What to expect? 20 month old son has cyst on his penis.

June 7, 2016 2:39 AM

My 20 month old (uncircumcised) son has a cyst on his penis. We going to see an expert but we have to wait a few weeks to get in and are feeling quite nervous. I am wondering if anyone has experience with this and what we should expect.

He has what our pediatrician thinks is an inclusion cyst, under his foreskin, but it is bigger than he has seen. Have any of your kids gone through this? What should we expect at the urologist's office? Will they recommend circumcision? Are there any specific questions we should be prepared to ask? Thank you! We are trying to breathe over here.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

In my experience (as someone who was once a kid, and is an uncle three times over), pediatricians are usually pretty risk-averse, and so if getting to the specialist is going to take some time, then this is probably not something to get too worried about. If it were a really serious thing, they'd be getting you in sooner, most likely.

So there's one place to start taking deep breaths. No idea about the suggestion of circumcision or not, but you can always get a second opinion, and if worst comes to worst, there are circumcision options that don't require complete removal.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:24 AM on June 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

They'll probably cut it open and remove the cyst. There are hundreds of videos online that will show you exactly what will be done. I recommend watching a few of them, because the procedure is very straightforward.
posted by xammerboy at 3:08 PM on June 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Awww, poor little guy and poor parents. I feel for you. I think you need some peace of mind about this and I think it would be completely fine and normal for you to call the pediatrician tomorrow and ask these questions. Tell him/her you need reassurance, ask what the urologist visit will be like, and what the circumcision options would be. If the doctor doesn't return your call or isn't helpful, call the nurse station and talk to them, and ask for their advice and if they can recommend a different ped in the office to talk with. You could also call the urologist office and ask if a nurse or doctor can call to answer some questions you have. I'm sorry I don't have specific insight about his cyst. I'm sure xammerboy is correct that there are videos you could watch. But in your position, I would not want to watch them!
posted by areaperson at 7:19 PM on June 7, 2016