The other day I touched on the frustration I’ve been feeling with my limited mobility, and how much I longed to go for a walk. My tics currently make this impossible as they make my legs move about all over the place. It looks chaotic and crashing to the floor every few minutes is painful and impractical.

Using a wheelchair allows me a certain amount of independent mobility but I still miss being able to walk. Every morning when I get out of bed I think maybe today I’ll be able to walk more normally. It’s not a crushing disappointment when it becomes clear things haven’t changed, just a low level longing. There are moments when I think if I just try harder or concentrate more I’ll be able to make my legs take sensible steps. This is plainly ridiculous and however much I push myself my leg-tics are relentless.

Immediately after my patch of sadness yesterday I went swimming with Poppy. After doing several lengths in the main pool we went to relax in the hydrotherapy pool. While we were floating about I decided I wanted to practice walking underwater, and this turned out to be much more effective and less painful than my attempts on dry land.

What I also discovered was that Poppy makes a very good mobility aid when she’s floating on her back with her legs in the air. I held onto her ankles and pushed her around the pool like a walking frame. The water provided good resistance to my tics, and supported my body when I dropped down. Most importantly though, doing this was both fun and funny. I left the pool with my earlier frustrations washed away.