# purple, bluish glans..?



## rosren

hello

ever sincemy son was circumcised i have been regretting that it happened.
it was done, because his dad is circumcised and wanted that his son also was....

i feel like there has been nothing but trouble....one thing after another...

but the thing i first noticed, was that the "blue" colour where the glans meets the penis. it's still often blue; two months after it was done.

mostly its dark purple; occacionally dark red/pink, and often blue....

i am scared that the bloodflow in his penis isn't good enough ; i also have some problems keeping the tip of the glans from getting irritated...

when i have the chance i try to keep him out of diapers some hours every day; and change his diapers frequently + have vaselinemix to protect it when in diapers.

could it be blue/purple because of adhesions; the head has grown stuck to the penis....should i try to ressolve it?? will it maybe stop being blue then?

hope for quick respons......thank you!


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## LeosMama

Frank may come along and correct me if I am wrong, but if this were my son:

I would leave the adhesions alone. This is what's left of the foreskin trying to heal the damage done. It's normal in young boys to have the foreskin be adhered to the penis. It will eventually separate on its own.

I'd suggest cloth diapers with fleece liners as these are quite soft and help keep urine off the skin.


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## Frankly Speaking

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
hello

ever sincemy son was circumcised i have been regretting that it happened.
it was done, because his dad is circumcised and wanted that his son also was....

i feel like there has been nothing but trouble....one thing after another...

but the thing i first noticed, was that the "blue" colour where the glans meets the penis. it's still often blue; two months after it was done.

The normal color of a freshly circumcised glans or an intact glans is sometimes a reddish purple but this blue color is an indication of poor blood flow to the area because it is not getting enough oxygen. The circumcision procedure interupts the normal blood flow to the glans. While some boys will have no problem with this, many will have problems.

Quote:

mostly its dark purple; occacionally dark red/pink, and often blue....

i am scared that the bloodflow in his penis isn't good enough ; i also have some problems keeping the tip of the glans from getting irritated...
The irritation you are seeing is called "meatal stenosis" and is exclusively a complication of circumcision or other trauma to the area. Meatal stenosis is a result of decreased and inadequate blood flow. The oxygen in the blood flow is required to keep the area healthy and repaired.

Quote:

when i have the chance i try to keep him out of diapers some hours every day; and change his diapers frequently + have vaselinemix to protect it when in diapers.
That's the best thing you can do for him. The fresh air will provide some oxygen to the area, the fresh diapers will avoid irritation from amonia and the vaseline will provide an occlusive barrier.

Quote:

could it be blue/purple because of adhesions; the head has grown stuck to the penis....should i try to ressolve it?? will it maybe stop being blue then?
The adhesions are his body trying to repair itself and you should not interfere with that. The foreskin of babies is bonded to the glans just like fingernails are bonded to the nailbeds. At some time in the future the bonding tissue will disolve for the foreskin to become retractile. Your son's body is trying to repair that damage and at some point in the future, between the ages of about 3 and 5, the adhesions will release. Trying to force them apart now is likely to cause damage. Search for posts by BM31 here for a description of the damage and the affect on his sexual life as an adult.

Frank


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## rosren

could this cause him to feel pain when he has to pee?


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## rosren

and: the tip has never been blue...never the whole glans: only where is not exposed to air always....


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## rosren

...but he seems to be peeing really often: three times pr hour...? and he "always" pees when i take off his diaper!


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## Pandora114

Is the stream narrow...does it arc real far??


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## aja-belly

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
...but he seems to be peeing really often: three times pr hour...? and he "always" pees when i take off his diaper!

i had to comment here. my boy was the same way. he hated peeing or pooping in his diaper and everytime we took it off he would go. we started doing elimination communication (very half assed even - it wasn't an all or nothing thing for us) and now at six months he will poop and pee in the potty if we take him, and we change maybe 3 poopy diapers a month. babies naturally don't want to poop and pee in their clothes. in our culture you usually have to "train" them to use their diaper then "train" them not to a couple years later. we opted to just never have him get used to going in his diaper and making "potty training" less of a problem, as well as way less diaper laundry (or buying diapers if you use disposable) and he sleeps better when he's dry and clean, and is generally happier.

sorry to babble on. we were not planning to ec, but our boy had such a strong disliking for going in his diaper that we finally gave it a shot and it has been phenomenal. there is an ec board here at mothering if you are at all interested. of course, feel free to pm me if you want.


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## Frankly Speaking

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
could this cause him to feel pain when he has to pee?

