Advice Sought for L2 Incomplete

[Gary Anderson]

Here goes again.

I have a patient who is having plastic surgery done and they are L2 incomplete (not long diagnosed). Trying their damndest to get life back on track.

They are already signed up for ski-ing lessons, however, here is the BIG question - how do other paraplegics get into a swimming pool?

My patient is very self conscious and so big hearted me thought he would ask the question of the forum before going any further.

Can anyone help? Me, I just launch myself off the steps/edge but then I dont use a wheelchair.

So, any swimming paras out there, care to offer advice?

[wheels5894]

Hi Gary. I am T6 and I usually park my wheelchair in a convenient corner, and 'botty-shuffle' rather quickly to the side and slide my legs over the side. After that I contemplate how cold it will feel before sliding in and starting to swim.

This is hardly a recipe for some one newly injured and self-conscious but, really, hardly anyone takes a scrap of notice. Of course, if the pool has a lift one could use that but that draws attention to oneself. Dundee has a not-very-swimming swimming pool (too many slides, waves and turbulent water really, but the water trails to nothing at one end and one can be pushed into the water by a helper in a pool wheelchair. Again, though, this is hardly helpful as one would, well OK I did, feel quite self conscious being pushed in.

I suspect that the matter is one has to get used to being a little different and ignore others and get on with it so I recommend my 'botty-shuffle' method as being the least obvious to other users.