Public Service Announcement

You know that annoying tingling sensation you get when your foot (or which ever body part) is falling asleep?

Did ya realise that is your body's way of freaking out and telling you that you've lost blood flow to that area?

Have you ever had your legs crossed for a long period of time, and when you uncross them, you've got a large red mark across your thigh? That redness is the first visual sign of loss of blood to the affected area.

When *insert body part* goes numb, you essentially have nearly strangled the life out of the area. The horrible pain of moving this body part is the blood flowing back into the affected area.

Now, in paralysis, a pressure wound is created because the spinal cord cannot signal the brain. There is no tingling sensation. There's no real physical alert.

Instead, the undetected 'tingling' turns 'numb', the 'numb' sometimes goes unnoticed and if the blood flow remains cut off for an undetermined amount of time, the area dies.

The previously flesh colored area may have already surpassed redness and turned darker. It looks different than a bruise... its hard to explain, but easily recognizable after seeing a couple. If the area goes unnoticed for a long period of time, the tissue can be black!

Some are miniature. Some are horrendous. Some heal quickly after being found and the problem is corrected. Some take years and years... or perhaps never heal completely.

Now, have you ever been angry because your foot has 'fallen asleep'?

I admit it. I have. It aggravates me. I hate the sensation. I hate that it slows me down because I'm unable to use the affected part of my body immediately. The whole situation makes me cranky.

But, from now on, realise by allowing blood flow back into the area - which creates that horrendously tingling sensation, you're averting a nasty pressure wound.

And, from now on, be thankful for the pins and needles affect.

This post was written solely for others to gain knowledge about quadriplegics and pressure sores.

You know the saying, "You learn something new each day?"

Hopefully, I just made someones quota.