Yes, the opening around the urethral opening is irritated with meatal stenosis much like chapped lips or hands and the salt and uric acid will cause a burning sensation.

Quote:

and: the tip has never been blue...never the whole glans: only where is not exposed to air always....
The frenular delta that is supplied blood by the frenular artery wraps around the inner foreskin and penis just below the glans so the coronal ridge at the base of the glans would also be affected.

Quote:

...but he seems to be peeing really often: three times pr hour...? and he "always" pees when i take off his diaper!
Usually, frequent urination in small amounts is a sign of a urinary tract infection. Children who have urinary tract infections can have severe a burning sensation in the urethra that will cause them to stop urinating before they empty their bladder. I suspect much the same thing is happening with your son except that the burning is at the tip of his penis instead of in the urethra and because of the pain, he stops urinating before his bladder is empty and thus, the next time he feels full comes much quicker.

A way to help this is to give him as much liquid as he will drink to dilute the salt and uric acid in his urine and lessen the burning sensation.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pandora*
Is the stream narrow...does it arc real far??

The fine and narrow stream and increased velocity is a symptom of a more advanced case than I suspect this boy has at this point but it is something Rosren needs to be on the watch for. It can completely close off the urethral opening and prevent urination and that can cause kidney and bladder damage.

Rosren, because of where you live, it is unlikely that any of the doctors in your area will be at all familiar with meatal stenosis, what causes it and how it's treated. You need to establish a close relationship with a specific pediatrician that you trust and who is open minded. You need to research meatal stenosis and give him your research and you need to make sure that he/she will have no problem performing a "meatotomy," the surgical procedure that opens the urinary meatus should it become blocked. If that happens, it is urgent that it be performed as quickly as possible. That is in a matter of hours from the discovery.

Frank


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## Frankly Speaking

Aja, I agree that EC is a great thing but we have a situation here that may be very different. Because it is painful for the child to urinate, he has probably already trained himself to hold it as long as possible to avoid the pain. In this case, he may not communicate until it's virtually too late. If Rosren can train her son to do EC, it may be great for both of them but I don't want to give her false hopes.

Frank


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## rosren

yes-he also really often poop when i take off the diaper! when he's had to go abit; there's always plenty to come when it's off...

the tip doesn't seem irritated now...but maybe it's further in ?

the stream used to be far reaching, and long lasting, but nowadays shorter lasting - stops suddenly, yes..... and obviously doesn't reach so far then...

should i be aware if the stream is thin and reaches far? or did i misunderstand?

his stream is the same " thickness" as before - i think...

...........off.....i must admit - i am scared, and feel soooo guilty


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## rosren

- the coronal ridge at the base of the glans would also be affected. "

is that the areas on glans next to the string/underneath?


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## rosren

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Frankly Speaking*
Usually, frequent urination in small amounts is a sign of a urinary tract infection. Children who have urinary tract infections can have severe a burning sensation in the urethra that will cause them to stop urinating before they empty their bladder. I suspect much the same thing is happening with your son except that the burning is at the tip of his penis instead of in the urethra and because of the pain, he stops urinating before his bladder is empty and thus, the next time he feels full comes much quicker.
Frank

;

the thing is that he cries BEFORE peeing....often he stops crying while peeing...?????????????

and he is often happy and smiling again right after he's done.


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## Frankly Speaking

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
the tip doesn't seem irritated now...but maybe it's further in ?

That's possible. It's common for the symptoms to come and go though. There is really not much known about it and what causes it to come and go.

Quote:

the stream used to be far reaching, and long lasting, but nowadays shorter lasting - stops suddenly, yes..... and obviously doesn't reach so far then...

should i be aware if the stream is thin and reaches far? or did i misunderstand?

his stream is the same " thickness" as before - i think...
Unfortunately, making a diagnosis on the internet is impossible. The difference in how far, how long, etc. could be due to several factors and ultimately, only a doctor who can examine him in person can really tell. All of this should be discussed with a doctor during an examination so that he can get a full understanding of all of the symptoms.

Quote:

...........off.....i must admit - i am scared, and feel soooo guilty
I can understand that and I can feel it in everyone of your messages. I am so sorry this has happened. I can only assume you were pressured to do this as it is not done in your country. We all want to help you through this and to help your son.

Quote:

- the coronal ridge at the base of the glans would also be affected. "

is that the areas on glans next to the string/underneath?
The coronal ridge is the ridge that goes all of the way around the head of the penis where it joins the shaft. The coronal succulus or coronal groove is the area directly between the glans or head and the inner foreskin. This is the area served by the frenular artery along with the frenular delta, a roughly triangular area on the underside of the penis below the glans.

