I am an experienced open water swimmer so am very comfortable of using this method to sense check my fitness ahead of my 2 mile swim this Saturday. I find open water swimming enjoyable so holds no fear or surprises for me, my biggest fear is that I hadn't correctly trained or prepared myself for 2 miles .
As a heart failure patient clearly this 2 Mile swim in Loch Lomond is not without it's dangers to me. If I cycle too hard then I can become disoriented but I see it coming so stop, take a drink & energy bar and let it pass so what is option in open water? One thing that won't happen is heart attack type scenario because my device will just keep my heart rate to 130 for whole swim after 1st 10 minutes so my training session last Saturday was more about what happened to my body once I enter the 2nd hour of swimming.
I Have never actually pushed myself so far that the maximum possible impact of black out occurs. I have had times of my heart absolutely telling me to stop, confusion, body shakes, extreme temp changes these are not frightening to me but are to those like Lorna who see me fighting them or no longer able to hide the symptoms but each time they occur I examine how they happened & learn how to avoid.
So am happy to report that during this swim absolute nothing within my body reacted badly and in fact because of how my device works it settles my body into consistant rhythm. I became stronger as time went on. I came out the pool so confident and positive.
I can't train for something like other people, tiredness and fatigue are consistant battles that can mean every session at start can be like never trained or exercised for years. When I start my swim on Saturday the 1st 5 to 10 minutes will be hard both physically and mentally but my experience means I will work through it, as I lie here writing this I can feel the strength in my legs and arms so I know I am fit enough even if at times my body says otherwise.
The big question is would I pull out if last Saturday hadn't gone well? I would love to say Yes of course I would as example of managing my condition sensibly & correctly but I take comfort in fact that through all the challenges I undertake the question has genuinely never been on agenda, what has happened is after I maybe under estimated impact post challenge and that is what happened this time.
Saturday I felt top of the world, Sunday I put down to post training swim standard reaction for anybody, legs and arms felt tired, wee bit of sore head but nothing unusual. Monday returned to work after 2 week Holiday so again standard tiredness, fatigue, low mood reaction I felt, but then major warning sign of bad mood swing Monday night and falling into deep sleep at 8pm till 6 next morning in my works uniform after lying on bed. By Tuesday I know something isn't right, mind thoughts are very negative, I feel my body working in a way that I cannot describe, vision is blurry, I have tingling in fingers and concentration levels are all over the place so I know now I haven't handled my post swim care well.
So I have been distant last 3 days and not very nice to Lorna. I can hide and manage it around other people so well now but Lorna gets the full John struggling backlash but the key point is I saw it yesterday afternoon so last night I spent it with her. We went to Saltcoats for her and Grace to go to 2p machines. I made the effort to just be with her and as always it works. I wake this morning feeling stronger and again positive.
As always she didn't moan but just gently tells me in a jokey way that something isn't right and I realise eventually so face up to it, plenty of sleep, relaxation time, fluid , eat properly and basically make effort with Lorna to laugh and spend time doing things we enjoy, that is how I will manage now my post 2 mile swim Saturday so even after 10 years of living with heart failure I am always needing to be careful and learning. Nothing can be taken for granted with heart failure and the best advice ever is still true today
"Treat your DCM like your invisible friend, never fight it but work with it, treat it well and it will reward you but never forget who is the stronger in this relationship"
Thanks to everybody for support, it honestly means a lot and helps.
