Can't You Tell?

"Is your gauze wet?"

"I don't know.  Let me look."

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This is one of those splinter skills and hard for people to understand. I've gotten better and can tell somewhat, but I still need to visually confirm up, down, left or right, etc. I didn't know where my body was in space. This is proprioception, or one of the main senses that isn't taught.

It was common for me to tell physical therapy that I needed to see my hands. I knew bearing weight on them when they were  in the wrong position could cause damage or pain.

PAIN 

I could feel deep pain. I couldn't really feel it on my skin. This was great for IVs, blood draws, and shots. I now feel this on my left side as it should be. I'm starting to feel this on my right, but it is very dull. I can be a human pincushion!

I felt cold first and not with my hands. I feel it in my stomach. Whether stored in the refrigerator or fresh from a new box, I can tell that my formula is cold. Refrigerated is closer to having a milkshake.

I can tell a bit if something is soft/hard by seeing squishiness. Again, appearance can give clue as to texture. A few years ago, I became fascinated with roughness of a towel. Only recently have I felt "soft."

Wet/Dry is just now coming. People are surprised that I can't always tell if something is wet.

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The sense of touch is peripheral and is coming much later.


I'm trying not to get a sensory processing  disorder. 

I under react. This means socially inappropriate behavior won't be noticed. Sitting quietly is very appropriate. What people may not know, though,  is that I shut down. I seem to respond again once the stimuli are removed, but I got to thinking of my coma. Was this over-stimulation? Had I shut down completely? The shut-down was so severe that biological functions shut down. This will have to be investigated.

To researchers, maybe I already HAD a sensory processing disorder and the high neuroplasticity I have brought me out sooner. I would still be fighting this processing disorder and slowly improving. To the public, this is just speculation.