If You Had to Choose

Call me crazy, but I'm always thinking about random subjects like:

"If you had to lose a sense, which one would it be?"

I knew a girl who fell off a motorcycle and bonked her head on a rock. Next thing she knew, she couldn't smell a thing. She couldn't smell anything ever again. Turns out, she damaged the part of her brain that held her sense of smell.

Actually, I was friends with her younger sister who told me about her plight. At that time, I thought it was a good thing she couldn't smell because her much-older boyfriend was a bit on the "sour" side, if you get my drift. I mean--and I don't want to gross you out or anything--but heck, you don't want to get stuck in the back seat with the two them them on a long trip.

I wonder how she is doing today and if she ever broke up with him. I remember drilling her about stuff at dinnertime in the kitchen when I was a guest in her mom's house. I always wondered how she tasted things, or if they didn't taste at all, what with her sense of smell gone and all.

Call me crazy. Or call me clueless, but I'm pretty forward about this stuff because I was practically blind for a time, myself. I have no problems answering questions about that stuff. And I asked a deaf girlfriend a lot of questions about her situation, too.

Come to think of it, I don't know the point of this post.

Just sayin.

Anyways, thing is, if you had to lose a sense, which one would it be? Would it be sight? And if it were, how would you remember the colors? Even during my worst, I could still sense colors. I couldn't see them clearly or read a ball band or maybe see the difference between a taco and a burrito, but at least I could tell bright red from bright white.

Or would it be your hearing? I love music. But I've known people who don't hear and they still feel the vibes. But, they can't hear the laughter of their children or the punchline to a funny joke.

Or would it be your sense of smell? I think the sense of smell is underrated. I joked about the gal who got hit on the head and whose sense of smell got stolen, but I tell you what: her choice of boyfriend's was surely affected. Not to mention all the rotten food she's eaten and not known about it until it was too late.

So, there's hearing, seeing, smelling, feeling, tasting, ...what else is there? Isn't there some other news about pressure or other sensations?

And I'm wondering if I could knit without my sight. My grandmother has lost most of her sight from macular degeneration. And I didn't have mine for a time--when I was about seven--and at this moment I am blind in one eye (which results in some bruises on my right side every now and then and the inability to paint a three-dimensional picture or catch a fast moving ball).

In fact, I just talked to grandma--my mom's mom--not too long ago, and we discussed knitting. She taught me to knit when I was eight and I told her how much I was enjoying it.

"Oh, I can't knit anymore," she said. "I can't even read...even the big-print books. But if I could chose anything, I suppose I'd knit again."

(And she used to knit with the cheapy-do yarn. Even the cheapy-do yarn will make you pine for the needles. Oh grandma. I wish upon all wishes that you could see well enough to knit again...)

Comments

[Catherine]

One of our dogs was born deaf. She gets along fine, having learned many signs -- some ASL, some we made up. We have a passel of dogs and the deaf one, Cookie, has learned to sleep on the porch with one part of her body touching another of the dogs so when they jump up to bark at something she can jump up and bark too. We are training her with the hope that she will be able to compete in agility or disc dog (frisbee). No reason why not. Sometimes I feel sad for her that she cannot hear me say her name. But then, I use the ASL sign for "biscuit" which is cupping one hand and tapping the other in it as if using a cookie cutter. When she sees us do that, she wiggles with what appears to be intense joy, as if somebody has poured warm honey over her head. Obviously she knows that is "her" sign, but what precisely it means to her we don't know. There is a picture of her on my blog, along with pictures of the other eight dogs. (Yes.)
I realize that has nothing to do with your post, but I was sad for your grandma and somehow my thoughts caromed off. People do knit in the dark (Elizabeth Zimmerman has instructions for it). But it doesn't sound like much fun, does it? I like to see my creation grow.
Another not-quite-relevant story: My uncle lost an eye playing hockey. My brothers, of whom there were five, were mostly adolescent at the time. And they were HEATHENS. When my uncle would come to visit they would hum that Mexican song with the chorus that goes "Aye, aye aye aye." My mother was mortified but (terrible to have to admit this) I thought it was kind of funny. Uncle did too, as I recall.
So now since you brought it up about lacking vision in one eye, it would be interesting to know how that came about. And does it make your weak eye wander? I'm just curious. No obligation to indulge me, that's for sure.

