# Circumcision for 1 year old



## kellie_w

Has anyone on here had the experience of having their 1 year old circumcised? This is tearing me apart as I don't know what to do for the best. My little boy is under great ormond street with kidney stones and lots of uti's. We saw the surgeon and consultant today and she has strongly recommended that next week when he has his kidney stones done to have a circumcision done too as it could be bacteria under the skin causing the utis. Has anyone had their lo go through this at this age? Im so worried about the pain after, and for when he is older


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## AllyTiel

I know my husband was circumsised at age 3 due to recurring UTIs. They lived in England at the time due to the US military so that's why he wasn't circumsised in the first place plus his mom is Dutch. He barely remembers being in the hospital but that's all. His infections stopped after that. He's totally fine today. :thumbup:


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## kellie_w

Thank you so much for that, that's really good to know that the infections stopped after x


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## clever_blond

My brother was circumcised at age 4 due to utis also. The infections stopped after the surgery which he doesnt remember. My dad and husband both had to have an adult circumcision due to a genetic condition (weird how they both had it as its not particularly common and obviously they arent related). They both confirm that it not pleasant as an adult whereas my brother says as a child its really no bother. Xx


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## suzib76

I would try to think of it in a different way tbh rather than thinking of 'circumcision'

If it were any other part of the body and he needed a minor op to prevent further infections would you hesitate? 

I think just because it's his penis it seems worse? But it isn't, if it is going to prevent him having recurring infections then some slight after pain will be worth it. Circumcision won't affect him any other way, and when he is older, well most women dont care


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## CormacksGirl

I think I would rather my son had a few days pain after an op, than endless painful UTIs! x


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## kwood

My son had to have one at 18 months due to a birth condition called Hypospadias. The surgery was very quick and he wasn't in pain for very long. He hasn't had any problems since the surgery and it has healed perfectly. The surgeon at GOS came very highly recommended and we would have had his surgery there if I didn't have private medical with my employer.


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## Noodlebear

I think if it's medically advised it could be a good idea, although I can imagine how difficult it must be to make that decision! They wouldn't have suggested it if they didn't think it'd be helpful as it's not a decision to be taken lightly. My gut instinct would be to trust them on this x


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## Sqwidge

My son (nearly 6) has just had one done due to a condition called BXO. It's not fun, for them or you for the first night or so because they are in pain and will not sleep particularly well, but the medical benefits far outweigh anything that can be a downside. And after a couple days it gets a lot easier. Make sure they either give you pain medication or advice on what you can do for a 1 yr old. And make sure for at least the first couple days you're giving him the maximum dose to keep him comfortable. I don't know what they'll say about nappies, but I would think as much as possible let him go nappy-less, I couldn't get my son in pants for like 5 days but then he is older and is more aware of it. 

He's young so he won't even remember, which is a good thing. They will tell you all this, but it does look really gross, even now, two weeks later my sons is still scabbed, so when they say it takes ages to heal and looks horrible for a while, they're not lying! It wasn't that I didn't believe them, but until you see it you don't truly understand what they're talking about!!

When he is older he won't know any different, there will be a small scar, but again, it shouldn't look very noticeable (my husband was circumcised as a baby, American culture). It's better for him in the long run anyway if it prevents infections.

I hope all goes well xxx


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## kwood

Sqwidge said:


> My son (nearly 6) has just had one done due to a condition called BXO. It's not fun, for them or you for the first night or so because they are in pain and will not sleep particularly well, but the medical benefits far outweigh anything that can be a downside. And after a couple days it gets a lot easier. Make sure they either give you pain medication or advice on what you can do for a 1 yr old. And make sure for at least the first couple days you're giving him the maximum dose to keep him comfortable. I don't know what they'll say about nappies, but I would think as much as possible let him go nappy-less, I couldn't get my son in pants for like 5 days but then he is older and is more aware of it.
> 
> He's young so he won't even remember, which is a good thing. They will tell you all this, but it does look really gross, even now, two weeks later my sons is still scabbed, so when they say it takes ages to heal and looks horrible for a while, they're not lying! It wasn't that I didn't believe them, but until you see it you don't truly understand what they're talking about!!
> 
> When he is older he won't know any different, there will be a small scar, but again, it shouldn't look very noticeable (my husband was circumcised as a baby, American culture). It's better for him in the long run anyway if it prevents infections.
> 
> I hope all goes well xxx

As for children in nappies our surgeon said to put a little vaseline in the nappy so it didn't stick to the nappy, we did this and had no problems. I agree about the pain killers - we were given a strict schedule/doses to give for 48 hours and my LO didn't seem to suffer too badly.


