moms of boys: anyone had to have their son's meatus corrected?

[Tess in the Burbs]

My son just turned 7 and his Dr referred us to the children's hospital for a procedure to enlarge the 'meatus'. It wasn't until I got home to look into this more that it explains why he can't "aim" at the toilet better and his sudden urge to pee and often with disastrous results in the lack of warning of the urge. I now feel so much guilt for getting on his case for waiting to long to go pee...I assumed he wasn't listening to his body's signals, but it was a real medical problem! How many times did I humiliate him by asking Dh to show him how to aim at the toilet. *sigh*

 

so how hard is this procedure. dh is extremely shy of new people so he won't do this just numbed...he would have to be put under. what exactly do they do? And how long will he hurt?

 

Again, I feel so bad for getting on his case about his accidents and messy toilet manners(I seem to be the one who sits on the toilet after his messes!). I have apologized and explained he has a small meatus and we will get it fixed. should I subconsciously blame the dr who looked last year and said nothing but knows I come every so often for urine samples b/c he seems to have such immediate urges he can't rush fast enough?

 

thanks for reading. I have so much mommy guilt about this. and then to have them have to fix it(and thus cause him pain) I feel more guilt.

 

is it that bad?

[Guest janainaz]

This is an ignorant question, one I should know since my son has been at the urologist often - is the meatus the opening? If so, my son's urologist mentioned that my ds 8 has a small opening. He's had some other issues that have possibly required the doctor going in with a camera (to look at his urethra) and he had told me that if they do that, they can also correct the smaller opening.

 

My ds does not have aim problems (well, not medically....) and according to him, has a normal stream of urine. It does not seem to take him a while to go, but as far as I have been told, it's not a major procedure. Of course, having your child put under is always a bit nerve-racking, but the procedure itself is not really complicated - based on what I've been told.

[LaxMom]

I haven't been there, and I'm sure you will have plenty of useful insights coming. But, for your own psyche, let's apply one of the standard rules of medicine: Common things occur commonly.

 

My boys routinely spray the seat and the floor... and the laundry... and sometimes the wall. I do not suspect there is a physical cause for this. They fairly frequently don't make it in time and have a wetting accident. (They're 4). I don't think it's a physical issue.

 

There is no reason for you to have suspected aiming issues - which, as far as I can tell, occur in about 90% of the male population - were due to anything medical at all. And it's not uncommon for kids to wait until the last. possible. second to go running to the toilet.

 

So, no mommy bashing. You are not Crescan the Magnificent.

 

Ok, on with the usable advice, then. ;)

[AnnetteB]

I'm sorry you are all having to go through this. We have no experience with this, but one son did have a testicular torsion. Poor guys :( I don't think either is very common and you did all you could taking him in to be seen by the dr.

 

:grouphug:

[SonshineLearner]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_urethral_orifice_(male)

 

I actually took a look at this. I would ask for some second and third opinions. I would also ask some boards in maybe England or France, where cutting the foreskin isn't as popular...and see if there's a different solution. It seems here, that because of circumcision, that surgery (on the p***s isn't looked at as harshly as some other countries.)

I would make sure that this is going to be a problem FOREVER before I had my son cut. And, is this the ONLY problem that you have when you have a small meatus?

I might post over on the mothering board and see if there are any hints that they have....

 

Carrie:-)

[hornblower]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15008738

 

Hey, you're HOMEschoolers, you can try to do this at home too ....

[Peek a Boo]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15008738

 

Hey, you're HOMEschoolers, you can try to do this at home too ....

 

ack!! I can't do that. nope. nada. I'll pass thankyouverymuch....

[sportymom]

He was 7, too. We didn't know he had a problem until he had sudden onset of painful urination. Really painful (as in we'd have to go with him to the bathroom and just hold on to him). So maybe the problem presents itself differently from boy to boy?

 

He, too, was very embarassed, but the urologist was a gentle, kind soul. He was only asleep for an hour or so, outpatient surgery, quick recovery at home. No problems since!

[Hillary in KS]

Ds had this surgery when he was 5. He had been having aiming issues, and a bit of discomfort. His opening was so small (1/5 of the normal size) that urine came out in a forceful stream. The kid could easily pee 5-6 feet straight, like a laser, if his bladder was full.

 

The surgery was simple, and took about an hour. He spent a couple of hours in recovery, and then went home. He didn't overly complain of pain, but was achy.

 

The first couple of times he urinated were scary. It was more that he was afraid that it might hurt, more than it actually hurting, KWIM?

 

Anyway, it's been 3 years since the surgery and we've had no issues.

