Hi Tricia,
I am doing good! I was so excited to get into the pool. I was done with PT because my insurance wouldn't cover any more and I figured I had just opened the pool and turned on the heater and it was nice 87 degree water, less weight on the joints, etc. and it would be awesome!
We have a lift to get into the pool for my wife and I figured if I needed it, it was there. The steps into the pool are larger than normal steps but silly me did it anyway. Second step in I was like "ouch". That got me rattled right away. I was doing fine I guess until I went to actually swim and kick my legs. It was pretty painful at first, got a little better but after I got out I was so disappointed. I was sore, defeated and depressed.
I avoided the pool thinking that this awesome idea I had turned out to be too much for me.
I was stupid to think that. I should have gone right back in the next day. Instead I didn't for a couple of weeks. The next time I got in, same thing but I knew what to expect from the steps. Kicking my legs got better and from there it's just a "time" thing. The more I do it the better it gets.
In fact my wife gets mad because I purposely kick my legs very hard to find out how far I can push them. I am like - it's a pool, you are going to get your hair wet!
Anyway, don't let it scare you like I did to myself. It gets better each time, just like everything else we do.
Unfortunately I have one of those bodies where I can exercise all I want to, diet and whatever and I can lose inches but I never seem to lose what I want to lose. At my age I have taken the attitude that this is just the way God made me and I try to stay as healthy as I am able to given my size. I fluctuate between 280-300# and I can probably get to 250 and that's my goal when I can do more but I won't be discouraged if I don't reach it exactly.
My new knees should help me attain my goals because being as bad as they were, they certainly helped me get to the size I am now. Now they can return the favor!
They thought I was healthy enough to have both knees done at the same time, I have slightly high BP but nothing earth shattering and other than that, I am a healthy "fat guy" as my GP puts it. Have to watch sugars and all of that but you know what? My mom is a rail and she has diabetes and she was a registered dietitian for her career. So apparently it doesn't really matter what size you are, we should all watch our sugar!