What started as a simple little push off the end of a dock as a very young child...turned into a huge life changing & traumatic moment by nearly drowning. Since that day water and I have been mortal enemies...no joke!! It's soooo bad that I have never put my face in the shower or or dunked my head in water...thank heavens for wash cloths...they are the best. VoR has tried on a few occasions to get me to relax and try to float which only earned me the auspicious title of "Lead Butt" cause my rate of descent to the bottom of the pool is legendary.
Jump a head a few decades & I find myself facing the perfect storm of gentle bullying, peer pressure and support (love & understanding) that forced me to face my terror head on...
As a result of this lovely cancer troll & the surgery that came along with it... I am left with a reduced number of lymph nodes in my armpit which if not watched closely can turn into permanent lymphedema. I have been starting to have some swelling and pain in my arm so after consulting with both my massage therapist & family doctor the best thing for me would be Aqua fit classes. So, with way more internal dialogue then I care to admit to...and a flash back to Julia Roberts in "Sleeping With the Enemy"...(don't ever underestimate the power of movies)....I finally resigned myself to the fact that Aqua fit really would be my best treatment option because the water pressure acts on your lymph system and makes it drain. So I put on my big girl panties and stepped into that perfect storm approached my 2 dear friends with skills enough to not let me drown, and asked them to attend a couple aqua fit classes with me and being the women they are...jumped on it. They suggested that maybe we should start with a few trips to the pool just to get comfortable...(start peer pressure here)...so jump ahead a few morning (way too early for my night owl schedule)and they had me not only dunking my head but actually floating...WHAT!!!!...see there are miracles happening all around us...lol. We decided to keep it as a secret from VoR and surprise him once I could actually swim a bit. I will never forget the look of shock and complete pride I saw on his face that first day. This was the most GINORMOUS hurdle I have ever faced & sometimes I still look more like that fish in the bottom of the boat thrashing around then a swimmer...but I keep plugging away at it. I have since learned that I really love the backstroke and use it to do my lap swimming which, since VoR joined my gym, is 6am 6 days a week...again..way too early for this night owl) well we go a little later on Sat. I can NEVER thank those 2 women enough for opening up this new world for me. THANK YOU!!! Not only have I overcome this terror but the health benefits are HUGE...my range of motion and lymphatic system are jumping for joy...and I can't begin to tell you how great that is...it's a win-win in my books.
Etta May
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