 

HTH!

[Holly IN]

We did for our oldest. He was having alot of bleeding and kidney problems. He was peeing in all different direction and with blood. He was getting severe kidney infection because he wasn't peeing enough output. It was all because of his hole getting smaller and smaller. Infection will do that to the hole.

 

So we had him go through surgery to do correct what the infection did. This was 8 years ago. He is doing so much better.

 

He was circumcised as a baby. This had nothing to do with it. It was the severe kidney infection that made his hole smaller and smaller.

 

 

For this my son went through surgery. It was very simple 3-5 min procedure and done as an outpatient. He was under general. The recovery was really fast with one week post op. Total time that we waited was 30 min.

 

 

Holly

[beansprouts]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15008738

 

Hey, you're HOMEschoolers, you can try to do this at home too ....

 

Yup! We also homebirthed. In fact, we are regular do-it-yourselfers :lol:

[Colleen]

I admit that despite having five boys I'd never heard the word "meatus" before reading this post. I still don't really get it, to be honest. I'm confused as to why a small one or large one would relate to need/urge to urinate and/or aim. I think a lot of boys (not yours, obviously) do wait too long and don't pay attention to what they're doing. That's pretty typical. To that end, it's no wonder you were trying to train your son otherwise. No need to feel mommy guilt, though I understand how easy it is to succumb to that. I hope you get it all figured out!

[Veritaserum]

Are you talking meatal stenosis? It's one of the risks of circumcision because circumcision removes the protective foreskin covering (one of the many reasons foreskins are a useful part of that organ). I would ask about non-surgical options (such as the dilation mentioned earlier) because those would likely be less risky than surgery. Perhaps his is too severe for that, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

My nephew had surgery a couple of weeks ago due to adhesions (a very common risk of infant circumcision) that developed after his circumcision . He's 2.5 years old and had general anesthesia, which is recommended for genital surgery. At 7 years old, your son has the advantage of communicating his pain level and need for pain meds afterward and he won't be sitting in a messy diaper, either. Those are both good things about doing this type of surgery at an older age.

 

I had chronic kidney infections as a child and it was no fun. :( I hope your son's situation improves with appropriate treatment. :)

[Zelda]

I haven't been there, and I'm sure you will have plenty of useful insights coming. But, for your own psyche, let's apply one of the standard rules of medicine: Common things occur commonly.

 

My boys routinely spray the seat and the floor... and the laundry... and sometimes the wall. I do not suspect there is a physical cause for this. They fairly frequently don't make it in time and have a wetting accident. (They're 4). I don't think it's a physical issue.

 

There is no reason for you to have suspected aiming issues - which, as far as I can tell, occur in about 90% of the male population - were due to anything medical at all. And it's not uncommon for kids to wait until the last. possible. second to go running to the toilet.

 

So, no mommy bashing. You are not Crescan the Magnificent.

 

Ok, on with the usable advice, then. ;)

 

Wow. I love this post. LOVE.

 

:grouphug: to the OP

[Tess in the Burbs]

And, is this the ONLY problem that you have when you have a small meatus?

 

since his opening is small it's like trying to push water through a stoppage in a drain...some goes through but not everything. so his bladder is never empty. he goes all the time!( so much so that I often get his urine checked to rule out an infections!) and he wets the bed at night. yes, I know that is normal but he soaks it. literally his pj's from head to toe can be wrung out. the bed sheets are soaked around the sides. he sleeps so heavy at night that I can't wake him to go once in the night. even with a pull up on at night he soaks his bed. Dr thinks it's b/c his bladder is never emptying completely and at night his muscles are so relaxed it's leaking out all night long.

 

we fussed some about the constant pottying a year ago and he pee'd in the corner of his room for months. how can a kid who just went need to go so badly every 5 minutes? again, I took him to the dr and was told then it's a small bladder.....

 

so there are some issues that "could" be related to the small opening......

[Tess in the Burbs]

He was 7, too. We didn't know he had a problem until he had sudden onset of painful urination. Really painful (as in we'd have to go with him to the bathroom and just hold on to him). So maybe the problem presents itself differently from boy to boy?

 

He, too, was very embarassed, but the urologist was a gentle, kind soul. He was only asleep for an hour or so, outpatient surgery, quick recovery at home. No problems since!

 

thank you for sharing a positive experience!

[Tess in the Burbs]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15008738

 

Hey, you're HOMEschoolers, you can try to do this at home too ....

