Lose, lose !

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

Last night, as I lay awake from 2:13, am until sometime after 4:30 am I made a hard choice for me that hopefully will help me in the long run.  I reversed the decision I have made in the past.

Growing up I played most sports.  I started with baseball but hated it.  I tried basketball but didn’t have the coordination or desire to stick with it.  I was never allowed to play football due to the violence of it.  I played soccer, which was and still is my favorite sport.  Finally, I was a swimmer.

The reason I began swimming will sound very odd.  At the age of around 6, I was constantly in and out of doctors’ offices and hospitals with asthma attacks and battling allergies.  For those who are not medically trained let me explain the difference.  Allergies (for breathing) come when something irritates the nose, lungs or breathing system.  The reactions are sinus headaches, sometimes dizziness, maybe some vertigo, but a stopped up nose and drainage.  Mostly this can be relieved with allergy medicine.  I also had asthma growing up.  Asthma is where part of your lung or lungs is destroyed.  Due to this I did and will never have the full lung capacity, thus making it difficult to breathe in certain conditions, especially when allergies flare up.

At the age of 6 or so, my parents took me to an allergist who, believe it or not, suggested doing the one sport that requires the most breathing or lack thereof, swimming.   His theory was that first the small layer of air above the pool was the closest thing to pure oxygen that you could get in a natural setting.  Second, by swimming, I would train my lungs to build up their tolerance even though I would not have the lung capacity of other kids.  So my swimming career began.  I swam for about 12 years competitively, and though I enjoyed the friends I met, I never really enjoyed the sport of swimming but understood it was something I had to do to be able to play soccer, or just be able to play outside in the spring, summer and fall.  Through allergy tests, I found out I was allergic to grass, dust, mold (from decaying leaves in fall) and pollen.    When I cut the grass, I would immediately need to head to the pool to swim, to be able to breathe again.  This also explains why I love winter so much ……. I can breathe.

So back to my decision.  As mentioned I don’t like swimming but I think I need to start swimming again for a different reason.  I recently have been having some feet and leg pain.  Though I have not been diagnosed I think this might be a form of neuropathy.   My pain can best be described as a dull ache in my feet.  Similar to standing on your feet all day long.  At night the pain seems to intensify and often leads to cramps in my calves.

The title for this post is lost, lose.  I have recently been prescribed Cymbalta for my anxiety as I thought my previous medicine was causing this pain in my feet, but since I have been off it for weeks it is not the cause.  Ironically Cymbalta has many uses.  It is prescribed for anxiety, depression, seizures, and even leg pain.  It also has some big side effects as most medicines do.

I decided to try and swim again and not take the medicine in a natural effort to see if I can eliminate or lessen my leg pain.  Yes, I am a horrible patient, but I want to know the cause of something instead of taking something to eliminate the symptoms (I do not take any pain medicine).

Now I can think of two people besides my wife who will be super excited that I have come out of retirement to swim.  One will even be sarcastic and say “you know you love swimming that is why you are doing it”.  Truth is I do not like swimming, but these recent leg/foot pains have limited my use of the spinner bike, treadmill, and my favorite thing hiking.  I am hoping by getting back in the pool I can relieve this pain I feel.  I do NOT want cheers, encouragement, or praise for swimming.  I am doing it for one reason only, not to compete, not to be part of a team, but to be able to stand for more than 10 minutes without pain and to walk without pain.

Time will tell if my new plan works or not, but it is a plan I plan to try.  Swimming has also been shown to relieve stress and anxiety, so that might be an added benefit as well.

Until next time,

Tim