Hi,
I am concerned about my six year old son who is booked in to have
some surgery in a weeks time. Under a general anesthetic he will
have the adhesions to his foreskin removed.

Basically I am concerned about the risks of a general anesthetic
and the need to have the surgery in the first place.

A little background:

Three months ago my son got a urinary tract infection, and has
been on many different antibiotics to help clear it up. The doctors
didn't test the antibiotics for effectiveness against his infection
(proteus mirabilis) until quite late into the treatment. He has had
many 'general' antibiotics which we now know were not effective
against p.mirabilis. Consequently the doctor said he had to have
a MCUG (VCUG in the U.S) and ultrasound in order to check that
he did not have a reflux condition and to check his internal
organs were ok - thankfully all was fine. He still has chronic
cystitis and so is on a further course of the appropriate antibiotic.

The doctor could not tell us of the cause of the infection except
to say that "it is just part of the natural flora an fauna".

To help prevent further infection the doctor has recommend that
my son have the adhesions removed so that he can fully retract
his foreskin. While I am very pleased he did not suggest
circumcision I am still concerned about him having any form of
surgery in this sensitive area and also concerned about him
having a general anesthetic.

I have read the guidelines on the AAP site (American Academy of
Pediatrics) and now understand that some boys don't achieve
full retraction until they are 18 years old. So it would appear that
there is nothing unusual in that my son can't fully retract at six
years.

I have read of a non-surgical technique to help with foreskin
retraction which involves a steroidal cream - does anyone have
experience of this and know if it is likely to be effective?

Does any one know of any other non-surgical treatment which
would enable my son to fully retract his foreskin?

I know that if my son were to get another UTI there is a risk of
permanent damage to his kidneys but I wonder with proper
hygiene this can be avoided. Also I would like to think that if
he did get another UTI that the most effective antibiotic would
be prescribed in the first place so as to 'nip it in the bud'.

I would rather wait and see if he gets another UTI than put him
through the ordeal and risks of surgery - I am I being paranoid ?

any comments welcome,

thanks,

Kevin

• Re: Concerned about son's foreskin surgery & UTI Jill 14:55:49 10/10/00 (0)