 

the shiver of panic/disgust/horror, lol that passed through me when I read this convinced me this should be out-sourced ;-) can you imagine the therapy that would come from mom/dad dilating on the child????? :001_huh:

[Tess in the Burbs]

we have an appt end of the month and I have a lot of questions now to ask and I also asked around and got another Dr name to call on for a second opinion.

 

and I promise not to keep feeling so guilty for harping on him in the potty area :)

[hornblower]

the shiver of panic/disgust/horror, lol that passed through me when I read this convinced me this should be out-sourced ;-) can you imagine the therapy that would come from mom/dad dilating on the child????? :001_huh:

 

:confused: Um, no. I never considered that a kid would require therapy after having a medical procedure to correct a small anatomica/physiological problem.

Would it help you to use a surgical mask? Surgical gloves? Put a fig leaf over it?

 

I never considered that this could be something disgusting or horrible.

We're of the it's just a penis way of thinking.

What drama over something so normal. If there was a chance that this would work and save my child from exposure to anaesthesia, I'd do it. Get a doctor to show me, dh, and the child & ideally get the child to do it himself & maybe have one of the adults supervise & intervene if necessary.

 

Of course, each to his own.

[Tess in the Burbs]

my son can barely let me cut his nails. he can't do it himself but hates for anyone else to do it. tears. crying. so for us I can't imagine trying to convince him to do it! I agree I don't want the anesthesia but the trauma he would get from that....he would need therapy, lol

[Carol in Cal.]

since his opening is small it's like trying to push water through a stoppage in a drain...some goes through but not everything. so his bladder is never empty. he goes all the time!( so much so that I often get his urine checked to rule out an infections!) and he wets the bed at night. yes, I know that is normal but he soaks it. literally his pj's from head to toe can be wrung out. the bed sheets are soaked around the sides. he sleeps so heavy at night that I can't wake him to go once in the night. even with a pull up on at night he soaks his bed. Dr thinks it's b/c his bladder is never emptying completely and at night his muscles are so relaxed it's leaking out all night long.

 

 

QUOTE]

 

Have they ruled out diabetes? My nephew, 14, has had this since he was 7. He sleeps very heavily at night, and wet the bed thoroughly and completely for years beyond normal. It's a very common occurance with that illness; I'm not sure why.

[lmrich]

My son had hernia surgery at 7. He was put "under" and did great. Kids pick up on your nervousness, so I played it cool and was upbeat as I could be, rolling into the operating room (where we couldn't go with him) he very politely said, "I change my mind now and I don't want to do this" the doctors actually let me go in with him as he counted backward from 10 - he made to 7 when he went under. He remember nothing!

 

Good luck.

[Zelda]

:confused: Um, no. I never considered that a kid would require therapy after having a medical procedure to correct a small anatomica/physiological problem.

Would it help you to use a surgical mask? Surgical gloves? Put a fig leaf over it?

 

 

 

Of course, each to his own.

 

I have to say I'm surprised by the reaction to the idea of correcting this at home. It seemed like a benign suggestion to me. Similar to correcting a minor phimosis or such.

[Punkinelly]

Tell your son how you feel. He is only 7, but he understands that people make mistakes. Explain why you thought he was being careless. Ask him to forgive you, then move on. Do not rehash the times you corrected him in your mind. That will only torture you.

 

Mary

[Carpe Diem]

but I have consulted the Mothering.com website in the past for other issues surrounding the penis. :lol: Check out the circumcision forum. You will find excellent information from people who will likely give you further information.

 

I second the second and third opinions!

 

Sorry you have to worry about this.

[Goldilocks]

since his opening is small it's like trying to push water through a stoppage in a drain...some goes through but not everything. so his bladder is never empty. he goes all the time!( so much so that I often get his urine checked to rule out an infections!) and he wets the bed at night. yes, I know that is normal but he soaks it. literally his pj's from head to toe can be wrung out. the bed sheets are soaked around the sides. he sleeps so heavy at night that I can't wake him to go once in the night. even with a pull up on at night he soaks his bed. Dr thinks it's b/c his bladder is never emptying completely and at night his muscles are so relaxed it's leaking out all night long.

 

 

QUOTE]

 

Have they ruled out diabetes? My nephew, 14, has had this since he was 7. He sleeps very heavily at night, and wet the bed thoroughly and completely for years beyond normal. It's a very common occurance with that illness; I'm not sure why.

Wetting the bed multiple times at night is often the first sign of diabetes but other signs of the disease would quickly manifest themselves within a few weeks. Doesn't sound like this is the case.

