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  1. #31
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110

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    Plus one on the kayaking suggestion for anyone with leg or foot issues, but, yes, getting in and out is the challenge. My hubby can't walk or stand for long periods of time and struggles, at times, to get in and out of his kayak, but once in, he loves it. Kayaking is a great sport in its own right. My preferred watercraft is a solo canoe. Pretty much grew up in a canoe. One advantage for a canoe is that getting in and out of a canoe is a much easier thing to do. Does require more expertise as far as knowledge of paddling and paddling strokes, but you can use an extra long double bladed kayak style paddle designed for solo canoeing and do quite well. Not as traditional, but using a double-bladed canoe paddle is easier than using a single blade canoe paddle. I carry both in my canoe.

    Last edited by north woods gal; 03-17-2017 at 04:53 PM.

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,853
    Only way I can get in or out of a kayak is at wading depth, docks don't work, thankfully not an issue where we are in FL.

    For all you gals that say you can't swim or don't swim well, I dearly wish I could get an hour of pool time with each of you! Swimming is a complicated mix of movements, and one piece of the movement being out of sync is usually what causes the issue... a short time with someone who knows what they're looking for, a bit of coaching, and it almost always fixes the issue.

    Electra Townie 7D

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I find that I can't lift my left arm up and back enough to do the front stroke. I can't float on my back, either. Just sink... Plus, I just hate putting my face in the water. Wearing contacts makes it worse. I can't get them wet, but even after finding jr. sized goggles for my pinhead, I struggle. Covering up any one of my 5 senses makes me feel claustrophobic and sends me into a state of near panic. Swimming without my contacts just renders me blind and gives me the same claustrophobic feeling. Then, I worry about drowning. I mean, I can swim enough to tread water, etc, but I feel like I need to be able to stand up if I am tired. So, during those times I have had to swim for exercise, I do the breast stroke, pretty much without putting my face in the water. I spent the first 15 years of my life at the Cape every summer, in the ocean, but I didn't really swim, like for exercise. And was always wearing a pfd when sailing, which was a big thing for me (I did Sunfish racing as a young teen). So, this is why I always laughed about 10 years ago, when people tried to get me to do a triathlon.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
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  4. #34
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,853
    Quote Originally Posted by Crankin View Post
    I find that I can't lift my left arm up and back enough to do the front stroke. I can't float on my back, either. Just sink... Plus, I just hate putting my face in the water. Wearing contacts makes it worse. I can't get them wet, but even after finding jr. sized goggles for my pinhead, I struggle. Covering up any one of my 5 senses makes me feel claustrophobic and sends me into a state of near panic. Swimming without my contacts just renders me blind and gives me the same claustrophobic feeling. Then, I worry about drowning. I mean, I can swim enough to tread water, etc, but I feel like I need to be able to stand up if I am tired. So, during those times I have had to swim for exercise, I do the breast stroke, pretty much without putting my face in the water. I spent the first 15 years of my life at the Cape every summer, in the ocean, but I didn't really swim, like for exercise. And was always wearing a pfd when sailing, which was a big thing for me (I did Sunfish racing as a young teen). So, this is why I always laughed about 10 years ago, when people tried to get me to do a triathlon.
    I could so help you! I'd modify your stroke or teach you a better form for backstroke until you got comfortable. I taught adult TOW (terrified of water) classes for years and never failed to get someone comfortable in the water, basic desensitization techniques... although a therapist who recognizes what I'm doing would be more challenging.

