# Swollen, red penis with pus



## RachelGS

Okay, what do I do? My three year old's penis is swollen and red, and there's pus at the tip. He is complaining that it hurts. I put bacitracin on it and gave him a warm bath with baking soda, but what else should I do? What would have caused this?


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## Quirky

It could be that he had dirty fingernails or something and scratched or yanked too hard, and got some germs into some open skin. I would do a warm salt water soak if possible. If it's still looking bad and doesn't clear up in 24 hours with warm salt soaks and bacitracin I'd take him in. Especially if it gets worse or he starts running a fever. Get a culture for specific typing of the bug but don't allow any retraction.


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## l_olive

It's very likely that it's not pus you're seeing, it's smegma. Please read this really excellent thread for more information on normal separation, because it really sounds like that's what's going on with your son.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=764732


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## RachelGS

Thanks. I'm pretty well read on it, but nervous about our ped practice, which is hit or miss. It is pus that I'm seeing-- yellow and oozy, not at all like the smegma pictures I've seen. I haven't had any problems at all with his foreskin before now, and my guess is that he was pulling at it and scratched it somehow, but now it's looking pretty bad.


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## Cavy

If he were my lad I'd like to have a doctor's opinion, OP.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X

What I did when ds had a bacterial infection and I took him to the Dr. I never let the dr even touch it I moved his penis for the dr to see ie raised the whole thing up. To do a culture all that is needed is swabbing the very tip and seeing what grows. So if you are worried about retracting do all the holding yourself dont let them touch it except with the swab. Dont let them tell you it is yeast or bacterial without that swab.

If you want to and you dont see improvement after the bacatracin then go and get some OTC 7 day monistat and try that and see if it helps. Nothing wrong with trying to treat it before going in.


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## Cavy

Oh dear! I just realised that there are countless accounts on this site of doctors trying to pull back foreskins on very little boys. That just would (virtually) never happen where I live.
So what McCatLovr said makes sense.
Sometimes I think medical care in the USA is completely nutty.


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## RachelGS

Agreed. It's ridiculous. I did put in a call this morning, but I specifically requested to hear back from the person over there who knows me best and listens to me consistently. If we decide to go in, I'll do what McCat suggested. I'm definitely not comfortable with the idea of other people handling his penis.


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## robertandenith

epsom salt baths eliminated the oozing I got after tearing in my last birth, have you tried that?


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## eepster

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelGS* 
It is pus that I'm seeing-- yellow and oozy, not at all like the smegma pictures I've seen.

That could be smegma, there isn't a single way it always looks. When I saw something in DS's underwear, I wasn't sure if it was smegma or melted icecream. I'm pretty sure it was smegma, since there was more another day when he wan't eating icecream, but it really isn't all that obvious what is smegma and what isn't.


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## l_olive

:

With my son it was red-brown thick goop and smelly.


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## RachelGS

I really am very confident that it's infected. It's bloody-oozy-yellow-gross. I got the doctor today who is both foreskin-friendly and who trusts me, so that was helpful. He called in a topical antibiotic cream and will see him if it gets worse. Poor little guy, though. He has been whimpering for 24 hours.


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## l_olive

I'm sorry he's not doing better, but really glad you are lucky enough to have a foreskin-friendly doctor. I hope everything clears up quickly and easily.


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## tutucrazy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelGS* 
Thanks. I'm pretty well read on it, but nervous about our ped practice, which is hit or miss. It is pus that I'm seeing-- yellow and oozy, not at all like the smegma pictures I've seen.

Yup smegma in young boys can be all colors and smells. Unlike adult men it is trapped there longer so it tends to have more color and odor. Here is another thread that could help:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...893&highlight=

He probably scratched himself or pulled himself causing some separation. Give him some time to see if it heals. Bacterial infections get worse and swelling extends into the groin. They usually only happen after a wound to the penis. Fever will also be present.

