Regroup!!
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laurenz2501
Posts: 839 Member
How is everyone doing? I'm disappointed this group is so quiet...I actually deleted this group about a week or so ago...until today...
Well, I fell off the wagon since my last post until Wednesday when I had a terrible doctor's appointment. I'm going through quite a health scare. Lung problems to say the least...Maybe not a "scare", probably the real thing but have to wait to get more tests done and results back...
So that day I went to the bar, had a few drinks and smoked pretty much an entire pack of cigarettes in one sitting (3 1/2 hrs) knowing that had to be my last smoking session. Although I loved every second of it and I miss it (especially in the morning on my days off when I would drink coffee, smoke and watch tv or play on my phone/Internet)...I don't really miss it as much as I thought I would this time around. I guess because of my health. I've told my friends and family what's going on and they're scared and worried for me. My mom said to me "If you continue smoking, then I will have no sympathy." I thought my brother would be mad. He has always hated that I smoke. I started when I was 18 (as soon as I went to college) so I've been smoking for 12 years. I've always tried to hide it from my family and would never EVER smoke in front of them. I think I smoked in front of my dad once and felt terrible about it so I never did it again. My mom found cigarettes in my car once and again I felt like *kitten* so I've just always hid it. My sister-in-law said "I talked to your brother. He isn't mad. We're just worried and want you to stop now!!"
This whole thing makes me feel terrible...it's 100% my fault and something that could have been prevented...I was also born prematurely (weighed 2 lbs) and have asthma. I was on oxygen for a few months after I was born and didn't come home from the hospital until 2 months later, around Christmas. I spent countless nights hospitalized for asthma and my parents would stay up all night with me and had to wake me up a few times during the night to do my Albuterol nebulizer treatment...once I got the correct asthma meds I was fine probably around age 7 I believe...I think asthma meds may have masked any symptoms from smoking that I would have had otherwise because the inhaler helps of course. Without it I have trouble breathing but it has been that way my whole life so that's nothing new...
Yet, despite all of this, I still bought that pack as an 18-year-old rebellious college student whose parents were going through a divorce and who was battling depression and who quite frankly just didn't give a *kitten* at the time...
Welp.....now I do.
On the bright side this will be day 2 of no cigarettes. Last night I couldn't sleep and I was Googling things. I came across a forum where young people like me are having similar health consequences. I'm only 30. One girl was 25, with oxygen, still smoking. That's just mind boggling. Thankfully I feel fine as long as I do my inhaler as prescribed. Aside from that I don't have breathing problems. I tried Chantix before and used the starter pack. I got through it but it makes me nauseous for about a 1/2 hour whenever I take it so I stopped. It takes me a few hours to get hungry in the morning so taking it on an empty stomach made it worse. So Wednesday I started up the Chantix again but with the second pack (next higher dosage). It seems to be working pretty well! I also have a vape thing but I never really liked it. It's good for the occasional puff here and there but actually bothers my lungs more than a real cigarette does...so that's pretty much out.
Well I have to end this but thanks for reading everyone, and I hope to get some replies/feedback on how everyone is doing!
HANG IN THERE!!!!
:flowerforyou:
Well, I fell off the wagon since my last post until Wednesday when I had a terrible doctor's appointment. I'm going through quite a health scare. Lung problems to say the least...Maybe not a "scare", probably the real thing but have to wait to get more tests done and results back...
So that day I went to the bar, had a few drinks and smoked pretty much an entire pack of cigarettes in one sitting (3 1/2 hrs) knowing that had to be my last smoking session. Although I loved every second of it and I miss it (especially in the morning on my days off when I would drink coffee, smoke and watch tv or play on my phone/Internet)...I don't really miss it as much as I thought I would this time around. I guess because of my health. I've told my friends and family what's going on and they're scared and worried for me. My mom said to me "If you continue smoking, then I will have no sympathy." I thought my brother would be mad. He has always hated that I smoke. I started when I was 18 (as soon as I went to college) so I've been smoking for 12 years. I've always tried to hide it from my family and would never EVER smoke in front of them. I think I smoked in front of my dad once and felt terrible about it so I never did it again. My mom found cigarettes in my car once and again I felt like *kitten* so I've just always hid it. My sister-in-law said "I talked to your brother. He isn't mad. We're just worried and want you to stop now!!"
