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Original poster

A serious question about ds's willie..........! (Sorry)

66 replies

collision · 27/12/2004 18:30

A friend of Dh's was telling him about his own son who is 4 and how he had to go to hospital for an operation on his willie. It was to do with the foreskin, I think, because it wasnt pulling back properly and it needed operating on.

DH became concerned about DS1 who is 2.8yrs and so today we asked the paediatrician about it. She said that for the next 20 days we have to put him in the bath and gently pull the skin back (eeeeeeek!!) and put olive oil on it. We have to try and do this twice a day.

DH and I have already had a row about it as DH says that hurts him to think about it! (MEN!!)

Is this right? I have NEVER heard of this before but the Doctor said that his willie was quite closed up and that more parents should be aware of this and pull the skin back when they are younger.

I have 3 brothers and I am sure I would have known about it!! Feel a bit silly really. At least none of you know me!! Advice please!!

OP posts:
StuartC · 29/12/2004 09:16

OComeLetUsADiorHim - feel free to ignore me (as you say, I'm not a GP) - also feel free to ignore the American Acadamy of Pediatrics (the advice is theirs but what would they know).

Gobbledigook · 29/12/2004 09:54

It's nice to have such faith in GPs though they aren't always right either - I'd ignore his advice and leave well alone but that's my choice I know.

I don't have much faith in GPs - not since my boyfriend saw several and was turned away constantly being told he was OK only to be then told 6 months later that he had cancer from which he sadly died

Original poster
collision · 29/12/2004 10:01

I must do more threads on willies! I havent so much response on a topic before!!

DH and I are having a conflict about this. I want to leave it alone but he feels we should gently help it along! If he wants to then he can but I am not getting involved. As I type this he has just said that we will leave it til the spring and then take him to the dr again.

I live in Italy and wonder if they do things differently here. He has never had any probs with his willie and no prob with weeing. I spoke to my Mum and she had 3 boys and she said to leave well alone unless there was a problem.

What can my next willie question be???? (Sorry I freaked everyone out with this.)

OP posts:
Dior · 29/12/2004 18:49

Message withdrawn

buffettheturkeylayer2 · 29/12/2004 19:03

I think the view is that if there seems to be a problem - ie willy ballooning when they pee - then you need to see your gp for advice, but if everything seems fine you leave well alone.

Gobbledigook · 29/12/2004 19:09

Well summarised!

aloha · 29/12/2004 19:11

Actually ballooning is not a sign of a problem in itself. It is quite normal. I agree with StuartC. I also agree that GPs often have very outdated ideas.

aloha · 29/12/2004 19:12

This is from embarassingproblems.com - a surprisingly good site!

Ballooning of the foreskin in young boys

Dear Dr Margaret
My son is three. I?ve noticed that when he passes urine the end of his penis balloons out. Is this normal?

Dr Margaret replies:
What you are seeing is ballooning of the foreskin. This is perfectly normal in young boys. In a newborn baby the foreskin covers the head of the penis and is usually stuck onto it. This makes sense - it is protecting the head of the penis from damage, and from contact with faeces in the nappy which could cause soreness. It is not possible to pull the foreskin back, and you should not attempt to do so.

You may have noticed that the opening at the end of the foreskin seems small. This is normal, but it means that when an infant passes urine it is natural for the loose skin at the end of the foreskin to balloon out.

As your son gets older, the opening will enlarge and the foreskin will begin to separate from the head of the penis. Eventually it can be pulled back, and he should do this at bath time to wash properly. This separation can occur at any time before puberty. In some boys, it occurs as early as 3 or 4 years of age, while in others the foreskin remains stuck to the head of the penis until the boy is starting puberty. This is all completely normal.

Obviously, if a boys?s foreskin becomes swollen, red and painful, he should be seen by his doctor straight away, because it might be an infection. Fortunately, this is uncommon and is usually a one-off - it is unlikely to happen again.

aloha · 29/12/2004 19:14

If I were you Collision, I'd just leave him alone. The aap site suggests that it is absolutely normal for a boy's foreskin not to separate and retract until much later than four.

yummymummy123 · 29/12/2004 19:23

DS had this problem about a year ago(he would have been 2 yrs 8mths then)when he did a wee it balloned at the end,so I took him to GP who referred us to see some specialist. She was really good,she pulled his foreskin gently away from his willie so she could she if it was loose enough(and it was)then she said not to worry it'll all sort itself out by the time he is 6/7.
It's only been a year and it's better already.
I really don't think the foreskin's meant to go back until they're older anyway. It true what everyone has been saying though,how are you supposed to know about these things?Especially when there's no man in the house

MrsBigDrumsADrumming · 29/12/2004 19:24

ds is 4 months and the tip of his willie has been a bit red lately so I'll take him to the doc next week to have it checked out. Doesn't seem to bother him though and I'm most definitely leaving it along...

As for all you mn'ers out there who send their DH's to have the 'keep clean' talk... can I borrow them? DH is circumsised (the done thing in NZ). Originally he suggested that ds should be cc'd too, but I just said I'll look into it and sort of never got round to it , why chop something off unless medically necessary or for religious reasons iykwim

Dior · 29/12/2004 19:24

Message withdrawn

zebra · 29/12/2004 19:35

People on MN are always complaining about bad advice from health visitors -- they're "professionals", too! And lawyers, midwives, acountants, they're only human after all. Don't leave your brain at the door just because the your doctor/MW/HV has a "profesional" qualification.

lockets · 29/12/2004 19:38

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Dior · 29/12/2004 19:44

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OLittleYurtofBethlehem · 29/12/2004 20:52

OMG i never imagined there was any need to fiddle about with ds willie and am certainly not going to try - He most certainly wouldnt let anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Collision - I think your next willie thread should be "What do you call it?" DH has taught ds to call it his Winkle - really sweet but not sure how popular a word this might be when he gets to school age

lockets · 29/12/2004 20:54

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Gobbledigook · 29/12/2004 20:55

In our house it's 'tinker'

mishiclaus · 29/12/2004 21:04

lol i tend to call ds his tinky winky....dont know y

emmatmg · 29/12/2004 21:06

it's a wiggley in our house.

I once asked DH if he had a name for his and he said..........Reginald!

WTF!!!

Gobbledigook · 29/12/2004 21:08

WhAT?!?!?

PMSL!!

emmatmg · 29/12/2004 21:15

I know......fu*king hell you what?.........Reginald?

To be fair on him it was when we met on holiday and was said whilst suffering an extreme hangover.

It was also the morning after our first shag so I think he was trying to impress me

LOL

Gobbledigook · 29/12/2004 21:17

He tells you his knob is called Reginald to impress you!! Ha ha ha! He must have had a serious hangover!!

Ooooo, you do make me larf!!

lockets · 29/12/2004 21:18

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emmatmg · 29/12/2004 21:19

Lockets....he didn't but IT did.