#550 – Swimming Through Life with RA

What an honour it is to be featured on the Arthritis.ca's "Flourish - Helping You Move Through Life with Arthritis" section.

See: A Mentor Among Us.

Challenges are a part of life, whether they be emotional, mental or physical. Sometimes all you can do is tread water and hope that some rogue wave doesn't pull you under. Other times, you swim to distant shores, if not always easily, but with practiced determination.

Swimming has been a constant for me. Little did I know that all those years I spent in the pool, prior to being diagnosed with RA at age nineteen, would become the thing that keeps me mobile and fit. It brings me joy and allows me to move easily when my land-lubber self doesn't always do so.

Granted, because of surgeries and the way my body has changed because of RA, I have had to modify how I do things. For example, I no longer do bilateral breathing when I swim front crawl because of my fused C-1 and C-2 joints. So, instead I use a snorkel.

While I can still use my arms in the breast stroke, whip kick is ill-advised with my hip replacements and wonky ankle. Speaking of hands, I often use hand paddles which not only provide resistance, but also protect my fingers. Admittedly, it took some work to reconcile myself with the fact that I can no longer execute my swimming strokes as well as I once did. I've had to learn to adapt as the years flow by which, incidentally, is a strategy I use to help me age well. I do the best I can for each given day.

Just as certain as there is an ebb and flow to the tides, I will continue to swim my way through life with RA. I have RA, it doesn't have me!

Will I see you in the pool?

Si vous voulez lire la truduction en français, le voilà: Une mentore pour nous guider.

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