Circumsision...no thanks!

I wish I hadn't been circumcised at birth. I hope you can find a resolution without getting circumcised.

 

While it is possible that your doctor was mistaken, they are human too, if the urologist argees it will be important that you listen. It is fine that you dont want to be circumcised, but you have to remember that because of this you have a baised opinion. These men dont. Not to mention, they have quite a number of years worth of instruction on the subject.

Its always good to get a second opinion, but if they recommend circumcision than you should do it. It really isnt that big of a deal anyway.

 

A pediatrician or general practitioner will present all of the options. A urologist or surgeon is going to be much more knowledgeable about which option is appropriate for your particular case.

 

my parents had me circumcised... i wish they could have waited and not made a life altering dicision, ya know?

 

life altering decision? its that important?

 

Wondering the same. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. o.o

 

I think you want to avoid circumcision unless it's medically necessary. Circumcision is an incredibly bad tradition that needs not to be continued.

 

My parents do consider circumcision as a very big deal and are very firm when they say no one in this family should ever get circumcised

 

I have friend who is a Dr, and his Caution is this, when it comes to Dr's, in your case a surgeon makes money doing surgery, or said in another way if all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. Make sure you explore your options and do what is right for you, not what will make someone money.

 

I was basically thinking the same thing. Although it's ethically wrong to push more surgeries for money, humans are humans and are biased nonetheless.

 

There are some people who feel incredibly strong about the fact that they were circumcised as children without their consent. Personally, I am not one of them as I feel that lack of foreskin has not majorly impacted my life...but that's just my view.

Now this thread was made by the OP to talk about the doctor's diagnosis, not about general views of whether circumcision is moral in itself in regards to children, so lets try to stay on topic

 

As a chick, I really have no say in the 'emotional' aspect of circumcision.

As somebody who has worked in a maternity ward and observed/assisted during countless circumcisions, I can tell you that the infants could not care less. Local anesthesia is used (lidocaine), and the only thing the babies react to is being restrained.

I also think that it's incredibly important to note that multiple studies have shown that circumcision decreases the likelihood of acquiring HIV by 60%. I think that anybody who is mad at their parents for circumcising them is losing sight of this fact. Knowing that information, I don't understand why anybody would NOT get circumcised.

As for the original question: If you ever have any reservations about a diagnosis, get a second opinion...especially when surgery may be involved. It's good you're going to the urologist, he will have more specialized knowledge and hopefully be more helpful. You obviously don't want to make a decision you're going to regret based on faulty information, but you also don't want to dismiss a professional opinion out of personal bias.

 

We're going a bit off-topic here but since circumcision seems to be one of the topics that starts a flame war (a strange bedfellow to religion and politics).

A year ago, there wasn't enough research to make a definite statement on the relationship between HIV and circumcision. Now, it's pretty much an established conclusion in public health that uncircumcised heterosexual men have a higher risk acquiring HIV from unprotected vaginal sex. In Africa, public health organizations are beginning to promote circumcision. But Africa is where there are millions of people infected with HIV, condoms aren't readily available and an entire generation of people are being wiped out. And in Africa, HIV+ women are giving birth to HIV+ infants who either die at a young age, or sometimes worse, outlive their parents. When faced with genocide and millions of dying people, desperate measures are called for.

However, we aren't recommending circumcision as an HIV prevention measure in developed countries like the US. There are valid reasons to circumcise- severe phimosis, recurrent infections, religious reasons, consistency with family tradition or consistency with cultural standards. And it is much easier to circumcise an infant than an adult, so post-natal circumcision is still the accepted standard in countries like the US.

 

Just out of interest, other than not having your consent, why is it so bad that you have been circumsised? Does the foreskin even serve any purpose?

 

Well it protects the head of the penis and has many nerve endings and is one of the most sensitive parts of the penis.

Also unless for medical reasons it is just COMPLETElY unnecessary surgery like cropping a dobermans ears. Or hell if we just decided to lop off babies ear lobes cause they look a bit weird.

 

Fair enough. I guess it'd be like cutting a girl's labia off or something.. Ouch.

 

Well the op's question has pretty much been answered I suppose but a second opinion is always a good option.

and to go off-topic: I had a traditional Muslim circumcision when I was 8-10 I think. On a sofa, with little anesthetic. Still I don't get why it's such a big deal. Perhaps the procedure is different in Jewish tradition, but the lack of foreskin isn't limiting me in anyway, I think. I mean it works like it's supposed to...