[blueadt]

A previous Airedale that I had went blind when she was 3 years old. She still went on long walks with me (18 miles one day to raise money for a local rescue kennels) & totally enjoyed her life. I had to teach her lots of new commands including 'DOG' which was to warn her when another dog was around so that she wasn't scared. Also 'CAREFUL' which meant stop dead. Sometimes she'd ignore me (typical Airedale) & fell of a bridge, walked up a slanted tree & crashed into loads of things. Eventually she learnt to obey that one! She also knew "Ahh is she blind?" & would suck up to the new victim & get loads of cuddles :-)

[Debbie]

Oh, Chuck looks like he has gone Hollywood on us. Very handsome devil. Is he getting an agent or just going to share yours?

[heather]

Oh boy. Your poor grandma! I'm also glad you can seee good enough.
I have an intense sense of smell. Sometimes it really gets on my nerves, but I wouldn't want to lose that.
I think if I had to, I would pick my hearing. I wouldn't have to hear the dogs barking at nothing anymore, or the whining, the complaining about no clean laundry, scary noises at night, the loud noise of the dishwasher, or the cat howling for attention in the middle of the night.

Yup--definitely the hearing. That way I could still knit and spin, but it would be filled with peace and quiet. ;)

[Janet]

I have a blind dog and an almost blind dad. My dad goes (mom takes hime) to the library and gets all sorts of books on dvds and tapes. He's the best read person I know! Maybe your Grandma would enjoy doing that. The dog has changed my life in that she can't just be let out the back door. We have to go with her to keep her safe, and we've child proofed the house for her. My MIL fell about 20 years ago and lost her sense of smell which also affected her sense of taste. She never was a good cook anyway so it hasn't really affected much. I'd take that one.

[Lisa]

My boyfriend had polyps removed from his sinuses three years ago and he can no longer taste or smell. His passion is cooking. He really misses them...

As for me...I guess if I had to lose a sense...well I can't choose. They're all so wonderful...

[June]

I've lost some sight in 1 eye, too. It happened in college, in the spring of my senior year - Drs. seem to think it was stress related. There are a surprising number of knitbloggers who have significant eye problems. Btw, the loss of smell is called "anosmia."

[anmiryam]

Hearing, definitely hearing. I live in my own world pretty much most of the time anyway. I'd miss music, but not too much. I could still knit and read and cook and look at the world.

You've piqued my curiousity. What happened to your sight when you were a child and how did you get over it?

[Theresa]

Definitely not touch (which I haven't seen mentioned) - if you can't feel pain as a warning that something is wrong, you tend to die very quickly.

Smell is probably the least expendable. Many people lose smell briefly after an accident (all the nerves get sheared off), but regain it when they grow back.

Can I just stay practically perfect in every way?

[Stephanie]

Hmmm. I'd have to say hearing, but I'd prefer to keep all my senses intact - obviously. Your poor grandma. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't knit.

[Cheri]

My mother in law has neuropathy and has lost feeling in her feet and much in her fingers. It is amazing how much losing the sense of touch has changed her life as the nerves have died. Sad since it affects your balance, ability to feed yourself etc. A friend who works at the grocery is deaf. His wife is not, nor are his daughters (he is extremely proud of his girls, both in college). His life is full, but I think that people get impatient trying to "talk" to him (he is mute). But if I were to lose a sense it would probably be my hearing and I'd ask Walter to brush me up on my ASL.

[Zeila]

Oh Wendy, you made me miss my Nana even though she has been gone nearly 12 years. She didn't knit much, but I miss all the wonderful hours visiting with her while she cooked and gardened. I was lucky enough to have her for 92 years, but every once in a while, I wish I could have another day with her.

[ariane]

One I would want not want to loose would be "feeling". I see my son suffering from it daily. We usually take it for granted that we have all of our sences intact, but when our 6 year old can't make it to the bathroom on time, land on top of a rusted nail, grip his sandwich so tight that it's nearly smashed before he eats it, has a cold and cannot cough up the flem all because you can't feel it, you begain to wonder. All the things I just mentioned puts your life in danger in some way or another.

[ariane]

Thanks Cheri, balance, how can I forget that, my son suffers greatly from poor balance due to his low tones as well.

[Beth]

My sister doesn't feel pain, and while she's 26 years old, and NOT "dying very quickly" she certainly has her problems, of which I will spare you the details, 'cause they're kind of a bummer.

