# infected uncircumcised penis



## allergybaby (Feb 14, 2002)

Help! My 3 yr. old has a very painful penis. His father mistakenly pulled on it while cleaning and has possibly caused a tear. This morning he awoke with puss in his underwear and on his penis. I have taken him to the dr. for a swab but results will not be available to us until Wed.! (It is Monday today.) I think he is coming down with a fever and he is increasingly irritable. Does anyone have any suggestions to keep his penis comfortable until we get results on Wed. ? The dr. suggested a cold towel, penaten, and polysporin. Let me know. He has pain on urination at times also. Any suggestions welcome!


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## siddie (Jan 15, 2003)

Poor little guy. I would suggest lots of warm baths to soak in.


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## Tanibani (Nov 8, 2002)

Please post on the The Case AGainst Circumcision board... there are many well-informed posters who can help you.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...?s=&forumid=44


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## Marlena (Jul 19, 2002)

Call the doc with the symptoms; s/he may want to call in a prescription for an antibiotic ointment or systemic antibiotic. Be sure to let them know what's going on tomorrow when you get the results.

I'd be shocked if they recommend circumcision as a result (and would discount any such information, as well), so I'd not fret about that issue.


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

Your son is at the age when the normal separation begins to take place and it is not unusual to have episodes of puffiness, etc. His father probably only pulled slightly on an normal, natural adhesion that was near letting go anyway. Most of these episodes last 24 hours or less and go away. The human body has a remarkable healing ability.

The whitish matter you saw was most likely smegma and not pus. It is normal and natural and should be expected. Smegma is the greek word for "soap" and that should be a hint to you. It is simply an accumulation of dead skin cells, body oils and water. Both men and women produce smegma their entire lives.

I suspect that since today is Wednesday, that your son is already much better and the episode has already passed. Please let us know. You can expect that your son may have one or more future episodes of a reddened foreskin and maybe some swelling and even some slight pain and irritation on urination. These episodes should last 24 hours or less and should require no attention or intervention on your part or a doctor.

These episodes are a prime opportunity for a unknowledgeable doctor to strongly recommend circumcision. Don't listen to them! A second episode will prompt them to strongly insist and the fact that it has happened twice will be an indicator to you. RESIST! This is perfectly normal and natural and a part of growing up for boys. Any pain is minimal and short lived. It certainly pales in comparison to surgery and the after effects.

Frank


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## cottonwood (Nov 20, 2001)

When he was about that age, my son somehow got an infection that resulted in a painful red penis and pus (not smegma.) It had been getting progressively worse over a period of several days, so we did antibiotics, it quickly cleared up, hurray for modern medicine and all that.









Anyway, the interesting thing is that yes indeed the pediatrician said my son may end up needing to be circumcised. And I'm thinking to myself, hey, if we all had to end up cutting off a body part every time we got an infection, we'd all be multiple amputees. It's just so silly. I mean, I have always had a lot of trouble with my ear, I can't even count the number of infections I've had. But nobody has suggested that I might have to cut off my ear at some point, you know?


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## Frankly Speaking (May 24, 2002)

BlueViolet:

Like you, I would also be an amputee. I got a terrible infection in my foot when I was about 8 years old. I remember getting some kind of salve and having to soak the foot in hot water and epsom salts every evening for several days If they treated infected feet the way they treat infected foreskins, I would only have one foot.

Frank


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

Quote:

_Originally posted by allergybaby_
*His father mistakenly pulled on it while cleaning and has possibly caused a tear.*
Frank has already posted about the white substance but I did not see anyone post about the "cleaning".

The penis of a child does not require "cleaning". The foreskin does not need to be "pulled" in any dirction in order to wash under it. Rinsing under the foreskin is not nesessary until he is a teenager. And then he will do it all by himself!

﻿care before and after puberty...

http://www.cirp.org/library/hygiene/


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