These are some of the phrases that Demarco has come up with to describe the many parastheses he experiences.

Lava and Machine Gun are pretty explanatory, rock solid is his definition for the feeling like his feet are made of cement, something I have found that many of you suffer from.

He also named "spear" pain, "crystal"-the sensation of scratching or scraping..

These descriptions were highly instrumental in finally getting a diagnosis.

He also talks about Pins and needles 1 and 2.

Pins and needles 1 means "the kind I used to have before my pain came, the kind that everyone gets."

Pins and needles 2 means "the kind that everyone has, except nothing you do can make it go away."

It must be so difficult to not be able to describe the way pain feels. That's where a lot of my heartbreak lies..that a child has to invent a way to communicate such unbearable sensations.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a little more about Demarco and his troublesome feet. The fact that he has grown up dealing with the trials of type 1 diabetes has been a "blessing," otherwise I don't know how a child of 9 would deal with this. Then again, he probably wouldn't have this problem without a life with type 1 diabetes. Go figure.

Kate