My Son's Circumcision

He was circumcised at 1 week old. At the time of the circumcision about a 4mm slice was taken off the side of his glans (caused lots of bleeding and excessive pain over and above the pain of the circumcision). In addition, I wasn't told how to properly clean a circumcised penis. I was told to leave it alone, that it didn't need any special care. So by 'leaving it alone', the skin fused back to the glans. It wasn't caught in time to be pulled back so now we're waiting to see whether he'll need to be re-circ'd (most likely he will since it's almost a complete fusion). None of which would have happened if I had just left him the way he should have been. But that's my cross to bear, so to speak.

If I had known that I had a choice, and the risks (which were NEVER explained to me) at the time, I wouldn't have had my son done. Since my son's problem I've done my research. Wish I had done it ahead of time, I could have spared him a deformity. But again, my fault. And I know much better now.

[Now], for the most part he's fine. He's a normal nine year old boy. He has pain with erections, but he's embarassed to tell us (normal nine year old boy reaction). Occasionally if the pain is excruciating he'll tell us. This is what tipped us off that he needed to see a urologist, who informed us that he may be in need of 're-circumcision', most likely once he hits puberty and erections become more frequent.

Right now we're in limbo. Since he's only 9, we will have to wait and see. We're hoping that the skin will stretch as he grows so he won't have to have further surgery. The problem is that the remaining foreskin actually fused to what was left of the rim of his glans. The only part it didn't fuse in is the spot where the glans was sliced off (I assume because of the crusting/scabbing of the injury). So instead of overlapping his glans, it is stuck to it, and immobile.

The shame is, if I had done research into it instead of just accepting it as a normal every day procedure, it never would have occured. The sad thing of it is, I was in the office when it was done. I had to take him into a different doctor, as the hospital he was delivered at no longer performs them on infants. I heard his scream, then a deafening silence. I had to run outside of the office to throw up. Now, not only did I put him through the initial procedure, he'll get to go in for another one. Not a very good way to treat an innocent child.