This whole thing makes me feel terrible...it's 100% my fault and something that could have been prevented...I was also born prematurely (weighed 2 lbs) and have asthma. I was on oxygen for a few months after I was born and didn't come home from the hospital until 2 months later, around Christmas. I spent countless nights hospitalized for asthma and my parents would stay up all night with me and had to wake me up a few times during the night to do my Albuterol nebulizer treatment...once I got the correct asthma meds I was fine probably around age 7 I believe...I think asthma meds may have masked any symptoms from smoking that I would have had otherwise because the inhaler helps of course. Without it I have trouble breathing but it has been that way my whole life so that's nothing new...
Yet, despite all of this, I still bought that pack as an 18-year-old rebellious college student whose parents were going through a divorce and who was battling depression and who quite frankly just didn't give a *kitten* at the time...
Welp.....now I do.
On the bright side this will be day 2 of no cigarettes. Last night I couldn't sleep and I was Googling things. I came across a forum where young people like me are having similar health consequences. I'm only 30. One girl was 25, with oxygen, still smoking. That's just mind boggling. Thankfully I feel fine as long as I do my inhaler as prescribed. Aside from that I don't have breathing problems. I tried Chantix before and used the starter pack. I got through it but it makes me nauseous for about a 1/2 hour whenever I take it so I stopped. It takes me a few hours to get hungry in the morning so taking it on an empty stomach made it worse. So Wednesday I started up the Chantix again but with the second pack (next higher dosage). It seems to be working pretty well! I also have a vape thing but I never really liked it. It's good for the occasional puff here and there but actually bothers my lungs more than a real cigarette does...so that's pretty much out.
Well I have to end this but thanks for reading everyone, and I hope to get some replies/feedback on how everyone is doing!
HANG IN THERE!!!!
:flowerforyou:
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Replies
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Tough crowd. Shame...0
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Just saw your posts. I hope you are still on the wagon in your second week. I too was born with impaired lungs and started smoking when I was 21. Dumbest thing I ever did. I finally got tired of everything associated with smoking and quit 77 days ago on June 11. I used the patch and did the step down method. I have been off the patch for about three weeks now and completely nicotine free. Stick with it. You can definitely kick the addiction.0
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I think this is a really good group! Thanks for sharing your story, it made a lot of sense. I hide my smoking from my sister and parents (and yes, I'm a grown woman!). I know I shouldn't smoke, so why do I? (All excuses are just excuses!) I'm on my last packet of cigs - when they're gone, they're gone!0
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Good luck Superbabe612. Nicotine replacement really helped me. Don't be afraid to give yourself help in quitting.0
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Hey all!
I became a non-smoker this Tuesday. Had my final cigarette in the afternoon. My fiance has become a non-smoker with me. We used Allan Carr's Easy Way book. I've used it before, five years ago - and stopped for a year. Then cue the best friend's wedding and my nerve-wracking MOH role, and the drinks and her sweet and lovely Father offering me a cigarette during the reception. Snowballed from there. My fella and I both want to be married as non-smokers though. And we will.
I also struggle with drinking - they go hand in hand. I'm on day four of a 30 day break. I may run it until Thanksgiving (Canadian).
Anyway, I have support for drinking, but decided to source out support for smoking. I'm really worried about gaining a lot of weight. Normally I wouldn't care, as I know my health is more important than 10lbs. I am a small frame and am sitting at a great weight, so it wouldn't really be a big deal. I do, however, have a wedding dressing that is a specific size that I need to fit into in 83 days, so that's my weight concern.
I know it's really a matter of not substituting food for cigarettes but then there's the metabolism thing - how it slows down. I guess it's just a matter of remaining vigilant, drinking loads of water, watching alcohol content and increasing exercise, even if just extra walking.
Can anyone speak to quitting and weight?
