Temple street with private insurance

LirW

Mine is 6 and I just initiated the whole thing by asking him: Is it uncomfortable when the skin down there blows up? I continued telling him a doctor needs to see this, because there might be a way of fixing it and it doesn't hurt, it's just a short look.
He took it all very cool and when I had to explain that he'll need surgery, I told him that it's nothing major, it's just a cut and you're not going to feel anything, comforted him a lot.
I think this is just the age where they do not have the shame yet of having anything like that done between their legs, this is why I prefer to do it NOW.

Also involve your husband in it, he can reassure your boy that this is no big deal and it'll feel better afterwards.

Toots

I haven't actually mentioned anything about 'cutting' I've explained that we're going to see a professor about it (had to explain it wasn't like Hogwarts :pac:) but that he was going to fix the skin so that it didn't hurt anymore. The beacon website had a little download booklet thing that I discovered yesterday, which kinda runs through prepping your kid and I told him about having to put a mask on that smells of strawberries and then have a nap. He seems pretty calm about it, but of course that could all go out he window on the day. We've bought him a new game for his DS so that's going to be his incentive going in "it'll all be over really quick and we've a surprise at home" and hopefully it'll help keep his mind off it for the first few days after surgery.

cbyrd how is your little guy now? did ye get home tonight or did ye have to stay in? I hope he's doing ok, and not too uncomfortable.

I was wondering about the 1 week bit. The poor child hasn't had a pair of jocks on in a fortnight I called into his school on Friday to tell him that he'd probably be out for a few more weeks and luckily they were cool with it and gave me some work to do with him at home. I'm hoping that when he goes back eventually that they'll be ok with him wearing his school tracksuit for the first week or two back - it's baggier than the school trousers so would most likely chafe less.

For sure send him to school in his tracksuit for 2 or more weeks. I think my lad wore his tracksuit for about a month. His school did not mind at all. Make sure you have very loose fitting pyjama bottoms as well. For the first few days he can just stay in his pyjamas.
I forgot about the booklet, they do give you one when booking in for surgery and it's good to go through it with your son.
Stock up on Calpol and Neurofen plus a big bottle of dettol.
Bring his Nintendo to the hospital as well, as he will need to have something to keep him occupied while waiting to go to theatre.

Toots

Ooh good idea about the Nintendo! I never would have thought of that! Did a massive load of laundry yesterday so all his baggy pj's and tracksuit bottoms are all ready to go.

In terms of aftercare, was there a bandage on it or how did it work? Was there any bleeding after?

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

cbyrd how is your little guy now? did ye get home tonight or did ye have to stay in? I hope he's doing ok, and not too uncomfortable.

He's in great form today, I did notice the difference between the 2 boys, they took much less skin from the younger boy yesterday. He's had his first bath this morning without too much fuss.
Last night he insisted on wearing underwear and Jammie bottoms to bed but after going for a wee at 5:30am they were starting to rub a little and stinging him so off they came and he's letting it all hang out now He has a very high pain threshold though which is helping.

As I said every child is different, completely in both my boys case. The older guy was actually freaking out last night thinking how much pain his brother was in and how different things would hurt him. Like the baths and clothes etc.

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

In terms of aftercare, was there a bandage on it or how did it work? Was there any bleeding after?

He'll be bandaged after surgery, but he'll need to wee before he's allowed home. There shouldn't be any bleeding, maybe a bit when the bandage is removed but it should 'scab' up and be virtually dry before you leave. That's why there was a question mark over whether my lad would get home, it started bleeding a bit and took about 3 hours to dry up completely, so they were happy then to let him home.

Loose pants for going home, he'll still have the advantage of the anaesthetic (like coming out of the dentist) and they'll offer suppository painkillers during surgery, my motto is the more they can give the better
I've given the school 2 weeks off notice but if he's up for going back before then, he can.
He's currently sitting in an Epsom salt and tea tree oil bath eating ice cream

Toots

Lol! Ice cream in the bath is my idea of heaven.... granted that would be without the surgery to recover from.

I had surgery when I was in my 20s and I remember being appalled to hear they'd given me suppositories while I was unconscious :pac:

My little guy has had them before, he calls them butt medicine. Last time he had them he kept threatening to fart them out - he's a charming child really!

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Mine looks at suppository calpol and cries:)

Toots

Castiel Hollow Vehicle wrote: »

Mine looks at suppository calpol and cries:)

Yeah I think you can only get away with the 'element of surprise' once, and then they remember it after that

Does anyone who was at the Beacon remember what the carpark charges were like?

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

Just wanted to update and let ye know I got a phone call on Tuesday from the Beacon, and they've given me an appointment for next Wednesday morning to meet the consultant.

How'd did you get on with your little boy Toots? Did you get a date for surgery?

