We decided to take Teddy and Katy swimming last week to strengthen their core. Teddy has been on prednisone since February. Steroids will cause muscle waste among a host of other issues. Although Teddy gets regular acupuncture treatments, we noticed his back legs were a bit wobbly and somewhat weak. We didn’t know what to expect with an almost 12 year old elderly statesman. Well, we were shocked when he jumped in the pool twice and swam like he always had known how to use his legs efficiently to support his back. He made no splashes but swam around like a pro. Katy, on the other hand, was her usual drama queen persona.
The swim instructor had to really coax her to get into the pool with a helping hand from me pushing her gently from the rear. She had a swim vest on to help her feel secure. The instructor talked softly to her repeatedly trying to calm her as she thrashed in the water, spraying huge amounts of water up in the air sometimes like a geyser. We could tell that she was stressed, as she was breathing hard and had a panicked look on her face. After several short attempts at reassuring her, Katy finally settled into swimming smoothly and gliding through the water. With a success on hand, they have another swim lesson this week. Stay tuned, there will be more.