Thanks!!0 -
Hi,
I've read all your posts with interest. I'm 6 years off cigarettes. That was when I was diagnosed with end stage COPD. I have 21% of my lung function remaining and have a daytime oxygen uptake of 91-93% 2hich drops to 86-88% during sleep. My copd has been caused by smoking and nothing else. In the 6 years my function has dropped from 24 to 21% due to the enormous number of exacerbations sufferred. 17 times diagnosed with pneumonia and hospitalised 11 times. I have written several blogs on what my day's routine is about and serves as a warning to those thinking of smoking and those who prevaricate over stopping smoking. According to my Respiratory consultant at the time of diagnosis, I would have died within 12 months if I had continued to smoke. As it is he gave me 10 years max so I have less than 4 to go. Friends. You can kid yourself all you want. The fact is that if you smoke, it will kill you or at the very least shorten your life. So give up now.0 -
Don't worry too much about gaining some weight while you are quitting. A month post quitting you will feel better physically than you have in years and should be able to take off whatever weight you gained in that month. I've been smoke free for 90 days and feel great!0
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Hey Rick,
Thanks for sharing your story. It's difficult to read. I'm sorry this has happened to you. Thank goodness you quit. My Step-Dad just passed away in March from cancer. He battled for three years. My Step-Mom is also battling currently. Both non-smokers. And then I think about how we (or in the past) choose to smoke. Or how I chose to smoke when those who choose not to still battle these awful diseases. My step-dad's Mom has COPD. She quit smoking probably 12 years ago and developed COPD about ten years ago, a direct result of her years of smoking. This year has certainly been a wake-up call.
Mjn18, I know! I'm not THAT concerned....all I need is to be able to get into my wedding dress in 2.5 months and it's all good~0 -
I just found this group and saw your post. The hardest thing anyone can do is to quit smoking. I have struggled as a smoker for 30 years. I just recently quit, also due to a health scare. The doc says all my tests came back good, the scare was unfounded....but it was enough to get me to give them up. Actually, "give them up" isn't the right phrase. It is more like "freeing myself from the slavery". Please, whatever you do, stay clean of the nicotine! I have made it 45 days. Here are my stats:
Your Quit Date was: 7/28/2014 9:00:00 AM
Time Smoke-Free: 45 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes and 47 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 1127
Lifetime Saved: 8 days, 14 hours
Money Saved: $201.94
Whenever I am tempted, I just remember how hard the first couple of days were and I don't want to have to start over!! STay strong and I will check in tomorrow
Remember: Take a deep breath and appreciate it! 0 -
Hey! Thanks! Are you using some sort of app to get those cool and inspiring stats?0
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Yes! The website is quitnet.com I actually joined a few days after I quit, so I know that you can back date your quit day. I like getting the stats in my email . At first it was every day, now it is just every other week, I think. I love it! And I love being smoke free!!!
On a side note: it keeps track of how much money you are saving. I live in Nebraska, but I buy (used to buy) cigarettes in Missouri where they are really cheap. If you live in a high tax state, you will be saving much more than me!0 -
Thanks for all the replies everyone!! I rejoined the group again :flowerforyou:
I have been struggling with quitting, I'll admit it and be honest. Although I've cut down considerably to maybe 2 cigs per day (I know that doesn't matter but to me it's a major feat) I keep saying "last pack, last pack, last one". I'm tired of stopping to buy them especially in the morning when I'm almost late for work or on my way home from work when I really just want to get home...
This week I am doing it. I set the QuitNow app for yesterday. I don't have any cigarettes right now and I didn't stop to buy any this morning and I'm going to try to do the same after work.
HEALTH ISSUES ABOUND! Now I have really bad acid reflux keeping me up at night. It's been a few days. I'm taking Advil twice a day. Well at least I think it's acid reflux....I told my Ear, Nose and Throat dr about it when I saw him the other day and he said "Sounds viral. Give it a few days" but I don't think it is. I'm almost positive it's acid reflux/heartburn from smoking...they've done that throat test where they put the scope/light down your throat twice this year and they've said it isn't cancer...
