Tips needed - looking after my child after his circumcision

[jhs2zz]

Hi all

I'd appreciate some input on how to look after my son's wound area after his circumcision operation yesterday.

Everything went well, and the doctor said he'd recover very soon. The thing that concerns me is the ooze coming out of the wound area. Doctors did mention that we can just gently wipe that off. But this has been difficult to do, as overnight they dry off and sticks to his forehead skin which feels extremely sensitive. He complains when I tried to rub it off with even the slightest pressure. I tried using cotton buds with TCP to soften the dried ooze but that did not work.

I am thinking about leaving it until after 48 hours when we can wash the area, to see if we can wash them off. Is this OK? Would it be a high risk of infection? Do any parents have any experience looking after your children after circumcision?

Many thanks for any input!

TCP ?
Are you fucking mad ?

Here we gooooooo

Just thought I'd put it out there that boys can need circumcising for medical reasons before everyone kicks off.

Was it for medical reasons? I seriously hope so.

TCP ouch

Wow! I really wouldn't use TCP. How old is your DS? I would leave it alone. Once he is allowed to shower/bathe then the crusty bits will come off. Touching it will just increase the chance of infection and poor healing.

If your son has had a medical procedure then aftercare instructions should have been provided and you shouldn't need to be asking a forum.

This has got to be a wind-up

This

@Borgonzola Not necessarily. Aftercare instructions don't go into every little detail. My DS was circumcised last year for medical reasons and I had to ring the ward a couple of times to ask questions whilst he was recovering.

OP my DS wasn't allowed baths for a while but could shower. Just let the water run over it naturally and that will clean up the crusty bits. I would avoid the towel touching his penis due to infection risk/soreness. Either let it dry naturally or use sterile gauze.

OK thanks I will leave it until he can shower. It was for medical reason, he has BXO which if untreated can get very bad. And what after-care instructions we have received from the hospital? Nothing, no leaflets or whatsoever. Should I be surprised?

That's awful they didn't give you aftercare. Hope it heals soon

Can I ask also that is it normal that his penis looks very swollen (twice the normal width) even if he's taking calpol/ibuprofen regularly and I couldn't see it get better after 24 hours. Although he's not complaining about any discomfort from it. Maybe it's too early to worry?

How old is he? I would get him checked to be honest-it could be infected if it's so heavily swollen.

Take him to see a medical professional. Please.

OK I'm calling GP now. He's only 5.

Yep, gp for sure. I hope he is ok.

@jhs2zz I would say that's normal. DS had severe BXO and he was swollen for a long time afterwards. It's good that he's not experiencing much discomfort. My DS had a very difficult time. I hope your son's recovery goes smoothly. Although we had minimal aftercare instructions I found the staff very helpful when I rang the ward so don't hesitate to do so.

@jhs2zz Vaseline lots of Vaseline to coat the area and enough so cloth doesn’t stick. I’ve never noticed swelling but am more familiar with circ’s on newborns. The healed skin (which is cut) to expose the foreskin heals white like a mouth/lip cut, don’t rub that it’s the type of scab formation. Leave that bit alone except for Vaseline lots of Vaseline.

Thanks @SpaghettiSquash @fallfallfall that's very reassuring. Off to get some Vaseline!

I've used cooled boiled water in a spray bottle in the past to saturate things when it's difficult to get your hands on them (I have an autistic child, he can become very distressed). It's very helpful when removing dressings that have become stuck. Obviously scrupulously clean water & spray bottle. The likes of sterimar from the chemist might be helpful. Glad you're getting GP advice.

The username would suggest so.

@jhs2zz
myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=tw12609
canadian info but sound

@SpaghettiSquash exactly, you ring the ward. You don't ask random strangers on the internet

Yeah but they probably don't use TCP on it afterwards.

Don't get the attitude of some responses here... I've read a million other posts of a similar tone, with reasonable and helpful replies. Can you really be that dubious that a parent wouldn't have gotten good aftercare advice? I'm not at all surprised with my experience of hospitals recently. OP's questions were all reasonable. Hope your son recovers well OP