Learning to swim with sickle cell

I seem to be turning into some kind of expert on this. I recently went searching – again – for websites about swimming and sickling, and what should I find but my own post on the first page of Google results! I feel well qualified to be an expert because I have taken Abrantie swimming many times and we’ve only had bad consequences a couple of times – and I’ve learned from them! Mind you, there’s not much to it. Swim in warm water, stay active to keep warm, don’t stay in too long and get out and get dressed before you start to feel cold. Wetsuits may help, if you can make that investment (we haven’t).

However, Abrantie’s school has just started its annual swimming lessons for the whole school, and I thought they may need this spelled out in a little more detail, seeing as how they’ve probably never come across sickle cell before – except perhaps in high school genetics lessons. Also, swimming classes generally follow a particular format that might need to be modifed for a child with sickle cell, whereas with recreational swimming you can do what you like, get out when you like, and you don’t have to stand around (getting cold) waiting for your turn with an instructor. So with DadaK’s permission I wrote an information sheet for the school and the swimming instructor. I’ve uploaded it as a Word document in case anyone wants to modify and use for their own situation.

Today was the first day of swimming lessons and all seemed to go well. Abrantie got wet, got individual attention, had fun, and didn’t get cold or – so far – sick. The catch was that the warmest pool was the baby pool, and it was a bit hard learning to swim in water that was only knee-deep. He’s hoping that tomorrow they’ll try out the bigger pool, which is heated and indoors, though not as hot as the baby pool. Hope that works out okay!

Bouquet to RACP

In late August the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) released a statement that reaffirmed their position that male circumcision should not be performed on infant boys as a routine procedure. Good on them! Read their statement, a brochure for parents, and the policy which is currently being reviewed.

Circumcision seems to arouse incredible passion and tenacity among its supporters. These are usually – but not always – people from cultures where circumcision is a time-honoured cultural practice. It’s been my observation that in mixed relationships, it’s usually the partner from the non-circumcising culture that gives way, if there’s any disagreement. Well, that may promote marital harmony but seems pretty unfair to the child, who has no choice in the matter. 

I don’t see culture as a defence for what I consider to be an oppressive practice.  Culture is ever-changing and over time, people often repudiate cultural practices that used to be routine – there are, for example, plenty of African women now speaking out against female genital mutilation – and in my own culture many people now reject cultural practices around gender roles that used to be unquestioned.

I also don’t think much of the medical arguments. As the RACP says in its statement, the alleged benefits of male circumcision just don’t stack up against the risks of the operation and the ethical issues around perfoming non-reversible, non-essential surgery without anasthaesia on a minor. And if you are concerned about the big bogey HIV (some studies have shown it may have a protective effect agaist HIV transmission) inform yourself with this briefing paper by the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations.

I could write a thesis on this topic but that will do for now …. I will sit back and await the brickbats that may shower upon me for revealing that I oppose circumcision.