Water Therapy (long)

[Guest guest]

Hi all

On Tuesday this week I began water therapy at my request. I practically

had to beg my doctor for a script to do this. But she did give me one

and my insurance will only cover 20 visits.

I am at least 100 pounds overweight and due to pain haven't done much

but housework and walking in a long time. Since I can no longer work and

my DH, who has a terminal illness, volunteer drives to help with extra

income to add to our disability, I overcompensate out of my own guilt

because I feel like I am not contributing properly to the house, with

housework that would make Martha or any white gloved zealous

mother in law proud :-P

My first interview with the (male) PT instructor was about what I

expected. He looked at my hands and feet, had me walk back and forth and

said that yes, it is very apparent that you have RA and you are in a lot

of pain but if you lose weight your pain will decrease and it will be

more comfortable for you to move. He also told me that I can no longer

be a land based exercise critter but that from here on out I will have

to be a water critter which I have no problem with. After all, even

though I can't swim a lick and I float like a stone I was in the Navy

and I do love the water.

Tuesday was my first day in the water. 90 degree pool ahh wonderful!!!!

He warned me both before and after the session that I should expect to

be VERY sore that evening and the next day as I had been without real

exercise so long. I believed him and kept waiting for it to happen. I

did an hour of exercise, never felt my heart rate increase, or shortness

of breath, and it was sooooo easy and so much fun that I felt guilty

that I was having so much fun. Wednesday was my day off and still no

soreness, (except for some swelling in my hands from gripping the

dumbbells) in fact I felt better than I had in awhile. Thursday I

dreaded going back because I was still not sore and I was sure that he

was going to tell me that I wasn't working hard enough, or not doing the

exercises correctly or that I was doing something wrong.

So I go back on Thursday and get in the water and start my exercises and

he adds a few extra ones including 3 sets of 12 step ups from the 4 foot

section of the pool to the 3 foot section that wasn't even hard for me

to do and 3 sets of 12 per leg of lunges. I told him that compared to

the way I do housework that these exercises are like a break/vacation

for me and that I felt better after doing them than after housework and

had more energy. I had my 12 year old with me and she said to him " yeah

if you want a workout come over and do housework with Mom and you'll

know what a workout really is, it keeps me in shape " . She looks like a

16 year old and is in great shape but that is another worry.

Well I am again, not sore today but he assures me that if I stick to

this that within 9 months time I will notice a difference in my weight,

my pain level and my RA, which truthfully would make me very happy even

though I am not sure what and how it can make any difference in my RA.

Has anyone else done water therapy and had it help? I mean this is am

immune disorder and I don't see exercise halting its progression or

weight loss halting it though I do see weight loss lifting my self esteem.

If you did water therapy were you sore? Did it do anything to help the

RA? Do you see any logic to this claim at all? He knows that I can not

afford to continue to see him.

I have explained to him that since my insurance will only cover 20

visits that I need him to teach me all that he can and then I am going

to apply for financial aid at the YMCA and continue on there and he is

cool with that.

I can see less weight = less wear and tear on the joints which would

slow down the normal wear and tear of joints in any person but to say it

will slow the progression of RA or degenerative joint disease which I

also have just doesn't add up for me.

Would appreciate any discussion on this at all.

Ila in Maine mailto:sewcraftyila@...

" I'm Halloween's answer to Santa Claus. "

— King