Maddie got full braces on today, and of course it hurts. I've never had braces, but it doesn't mean I can't sympathize. straightTooth!Joy did have them, so she knows all about it. Hearing them commiserate with each other over the pain reminded me of a phenomenon that I've grow so used to these days that by the time it's done, I just forget about it.

For those who don't know, almost twenty years ago I snapped the tibia and fibula of my left leg in half. Yes, it was a very long time ago, but, as the doctor said at the time, "It will probably always bother you." He was right. Usually, it's not an issue, but every couple of weeks it gets weird. It happened once when I was driving on the way home from South Carolina this past weekend.

For a few moment, for whatever reason, all I can feel in my left leg is the break point. The flesh around it seems to be jello, just quivering around the bone. At the point of the break, it feels almost like there's a guillotine blade through it, and that the leg is just held together by the surface tension of the liquid inside it sitting against the metal. If I were to make a sudden move, the bottom half of the leg would just fall off. It's a horrible feeling, and if I'm not careful when it comes on, it can make me feel physically ill.

Studiously ignoring it (in a Zen-like fashion, i.e. actually not thinking about it, as opposed to concentrating on not thinking about which doesn't work and only makes it worse) makes the feeling fade away in a few minutes. And then, I forget about it.

Of course, that makes it the ideal kind of thing to write about, so if I never mention it to anyone, it won't be lost in the mists of time. So now you know way more about phantom trauma pain than you ever wanted to know!