' I can't remember seeing any discharge, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any.

Now, I think the foreskin has finally sorted itself out and he might be just getting used to it retracting

I think I will try the chorompenicol-luckily I actually have some of that in stock!

If not GP tomorrow evening. He is very kind to my DC :)

Good luck I hope he'll be ok?

Today there has been no mention of a sore willy-we haven't been swimming as it is too windy, so I am beginning to think dp is right and it is more a question of erections and a slightly tight foreskin than a balanitis problem!

Thanks for everyone's help :)