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| | | From: Jen, PT (Original Message) | Sent: 10/2/2008 9:06 PM |
I know I've been a little quiet on the boards still, as I'm currently adjusting to my new situation. To keep me busy, healthy, and in less pain, I have joined a local swimming pool at a nearby highschool. There is a water fitness class 3x per week for 1 hour, and then general lap swimming 7x per week, 3 sessions per day. I have decided to enroll in both, which will give me something to do every day of the week if I choose. The water is heated, and they heat it even warmer in the winter months. The group class is really fun, and goes by so quickly! There are some activities that are difficult for me, so I just modify them as I go along to fit my skill level. My hip pain is essentially 0 when I am in the water, although my hip muscles are a little sore from the great workout! I'm still working out which activities I can do which don't hurt my back. Breast stroke is definitely not a good idea for me by the way! However, I can flutter kick until the cows come home without any back pain. SO I guess what I'm trying to do here is simply encourage the rest of you to find some activity that is fun, keeps you active, and keeps the pain levels down low. Be a fish, it works for me :)! For those of you interested, water has some excellent properties which decrease the weight bearing through your joints. If you are submerged in water up to your waist, your legs are only 50% weight bearing. If you are 3/4 submerged in water, then you are only 25% weight bearing. Truly great for those with arthritis or weight bearing limitations! OF course, always consult with your MD before beginning any new exercise regimen! |
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OH YES! The Great Salt Lake has beaches. Nasty stinky things infested with brine flys and dead floaties. Only the tourists go there. Sorry Jen, Didn't mean to steal your thunder. Yeah everybody! Go swimming! Adam |
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| | | From: Jen, PT | Sent: 10/3/2008 6:08 AM |
No worries Adam :) As for the swimming, I somehow managed to coax my mom into joining me tomorrow (she only works a 4 day week). Now if you know anything about my mom, you would understand this is like bathing a cat. This should be good...LOL! |
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Jen, When I was in PT I did light pool exercises they helped a lot loosing up the stiffness, it was painful at first. The physical therapist put me in a chair in the pool, he stretched both of my legs...it took several sessions to loosen the stiffness. He took his time by working one leg at a time on his shoulder, he sure felt the stiffness. Then he worked on my ankles, it felt sooo good. My left leg isn't the bad as my right. It was very painful he told me try to relax (I have a tendency to tighten up.) When I am in the pool it is very relaxing. I went to PT for 3 months, this is how long I needed I suppose. Also, the therapist worked on my right hand, he was able to loosen it up...I was amazed! It is clamped shut, of course, when my hand is warm it is relaxed. I told my psychiatrist, the Xanax really helps my right leg and hand help me not stiffen up it truly disables me. You mentioned about the temperature is just right, I agree. Now on Mondays, it's not warm enough to get in, instead I do the TENS. It is a good feeling enrolling the classes. Best of luck! Just remember, "No pain no gain." :D |
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 Jen, I'm so glad you are picking up the pieces and not letting lifes little curves get you down. Things always happen for a reason, something better will come around the corner. I'm glad the swimming is so good for you and that you enjoy it. Rena has introduced me to computer games and all the free sites to play. I love it and its so relaxing, I can at times forget all about the pain until I try to get up that is. But its worth it !!! I know what I want in my Christmas stocking, all kinds of word games and strategy games. Its even helping my tremors though at times my aim is pretty spastic. I even got outside and planted some spring bulbs today with my daughters help. I can't get down on the ground anymore,well I can sort of get down but then can't get up without help. I think you are so right, we need to find things that we enjoy as it helps us to deal better with the pain. Hope this finds you feeling well. lots of love gramanan |
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| | | From: Hannah. | Sent: 10/4/2008 12:57 AM |
Great advice Jen. How did it go with your mom? Sound like she and I are the same kind of cat. |
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| | | From: Jen, PT | Sent: 10/4/2008 2:20 AM |
Thanks for asking...my mom didn't do so well, but she said she enjoyed it. She is really really out of shape (she's normal weight, but hasn't ever worked out consistently in her life). She just moved really slowly in the water, but everyone moves at their own pace so it was OK.. I enjoyed spending time with her, made the time go by even faster than it normally does. I do admit to teasing her some, but it was all in good fun, I promise ....The true test will be if she's willing to join me again next Friday. Wait and see! |
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| | From:  CyndyK2 | Sent: 10/4/2008 4:39 AM |
Jenn, is there a YMCA or YWCA near your mother's house? Their pools usually have a long, sloping ramp one can walk down to get into the pool so she wouldn't have to deal with a ladder or steps if she's feeling unsteady. Their rates are pretty reasonable, too. And they have water aerobics for people with arthritis on a weekly basis pretty much year-round, which would be good for her.
