Bersunat ≠ Sunat

Bersunat tak sama maksudnya dengan Sunat.

Sunat adalah perkara-perkara yang tak diwajibkan ke atas orang Islam, tetapi sekiranya dilakukan akan mendapat pahala. Ada banyak perkara yang masuk dalam kategori Sunat ini.

Manakala Bersunat hanya diwajibkan kepada lelaki Islam sahaja. You can only do it once. Usually you bersunat when you're in elementary school. In English it is known as circumcision or circum in short.

Bersunat is the very sign of manhood for the Malay boys. It is the line separated between the boys and man. Orang tua cakap, kalau dah bersunat dah boleh kahwin.

I didn't realize the difference between the two when I was a kid. I assumed both Bersunat and Sunat were the same thing. And I always confused how in the world you can do Bersunat again and again and again. Can you chop the 'angry bird' many times? It can grow?

It was only when I had my own circumcision when I'm 8 that the confusion ended.

There was a funny story when I had the procedure. I had my circum at the Hospital Parit Buntar, performed by none other than Abg Halim (my relative) who was a Medical Assistant at that time. Together with me were Hazril and Shahmi who were Abg Halim's son. Both of them are older one to two years old than me.

When the 'angry bird' being cut off, to distract ourselves from the pain (there was still some even though anesthetic does helps a little), Abg Halim asked us to recite a verse of the Quran. Both Hazril and Shahmi recited some short verses.

In my case, I didn't have any particular verse that came in mind during the procedure. So how?

"Boleh nyanyi?", Abg Halim quipped.

So from outside of the operation room, my mother could hear the 'Twinkle twinkle little star' song. Everyone looked among themselves with confusion. So this kid was so 'hero' that he could sang when he is being circumcised?

The truth was I was a 'lurus' kid. Orang suruh kita buat aje.....

But my little brother was more heroic than me. He had done it much more earlier, when he was only 1 year old. I always envied him because he was more 'manly' than me. That was why I was so eager when I was told to go for bersunat when I'm 8.

The actual reason why that happened was because of the infection that he had when he was still a baby. Since the skin is layered, the germs could stick on the 'angry bird'. Inflammation ensues and it will cause a hurting burning sensation when you take a pee.

That was what Haziq went thorough last week. Every time he went to pee, he screamed, "Sakiiiiiitttttttt!!!!!!!"

Of course we are concerned.

Initially we thought it was a simple infection. We took him to our usual clinic the next day after the pain still didn't abate. But even after applying the cream and taking the antibiotics and the problem still persist after several days, we started to worry.

Maybe it is time to take the ultimate decision. To have Haziq to bersunat.

I had some reservations about Haziq bersunat so early, but I also can't see him being in pain everytime he went to the toilet.

Go ahead with the plan it is..... 

We went early in the morning & straight went to see the pediatrician. He confirmed the clinic's diagnosis that Haziq needs to go for the circum procedure. He referred us to the surgeon to arrange for the procedure.

That morning the surgeon had received an accident emergency case. So he was already engaged in the operation room all morning and afternoon. Fortunately since the circum procedure is a simple one, we managed to book him for the late evening slot - at 6.00pm.

After the previous procedure that he had with the ear wax extraction a few weeks before, he had developed panic attack everytime he sees the hospital or the mention of the doctor. While the previous procedure was a planned one, this was not. It is an emergency. We could see Haziq's panic attack right from the moment the nurses wanted to insert the IV line to him.

Four.

That was the number of people that needed to hold Haziq down when the IV line insertion procedure being done. Not helping was the fact the nurses wasn't experienced enough to handle kids in his age like Haziq for the procedure. In fact it was until a doctor which happened to hear Haziq's scream at the hospital's canteen that came to help, that they finally managed to insert the IV. It was the third try by then.

Superhuman Haziq?

Later that day I found out why he was screaming like hell at that time. It seems that he had peed himself when the nurses was inserting the IV line. For a kid his age it was a very painful experience for him. Add the burning sensation from peeing. Add the panic attack that he already have about the hospital. It was the triple hell for him.

Poor Haziq.....

With the IV line

Surprisingly, after that he managed to calm himself. We changed his clothes with the operation robe and he played with his mother's smartphone all evening before the circum procedure. 

And then it was time.

The nurses for the operation room surprised when they saw me for the procedure. They kinda remembered me from the last two weeks ago. "Aik, abang macam saya pernah nampak dulu. Masuk lagi?"

Haziq seems calmer this time when I brought him into the operating room. Compared to last time, he didn't scream as loud as before. Not long, he was already sleeping under the drugs and I was ushered outside the room for the doctors to do their job.

 

After half an hour, the procedure completed.

 

Dah boleh kahwin?

 

Surprisingly it was that simple nowadays. Haziq admitted for hospitalization for a night for him to recuperate after the procedure.

 

Overall it was great at the hospital even though I just have some reservations about the staffs. I hope the doctors could make their visit round early in the morning before the clinics open. The nurses need to be more knowledgeable with their job. I was waiting to checkout for about 3 hours when apparently it was only the case of miscommunication.

As for Haziq, he learned a few new word to described his condition to us when he was in pain:

"Haziq sakitla sunat...."

"K*n*k Haziq sakitlaaa...."

For a few days he still experienced the burning sensation when he went to the toilet. After we went for the review visit with the surgeon, we got a dose of antibiotics for the infection and an acid cream for the old dead skin.

 

Sunat = dapat mainan

After five days the burning sensation abated.

He was already jumping around at this time. Running naked in the living room. 

(I was still need to lay on the floor with the sarung on at this time)

After one week, he already wear his pants. He still felt weird with his new 'angry bird' sometimes. 

(It was this time that the gauze for the circum being removed. It was hurt like hell. How time changed.)

He already started his class this week.

I'm glad that we went with the circum all along. Haziq feels great. I'm feeling great & Lia doesn't have to deal with his screaming every time he went to the toilet.

 

But there is one downside for this experience so far. Before Haziq went for the circum, we already trained him for potty & toilet training and he was doing great. After the procedure, it seems that he can't hold his pee long enough before he sees a toilet. We ended up changed the bed's sheet several times, cleaned the car's seat twice and he even peed at the field during we went to the Pesta Layang-layang previously. It seems he need to be retrain.

 

But even that, the upside trump the downside.

 

Even one of my officemate decided to arrange both of his boys for the bersunat coming this March school holiday after hearing about Haziq's circum experience.  

Just remember Bersunat is not the same as Sunat.....