Floating in Water. Positives about overcoming your fear.

[Christopher]

I just read some ones post about floating in the water and how it helped them.
I am very lucky that I have a boat, but had not been on it for three years due to falling.
So decided this summer to pluck up the courage and go on it with my son and his friend to help.
I was always the one who would dive in and swim to check the anchor was set properly.
So was determined to overcome my fear and get into the water somehow.
We have a bit at the back of the boat that lowers down to be at sea level.
I put a buoyancy aid on (a waistcoat filled with foam).
Then I sat on the back and slid into the water and just floated for about five minutes. I then did it twice a day for two weeks. I found that used up all my energy.
It was great to overcome the fear.
I then got my feet onto the bottom steps on the ladder and the boys then helped my up and to turn to sit.
The worst bit was the abdominal pain after, which I presume was from the effort of turning as I got out.
My bigger point is I then stayed on the boat for two weeks, pure paradise. There is little space on the boat which is a positive.
Another positive being that the galley is just at the end of my bunk.
So dreams can come true. It is just stepping over that mental barrier sometimes too.
I know I am very lucky.
I couldn't get off the boat, but the heat also really helped with pain (so apart from the abdominal pain there was none of the normal back or leg pain).
What are the lyrics "better to burn up than fade away".

[Arcadian]

I have an irrational fear of water, particularly if I haven't got my feet on the bottom and my head above the surface.
I used to have a job where I had to do regular aircraft crash underwater self-rescue survival / life-raft survival.
(Crawling along the bottom of a pool with a military style re-breather, I still used to hold my breath, as I hadn't yet evolved gills and couldn't get my head around trusting the gear).
I also panic if there is a lot going on in a pool around me.
I also dislike getting cold and wet.

A few months ago, as my overall activity levels started to decline, I thought it would be a good idea to try and do some relaxed swimming, in a small indoor quiet pool:-
a. I thought it would be supportive around maintaining activity
b. I thought it would overcome irrational phobias

I just found I ended up with muscle aches over areas of my body that don't always ache and the ones that do, ached more.
Tried a few times and just felt ill, so gave up trying swimming in the end.

I could understand if I was getting particularly cold in and out of the pool / changing, but could only put this down to exerting (despite water being reasonably supportive), with additional muscles and things just not being right...

[Zante]

Arcadian regarding trying swimming, I had an attempt a few months ago, hadnt been for years. Big mistake. The physio told me unless you have regularly taken part in a certain activity ( and so have stronger muscles from those movements) it can often be very difficult because of the weaker muscles which are not used to the effort. I couldn't manage a length of a 25m pool and felt very unsafe. And walking from the changing rooms to pool I should have worn sandals or something because bare foot was very difficult. Like yourself I ached terribly in shoulders and arms for days. x

[denise]

My mum couldn't swim and disliked us kids going in the sea so I think she managed to make me extremely cautious of the sea. Dont think watching "jaws" helped either. 😳

[Christopher]

Yes I would agree that any movement brings pain to places you didn't know could hurt. That's why it was lovely just to float without moving using the buoyancy aid.
I did try hydro therapy a few years ago. The physios stopped me going after one session. .

All I have been focussed on for the last three years is getting onto the water again. So even though I spent a lot of the time just laying down on the boat. It showed me that it could be done. The view changes every moment that you are on the sea.
A little tip, about five years ago I was getting out of the water onto the boat while anchored off Formentera, as i did so I felt the stings of various jelly fish on my back, for the next few hours I had less back pain that I had experienced for a while. I mentioned it to the doctors when I got back, my rheumatologist said he could see why, apparently the pain receptors get to the point of overload and then the pain goes. I suppose a bit like the stories you hear about people who start taking off their clothes thinking they are too hot when they are freezing to death from hypothermia.

[Ellie]

I did try hydro therapy a few years ago. The physios stopped me going after one session.

Why?? 😱😱😱

I did hydrotherapy for years until pesky Covid put a stop to it...

[denise]

I wouldn't mind trying the lido, in summer, bit chilly now.

[Zante]

denise went along the Hoe in June and the lido looked amazingly clean and loads of people either in water or sunbathing. Looked really nice. X

[Christopher]

Why?? 😱😱😱

I did hydrotherapy for years until pesky Covid put a stop to it...

Well when I started falling about nine years ago I was convinced I just had a bad back. So when the physios at the hydro place saw that I didn't have the strength to walk through the water and they saw I couldn't stand up straight without an aid I think they worried about the liability to them. So that was the end of that.
All a bit silly because I ended up in hospital so many times from falls (shoulder and elbow surgery as a reminder), the people would ask "have you seen a neurologist", I would say yes, when I hadn't as I thought they were inferring that there was something "wrong in the head".
Lesson there. Don't leave a man alone to answer questions from Doctors.
I did buy a second hand hot tub about a year ago, which has been incredible. I'm not so keen on having the bubbles on as it tries to move me about and I have to fight to stay in one place. So just lay there. Though think its going to have to be drained now with how the electricity bill has gone up.

[Ellie]

Christopher Ah, I see. In my case, the physiotherapist gets into the pool with me - it's very hands on (luckily he is young, handsome and well-toned 🤭😉)

[Christopher]

Christopher Ah, I see. In my case, the physiotherapist gets into the pool with me - it's very hands on (luckily he is young, handsome and well-toned 🤭😉)

Yes the physio was in the water with me. Holding me up as I lay back. Maybe now they know what is going on they will let me back .

[Madge]

Sounds like fun Ellie 😜