Sink or Swim
 

Living in a hot climate, the pool has always been a huge factor in my life. When I was young, we belonged to a swimming pool. No, not a fancy club just a pool. There were no public pools way back then and certainly no pool that we kids could ride our bikes to and spend the whole day. The bummer was that the ride home made me hot again.

Then we moved and I had a pool in my backyard. I remember the warm days of March when I would put my feet in the pool, slowly ending up with wet edged shorts. All of us neighborhood kids swam in that pool from morning to night.

We have a small pool in our yard now. It was resurfaced last year but I did not go in. In fact, I have not been in a pool in the 4 years since my dx of PPMS.

I decided it would be great to exercise in the pool. I waited for the temperature outside to get hot enough and for the pool water to heat up to at least 85 degrees.

My mobility has changed and I needed help getting in. I thought my weight would feel free in the water. My legs felt funny because of the water retention in my feet. Weird.

With DH, I ventured into the "deep" end. It is a little over 5' deep. I thought my arm movement would keep me afloat.

I sank like a stone. :(

Okay, my wee skinny friend, what you need is some doughnuts and choccy chip cookies! Fat floats, you know. :D

*sending Aarcyn some water wings* :rolleyes:

I'm sure I could still float (especially my lower half:)) if I could only get down the outside stairs to our apt. complex's pool. :( I really miss the pool.

We made a good choice when we put in our pool. It's inground with easy steps to get in - even the old folks don't have a problem, and they can wear those beach shoes if they need extra grip.

It also has built in seats, so I don't have to float, can just sit and soak, read and have a drink.

I never could actually swim, but moving around in it is good. My next house will have a similar pool if I have to spend the cash to add it.

they make some skinny life vests now a days that fit most folks. They have air balloons that go around your waist to help hold you up, or you could get some arm floaties. They also have those long noodle things. like styrofoam but they can be bent to make a seat, or you can just drag one with you.

Swimming is great exercise, but as with all stuff, if you havent done it in a while, it may take some adjustment.

Body fat is a good thing when looking to float. Have a cookie! :hug:

The last time Jim was in a pool was about 7 years ago on vacation. He ventured out to the middle of the pool and his legs went limp and down he went. Thank goodness the boys and I were there to pull him out. It scared the daylights out of him.

Dej - Pool noodles... can you have more fun than that for under 2 bucks?

:cool:

I float all over hanging on one or two of those. The young uns like to joust with them, on the rafts.

Cyn, just keep your lungs full, chin lifted a bit, & try broad sculling and you should be fine without legs. If you can do long leg scissor thrusts, you can stay up with no hands as well.

Don't give up on the water! It's as close to feeling "normal" as I can ever get and it just wouldn't be the same without that too.

Well, poopy, Cyn. I know you will find a way, though, because that pool is calling you. It's calling me, but I'm way over here..:D

Get you some sexy floaty thingys and enjoy your pool.:hug:

I am not giving up. We plan to get the noodles, an inner tube, etc.

It was just a surprise that I could not stay afloat by using just my arms, even when sculling.

It was just a sadness. It was just a vent longing for the old me. I do not like the new (and becoming) me. This game of take-away.

With the heat, the water is inviting. Thanks, Cindy. I will not give up on water. :)

My left arm and left leg don't work now.
i used to be a fearless swimmer, now not so much.
In our inground pool, using steps in shallow end with bannister, would drop onto my series of rafts, saying to self "now is not the time to lose my moxie" In a chair now, can't do that. Never swim alone. DH helps me when he's home, helps me transfer to pool edge by water, using banniter can lower myself in. I have an inner tube I always wear, I don't like the confinement of life vest I have prom previous boating life (I don't do canoes and sailboats anymore),
I started with my sponge-Bob Squarepants' tube but that was a 12 inch hole, but that was for a 5 year old, sfter 2 years it was hard th shimmy in, Graduated to Barbie pink tubes and color and subject kept the teen boys from diving into off board and doing as my solid color tubes did, popping. Now my tube has fishes and crabs (very Little Mermaid) and find this works best to keep teen boys from using my equipment (They kinda know not to use my stuff (or NO lemonaide for them!!!( but there's always a newbie who doesn't know and pink or childish themes keeps him away. The tube lefts my feet sink down, I "walk" in the shallow end, I play Marco Polo with kids, but am allowed to keep my eyes open, they laugh at my slow attempts to catch them, but eventually my cunning allows me to or they might let me. Like Brain I have "Loveseats" built in pool side interior side, sit there in the water and demand drinks. I need a pool-boy)

If I stock the cooler, I can usually wrangle ds or one of the kids to bring me a drink. Not the same as having Johnny Depp poolside, but cheaper than paying for a pool boy.

:p

I still don't have mine open. Keeps raining and the cover has a foot of water on it and the pump (for the cover tarp) is not working right. Dang it all. Reminds me, if ds comes over today, I'll ask if he can get that thing to pump.

Sally, before I sell this place you really should get your buns up here and come swimming with me. I'm easy to find and not that far away girfriend.

Shrimps on the grill and ice tea?

This is a lil OT but your story reminded me of it!

I had a client with CP who had been in a formed cushion wheelchair for most of her life because extreme body spasticity and clonus had twisted her body all out of proportion. We used to take her into a therapy pool and float her with two people holding her for stability.

I saw a fisherman in a lake using a tube with waders built into the tube. It gave me an idea and we found a tube without the waders, but with a sling type chair built in, almost like you find in a child's swing, made from heavy duty canvas and designed for an adult.

We maneuvered her into that tube and set her afloat in the pool, sticking close to make sure she was ok.

After a few minutes of moving around she started crying. We immediately grabbed her and started pulling her to the side and she let us know it was ok and to let her go.

When she calmed down and was able to talk again, she told us it was the first time she had ever walked alone and on her own. Her feet were able to touch bottom in the shallow end and she was able to propel herself along.

I'll never forget the look on her face. After that she got very brave and she would go out in the deep end of the pool and laugh hysterically when we'd swim after her. She became a regular in my swimming program and was able to interact with others in pool games and exercises.

It still brings tears to my eyes remembering. :)

RW, you have to tell me where you got that tube!

When my kids were babies, had kiddie tubes with a sling seat and with me and DH holding tube could safely propel around water. I put them in them on living room floor and gave them old magizines to tear up and knew they couldn't crawl away.
Bet a rehab pool stuff provider on line sells one

Time for me to brag on my dad! He invented one for fly fishing in the late 1950s, I have a pic of him around here someplace, he was featured in several fishing magazines floating around Montana in his home-made one.

He later published a small booklet about them.

Now they're all the rage in fly fishing, but they're designed in a u-shape with the seat holding the user well above the water. You still get wet without waders, but it definitely keeps the fisher above the water line.

You can see the current versions by Caddis and others at Cabela's.

Yup...what she said!

We found it at a sporting goods store, don't remember which one but it was probably LLBean's, since I used to get a discount there for being a guide.

This was an early version and it was round, the sling thing was green and very heavy duty. The material the sling was made out of covered the tube too, and had grab handles and some pockets hanging on the sides of it.

Thanks Cindy and RW! Kicker also sent me a link. You guys rock!

Cindy, that is so cool! Kudo's to dad!