Also, I don't know if you get to see your Grandmother very often, but if you do, maybe you could help her to knit. There was an article in the latest Interweave about a blind woman who teaches blind people to knit and she said it is advantageous to have a sighted person around, but it's certainly possible to knit without sight (which I can attest to - I knitted throughout a very dark movie recently, on dpns and everything. I only made a few easily fixed or ignored mistakes.)

[jillian]

I would have to say hearing. Of course it's a fearful thing to think about losing any sense. I never thought about smell, which I think seems like it would be no big deal but actually is a very big deal.

[Mary]

I am a couple points away from being legally blind in my left eye. Due to an astigmatism(sp) that the docs said could have been helped greatly if it'd been caught early. Unfortunately I had the misfortune of being the younger sister of an acute asthmatic as well as being the shortest in school where we sat by height...my parents had enough problems without my adding anymore...I didn't get glasses until I was 13! The docs at UCLA Medical Center were super concerned cuz what with puberty and the super-weak eye (wanders like a mofo...) and the "rapid degeneration" (their word, I will NEVER forget it) they were afraid I would lose it. I was afraid I would lose it. Then I finally plateaued, phew, and now stumble along my merry way. I hate driving, it stretches my depth perception to the utmost limit.

So can I lose the rest of the eye and only one ear? Is that an option?

[Lizbon]

This is a very touching post. And how like you to wish so hard for your grandma to be able to knit again. I would miss knitting desperately myself and have often thought it would be terrible to lose my sight (which is nearsighted but otherwise fine) - not just for knitting but for art and looking at flowers and forests, and the whole magilla. The knitting I could probably still do, but to not be able to see the colors....I think color may be my favorite part of being alive.

[Holly]

I lost my sense of smell and taste for about 3 months a few years ago. I had a terrible cold and flu and wasn't too concerned at first, but after a couple of weeks, and it still didn't return I did get concerned. It eventually did return but I can tell you it was very frustrating not to be able to taste food. Not being able to smell didn't seem to bother me. But tasting was another story. Still, I'd certainly rather have that happen than lose my vision or hearing. One can still function normally without the sense of taste and smell.

[elizabeth]

I've always had a really bad sense of smell. The interesting thing is that people tend to judge one for not being attuned to smells. My husband gets an agitated and irritated tone when he asserts, "I can't believe you can't smell that!" as if I've chosen to ignore something noxious. Other people react the same way. I finally told my husband that he wouldn't yell at a blind person for not seeing or a deaf person for not hearing, so don't yell at me. I think he got the point.

[Ruth]

One of my mom's friends had a really bad car accident and had to have her face reconstructed. She lost her sense of smell and taste, and lost the pleasures of baking (she used to bake bread every day). But the weird thing is when she started to regain the ability to smell certain things, some, like peanut butter and coffee, smelled really really bad.

[Whit]

I had a friend who couldn't smell. Her children always had dirty diapers. Horrible.

When I was young I thought I could give up sight before hearing, but I definitely think sight would be the worst to lose. MIL lost her ability to see and it was horrible that she couldn't do her quilting. So sad.

[Martha (another one)]

There are some decisions that I can't make because I know that I would have regrets with all of the available choices. While I'm happy to have all of the freedom and choices that I do in my life, there are some things that I am glad that outside forces have decided for me.

I'm in a medical field, and it is always interesting to see how people deal with various illnesses, especially ones that they have to deal with on a day to day basis. Chronic pain is a hard one. If you take medications for it, people think that you're a druggie. If you deal with it in a wonderful and capable way, nobody notices.

I guess that always having pain is like adding a sense instead of losing one. Well, a sensation, if not a sense.

That being said, I of course wonder what it would be like without one of my senses, and how I would deal with it. But I won't chose.

[jill]

I've thought of that question before - and all I can say is I am glad I don't have to answer it. I sometimes panic when I wonder what it would be like to suddenly go blind or lose my hearing. I can't imagine - but I find it amazing how some people learn to compensate.

[Mary-Kay]

Funny... I have also thought of that question. I think I would have to choose my hearing. Although that would be a pain.

No way would I choose my eyesight. I had shingles in my left eye in 2003 (I was 35) which has left my cornea damaged pretty badly. I am on two medications daily and it is only getting worse. My next appointment will be to discuss a transplant but since I am so young they haven't suggested that until now because it has the highest rejection possibility. To my specialist it is my next step.

This last year I have re-started knitting and of course spinning and painting, and READING!

My eyesight is HUGE. I would really HATE to loose it all the way.