I would not let a doc touch his penis. If you got to a doctor, just have them look and swab. Don't let them retract or hold the penis. Make it clear to them that they are not to manipulate the foreskin.


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## l_olive

Are there any updates to this, Rachel?


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## RachelGS

He's doing better with topical abx. He developed a red streak moving up his penis, which we watched very closely, but it is improving. The swelling and discharge are better, and he's in less pain.

I want to say this delicately, because I'm grateful for all the feedback and because the issue of genital integrity is very important to me, but when I said two or three different ways that I was confident we were dealing with an infection and kept getting told that it wasn't one, that was frustrating. I'm not new to the parenting scene, or the penile one, either. I want to be sure that in giving advice to new posters here, we're not ignoring medical issues when they crop up. I will bang the drums for this cause as loudly as anybody, but I don't want to cross the line into thinking that being intact means being guaranteed a life without problems. This was a diagnosed balanitis, and if I had ignored it, it would have caused my son a lot more pain for a lot more time. Sometimes the instinct that something is wrong is on target.


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## georgia

Happy to hear things are improving!


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## georgia

This brings up an important point. It obviously can be _very_ dangerous to ignore signs of infection and MDC does not wish to provide medical advice for anyone. It can be very important to seek in-person care when things seem "off," prepared with helpful information, BTDT experience and personal advice gained from our discussions. In the end, we recognize parents as experts and seek to provide truly helpful information upon which parents can make informed choices.

I would like to direct everyone to our TCAC disclaimer:

Quote:

The opinions offered at Mothering.com and MotheringDotCommunity are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking care because of something you have read here.
Thanks, everyone!


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X

I hear you loud and clear Rachel and I agree 100%. I also went through and infection with my ds when he was 2 and I knew right away it was infection not just smegma. It is easy to tell if you see it along with other signs like you did.

I am glad you decided to talk about it and remind everyone that sometimes there is a real issue there. Not just normal separation.

FTR when ds had the bacterial infection the only thing affected was his foreskin and down the shaft of his penis it did not continue down into the fat pad or scrotum but I took him in the very next day for meds so it didnt have a change to progress that far. It actually only took about 6 hours from slight swelling to OMG







: but once treatment started it was only another 6 hours from OMG to nearly normal again.


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## PuppyFluffer

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelGS* 
He's doing better with topical abx. He developed a red streak moving up his penis, which we watched very closely, but it is improving. The swelling and discharge are better, and he's in less pain.

I want to say this delicately, because I'm grateful for all the feedback and because the issue of genital integrity is very important to me, but when I said two or three different ways that I was confident we were dealing with an infection and kept getting told that it wasn't one, that was frustrating. I'm not new to the parenting scene, or the penile one, either. I want to be sure that in giving advice to new posters here, we're not ignoring medical issues when they crop up. I will bang the drums for this cause as loudly as anybody, but I don't want to cross the line into thinking that being intact means being guaranteed a life without problems. This was a diagnosed balanitis, and if I had ignored it, it would have caused my son a lot more pain for a lot more time. *Sometimes the instinct that something is wrong is on target*.

I would venture a guess that almost always the instinct that something is wrong is right on target! I think we should always listen and respond to that instinct.


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## l_olive

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelGS* 
He's doing better with topical abx. He developed a red streak moving up his penis, which we watched very closely, but it is improving. The swelling and discharge are better, and he's in less pain.

I want to say this delicately, because I'm grateful for all the feedback and because the issue of genital integrity is very important to me, but when I said two or three different ways that I was confident we were dealing with an infection and kept getting told that it wasn't one, that was frustrating. I'm not new to the parenting scene, or the penile one, either. I want to be sure that in giving advice to new posters here, we're not ignoring medical issues when they crop up. I will bang the drums for this cause as loudly as anybody, but I don't want to cross the line into thinking that being intact means being guaranteed a life without problems. This was a diagnosed balanitis, and if I had ignored it, it would have caused my son a lot more pain for a lot more time. Sometimes the instinct that something is wrong is on target.

