THE CURSE OF THE ITCH

By Stephen Baron

Few things are as annoying to me as a simple itch. Whether it’s an itchy eye, a runny nose, or worst of all, a sneeze makes no difference. ‘'Just scratch or wipe it,’’ you might say. Would that it were that easy. My problem, though, is that I’m quadriplegic. I have no use of either my arms (That includes my hands, although I can move my right index finger occasionally. I haven’t figured out a good use for it yet.) or my legs. Consequently, I’ve learned to live with whatever happens. In the case of a sneeze, I have to wait until someone wipes my nose.

They each present me with the same problem. I can’t do anything about it, so I just have to live with it. Itches, in case you’ve ever wondered, pass in about 10 or 15 seconds. But to one suffering it, it seems like an eternity. I’m sure there are comparable problems that paraplegics have to endure. Sadly, nobody can understand them as well as the individual suffering them. They’re neither dangerous nor threatening, but they sure are annoying. As my wife, Nancy, has pointed out, "No problem is small, if it’s your own." Truer words were never spoken