Quote:

the thing is that he cries BEFORE peeing....often he stops crying while peeing...?????????????

and he is often happy and smiling again right after he's done.
The only other thing that could cause this is a urinary tract infection. Has he been tested? Does he have any other symptoms such as fever or lethargy? A urinary tract infection could cause these symptoms. With either, he could expect that urinating will be painful and hold his urine until it is painful and with either, begining urination will be the most painful with the pain quickly subsiding during or immediately after urination. Since we know that he has the symptoms of meatal stenosis, it's pretty sure that is the cause instead of a UTI. But, only a doctor who can examine him can tell for sure.

The biggest problem is that where you live, the doctors are going to have absolutely no experience with meatal stenosis and unless they are alerted to it, probably will not be able to diagnose it and will have no idea of how to treat it. This is where you are going to have to lead and educate them. Another problem is that there is no cure for meatal stenosis. You will simply have to learn how to manage it through trying different things. Your son may eventually grow out of it. Hopefully, that will be the case. Most boys do but it may be years down the road.

Frank


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## Quirky

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Frankly Speaking*
The only other thing that could cause this is a urinary tract infection. Has he been tested? Does he have any other symptoms such as fever or lethargy? A urinary tract infection could cause these symptoms. With either, he could expect that urinating will be painful and hold his urine until it is painful and with either, begining urination will be the most painful with the pain quickly subsiding during or immediately after urination. Since we know that he has the symptoms of meatal stenosis, it's pretty sure that is the cause instead of a UTI. But, only a doctor who can examine him can tell for sure.

The frequency of his peeing and the fact that he fusses before he has to go and then is relieved when he's done is also TOTALLY normal for his age. Babies that young often pee very, very frequently even without any UTI, and often fuss before they have to go and are happy afterwards. I do elimination communication with my daughter, who is 10 months old, and it happens frequently that she will pee in the potty and have a wet diaper again not more than half an hour later. She will also sometimes fuss when she needs to go - it's one of the ways I know she needs to go. It is a bodily sensation just like hunger or cold and babies can communicate that there's something going on.

You should have your baby examined by a doctor if you are concerned, but just be aware that what you're describing as far as the peeing frequency may be perfectly normal.


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## hummingbear

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
could it be blue/purple because of adhesions; the head has grown stuck to the penis....should i try to ressolve it?? will it maybe stop being blue then?

First of all,







I feel for your pain too

This will be short for now:

The only adhesions you need to be concerned with are adhesions with the scar line. (Frank, I read your post and did not see anything regarding this. Could this be what rosren in talking about?)

How old is your son?

Babies pee very frequently (did I say very?). And the volume isn't that great either.
I did EC my son and he cried before peeing for a while sometime between being a newborn and several months old. Who knows why? I think maybe because it is such a new sensation.

In any case if you read about EC and wanted to do that I would support you.


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## rosren

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hummingbear*
First of all,







I feel for your pain too

This will be short for now:

The only adhesions you need to be concerned with are adhesions with the scar line. (Frank, I read your post and did not see anything regarding this. Could this be what rosren in talking about?)

How old is your son?

Babies pee very frequently (did I say very?). And the volume isn't that great either.
I did EC my son and he cried before peeing for a while sometime between being a newborn and several months old. Who knows why? I think maybe because it is such a new sensation.

In any case if you read about EC and wanted to do that I would support you.

i think maybe you guys are right; about his peeing...it feels like there's nothing bothering him; i mean sometimes he also pees for a long time...and he "always" stops crying as he's peeing or the second before.:!

about EC - i don't know what that is...hehe ( i am norwegian...) but i am interested in finding out - tried to look for it here on the forums...

thank you for calming me down - i still will be very concerned about the tip, and it's tendency of getting a bit irritated; so i will continue my routines; let him be without diapers (as often as possible), put on vaselinemix by every change, and keep an eye out for changes - i am sure i will notice them, or what?









for now - that's all i can do - i am thinking even the blueness i'm talking about would be purple in your eyes ...? it kinda "falls back" to reddish when he's "relaxed"...... it seems to fill up with blood and gets really purple/blue some times, and when totally relaxed,almost "resting" in the remaining "foreskin" - it's just red/pink.

i hope i've just been overreacting!
it's just NOT common from where i am from, you know, and everyone i talk to over here, knows even less than me about it, seems like.

