Sore penis worried sick please help

[Anxiousworriedmum]

Good morning,

My 3 year old was complaining of his penis hurting when he urinates and it being itchy and sore. So this morning we had a look. I pulled back the skin and on the top where he urinates from looks red and like 3 kind of sores.

I feel sick with anxiety and panic. Why? Because for 20 years i’ve carried the genital herpes virus. It’s never bothered me and never been more than slight annoyance once or twice a year. But I am petrified i’ve some how passed it on to my son. I just couldn’t live with myself.

My husband knows something is up with me but I can’t talk for the anxiety. I feel like i’m having some kind of out of body experience right now.

I just don’t know what to do.

Any advice welcome (and of course this has happened on a Saturday when I can’t speak to a GP!)

Thank you

I would ring 111 about your son and they will arrange for him to see a doctor as an out of hours patient. Hopefully they can help and put your mind at rest.

I agree. Ring 111.

Does your h know you carry the herpes virus?

Big hugs.

Go to your local walk in centre or phone 111, you can still get him seen OOH.

In a 3 year old it may be balanitis which is easily treated, this is more likely than genital herpes so try not to think the worst.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/balanitis/#:~:text=Balanitis%20is%20when%20the%20head,find%20out%20what's%20causing%20it.

Yes my husband knows I carry the H virus.

It will probably be balanitis, one of my boys got it a lot at that age. The doctor will prescribe an antibiotic cream and he'll be grand in a couple of days. I understand the panic though, I did the same the first time.

Thank you. Do you mind me asking how it presented itself? If I didn’t carry the genital herpes virus myself I wouldn’t even bat an eyelid. I know it’s nigh on impossible to pass it on to your children but still even after all these years it worries me sick.

You could pop to a pharmacist, they can have a look in their side room and advise you just as well as GP could.

My boys have had Balanitis but it could also be a urine infection. You could take him to a urgent care centre

Hi ladies,

I took my son to a walk in clinic today. The nurse was very nice, she said it was nothing to worry about and pop sudocrem on the area. I told her my concerns before she even looked at the area and she started shaking her head no as if to say it’s absolutely not HSV. I can’t shake that anxious feeling though.

You poor mum, you must've been so worried. Does sound like balanitis as others have said, my son had it around that age as well. I'd never heard of it before that and had no idea what was wrong until we saw a doctor.
Hope your mind has been put at rest by the nurse you spoke with and hope your son is feeling better soon. It does clear up quite quickly from what I can remember.

PS if it is balanitis he might need an antibiotic so I'd still pop along to your GP in the next few days if you can just to be on the safe side. I really doubt it's herpes, can see why you're worried but really doesn't seem likely.