It's an innocent question from someone who cares. A common one. People are naturally going to ask you about an operation when they find out you are having one. I want to calm my friend's fears and let him know that it's just "day surgery," that I'll be "in and out." I use key words and nonchalant phrases to lessen the importance of the procedure, to get him to think, "Oh, day surgery, it must be simple removal of a bump or a tonsillectomy or minor carpal tunnel surgery. He'll be fine."

But I didn't have any of those procedures. Last month, at age 34, I was circumcised.

Oddly enough, I had found out just a few weeks earlier that I did, in fact, have bad carpal tunnel syndrome, and should have that operated on as well. Then I found out I needed a circumcision. So I weighed both options. Which should I have first? I decided it didn't matter. Whether the first surgery was on my right hand or my penis, my sex life would be put on hold either way.

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