In 1551, a French military surgeon named Ambroise Pare' was the first to document a phenomenon called "phantom limb pain." Pare' said that, “For the patients, long after the amputation is made, say that they still feel pain in the amputated part”
It's been reported that as many as 80% of those who have had an amputation experience phantom pains at some time in their life. Even though they know that the limb is gone, there are times they still feel it's there. They feel it move, or itch, or hurt.
As Harvey Danger said so eloquently, "They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, Goddamn you."
I know in my heart and in my head that my Mom is gone. But there are times that I can put it out of my mind and almost "forget". I go about my day, living my life without a care in the world, and then the pain hits me again. In that moment, it's like I have tried to take a step, forgetting that one of my legs is no longer there.
They say that depending on where the limb or body part was located affects how much more likely a person will be to have the phantom pains. It's much more likely if the limb is on the upper part of your body that you will experience these pains, but luckily the pains seem to decrease with time.
When my mom died, she took pieces of our hearts with her...
I wonder how long we'll still feel the pain in those parts.
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