Sink or swim

I am taking bets now, ready for Friday. Will I sink or swim?

If you have read my blogs then you know the difficulties of me getting a bath (Shall we get in the bath?). What you may not realise is that even in a bath I am only partially covered by water. The last time I was submerged in water was years ago, in a swimming pool. Now I have an opportunity to repeat that. Hopefully my head will stay above water, at least some of the time.

One of my carers was swimming at the Wellington Sports centre a few days ago, and noticed a hoist out of the corner of her eye. Maybe that’s an occupational hazard, spotting disability equipment when having a fun time with your boyfriend. She mentioned it to me, so Mary and I went to check it out. What a lovely greeting we received there from the staff, they were happy to welcome us and show us around. One of the duty managers showed us the disabled facilities. They have a lay down bed shower, I want to repeat that so I can soak a bit longer, they have a lay down shower…ahhh. I am looking forward to that bit, never mind the swimming pool, I just want to go for a shower. It consists of a height adjustable soft plastic bed with drain holes, next to a shower head, all within a disabled changing room. After being hoisted onto it, I lie on it and my carer or my wife gives me a shower. Luxury has never been so luxurious. Normally I would then have transferred to a poolside wheelchair to go through to the pool, but that has been stolen! I don’t understand some people. So I will need to use my big power wheelchair on Friday and I used it for the show around, it fits through the narrow gates. If you have never driven a large power wheelchair on a swimming pool side, you have not lived. I felt like I was breaking all the rules. Remember the don’t run, no splashing, no outdoor shoes, no petting rules? OK so I wasn’t petting, what is petting? I didn’t have any animals with me. But my wheels were from outside, is that like outside shoes? I felt so naughty breaking all the rules, I thought I should go fast just so the life guard could shout, “no running, I mean wheeling fast.”

On the poolside there is a hoist/chair to take me into the water. It looks like someone has taken the top of a bucket type school chair and stuck it on a metal contraption that swings around and goes up and down. The whole thing hooks on the side of the pool. One rather large problem though. No, not me, but how to transfer me into the chair. The only other person who uses this hoist chair can momentarily stand, with assistance from her carer in order to transfer. I can’t stand even with assistance, so I can’t transfer without a hoist. Just as well they have one, but it hasn’t been used in a long time. Hence the weeks delay before I can try out the pool. They have to get it charged, tested and receive training. My carer can use it, but the pool staff have to be trained too. Once this is all done I can access the pool.

The whole process on Friday will be. Arrive, get ready in disabled changing room, by using hoist onto the shower/changing bed, hoist back into wheelchair for trip to poolside. Hoist from wheelchair to the poolside chair, swing poolside chair round and lower into pool. Of course I don’t do any of this. At some point I will have put on a flotation vest. In the pool two people will be on hand in case I have a collapse they will have noodles, hopefully not egg ones. I can’t actually swim, so I will just enjoy floating till I get cool. Back out via poolside chair, to my wheelchair via hoist, wheelchair to changing room, hoist onto shower bed, shower…ahhh luxury, wash and dress, hoist to wheelchair, wait somewhere while carer gets ready and home, simple eh? With all the flotation devices and people I shouldn’t sink.

I am really looking forward to it.

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