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## HNBaby

Sqwidge said:


> My son (nearly 6) has just had one done due to a condition called BXO. It's not fun, for them or you for the first night or so because they are in pain and will not sleep particularly well, but the medical benefits far outweigh anything that can be a downside. And after a couple days it gets a lot easier. Make sure they either give you pain medication or advice on what you can do for a 1 yr old. And make sure for at least the first couple days you're giving him the maximum dose to keep him comfortable. I don't know what they'll say about nappies, but I would think as much as possible let him go nappy-less, I couldn't get my son in pants for like 5 days but then he is older and is more aware of it.

Did your doctor try treating the BXO with topical creams?

Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) is recognizable by a whitish ring of tissue at the tip of the foreskin, which constricts and prevents retraction. This is an uncommon condition affecting no more than 1% of boys by their fifteenth birthday. It is confirmed by biopsy. Conservative treatment by a physician for BXO with 1% Clotrimazole and 1% hydrocortisone cream mixed together and applied three times a day is usually effective. This treatment should be tried, as should more potent steroid creams, if necessary, before surgery is considered.


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## Sqwidge

HNBaby said:


> Sqwidge said:
> 
> 
> My son (nearly 6) has just had one done due to a condition called BXO. It's not fun, for them or you for the first night or so because they are in pain and will not sleep particularly well, but the medical benefits far outweigh anything that can be a downside. And after a couple days it gets a lot easier. Make sure they either give you pain medication or advice on what you can do for a 1 yr old. And make sure for at least the first couple days you're giving him the maximum dose to keep him comfortable. I don't know what they'll say about nappies, but I would think as much as possible let him go nappy-less, I couldn't get my son in pants for like 5 days but then he is older and is more aware of it.
> 
> Did your doctor try treating the BXO with topical creams?
> 
> Balanitis xerotica obliterans (BXO) is recognizable by a whitish ring of tissue at the tip of the foreskin, which constricts and prevents retraction. This is an uncommon condition affecting no more than 1% of boys by their fifteenth birthday. It is confirmed by biopsy. Conservative treatment by a physician for BXO with 1% Clotrimazole and 1% hydrocortisone cream mixed together and applied three times a day is usually effective. This treatment should be tried, as should more potent steroid creams, if necessary, before surgery is considered.Click to expand...

(Sorry for hijacking)

Hi, no cream had not been used to begin with, but this is because it was a serious case that had spread quickly. It has also spread to the tip of the penis, which we are treating with a steroid cream. Believe me I wouldn't have let him have the surgery if it wasn't absolutely necessary.


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## clever_blond

BXO is the condition that both my hubby and dad and brother had. Both my hubby and dad had their circumcisions in their early 20s as it had become such a problem. There are people who say its not hereditary, however we have been told in both instances it appears to*have hereditary factors due to the amount of men who have suffered from it in their families. In all cases in out family circumcisions have been the treatment of choice due to the high chances of reoccurance of the condition of all who suffer from it (as told by our doctor). I wouldn't hesitate to have a son of mine circumcised if he showed symptoms of the condition as I know how it ends up and how painful and restrictive it can become. Hope your son gets well soon. Xx


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## kellie_w

Thank you for all your replies, he will be given a cream to help with wearing nappies, and when that's gone they have said to use Vaseline. I made the mistake of googling and seeing some men saying they couldn't forgive their parents but I hope my son understands it was done for medical reasons. If it was guaranteed to stop the utis I would have no hesitation in having it done, but it's not and we since have found out about some problems in his blood that need investigating too x


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## supertabby

If it's on medical advice then I'd probably go ahead - I know circumcision is a controversial subject and personally I wouldn't want to put my child through unrequired surgery, but if it's causing him repeated infections then it sounds like the right thing to do.

The men online who can't forgive their parents must be in the minority - like any surgery there are risks and pain at the time but long term effects are rare. As for partners most women (and men I suppose in gay relationships) don't care - in fact from those drunken chats I've had with the girls when there's a preference it probably is more towards a circumcised man!


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## Snow Owl

My ex was circumcised, his was done early teens tho.

However as an adult I can't say I noticed any *ahem* difference and his future wife doesn't appear to have any complaints (we're still best of friends). He was never upset about it.

His attitude was its medical and made no difference to him.

Giving you the adult side of things


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