Bathing suit & shoe questions

[maggietc]

My mom has artificial hips, she has had her left side re-done once and her right re-done twice (so that's 2 total hips on one side and three on the other!!) She has arthritis and is overweight, so in addition to some light weight training and walking she wants to begin swimming. Because of her hips she cannot move at an intensity necessary to get her heart going, oh, and she also has high blood pressure.
All that being said, she is looking for a bathing suit that is more of a body suit. She has many scars on her legs and is very self concious about them. She is okay with having her arms uncovered, but really wants the suit to cover her legs. Does anyone have any suggestions for where we could buy one of these for a woman who is plus sized??
Another issue she has is a leg legnth difference. They had to add to one of her legs with cadaver bone in order to have enough bone to work with, so one of her legs is now about an inch or so longer than the other. She wants to build the strength necessary to do stairs again, but the leg legnth issue really gets in the way of form. Does anyone know a good place to go to buy or have made a pair of sneakers which would correct this??
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks!
--Laura

 

[eminenz2]

This is a very perplexing question!

Would something like this work? It doesn't seem to be a swimsuit per se, but perhaps in can be made to work.

http://www.professionalfit.com/catalog/view_item.php?id=124

Otherwise, I'm sure something custom made by a professional seamstress would be ideal. It probably wouldn't be cheap, but perhaps you could get insurance to pick up some of the tab, and at least you'd get something exactly fits your mother's needs.

As for special shoes, an orthopedist would be the best bet, would be my guess, especially if the shoes needed orthotics or lifts of some sort.

Good Luck!

Susan L.G.

 

[allwildgirl]

I don't have any suggestions about the shoes, but perhaps some kind of neoprene wetsuit would work for the swimming. Like these:

http://sava.en.alibaba.com/group/50070612/Neoprene_Wetsuits_for_Surfing_and_Diving_.html

 

[truton]

Scuba divers use a unisuit made of lycra/spandex when the water is fairly warm and they still want a little protection against jellyfish. We called them 'diveskins'. Here's a link to what I mean:

http://www.scubaduba.com/scuba-gear/SPORT_LYCRA_SKIN.html

These are nice because they provide protection without the added buoyancy and insulation that a wetsuit gives. HTH!

 

[red_mct]

Um, ok, I thought this thread was going to be about wearing furry kitten heels with bathing suits. :7 :7 :7

(Hope you find something that works for your mom!)

Marie