For two weeks, Lea was helping me shower and dress after swimming. I could not have done it on my own from the
get-go. For the last three days, Lea has
been unavailable for swimming with me.
After two days without swimming, I could no longer allow my dire need
for exercise to be held hostage by flaky help.
Today I went swimming on my own.
It worked really well.
I had been trying to shower on a wooden slat bench. That is high-risk for my bony tailbone. After I transferred to the bench from my
wheelchair, Lea would push a pneumatic cushion underneath me. Still not great. Between the bench’s weird “L” shape and the
slippery tile, the transfers to the bench and back to my wheelchair were bound
to end in disaster sooner than later.
My big idea was to put a towel on my chair, then cover the towel and
chair with a heavy-duty garbage bag.
That worked like a champ. I
could shower from my wheelchair, dry off, slip the bag off, dry off some more
and then get dressed in my chair like I usually do. My high-compression stockings are impossible
to put on in the 100% humidity of the locker room. That is not a problem for an hour or two.
I really appreciated Lea’s help getting me to this point. I could not have done it without her and the
two weeks of tinkering to get a working solution for showering and changing on
my own at the pool. It sucked needy help
from others to accomplish basic activities of daily living such as getting
exercise from swimming.
On a side note: being a paraplegic is challenging, it is vital to my
independence to have the use of my arms and hands; It is funny-peculiar how many, if not most,
people can’t see the difference between a paraplegic and a quadriplegic.
I am extemely grateful for the independent living I get by having the full
use of my upper body and for the freedom to be able to go swimming (and shower)
on my own without being dependent on the help of others.
Wonderful!
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