So we have a "swim rant" thread, but I wanted to post my "swim happy" moment today, probably brought on by being out of the water for over a week.
Pool reopened after maintenance + clear, fresh perfect temp water + 6 lap lanes between 4 lap swimmers = 4200yd :bliss:
A little background for my greatest swim happy:
As I have mentioned before (too many times, I know...), I had major shoulder surgery for TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) and thought I would never be able to swim, kayak, or kayak surf again. My surgeon assured me that if all went well, I should be able to get back to swimming again. (I didn't even think about competing at that point...)
The surgery was successful and I sent him a thank you note, soon after I left the hospital. But, recently, I decided to write to Dr. Braun again, letting him know I was not only swimming again; I was competing with USMS. I received a heartwarming reply, including these excerpts:
"The fact that you are swimming 3000 yards is amazing to me. In the first place, I probably couldn't walk 3000 yards unless it was gently downhill.* In the second place, using your arms to propel yourself through water for a distance of over a mile is simply mind boggling to a TOS surgeon."
"The ultimate goal of orthopaedic surgery is to allow someone to enjoy his or her life in a way that they wish to pursue it. You have been extremely successful and I share your success in knowing that we did the right thing, at the right time, to the right person."
"Thank you again for your letter. I will keep it in the file which I never intend to relinquish because it means a lot more to me than the diplomas on the wall."
*Dr. Braun is now 78 years old and was 71 when he operated on me! He was and is still known as one of the leading TOS surgeons in the country and the only one on the west coast who will take the risk of performing the surgery he performed on me.
So, everything I have done in swimming since joining USMS is one big swim happy for me! And, receiving Dr. Braun's letter was (chocolate!) icing on the (chocolate!) cake!! :bliss:
A little background for my greatest swim happy:
As I have mentioned before (too many times, I know...), I had major shoulder surgery for TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) and thought I would never be able to swim, kayak, or kayak surf again. My surgeon assured me that if all went well, I should be able to get back to swimming again. (I didn't even think about competing at that point...)
The surgery was successful and I sent him a thank you note, soon after I left the hospital. But, recently, I decided to write to Dr. Braun again, letting him know I was not only swimming again; I was competing with USMS. I received a heartwarming reply, including these excerpts:
"The fact that you are swimming 3000 yards is amazing to me. In the first place, I probably couldn't walk 3000 yards unless it was gently downhill.* In the second place, using your arms to propel yourself through water for a distance of over a mile is simply mind boggling to a TOS surgeon."
"The ultimate goal of orthopaedic surgery is to allow someone to enjoy his or her life in a way that they wish to pursue it. You have been extremely successful and I share your success in knowing that we did the right thing, at the right time, to the right person."
"Thank you again for your letter. I will keep it in the file which I never intend to relinquish because it means a lot more to me than the diplomas on the wall."
*Dr. Braun is now 78 years old and was 71 when he operated on me! He was and is still known as one of the leading TOS surgeons in the country and the only one on the west coast who will take the risk of performing the surgery he performed on me.
So, everything I have done in swimming since joining USMS is one big swim happy for me! And, receiving Dr. Braun's letter was (chocolate!) icing on the (chocolate!) cake!! :bliss:
