Minor Hypospadias (glandular); surgery or leave it?
I've been on an extended vaca from the bump boards...mostly because when I first started it was a positive environment and when I left it was mostly negative and the fun pretty much died down as members left for an exclusive FB page (I don't FB). SO, I just kind of drifted off.
Now I come back looking for advice from all of you new moms and hope to be welcome here. My lil boy was born with a birth defect - hypospadias. We are lucky that he only has a minor case and the pee hole is only slightly below the tip. In fact, at the hospital the urologist felt we could forego surgery and just circumsize (those were our original wishes). The Dr. peeled back the hooded foreskin that usually accompanies the hypospadius and discovered the pee hole is lower than he originally thought. So, we were back to thinking we need surgery.
Now our appointment is approaching (Lucas will be about 3 months old) and I am sick at the thought. I do not know at what age the surgery will occur as this will be our initial pre surgery appt. but I was told before 1 year old. Has anyone had a baby boy who went through this surgery or is looking at the prospect? I really need someone to lean on. At times I think if he can pee standing and is otherwise healthy then it is purely cosmetic...but what of the psychological ramifications later for having to be "different" especially in the genital area? Will it even be noticeable in a locker room? What about having an infant in pain after surgery...can I justify it?
Re: Minor Hypospadias (glandular); surgery or leave it?
So the hole is just slightly lower than the regular location? Does it really look *that* different than a "normal" penis?
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)
I don't have any advice for you yet, but we are dealing with the exact same thing. We have an appointment with a urologist in Jan, so we should learn more then.
" At times I think if he can pee standing and is otherwise healthy then it is purely cosmetic" --This is something I wonder about, too. I feel like if it is just cosmetic, then I really don't want him to go through surgery. But it's also something that DH will have a lot more say in because he's got a better perspective.
It is slightly on the underside of his peepee, so as he grows I imagine he would have to take care in aiming (lift up). Some men end up having to pee sitting down. We can't predict, but if that were going to be the outcome I will have wished we had gone through with it.... He also has a hooded foreskin (only on the top half of penis)...which we left intact in case the surgeon needs extra skin when doing the surgery (they use it to extend the urethra to the tip).
It sounds (and at first I just took it at face value) as if it makes sense to go forward...but as I do research online it makes me very nervous and guilty to do a surgery purely to change the appearance of his penis. I wish i could wait until he is a teen and let him decide but if that means he is picked on as a small child for having to pee sitting down or accidentally peeing on his shoes or clothes as a young-un then I fear he will be tormented by other kids. Of course...we cannot predict how the defect will change with his growth and whether it was hardly a big deal or a huge deal. I just need to hear moms say that their LO came through ok and wasn't in a ton of pain.
I will keep in touch and let you know how our appointment goes on September 27th. Thanks for chiming in
Hmmm, I have no idea what I would do.
That said, I do have some surgery experience.
Gabe had hernia surgery. He was in the hospital overnight (he wouldn't have been if he wasn't a preemie). He had surgery at 2:00 and had to be at the hospital at 11. He couldn't have breast milk after 9am and no pedalite after 9:30am. The surgery was fast. He did have an iv put in and had to be intubated, but they did it once he was asleep. They extubated him in recovery and gave him glucose water there. I never saw him with tubes down his throat. He was very sleepy when he came out, and slept for several hours. They kept his IV in until he started eating normally. H stayed with him over night. He was very fussy and just wanted to be held. His pain was managed with tylenol.
He came home the next morning at 11am. He was fussy that day as well, but tylenol helped. Then the next day he was pretty much back to normal. His steri-strips came off when I gave him a bath and he has hardly any scar.
Not sure if this helps you. But, I thought I'd share.
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)
It helps, thanks for sharing. It is the surgery recovery and complications that scare me. I actually did a search on TB after posting here and saw many other posts about this particular issue. Overall people seem to feel their LO's came through ok. There is a catheter for 1-2 weeks (depending on severity of HS) and that can be very tricky. You must double diaper and route catheter into outer diaper. There is a risk of infection or the need for a repeat procedure if the stitches tear open around the catheter. It's such a small opening I suppose the catheter helps it keep form and if that catheter is unstable or ripped out then you are in trouble.
My little guy has minor hypospadias too. Based on your description our boys have a very similar case. We have decided to go through with the surgery. We met with the urologist a few weeks ago. She wants to see him again when he's 5 months old and then we will schedule the surgery between 7-9 months old. The doctor said that it's an out patient procedure and we will be able to take him home the same day. He may or may not need a catheter for a few days. She said he will look like a normal circumcised baby after the surgery.
As for making the decision to go through with the surgery - I understand your hesitation. Nobody wants to see their child in pain! However, for us, we are 100% going through with it. Not only can hypospadias affect his ability to urinate normally (standing rather than sitting), it can also affect his ability to be able to father children when he's an adult. It's more than just a cosmetic issue.
Good luck at your appointment!
Our Story:
Me: 36, DH 38
2005: Blighted Ovum
2010: Surprise pregnancy (son born 2011)
9/2013: Husband dx = poor morphology, low motility. My dx = normal, tubes clear
10/2014: After 2 years of actively trying moved on to IVF. ER=16 (12 fertilized).
11/2014: Transferred 1 4AA blastocyst (3 blasts made it to the freezer) = BFP