Shaddup Already!
2005-02-03
Uncomfortably Numb
I took tomorrow off from work because my back and leg are bothering me intensely. I will probably take Monday off too. I prepared for it, just in case. At any rate, I'm seeing my GNP tomorrow, so hopefully she will give me some good drugs or something.See, my right leg is pretty numb. I hate telling people that because it is very misleading. One might think, "Oh, numb, no feeling." Well, that just isn't true. There is a whole plethora (I said plethora and you didn't! neener, neener, neener *stolen from poolagirl*) of unpleasant sensations.
I first experienced the numbness after my foot surgery. At that time it was the bottom of my foot, more on the right side than left, and just above my knee. I have made a nifty illustration for you:
The black represents the areas that I would say are completely numb. They have a constant sensation of being asleep. It's not the whole unbearably prickly feeling of when an appendage is waking up, it's just an underlying pins and needles effect.
I am also alarmed at times because I will step on something or do something that should cause me pretty intense pain. I don't feel it until the sensation has reached really deep into the skin layers. By that time, the nerves are sending major "Oh shit" signals to the brain and the pain is fairly intense and lasting.
Just this year, the numbness has spread. I think it probably has to do with a low back issue exacerbating (I love that word) the numbness from the surgery. Anyway, now my leg is more like this:
Again the black is the completely numb area. The blue is mostly numb and has a heightened pins and needles feeling. The green area aches pretty much all the time and the red part can be horrendous depending on the mood my body is in.
The whole area has a feeling of being chafed. Basically I feel like I have a heat rash on that area. Not to mention the whole damned thing itches almost constantly. Since the feeling to the upper layers of skin and nerves is shot, the itching emanates from deep within.
That means I can't do squat about it.
If I scratch at it, it does nothing but remind me that I can't feel my leg.
And that is a very disconcerting thought indeed.
