The Joy of Swimming

I'm back in Cornwall after a weekend trip to Bournemouth, where I checked out the whizzy new artificial surf reef. I won't say much about this here because a piece in one of the nationals looms, but it's fair to note that the downhill skating crew on Sea Road were a lot more watchable than the waves. I'll also add, lest incorrect inferences are made, that the local surfers I met are a top bunch and that the vibe created in the wake of the reef is reason enough for the project. 'Nuff said.

Back to surfing, or something like it, anyway. For well-chronicled health reasons, I couldn't have paddled out even if there'd been any waves, but I return stoked in any event. The reason? Well, thanks to an enterprising arrangement by the good folk of the Urban Beach Hotel (the Wade clan's home from home for the weekend) I was able to avail myself of the use of a 25m swimming pool. I hadn't planned on seeing if I could swim again just yet, being fully content, for now, with gardening being the new surfing, but Karen needed some respite from our beloved offspring so I took them to the pool, thinking I'd do a bit of supervisory floating about if at all possible. 

But once immersed in water - for the first time in nearly five months (where has all the time gone? Has it been that long already?) - the urge to swim came upon me. This urge is beautifully explored by Roger Deakin in Waterlog - read it if you haven't already. But I had pause for thought. Could I actually swim? If I swam, would something go badly wrong with my neck? Maybe the titanium cage would move and snap a nerve or two? Maybe I'd sink and drown?

To prevent this happening, or rather, ameliorate its consequences, I didn't risk alerting the lifeguard to my plight - he might have kicked me out of the pool, citing health and safety, rules and regs, lawyers and litigation (and who needs any of that?) - but instead asked Harry and Elliot to monitor my progress. "If I stop moving and sink, come and get me or tell that bloke over there," were my words, and then off I went. I kicked off the side of the pool and, remarkably, found that front crawl was possible. Better yet, my neck didn't hurt. A length later, it still didn't hurt. It wasn't the fastest length of front crawl I've ever done, but it might just have been the most satisfying.

The stoke grew. I managed a total of 16 lengths, with a rest after every two to check everything was fine, and was touched to see that the boys, in their boyish, let's-not-say-anything way, were as pleased for me as I was. Most amazing of all, when Harry asked me if I'd ever been able to do a 25m length underwater, I said "yes" and set off to demonstrate the technique, if nothing else, thinking that months of virtually nothing by way of serious aerobic exercise would leave me unable to do more than maybe a third of the pool - at which point I'd bob to the surface and plead post-op lassitude + Lyme.

I was also a bit worried that the extension required for underwater breast stroke wouldn't do my neck any favours, but being down there, a metre under the surface, felt so good that I just kept going. I popped up at the end of the pool, 25m later and out of breath, but absolutely buzzing. The neck clicked a couple of times en route, which may not be a good thing, but what a feeling. Just a couple of months ago the idea of swimming like this was inconceivable.

Right, I'm signing off before I tempt fate. All I'll say (and this is something of a refrain) is that I'm once again incredibly grateful to Derriford's neurosurgery department for sorting out my neck (touch wood...) - and just wish that my experience of the treatment of Lyme in the UK had been as good.

Comments

[Joanne]

Exercise is good to get those NKT cells working which fight off infection, but adequate rest afterwards is I think what Burrascano recommends ie it doesn't work if you exercise like that daily but 2/3 times a week followed by a rest day.

It is important to keep your body temperature up, Lyme has a tendency to lower our body temperatures so the warmer the pool the better.

Otherwise what an excellent post and so pleased to hear you were able to enjoy swimming again.

[scott]

Swimming good huh? Thats great I had my ACDF about a month ago and hope to get some water skiing in by the end of summer sometime. (hopefully)

[Mark Smyth]

Great news about the swimming - shame about the Lyme fiasco. I am planning a little trip in June from Alderney to Poole with a few friends, a twin tip board and a large kite ... should be a giggle!

Best wishes - Mark

[allie]

all im gonna say is..... YAYYYYYYYYYYY !!!!!! x

[Neil Watson]

Alex,
Stoked to hear it all went swimmingly! Try to restrain yourself though - an underwater channel-crossing might be pushing it for a week or two.
Let us know where your Bournemouth reef piece appears; with so much vested interest at stake most reports I've seen have been less than objective so far.

[sandy]

Yeah - best to do it without thinking about it too much! Well done - but no surfing just yet.

[hazabaza.blogspot.com]

Alex this sounds very positive. Glad to read that you got swimming and thanks for the links to the books will be getting a copy of waterlogged for sure - I've heard about it somewhere else in the past year.
Keep it up
all the best

[Richard]

Good to hear, Alex. One more step back towards the board maybe. Take care.

[zemgear@gmail.com]

Oh well, thanks for updating us of your whereabouts. Good to know you had fun swimming. Good luck and thanks for the link - it was a good read though. Woot!

[Impotence causes]

Thanks! Very helpful information. Here's a great tip from women who did it and worked too: Exercise, eat healthy, and take a long hot bath or shower. Also, write in your journal to relieve stress - These are one of the many effective ways to relieve PMS problems. If this does not work, visit my site to have great relief.

[Cheap viagra]

I hope that each and every person reading this article feel the same appreciation I felt when I read it, I am very grateful for the fact that they shared this information with everyone, I congratulate you wholeheartedly, I would like to continue sending more articles to the network, it would be helpful for many people as I love reading.