I'm glad he's getting better!

I absolutely don't disagree with anything you wrote in the second paragraph. I don't know how often you visit this forum, so you may not be aware that posts like your original post appear in this forum very, very frequently -- often several a week. Many of those posters have NOT read about normal separation yet, and some of those have had their sons seen by medical professionals who have forcibly retracted, diagnosed phony phimosis, and basically scared the bejeebers out of them.

It wasn't that long ago that there was a poster here asking exactly the same question you asked, with almost identical lack of detail in her first post. Upon questioning, she too was convinced that she was seeing copious amounts of pus and her doctor had her practically ready to consent to circ. After reading more here, she convinced the HCP to run a culture on the discharge, they discovered it was just the remains of the tons of antibiotic cream she'd been applying which had melted and become oozy.

From your original post (and even from a few of your follow-ups), it was impossible to tell how much information you had, and how much possible mis-information you may had already been given.

I don't believe there are many, if any, regular posters here who would tell a parent not to seek medical help if s/he deems it necessary -- simply that there may be a cause other than infection that should be considered.


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## tutucrazy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RachelGS* 
He's doing better with topical abx. He developed a red streak moving up his penis, which we watched very closely, but it is improving. The swelling and discharge are better, and he's in less pain.

I want to say this delicately, because I'm grateful for all the feedback and because the issue of genital integrity is very important to me, but when I said two or three different ways that I was confident we were dealing with an infection and kept getting told that it wasn't one, that was frustrating. I'm not new to the parenting scene, or the penile one, either. I want to be sure that in giving advice to new posters here, we're not ignoring medical issues when they crop up. I will bang the drums for this cause as loudly as anybody, but I don't want to cross the line into thinking that being intact means being guaranteed a life without problems. This was a diagnosed balanitis, and if I had ignored it, it would have caused my son a lot more pain for a lot more time. Sometimes the instinct that something is wrong is on target.

I'm glad everything is better.

You see the reason we caution on the side of nothing being wrong is b/c 97% of the time these types of symptoms are just normal separation, which has a multitude of symptoms. When a parent comes here with a diagnosis of infection without a culture having been done, we always suggest waiting to see if it gets worse or improves. Doctors just love to diagnose normal separation with balanitis. My son is one of many who was misdiagnosed this way. We also always recommend a culture be done before treating b/c if there is an infection it is more often than not a yeast infection and ABX will make matters worse. Of course you are the only person who actually sees what is happening so it is impossible for us to determine if your child's case is the 3% of cases where there is in fact an infection. Generally, the protocol is to wait-and-see if the symptoms worsen and/or get a culture. This is a very level-headed approach to treatment irritation and/or inflammation of BOTH boys and girls genitals. No one is saying that foreskin is never without problems and no one is ignoring medical issues, but we do want to approach _potential_ issues as just that until proven otherwise by a culture. This will avoid improper diagnosis and treatment, which can cause further complications for a child.


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## RachelGS

I hear you on that, and I certainly appreciate the goal of helping to head off unnecessary and harmful interventions. As my children are older and the forums I've come to enjoy have been discontinued, I'm here less, so I did miss recent discussions that may have felt similar. As for my specific situation, I've got over 6400 posts on MDC over the past seven years, and this stuff isn't new to me. I felt frustrated because I knew there was a problem, knew the risks of the medical system, and was looking for help figuring out how to address all that. I appreciate that new posters and new parents may have a harder time figuring out what's what. I wonder if there's a way to keep an eye out for both.


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## snip

This is precisely why boys should be circumcised. And to read all your comments which suggest you know more about medicine than a doctor. Why take him to the doctor at all if you are paranoid about the doctor breaking your son's precious pee pee ??

I am sure you would like someone to come to your place of work and second guess you, and to tell you how to do your job.