Toots

cbyrd wrote: »

How'd did you get on with your little boy Toots? Did you get a date for surgery?

Oooh, forgot to post in here! Got on really well, the consultant was very nice and confirmed that he absolutely needs surgery. Apparently he's one of the more severe cases he's seen He'll be going in at 7:15 on Monday morning, so much quicker than I expected. He'd got a cancellation so we had the choice of Monday 27th or Monday 6th, we took the 27th just to get it over with as soon as possible.

How's your little dude doing now?

LirW

Ohhhh best of luck Toots for you and your boy! I'm so delighted for you that it works out so fast.

I probably have to ring Temple street, I haven't gotten a letter yet and I think the GP sent it off like a month ago or so?

ForestFire

I have no advice on this particular procedure, but a little on the health insurance cover...

Check with the hospital what room type you are covered for and ensure you tell them that you are requesting this.
If that room type is not available on the day and they need to "upgrade" you because of this you should not have to pay the extra.

This was the case in the Galway Clinic, but check with your hospital first to clarify and agree, as it is not your fault if rooms are not available, and avoids unwanted cost and worry later

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

How's your little dude doing now?

He's good. Stinging and sore last night, the duvet was rubbing on him so it took a while to settle him for the night. I have 2 cushions either side of him to lift it off him but he turns over it rubs on him.
I also got a pair of jammie bottoms and cut a big hole in the front so he can let it all hang out he's warmer and a bit more comfortable during the day too !
It's trial and error to see what works. These are just the ones I found work for us..

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

Oooh, forgot to post in here! Got on really well, the consultant was very nice and confirmed that he absolutely needs surgery. Apparently he's one of the more severe cases he's seen He'll be going in at 7:15 on Monday morning, so much quicker than I expected. He'd got a cancellation so we had the choice of Monday 27th or Monday 6th, we took the 27th just to get it over with as soon as possible.

How's your little guy doing toots? Did the op go ok?

Toots

Ahoy! OP went well, he checked in at 7:15, went to theatre at about 8 and was in recovery and all by 8:45. He got an absolute heap of painkillers, including some sort of epidural, so I'd say he didn't feel much, but when they showed me his little penis, he looked down and nearly lost his sh!t. He absolutely screamed the place down when he had to go to the loo, but I think it was more fear than pain, cos his legs were still numb.

I robbed your idea of cutting the crotch out of a pair of PJs and he was delighted with that! He only woke once during the night, and I topped him up with Calpol and he went back to sleep. Had the first bath this morning, took me about 45 mins to convince him to get in, then when he was in I stuck the ipad on the laundry basket and fed him malteasers while he had a soak. Second bath this evening was less scary, but still took a bit of convincing to get him in. We've been using the Calpol, Neurofen and then the lidocaine gel and he seems to be coping well. It looks so painful though! Never been so glad to be a girl!

The deal is he's allowed to watch whatever he wants while he's recovering (distraction techniques) so he's taken full advantage of that, and spent the day watching Family Guy, but had to agree never to repeat anything that they say in it! :pac:

How's your little boy getting on? Is he in trousers again yet?

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

How's your little boy getting on? Is he in trousers again yet?

I laughed at your boy's reaction! sounds like my first boy after his op!
Younger guy had trousers on yesterday for the first time, but left him a bit sensitive today so back in the holy pjs! He's doing really well, he's more practical than the older lad but is still getting spoiled! He's asking for baths now, it's like his alone time .
Plenty of ps3 (he's usually timed) and ice cream, but he's really surprised me with how well he's doing!
Hopefully he'll be good for school next week.

Toots

That's really great progress! I can't believe he's asking to have a soak in the bath, my little guy is still freaking out about the bath. Yesterday's bribe was some star wars lego, and today's was sushi for dinner, but it still took a good hour of convincing to get him in. He's already trying to line up future bribes, so I reckon I'll be bankrupt by the end of the week. :pac:

I can't believe how much difference the baths make, especially in the morning - it's usually very sore looking when he wakes up but after a soak in the bath it just looks sooo much calmer.

Hospital mentioned putting a load of vaseline inside their undies but that sounds a bit messy to me. I figured when he eventually lets me touch it I'd put vaseline on him as opposed to the clothes. Did your little boy need vaseline or did he just put the trousers on without it?

cbyrd

Toots wrote:

Hospital mentioned putting a load of vaseline inside their undies but that sounds a bit messy to me. I figured when he eventually lets me touch it I'd put vaseline on him as opposed to the clothes. Did your little boy need vaseline or did he just put the trousers on without it?

No I've never used the vaseline, I figure if he was able to stand me rubbing vaseline on him he'd be able for pants.

