As I headed toward surgery in Fall, 2017 I had a lot of expectations; some were far fetched, but most were realistic. Recovery has had some minor surprises, such as the changes in leg shape from day to day, the surprising amount of time I spend looking at them and the deeply emotional aspect of the changes taking place in my body. If you’ve had surgery, you know what I’m talking about.
I am a swimmer. I have always been a swimmer. Athletically, once I started gaining wait after puberty, it was the activity that I was best at, and loved. We had a pool growing up, and I was practically a fish.
One year, our family was on a camping vacation in Ontario at Rushing River Provencial Park. I was around 11 years old. My dad was a good swimmer, and it was one of the few, fun activities that we did together when I was young girl. Rushing River had a huge boulder in the middle of the river, outside of the appropriately marked off swimming area. This boulder was 12 feet by 15 feet, and about 50 yards out. My two younger brothers, my dad and I, were swimming in the roped off area. My dad let me swim out with him to the boulder, making sure my brothers stayed behind the ropes. It was a huge moment for me, and one I often recall, and have heard my dad brag about. All this really to say that I have always been comfortable and confident in the water.
We have a pool at our home here in Texas. By early May, I was in. I had not been swimming since before my surgeries in November and March. After swimming laps one day, I decided to just relax, and float around the pool basking in the coolness of the water and the warmth of the Sun. I stretched out, relaxed my body and waited for my legs to float to the top.
Didn’t happen.
I tried again.
Nope. Legs keep sinking to about a 45 degree angle.
“Okay,” I thought. “This must have something to do with the loss of calf fat.”
Interesting. Hadn’t even considered this effect.
So, I tried sitting and laying in the bottom of the pool, in the deep end. Haven’t even tried doing this in decades.
Now, not a problem.
Unanticipated change after surgery: I am not a flotation device. I am not a bobber.
Byrd Legs Don’t Float!
ByrdLegsComing 