Last night before dinner I took 2 Tums...then before bed I had tea. TEA IS THE WORST! Then I had to take 2 more Tums and Advil....then I tried to go to sleep and was tossing and turning from the pain so I got up and took some Tylenol Sore Throat and a generic Acid Reducer pill. Now I know that the Tylenol Sore Throat syrup works better than the Advil...
This is all terrible and just needs to stop. I'm sitting here trying to drink coffee and I can barely drink it. Congrats to those of you who have quit recently. The quitnet.com site is great.
Nadamandar, I hear you on being afraid of gaining weight but at this point that isn't even a concern for me. I'm already way overweight and need to lose about 40 lbs and quitting smoking will help me do that. I can't exercise and do cardio when I can't breathe...I have also purchased Allen Carr's book but I haven't been reading it regularly.
On a lighter note, I am back on the exercise wagon. I think that helps me more than anything to stay motivated to quit. I just can't believe I wasted most of my 20's becoming so unhealthy...
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I just found this group and saw your post. The hardest thing anyone can do is to quit smoking. I have struggled as a smoker for 30 years. I just recently quit, also due to a health scare. The doc says all my tests came back good, the scare was unfounded....but it was enough to get me to give them up. Actually, "give them up" isn't the right phrase. It is more like "freeing myself from the slavery". Please, whatever you do, stay clean of the nicotine! I have made it 45 days. Here are my stats:
Your Quit Date was: 7/28/2014 9:00:00 AM
Time Smoke-Free: 45 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes and 47 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 1127
Lifetime Saved: 8 days, 14 hours
Money Saved: $201.94
Whenever I am tempted, I just remember how hard the first couple of days were and I don't want to have to start over!! STay strong and I will check in tomorrow Remember: Take a deep breath and appreciate it!
That's really great!! You've come too far to turn back now!! I can hardly get past 3 days...but I will 0 -
Just saw your posts. I hope you are still on the wagon in your second week. I too was born with impaired lungs and started smoking when I was 21. Dumbest thing I ever did. I finally got tired of everything associated with smoking and quit 77 days ago on June 11. I used the patch and did the step down method. I have been off the patch for about three weeks now and completely nicotine free. Stick with it. You can definitely kick the addiction.
I used the patch and quit successfully for a year in '06-'07...(crisis started me up again). I tried the patch a year ago when I was going on a 3-day trip with my brother (no smoking in front of family!). But the patch made my arm hurt really badly that time. So I kept taking it off and putting it back on. I know they say not to do that but I think it helped at the time...as soon as I got home I started again...
Maybe it made my arm hurt because the dosage was too high? I like the patch better than the gum. The gum (TMI) makes me spit all the time...I feel like it's chewing tobacco..0 -
I think this is a really good group! Thanks for sharing your story, it made a lot of sense. I hide my smoking from my sister and parents (and yes, I'm a grown woman!). I know I shouldn't smoke, so why do I? (All excuses are just excuses!) I'm on my last packet of cigs - when they're gone, they're gone!
How are you holding up? Do you think your family knows you smoke anyway? I think mine did, they just never said anything about the smell. Whenever I would go to visit them I'd leave the windows open for about 20 mins before I got there to air the car out (and myself) and I keep perfume, hand sanitizer and gum in my car...horrible.0 -
Read the Carr book! I find it really gets you in the right mindset! Glad you've rejoined!!!0
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Read the Carr book! I find it really gets you in the right mindset! Glad you've rejoined!!!
It definitely does. I have been reading it sporadically and it has already helped a lot and help me to cut down. Especially the idea that you only want "another" because you've already had the 1st one of the day and so on...that is so spot on. If I could break the habit of that 1st ritualistic morning smoke of the day I would smoke much less.0 -
Read the Carr book! I find it really gets you in the right mindset! Glad you've rejoined!!!
This book is the reason I have stayed quit!!0 -
Read the Carr book! I find it really gets you in the right mindset! Glad you've rejoined!!!
This book is the reason I have stayed quit!!
:drinker: :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:0 -
That's super inspiring!0