I did put coconut oil on the older boy just melted it in my hand and let it run onto him. His wound was much bigger though, it's halfway down his willy as opposed to the younger boy is really just the tip. The coconut oil soothed the stinging for him. He used to take a lot of convincing to get in the bath, my OH was better at convincing him. We started off counting to 40, then out then counting to 40 twice and worked up from there, it was fun!
He went to his dads the weekend after he was done (5 days after) I sent all the stuff with him but on the first day I called around lunch time to see if he'd had a bath and he hadn't. My eldest girl put him in but it was a long weekend there (3nights) and when I picked him up on the Monday he had an infection. It took an extra 2 weeks to heal properly. I was so annoyed with his dad. It was summer holidays so he wasn't missing school.

I'll try the trousers again tomorrow but maybe not leave them on as long!
My older boy did really well out of me when he was done, he got dvds and books (thank God he's not into Lego or I would be bankrupt!) his uncle sent him a huge jar of jelly beans too.
This little man is just happy to negotiate extra game time but loves having the bath to himself!
Funny how they're so different!

Toots

It's mad how they're so different! My little guy sounds like your eldest, his is kinda halfway down as well. The consultant told us afterwards that the whole thing was so tight, there was no way he could get away with anything except a full circumcision. In fairness, the actual incision line is barely visible, it looks to be a very neat job. I think the pain is more from the head, which is now exposed. It's still quite swollen, but I'm not sure how swollen is too swollen if you get me, like it's hardly going to be back to normal already.

He's in the bath again right now, the hubby was going to try and get him in this time (I had to go have a bit of a cry after putting him in earlier) but the little dude was having none of it, he only wanted me to put him in. He just can't bring himself to sit down, so I end up having to pick him up and just lie him in it (with much screaming and splashing). I think it must be stinging him when he goes in. I tried putting the lidocaine gel on about 20 mins beforehand to reduce the stinging but he still freaked out. How much tea tree oil do you put in the baths? I wonder am I putting in too much or not enough...

My husband wanted to put colloidal silver on him, but TBH when I googled it, an awful lot of the sites recommending it seemed a bit quack-y and I'd be terrified it would make him worse. If it was his arm, I'd chance it, but god almighty I'm not taking any chances with his little penis.

cbyrd

I put about 20 drops of tea tree and a good cereal bowl size of Epsom salt in. Bath is less than half full.
My older boy was like that, screaming and crying getting in the bath, the first few days I couldn't manage to get him in the bath and my OH had to do it. Lol, when I think of the bargaining he used to do before he'd get in was hilarious!

Colidal silver, I wouldn't have any problem using. It's old school and that sometimes puts people off! like tea tree, but its amazing stuff. I used the tea tree neat on both boys when they got infections and it cleared it within a day or too, much more effective than the antibiotics and less stress on their immune systems. I always took them to the doctor to have it noted cos when they saw how many infections they got he'd no problem putting them forward for the op.
It eases once the stitches start to come out, but like you, I don't think it's the wound so much as the exposed tip that stings. I imagine it being uncovered it need to build up resistance to EVERYTHING touching it!
Even still my boy will tell me to be careful when I'm drying him after a bath or shower, he's still very sensitive! How much is in his head I don't know but he was going round 'holding ' himself for a day or 2 after his brother was done

The younger boy is back in trousers today and is jumping round the place like his usual self, I'll probably send him to school on Monday, I'm just wary cos he's a bit of a mentaller in the playground and I'm afraid he'll hurt himself and frighten the other kids!

Tramore Tilly

Gah! Got here too late. Our eldest (7 year old) had it done in Jan. Would have loved a thread like this at the time! We did the whole vaseline thing. I know it sounds messy and extreme, but the thoughts of fluff getting caught up in the wound really freaked me out.

He was really worried that he would wake up or that he'd have a nightmare during the procedure. But we constantly reassured him that nothing like that would happen. I expected a lot of waiting around so I brought a magazine for him and some match attacks cards and we played that for the few hours of waiting. Like someone else said I wasn't sure what to pack. So luckily I packed pyjamas and he changed into them and just relaxed for the waiting time.

They let me go down to the theater too. I wasn't prepared at all for it! It all felt so serious all of a sudden. We're lucky that neither of the kids have ever gone under anaesthetic before so seeing the mask go over him and then seeing him fall asleep was clearly a shocker. I was so busy stroking his hand and comforting him I didn't realise I was crying!

One thing I learned, if anyone is facing it in the future, don't let them see the nurse taking out the cannula! Our guy witnessed it and puked everywhere! I could see him watching it but another nurse was talking to me so I couldn't distract him quick enough.

Other than that we did 3 dettol baths a day for 4 days, vaselined the bejaysus out of everything and after day 5 he was back in school. We were told no PE or sports for 3 weeks, which was tough going for our sports star. It took about that for the swelling to go down all the same.

Anyhow, I'm a bit after the event so not much use, more of a telling our story type post. Hope all the boys recover well and are already back to themselves.