Cyndy
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| | | From: Jen, PT | Sent: 10/4/2008 5:54 AM |
hahahah, you may know me Cyndy, but you don't know my mom LOL...there is a YMCA near our old house, which we both had a membership to for a year (some free promotion deal she found from work or something). For the first couple of weeks, we went to yoga class together every Monday night, and I would do some swimming exercise on my own while she would walk on the treadmill or do some low level weight lifting. However, this only lasted for a couple of weeks, then she would always come up with some excuse on why she couldn't come with me. I would go to the yoga class by myself and they would ask where she was, and I'd always share her (lame) excuse. I tried for like 3 months straight for her to come back with me, but still more reasons.... Very typical for her, sadly. She is totally steady and quite young for her age (52).She's in perfect health and only takes a daily vitamin! She can get in and out of the pool by jumping in from the edge and climbing out with the ladder no problem. Her problem is that she never really learned how to swim. She can doggie paddle across a 25 yard lane, but isn't really too comfortable in the water. The great thing about the class is they have you wear a flotation belt, so you don't really have to put much effort into not drowning. I know she enjoyed having the belt, but I think she was still nervous to be in the deep end of the pool. I told her we could be in the shallow end instead, but she said she was OK to stay in the deep end; maybe next time! I think her biggest problem is that she is just generally out of shape and her muscles are weak from sitting at a computer so much and being rather sedentary on her days off work. I think that hearing about the other individuals in the class that having been doing this for 6 months or 1 year are getting stronger, that that will help her have confidence that it's OK to be weak at the beginning...to stay persistent and she too, will get stronger and more confident in the water. That's my hope anyway! |
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Boy, wish we had a pool in our area....or at least one closer than it is. It's a good 45 min. ride (each way) and I'm just not into doing that3 x a week or even 2. If it were 30 min. or less, that would be awesome; love doing water exercises. I miss our pool a lot....I was in it almost every day in the summer...until we built this house. Can't swim in the hot tub...lol.....or rather I could do a lot of 'laps' in it....lol. Hope your mom continues with the pool exercises...it's great for her. And at her age, it would really help her a lot....without much effort. She's lucky to have one near....and to able to go with you, too. Enjoy! Dee  |
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| | | From: Dan | Sent: 10/5/2008 12:17 AM |
The one pool in town that was heated to where I could get in without spasming was apparently "too expensive" to continue to heat" so I had to quit swimming. But Jen is right. It's heaven to get in the water. The pain just melts away. Healing hugs and lots of love, Dan |
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That is a pity,Dan.A heated pool is a necessity for people like us,with chronic pain. |
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| | | From: Dan | Sent: 10/9/2008 12:43 AM |
Yeah. I did love to swim. But the universities won't heat theirs up. They say the swimmers like it cold for their workouts. I say phooey. What about us members of the public? LOL Oh well. I've got so much trouble with my shoulders I'm not sure I could swim anyway. Would be a bummer to get in and drown because I couldn't use my arms. LOL I did something with my left shoulder again, and it really ticks me off. I don't know what I did, but it was almost healed from the fall last Christmas. Now I can't hold it out from my body even. I can't even close the car door without helping it with my right arm. It just looses strength It's like the muscle won't work. <Sigh> I suppose I've torn it completely now. I see rotator cuff surgery in my future. Doh!!! Just what I really wanted to avoid. But I can't live with this. Before, it would hurt like crazy, but I could still do things. Now it hurts and it won't do things. It just won't. I coud get through the pain if it would do what I wanted it to, but it just won't. Oh well.  Hugs and lots of love, Dan |
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| | | From: EUCmom | Sent: 10/9/2008 1:08 AM |
I am so glad you found something to keep you busy, have fun and most of all lower pain levels. I wish we had a pool. The only ones we have are at our state park and high school, both outside and not heated so we can only of course use them in the summer. I cannot even manage going down the ladder let alone try to swim; it is more like sinking. My hips and legs are always in so much pain that I cannot even lift them in the pool to float. But when it is warm enough and the water is warm it does feel good to just sit in a floaty; or a rubber duckie, dinsour or elmo whatever is available, lol. I hope you keep up with it, it will loosen you up and help alot. Good Luck and have fun. Kim |
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I remember the days of swim team, 50 lap warm ups and then endless sprints! If I could find a warm pool of water that didnt' smell like a bleach bottle, I might be able to swim again. But please understand that after being spoiled by being able to use spring water for everything, that the smell of chlorine is more than this girl can tolerate. Trying to take a bath last time I was out West about killed me everytime I turned on the faucet. But I do agree that everyone should try to find something that will get them moving the best they can and stick with it! The girl has us on this one. But lol, I am not one for sitting long. So if you don't mind hon, I will stick to riding my ponies and let the ducks and geese have the water. Besides when I am not on the ponies, I am walking behind them picking up their messes lol and getting my exercise that way! |
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