My grandson is now a ...man!

“Tell me Tok Mommy, will it be painful?” Adam, my eight-year-old grandson, asked me.

“Hmm, I don’t think so. You go ask Tok Abah.” I replied.

“Abang says it is not. But I don’t want to use a clamp. Abang says laser is better.”

That was a conversation between Adam and me. And the topic of discussion was on circumcision - an important rite of passage marking a boy's entrance into adulthood

You see, I don’t have a son and so I wouldn’t know the difference between using a clamp or a laser. I wonder if Adam himself knew the difference. I suppose he does after having talked about it with Nik Adam Haris, my sister Lalin's eldest son. Twelve-year-old Haris, whom Adam refers to as abang, was circumcised three years ago by the laser method.

I was told that the benefits of using a laser are: faster operation, limited or no bleeding, quicker healing, minimal post-op pain, pleasant experience and most aesthetically pleasing results. (Lol!)

“It is better because the wounds heal faster,” Lalin said.

Adam is the grandson whom I raised since he was a baby. My husband and I have been preparing him for this important journey in his life - that first step towards adulthood.

We thought that the December school holidays would be a good time for Adam to be circumcised - there would be enough time for him to recuperate.

Somehow we weren’t able to have it done during the first half of the holidays and had to settle for the second half. We chose Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) for Adam on the recommendation of our neighbours whose 12-year-old son had his done there recently. Secondly, it is near to our house. They also recommended to us the doctor who performed the surgery on Hisham.

So, last Friday we brought Adam to see Dr Zulkifli Laidin who assured us that it‘d be okay for him to be circumscised this week because the wound would heal by the time school reopens.

The day of the circumcision was fixed for Monday, December 24. The surgery was to be performed by Dr Zulkifli at SJMC, at 11.00am.

Adam was not to eat after 5.00am - five hours before the surgery. Why you might ask. After all it is a simple surgery. Not really...because his circumcision was to be done under general anesthetics (G.A). We opted for G.A out of fear that he might get cold feet if the circumcision was done by conventional method. But of course the costs of having it done under G.A. is 10 times more than under local anesthetics.

Adam was asleep by 10.pm Sunday night after a dinner of Dominos pizza. We wanted to make sure he had enough to eat.

He was up by 7.30am the next morning, had his bath, dressed up and by 9.00am we were already on the 1st floor of SJMC’s North Tower, where the surgery would take place.

I know Adam was quite nervous but he behaved very well. After the necessary registration and changing to hospital attire, he was wheeled into the Operating theatre at 10.30. And within 15 minutes the circumcision was complete. However, he was not out until an hour later when the anesthetic wore off.

At about noon he was wheeled out of the day care surgery centre. There was my grandson, now a man!

We had wanted him stay for the night at the hospital, but he was eager to come home. By 1.00pm we were already back.