Defying Gravity

After much back and forth, the director of the Towson Y promised me I would be accomodated at their pool, so I decided to see if his facility was as good as his word.

It was. I got there early so I could shower and check out the private family changing rooms.

While the floor around the swimming pool was not slippery, I wish I could say the same for the locker room. I was very glad I had my walker instead of my cane. Even with the walker, it was difficult.

I slowly made my way out of the locker room and onto the far safer swimming pool area, and the teenage lifeguards were happy to help me. I got my shoes and prosthesis off, and they lowered me into the pool.

The last time I was in a pool was a few months after I had returned to the states after my amputation, and the feeling was once again so freeing.

It is no suprise that it is harder to walk with a prosthesis than with a "real" leg. I don't know if the prosthesis weighs more, but it certainly feels like it with no knee or calf muscles to help propel it.

Getting in the water took all of that weight away. Before the class started I bounced around and floated on my back. It was glorious.

The class was fun as well. While not a strenuous workout, I used muscles and moved around. My left leg did become fatigued off and on, so I would float to take weight off of it, particularly when the class was doing exercises I couldn't do, like leaping from side to side or doing jumping jacks. I did find standing on one leg and moving my arms around also caused my body to bob around, so I had to be careful not to run into anyone.

After the class, one of the lifeguards brought my leg and walker back to me, and I headed to the locker room.

I got dressed, then I did a bit of legwork in the gym. when I was done I headed off to acupuncture.

My left knee, after 10 weeks post surgery is still quite painful, so I have started back with acupuncture, which has helped me so much with other issues in the past.

After one session I am not getting any relief, which is what I expected. I am getting stronger and stronger, though. And my leg does not give out on me, as it did pre-surgery.

In my Facebook memories, a post came up from three years ago that talked about how I was gotten out of bed for the first time since the accident. They had to use hoist, but they got me out of bed. I remember it feeling like it was a big deal for me at the time.

A lot has happened in these three years. While I know nothing is linear, I have had lots of highs and lows, but if you take out those bumps in the road I am doing better than I ever could have imagined. And I am pretty sure I will continue to improve, which keeps me wanting to get out of bed every day.