Heather's Posts

I am a little over 1 year post-op. Last week, I swam 1500 yards doing breaststroke. It took me 58 minutes, so I'm slow. But as I always say, that was 58 minutes of non-stop swimming, regardless of how slow I am. What amazed me was that when I finished, I wasn't out of breath, sore or tired. I felt pretty much the same as when I went in. (Maybe I need to push myself to go faster. Perhaps I was taking it a bit too easy, all in the name of "pacing.") Before surgery, swimming 25 yards was an accomplishment and I had to rest afterward. Now, I'm inching closer to my one-mile goal.

Two days shy of my 1-year anniversary (12/07/23), I swam 1400 yards in 50 minutes (breaststroke). Not record breaking, yet, for me it is a record. Pre-surgery, I could barely swim 25 yards and had to rest at the end of each lap. I'm pretty darn proud that I can swim non-stop for almost an hour straight! I can't thank Dr. Judson Williams enough for a better quality of life. Of course, big thanks to all of the surgical team, the nurses, and everyone who saw me through the subsequent staph infection.

I'm almost 10 months post op, although my re-entry to normal life didn't start until 6 months ago. So I need to brag a bit. Wednesday, I swam 1000 yards in 250-yard sets in 38 minutes. Not record-breaking, but this time last year I could only manage about 300 yards in the same time. Yesterday was even better. I used my pool buoy, which means I swam using only my upper body. I managed to do it without being terribly winded too. I'm completely amazed at what it feels like to be normal!