Thanks for sharing your story with us. It has similarities to mine - I did not know how to swim until college, where I took 'Beginners Swimming' - if you can imagine 20 or so adults learning how to blow bubbles under water, hold the side of the pool and learn to kick, etc. The college provided us with suits - made of a rough, coarse fabric, with maybe 5" sides? After a couple weeks of those itchy suits, I bought my first Speedo at a Herman's Sporting Goods store (if anyone remembers those) - it was just a plain Navy blue nylon suit (this around 1980). I was nervous buying it - but not really for any 'sexual' reason, I was afraid people would laugh at me for thinking myself a "real swimmer", since only real swimmers wore Speedos. Have been swimming ever since, in Speedos, TYR, The Finals, and Monsterpolo (favorite colors and very brief style, but they are low in the back and let too much water flow into the 'seat' area of the suit). Anyway, I joined a Masters team in the 90s and still swim with them - most members are very welcoming to swimmers of all abilities, so if you have a USMS team in your neighborhood, give them a try - you can swim as often or as little as you want, get out early if you get too tired, etc. It helps to have motivation from your lane mates!
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