Physically being numb often occurs when a part of your
body does not get enough
oxygen. It will grow
cold and lose
sensation and eventually you will become unable to move it. Being numb can create all sorts of interesting situations and
feelings.
For instance, the other
night I awoke suddenly and realized i could not
sense my
left arm. so, i reached over with my
right hand and started
groping around at my side where my other arm should be, but it was
nowhere to be found. I gasped in
horror as I realized that someone had come along in the
middle of the night and deftly removed my left arm while i slept. Who would have the gall to do such a thing to me? As I tried to
compile a list of
people who I would consider capable of such an act I became simutaneously
outraged and
heart broken. I would never be able to
tie my shoes again. i would never be able to swing on
monkey bars, my ability to pat my head and rub my
stomach was
forever lost....
It was then I noticed there was something odd sitting on the
pillow above my
head. i reached up and grabbed at it with my remaining arm and discovered, to my
horror, my
estranged limb. It was cold to the touch, and when i lifted it it was nothing but a dead weight.
I noticed, however, that it was still attached to me. Even though I couldn't move it or feel with it, I felt an empty shell of an arm was better than none at all. Maybe, after many arduous
years of
physical therapy and the addition of
subcutaneous electrodes I could regain some semblance of its former
glory.
While I spent several
minutes overdramatizing this loss, my arm began to
grow all tingly inside. I felt the cool
blood return into it. I discovered that it could be moved in a crude and
jerky manner. I flopped it around (accidently hitting myself in the
face once) and
smiled as I realized all hope was not lost for my second
favorite arm. Then came the second wave of sensation. The
muscles grew tense and my arm felt as if it was placed into an
Iron Maiden. As that feeling passed my arm was as good as new. It had been through
death and
rebirth and it came back as
wonderful as ever. I vowed, from that day forward, to never
sleep with my arm above my head again.