swimming and cycling
 

im going to be doing both of these very soon.. and and obviously they involve revealing body parts which have scarring etc on im a tad nervous..just the other day i was wearing 3/4 length sleeves and i took off my coat because i was hot and this lady tutted shook her head at me and said 'thats just disgusting' :ermm: its not like i was showing off i wasnt wearing short sleeves only a few scars was obvious, i was just hot and for all she knew it could have been wounds from an accident they're not obviously si at first glance.

I dont know why im posting im just a little nervous, i dont really expose my scars much and now im doing these things.. i need to do them as cycling to get around and i need to lose weight. Im just asking i supposse for reassurance from anyone else whos been in such positions etc.. or help on not reacting too badly to peoples reactions//

Hey,

I've been in your situation. I love swimming and have horrible scars.
I suppose I'm lucky in that I've never had ANY comments, despite my scars being really obvious.
You know what? Screw those people who judge you. They have no right. This is something for you, and it's fantastic you are going to swim and cycle.
The first time showing scars can be scary and hard. Is there somebody you could go with to distract you from wondering what other people are thinking? When I first started swimming again, my sister came with me and that helped loads.

This is a fantastic achievement, one you can feel truly proud of.
Take care.

Hey. I'm very glad to see that you are still doing things you like to do. There is a quote that I found very inspirational, it's from my favorite show Criminal Minds...."Scars remind us of where we've been. They don't have to dictate where we're going" People can go screw themselves if they have an issue with your scars. They are a part of your body and they aren't going to go away over night. I was terrified to show the scars on my wrist, they may not be raised but there are two spots that are indented and I think pretty visible. I've gotten a few stares which made me feel uncomfortable.... If some says anything about your scars, I say roll your eyes....I hope this helps.... Good luck

I wear tshirts to school when it's warm and usually people don't notice. If someone's being a jerk, glare at them. If it hurts you, text a friend. Message me for my number if you want someone who doesn't know you IRL <3

Good luck <3

I have to wear a polo shirt to work now after years of wearing long sleeve shirts. I can't tell you how much I was dreading the first day. I spent ages looking for light weight long sleeve t-shirts to wear under it. After getting to annoyed being warm I just thought "f**k it" I'll bare my arms. No body said a word for a while and the tops of my arms are covered in scars. Then one day out the blue somebody asked what the marks were and I just told them, why should I lie?

People will judge, that's human nature. But the important thing is to remember these people don't matter one bit. Enjoy your cycling and swimming because you want to and don't let any stuck up ass put you off.

John

Your so brave to try this, I hope it goes really well. I Would love to wear short sleeves sometime or at least roll long steeves up. I'd also loved to swim, but i'm way to self consicous of what people think & My SI Scars canno't really be anything else but SI. I To have been unlucky with a couple bad reactions. Maybe I will try like your going to..maybe swimming. Or has anyone found a longsleeve swimming costume for sale? (Like the gymnasts wear) That would be amazingly usefull.

AJ303......there are wetsuits. I understand being scared as it is extremely scary. I wish people wouldn't judge and make us uncomfortable. I also wish there was an easy fix... I would try the wetsuits, it looked like there were light ones so you don't get hot.. I really hope you get to go swimming as I hate to see the things we like to do robbed from us for dealing with our pain a different way.

I'm glad you're going to do some things you enjoy! That's wonderful :)
I agree with what mikey said... don't pay attention to the people who don't understand! I know that's sooo hard, and I haven't been able to do that... but it's something we should try.

*hugs* Have a great time!

Yeah thanks guys, I'm gOing to see cycling may be alright as long as I can change before being with people I'm still a bit conscious even after 8 years now never shown in public can't believe it's been that long... both things are compulsory really can't get around it I have some old long sleeve shirts and shorts for swimming maybe just to wear until I'm comfortable or probably just wear them before getting in the pool I shall see I thinkm I'll be okay as long as there's no kiddywinks about or anyone I know it will only be weekdays so hopefully will be okay. Cycling people can't really see you long enough to notice lol so yeah thanks guys xx

Rash vest's and board shorts. Genius inventions the both of them.

Excellent advice. :)