    My wife also has a tiny head and awful vision, I got her some of these and they helped a bunch: http://www.speedousa.com/jr-vanquish.../style-7500602

    Electra Townie 7D

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Ha, I know I could conquer it if I wanted to, I just don't. I don't even have a swim membership at my gym, too much $ for something I will never use.
    Those are the goggles I bought at one time, thanks to everyone here at TE.
    We do have a very nice kevlar canoe, that we haven't used in 3-4 years. DH did some repair on it last summer, when he wasn't working, so we will try to use it a bit this year. We only do flat water ponds, though. I always feel that canoeing for an afternoon is taking away from my riding time, though, at the peak of summer weather. Will force myself this year, after my cycling vacation.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
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    2011 Guru Praemio
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    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,853
    You sound so much like my wife, she just sees "water things" as not very interesting. Although she's coming on board with the kayaking.

    Electra Townie 7D

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    4,066
    I used to be a bad swimmer, in the sense that i could swim fine, but I was tense and anxious, used a lot of energy, didn't want my face in the water, and was mildly afraid of deep water. I even took a scuba diving class to get to grips with some of it. That helped some, but what really made a huge difference was trying snorkelling. Being able to just hang around in the water, completely relaxed, face down, getting lots of air, and seeing lots of interesting stuff was amazing! And it was so much easier to gear up and go than for scuba diving, which always felt like I was buckling up for war. I'm a much better swimmer for it, and a happy kayaker now that I have a certain feel for the water and what's below the surface.
    Winter riding is much less about badassery and much more about bundle-uppery. - malkin

    1995 Kona Cinder Cone commuterFrankenbike/Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow
    2008 white Nakamura Summit Custom mtb/Terry Falcon X
    2000 Schwinn Fastback Comp road bike/Specialized Jett

  8. #38
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Really an apples and oranges thing to compare my canoeing to my bicycling. Love them both for what they are. Will admit that I do far more bicycling, though, and it's not a matter of access, either, because I can walk down to our dock and canoe anytime I want, just as I can get on the bike and ride right out my back door into the trails in our woods. The bicycling, in particular the mountain biking, is certainly more aerobically physical and that's a big part of the attraction for me. Two hours of paddling leaves me a bit sore in the arms and very stiff in the legs when I get out of the canoe, but two hours on the mountain bike or fat bike, riding the trails, or a long run on the road bike leaves me winded and tired all over, but in that good kind of tired that brings a big smile to my face and, now and then, an outright cheer for having completed a great ride.

    That was the point, though, about using kayaking as physical therapy due to its lower impact on the legs and feet and so on.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I actually like canoeing and my upper body always feels it!
    You'd have to kidnap me and tie me up to snorkel. That hits me exactly where I cannot tolerate. To cover my nose, and ask me to breathe through a tube by mouth would immediately put me into suffocation mode. I can't cover any sensory organ, or I am done.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  10. #40
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Last summer when we were in Massachusetts we rented a house next to a pond near Plymouth. They had a 2-person kayak which looked more like a canoe to me. It was great going out on the pond. My brother went out with my 80-year- old father, who insisted on sitting in back and reportedly did his fair share of the paddling. Back in the day they went on many Boy Scout canoe trips together. I got a great photo of them while they were out on the water, which I printed and framed for Christmas gifts.

    I always enjoyed canoeing when I was younger. I have minimal interest in snow cycling, North Woods, but your dock and canoe look might inviting.

    I certainly am hoping to get back on my bike soon, but if things don't go well with the ankle I will have to find a place to rent a kayak and give it a go.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  11. #41
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Okay, four weeks have passed.

    For the first couple of weeks, I had various aches and pains when I wore the boot, but felt okay when I took it off. For the last couple of weeks, reverse that. Pain all around the area of the posterior tibial tendon, up the side of my shin, sometimes the achilles tendon felt stiff, if I wasn't wearing the boot. No pain with it on. So my foot and leg adjusted to the motion of walking in the boot.

    I typically put an ice gel pack on it when I go to bed, held in place with an Ace bandage. I just go to sleep with it on, then remove it when I wake up a few hours later. The other night (after removing the gel pack) I turned my foot inward in my sleep and something hurt enough to wake me up. Not sure exactly what was hurting, though. Since then I've left the gel pack and bandage on all night since it acts like a soft brace to keep me from turning my foot while I'm sleeping.

