Hegyat: Circumcision

For years and years circumcision of men, I mean boys had been observed and existed since time immemorial. Even when the time where men knew nothing of religion and was only passed by on them thru their ancestors, thus, can be called or based on culture.

Circumcision is the procedure of removing the foreskin from the human penis thru traditional way or surgery. We call it in vernacular, "hegyat."

Boys are born with a hood of skin called foreskin covering the head called glans of the penis. When a toddler is already out of diapers, you will notice them exploring their body most especially their genitals. A boy, would play on his birdie when he's not wearing pants. I noticed in my youngest that he tried to pull away the foreskin when no one's looking or when he thought he's alone.

Normally, the foreskin can be separated even at infancy but it should not be force as it may cause bleeding that will lead to scarring. Boys, starting at age five start to discover how to retract their foreskin. The process of pulling the foreskin from the penis is called foreskin retraction.

I can remember when my eldest son was still in kindergarten, I have seen him pull off the foreskin when he peed. Maybe he was influenced to do so because he played with older kids that might've teached him. When my husband learned about it, he taught him the needed hygiene. Because what do I know about that. He was responsible in teaching him how to wash his penis with the forskin retracted when bathing because skin cells build up under the foreskin after retraction and it will smell if not washed off. This could be done once in a while. The build up of skin cells which look like white lumps is called smegma. It's a normal thing.

When Christianity was introduced, our village adopted the religious reason behind circumcision. Moreover, most folks tell children that it is their gateway to adulthood. But what could a child knew about adulthood when he only knew how to play even after circumcision. It was like forcing them to act like one but no, it was just like reminding them to be more responsible according to their age.

When we were still kids, boys get circumcised the traditional way. One can be circumcised as early as 5 year-old as long as the foreskin can be pulled up but mostly at this age they were still afraid. So, commonly they were circumcised at age 7 or older when they feel ready. Some were being made fun of and were called "kuyyop" or "supot" as Tagalog call it that's why they will conquer their fear and get in the procedure. It is usually done during the long vacation after school so that they need not to go to school.

My older brother and two of my younger brothers were circumcised by our "lolo" or grandfather who was performing the act for so long. He had a special sort of a knife he was using for circumcision only. It has blade of a centimeter wide from its handle and extending to 5 inches ending a pointed tip. The handle is also four inches long. The knife should be sharpened first because it was stored for sometime. A piece of wood was readied. Ground charcoal was also prepared beforehand.

So he washed his hand and sterilized with alcohol and does with the knife. The boy sits in front of him. He inserted the pointed edge of the knife into the foreskin and hit it with the piece of wood. After that, the ground charcoal was placed over the cut.

After circumcision, the boy should wear loose, long shirt. One that is long enough to his knees so as not to irritate the cut and encourages air to circulate freely which aids in the healing process.

Few years back, my husband performed circumcision to some boys which I told him not to do it again because I was thinking of the risk.

Lately, many school children are circumcised because the hospital has a program for free circumcision. After my nephew's 10th birthday on Tuesday, my older sister took him and my son (8y/o) the following day to the hospital. As much as I wanted to be the one to be at my son's side during this important part of his life, I can't because I have toddler to look after.

It went well and I asked my sister if she took a picture of them after but she said no because one of our nephew whom she took with her declined. No matter how she tried to persuade him but the boy won't budge from where he was sitting. After sometime of unsuccessful talk with him, the anaesthesia effect was gradually fading that my son begun to cry, my sister said. That's why she was unable to take a picture of them because they were all grimacing with discomfort or pain maybe.

However, on Thursday at 9:00am my sister texted me that her son's cut was bleeding but my son's was just fine that's why she was able to clean it with boiled guava leaves. I told her to try the charcoal but she said she was afraid that it might cause complications. But by 5pm I asked for an update how's my nephew and she told me she took him back to the hospital. By the time we stopped texting I slept, likewise my nephew's cut had been profusely bleeding that it soaked his shirt and the seat. Even when he walked to the jeepney blood was dropping. It got the boy real scared when he noticed his penis was shrinking and turning while. He was also turning pale from the tips of his fingers that he cried hard to his mother saying he was losing blood. Even my sister was scared of the sight of her son. (This was what I posted on noise. I even asked if there's any herbal medicine that can stop the bleeding but it got no attention.)

The boy said, they made another suture after they were done at the hospital. Yesterday, I texted my sister again how the boys were doing and she told me my son's got inflamed while her son still had some hint of fresh blood. So she kept on asking others in their area what could stop the bleeding. Until one of her batchmates told her to try amoxicillin capsule. Open up the capsule and put the powder into the cut. Until then did the bleeding started to stopped little by little.

One reason why there's no one performing the procedure traditionally because the kind of blade used in circumcision was in extinction or already lost, perhaps. Another thing was that parents, I think prefer the hospital because of the process and accessories used.

Moreover, I never thought that babies could be circumcised except for Jesus. Until my eldest son was always admitted to the hospital because of his recurrent UTI. His pedia suggested for him to be circumcised to avoid getting UTI but I declined. First, he was just a baby and would be too active moving. He was still wearing diapers that could irritate the cut and prolong healing. Second, I don't have any knowledge in taking care post circumcised baby. Taking care of a newborn's umbilical cord is not an easy task, then how much more of a cut.

When I told one of my cousins about it, she said her baby nephew in Canada was circumcised when he was still a newborn babe... Like what? Oh so I thought because there were health care providers who were expert in taking care of a newly circumcised babe, them they can pay for the job.

05-29-21

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