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## pek64

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *snip*
> 
> This is precisely why boys should be circumcised. And to read all your comments which suggest you know more about medicine than a doctor. Why take him to the doctor at all if you are paranoid about the doctor breaking your son's precious pee pee ??
> 
> I am sure you would like someone to come to your place of work and second guess you, and to tell you how to do your job.


Are you a medical provider?

"Breaking your son's precious pee pee" is condescending!

Is a 3 year old thread the best you can come up with? If you had to go that far back to find something to use to try to make your point, you've actually done a good job making the point for keeping our sons intact. Some people have appendicitis and have to have the appendix removed. Does that mean it should be automatically removed at birth? Obviously not! There will occasionally be medical problems with nearly every bit of anatomy. That doesn't mean we should have various parts removed at birth.


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## MichelleZB

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *snip*
> 
> This is precisely why boys should be circumcised. And to read all your comments which suggest you know more about medicine than a doctor. Why take him to the doctor at all if you are paranoid about the doctor breaking your son's precious pee pee ??
> 
> I am sure you would like someone to come to your place of work and second guess you, and to tell you how to do your job.


Snip, you are amusing. I think we shouldn't delete this post.

Most doctors don't recommend circumcision, just most US ones. Leaving infant boys intact IS the global medical mainstream. I think, therefore, that any doctor in the US who recommends circumcision should be second guessed!


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## QueenOfTheMeadow

Hi Snip,

Welcome to MDC. It is obvisous, based on your username that you have an agenda. I do want to point out that you are posting in The Case AGAINST Circumcisions.

Quote:


> consent. TCAC hosts discussion of the reasons to avoid circumcision, the history of the procedure, medical issues and studies, complications, the needs and rights of the child, care of the intact child's penis and other educational topics. We are not interested in hosting discussion on merits of routine infant medical circumcision.


Your posts are against the forum guidlines. If you continue to post in this manner your membership will be removed. I do hope you will stick around and educate yourself in regards to circumcision.

Take care,

QotM


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## mrscullors12

thanks ladies ithis has really helped me but i will still go i the doc and see what the outcome is cause i was very concerned with my 3 yr old he was in pain last night


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## danalyn

Hello, I just wanted to comment here with OUR very recent experience. I realize this thread is 4 years old! This past Friday, my 4 year old INTACT son began crying and complaining because of penis pain. He has never had any problems until then. He had never been retracted, and we took no "special" care with cleaning, as is recommended with intact little boys. I didn't notice any smegma, but my older daughter who had been taking care of him earlier that day said she had noticed some lumpy looking white stuff. She called me to let me know he wasn't feeling well. His penis was red underneath & up along one side. It looked quite a bit swollen, misshapen. Only the penis. He had no fever. I took him to urgent care, not knowing what to expect, but ready to protect my son from retraction. They turned us away, telling us to go to the ER because he would likely need to be catheterized. (?) I really could n't believe it. I sat in my vehicle, in the parking lot, trying to find some info online. I DID NOT want to go to ER, esp. over this. I came to info that suggested Epsom salt bath and using a little bacitracin. I also found reason as to WHY this might be happening. My son *had* recently been pulling on the skin more so then ever before; pulling it forward and also pulling back a little bit. Anyway, so this all started on Friday, 4 days ago. I gave him an ES bath, and put a little bacitracin on it, and then he went with my husband, and 2 older teenage sons to do some hunting. (unfortunately my first 2 children were circ'd, I didn't learn about it until #6 was born) When they came home on Sunday night, my little boy was practically all better. I gave him another ES bath, and this time put some coconut oil on it, followed by a little lavender EO. It's Tuesday now, and he's still fine. Live and learn. Hopefully this won't happen again, but if it does I probably won't freak out as much. Thinking back, I know that started to prepare myself for "guilt" (from myself) or "judgment" from others for not circ'ing him. Talking to my son about not pulling on his skin. I'm very thankful that we didn't have to deal with a doctor who's not foreskin-friendly. Anyway, that's our experience.


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