    So, today. Day one without the boot! My plan was to just do minimal walking around the office. I had hoped to ride the bike on the indoor trainer tonight, just slow easy pedaling for a half hour. I'm wearing sneakers with Superfeet insoles. Things were fine until late afternoon when my leg started to hurt above the spot where I had the surgery and up the side of my shin. I put an ice pack on it for a while and that helped. Meanwhile I have a terrible cold. So I've decided no bike tonight, my trip to the gym to do upper body weights (I considered putting the boot back on so I could get in a short workout). Just sitting, driving home, sitting again, going to bed. Icing it again and leaving the gel pack on.

    Tomorrow I'm supposed to meet up with cousins who are in town for the weekend with some friends. Word is that one of the friends broke her foot and is in a boot. I'm sorry she's hurt but am thinking it will make it easier for me to say that I want to sit and rest for a while, since she'll probably not want to do lots of walking.

    One day at a time. Hoping for the best but who knows what will happen...

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I hope you feel better, NY. It must be frustrating.
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    2011 Guru Praemio
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    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  13. #43
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Feel better soon NY Biker!

  14. #44
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Two weeks without wearing the boot after four weeks with it. In general, the ankle is worse now than it was before I wore the boot. Before, after the first few days where it hurt a lot, the pain subsided and it mostly did not hurt, except for one night in my sleep I turned my foot wrong and the pain woke me up, so I went to the doctor. Now, it hurts on and off when I walk or drive. Some days are very good, some are very bad, some are on-and-off pain. On the very bad days I wore a certain pair of suede "comfort mocs" from LL Bean with Superfeet insoles in them. On the other days I have worn sneakers with Superfeet insoles. At this point I plan to wear sneakers every day indefinitely. I have two old pairs of the same New Balance running shoe, one white and one gray; I just ordered a new pair of the same model in dark blue and plan to order new pairs of the white and gray soon. So I'll have three pairs of brand new sneakers that should be as comfortable as I can get.

    I am very angry and frustrated and worried that it is worse after wearing the boot.

    I have an appointment to see the doctor early next week. I am already planning to seek a second opinion. Today I went to the website for the surgeon in NY who performed the original surgery and sent a message via the "contact us" form, asking if they could recommend a doctor with expertise in posterior tibial tendon dysfunction in DC/VA/MD. I included a brief summary of my history (surgery in 1993, excellent results, no pain until recently.)

    Whatever happens next, I expect that this is going to cost $$$. In addition to the copays to see the doctor (and possible second or third opinions from out-of-network doctors) I may be facing an MRI, custom orthotics and physical therapy. My health insurance includes a series of $1000 deductibles on durable medical equipment and PT as well as limits on the number of covered PT appointments. And a $200 copay for an MRI.

    Last week I rode 40 miles on the indoor trainer and on Sunday I did a flat 30-mile bike ride; both times my my ankle felt fine. Tonight I'm going to try a short ride with hills. Even if it doesn't hurt at all, I am very worried that the doctor will say that I can't ride my bike anymore. Also worried that he will say I can't drive -- if I have to be trapped in my apartment with the stomping elephants upstairs and no ability to exercise I will go completely insane. For the first time ever I am using cruise control in the car. It seems to help, though often there is too much traffic to use it. (Also it feels weird and I can't figure out where to keep my foot while it's on.)

    I know more than one of you knows what this is like. Maybe it will improve over time, I hope so. But then again I went through all this before and ended up on the operating table with a long recovery period.

    Sigh.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,853
    I hope you get an easier fix than PT and MRI's and all the expensive stuff.

    Mine seems to be improving by leaps and bounds with my new tennies (Brooks Addiction) and superfeet, and wearing my Olukai's around the house. The Brooks are hideous, but I'll deal rather than have that pain.

    Electra Townie 7D

 

 

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