[musicmommy]

My sweet little Joseph had this surgery 2 years ago, so he was 3 at the time. It actually really can affect the aim. The poor kiddo's stream was coming out a 90 degree angle. On the funny side, he once was sitting down in the church bathroom, had it pointing down and it still went up and partially over the door. We knew there was a problem.

 

It also made it so that the walls of his bladder were thickening which meant that he wasn't getting the cues early enough. So yep, it does affect that also. We were getting so frustrated with potty training! Within a week of having it done, we had no more accidents and his aim is perfect!

 

They put him under general and it was kind of difficult for me, but it was nice to have something that was fixable. (he has a blood disorder that isn't fixable) He had a urologist who specialized in children and was marvelous. We had one visit ahead of time which was pretty quick and easy and then a follow up visit to check the healing. The surgery itself lasted maybe 30 minutes. They kept us there for a couple of hours afterwards. At home, we were able to keep him resting for all of about 3 hours and then he was reay to go again.

 

I wish you were still out here, Tess...then you could just go to our doctor. :)

[Quad Shot Academy]

literally his pj's from head to toe can be wrung out. the bed sheets are soaked around the sides. he sleeps so heavy at night that I can't wake him to go once in the night. even with a pull up on at night he soaks his bed. Dr thinks it's b/c his bladder is never emptying completely and at night his muscles are so relaxed it's leaking out all night long.

 

 

QUOTE]

 

Have they ruled out diabetes? My nephew, 14, has had this since he was 7. He sleeps very heavily at night, and wet the bed thoroughly and completely for years beyond normal. It's a very common occurance with that illness; I'm not sure why.

 

I, also was going to suggest a diabetes check. I know one boy that went thorugh therapy for bedwetting for years, he also had some sort of penis surgery and they thought his issues were related to that. When he was about 7, his mom was up one night and saw that he went to the bathroom 6 times and he still wet the bed. She researched on the web and figured out he had diabetes, she took him to the doctor and he had to be hospitalized. He had been to the doctor a few weeks before hand and the doctor noticed nothing. He had the bed wetting problem for years, so his pancreas must have been failing slowly. I would do a quick glucose check to rule it out. :001_smile:

[Spy Car]

I'm rather embarrassed to admit I had no idea what a "meatus" was, and figured it must be one of those euphemisms you ladies are so good at creating :lol:

 

Bill (D'oh)

[Holly IN]

I already mentioned before on this post that my oldest had his surgery to correct his.

 

With the mention of diabetes coming up...this is something you would want to check out.

 

My oldest is not diabetic but my other son is Pre-diabetic (formal diagnoses is Impaired Glucose tolerance). The pre-diabetic one didn't have a problem with his meatus.

 

My oldest had a really bad kidney infection which caused the meatus to close or grow smaller thus the reason for surgery.

 

Holly

[JWSJ]

which, as far as I can tell, occur in about 90% of the male population

 

What are the stats on aiming of the female population?

 

My wife says it's not much better than 90%...

Edited January 1, 2009 by JWSJ

[SW in IL]

A friend's son had the surgery when he was about 10. I don't know the medical reason behind it... Just seemed too personal to ask about. I do remember his mom saying that they had put off the surgery for a couple of years hoping that he'd 'outgrow' the problem.

 

This boy went from being shy and reluctant to spend time with friends other than at his house or playing outside, to being quite the social character. His mom reckons he was embarassed to use the bathroom if he wasn't at home. And she's said that she wishes they had done the surgery sooner.

 

As far as the actual surgery, like with the others it was done as an outpatient. A couple of hours at the hospital and then recovery at home. Within a few days he was feeling fine.

 

HTH,

Sue

[Catherine]

So a totally different problem, but still a sensitive spot. He did just fine. My only recommendation would be to ask for pre-op sedation. He got it and was very deeply sleeping by the time he actually went into the OR. No anxiety at all. In fact at 13 he had appendicitis and other than the discomfort and nausea, he was OK, no undue fears. I am very glad we asked for sedation.

 

I'm sorry you are feeling so guilty about how you talked to him about it. Live and learn...but I'm sure he is not going to be harmed by your words. How could you have known?

[lulubelle]

I just wanted to thank you for this post! I brought my son to confirm meatis stenosis today! He's 4.5. He is not in any pain, but he pee's at a 90 degree angle (has to hold it down just to get it into the back of the toilet). Which is why I was like hmmmmm... So, now we make an appointment with a pediatric urologist! The doctor says it has nothing to do with curcumcision.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Dh (an RN) says that it is pronounced "me-ay-tus" - not "meat-us" (which is the way I pronounced it!) I just thought you might want to know.