- thanks for all your help and concern, everyone!

i will do my best to help my son get through this healing ( which may take years) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !


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## rosren

- and i think the only adhesion he has; is around the head/glans.... which i am gonna leave alone!

no adhesions further down the scaft/penis..... and i do pull it back once/twice every day!


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## Quirky

EC = elimination communication - as a previous poster explained, it's about listening to your baby's cues as to when he needs to pee and poop and offering him opportunities to go in a potty instead of a diaper. The Baby Bjorn Little Potty is a perfect size for tiny bums, but you can hold him over the regular toilet, the sink, a bowl, whatever works for you.

Here's a forum on EC: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=227

For more information, you can also check out www.diaperfreebaby.org


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## rosren

Quirky said:


> I do elimination communication with my daughter, who is 10 months old, and it happens frequently that she will pee in the potty and have a wet diaper again not more than half an hour later. She will also sometimes fuss when she needs to go
> 
> - i see! thanks! i 'll try this - just as good to start early; no reason to slam a diaper on when they have to go - that would be training them to go in a diaper instead, for so trying to make them not go in the diaper later.....as you say!
> 
> i also checked out that forum here at mothering.com! to get some tips on how to approach it.
> 
> it would really be great for both me and him, to get him pottytrained at a younger age! we'll see how it works - if i can read the signs and run him to the bathroom....


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## Microsoap

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
- the coronal ridge at the base of the glans would also be affected. "

is that the areas on glans next to the string/underneath?

Ah, so I assume he still has his frenulum intact.


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## LeosMama

Not likely. Some circ'd males still have the remnant of the frenulum. My dh does, it is his favorite, most sensitive part. But from descriptions of the procedure and from what intact men can sense with the frenulum, one can see that the sensations left in it are very muted and simple after having been torn from the foreskin and separated from major blood flow.


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## rosren

is the frenulum the area under the glans? in so case; that part is hidden under the skin....i guess it's called an adhesion..?!!


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## rosren

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rosren*
is the frenulum the area under the glans? in so case; that part is hidden under the skin....i guess it's called an adhesion..?!!

or is it the string?


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## Frankly Speaking

I think it's the "string." There are other frenulums on the body. The thin strip of skin under the tongue is a frenulum. There are also frenulums between the gums and the lips at the front of the mouth. The frenulum on the penis is between the foreskin and the glans. It stretches from just short of the urinary opening to the base of the glans and on down onto the foreskin. The frenulum is always cut during the circumcision procedure.

Also, I just realized that you are a Norwegian living in the US. Previously, I thought you were living in Norway. While you would have a hard time finding a doctor in Norway familair with your son's problem, you will have no problem at all finding one here in The US. They are all so familiar with it that they think intact boys can have the problem too and they try to pull the foreskin back to check them for it. Intact boys do not have meatal stenosis. (I'm underling that for the benefit of any doctors lurking here.) Unfortunately, with all of the cases they see here, they remain blissfully ignorant of the cause or the treatment of the condition. They can only surgically relieve the symptoms.

Frank


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## rosren

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Frankly Speaking*

Also, I just realized that you are a Norwegian living in the US. Previously, I thought you were living in Norway.

Frank

- i am living in norway.......


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## rosren

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Frankly Speaking*
I think it's the "string." There are other frenulums on the body. The thin strip of skin under the tongue is a frenulum. There are also frenulums between the gums and the lips at the front of the mouth. The frenulum on the penis is between the foreskin and the glans. It stretches from just short of the urinary opening to the base of the glans and on down onto the foreskin. The frenulum is always cut during the circumcision procedure.
Frank

hmm...the string isn't totally gone though... or is it? it's been many years since i last saw an intact penis; the string holds the foreskin...and for many intact it actually tears/gets cut during intercourse.

but there is a "string" still; on my husband, and on my son...? or maybe it's just "leftovers" ? ?

at least i know; that this area is one of the sensitive parts along with the tip and underneath/around the head of my husbands (circumcised) penis !


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## Frankly Speaking

Yep, it's leftovers. The part that's left no longer functions. The circumcision procedure totally destroys the function of the frenulum which has been compared to the female clitoris.

The tearing of the frenulum is easily prevented by stretching it for a couple of weeks.

Was your son circumcised in Norway or The US? I would think it would be very difficult to find a doctor in Norway willing to perform the procedure. Is your husband Jewish and the circumcision was done by a religious circumciser in Norway? This is something I have been wondering about since your first post.

Frank


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