Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Hello again
Sweetaerobabe, you are doing real well when you consider the fact that you went "cold Turkey", and have had just one little slip, I applaud you efforts. I am not able to do it without the "Aids".
I am however smoke free still, and feel somewhat calmer and am working my way slowly to my new "normal".
I have been smokefree for 17 days, and have used the inhaler for the past 13 days. I use 5 or 6 of the little cartridges every day, this thursday I plan to stick with 5 only for about a week or so, then try to go to 4 per week, and eventually down the road, probably not until Febr or March I hope to not need them at all. The straw is still my "best friend", seems so silly, but I need it. We are all so different in the way we deal with quitting, but as long as we are quitters in the end, great.
The prescription says a max. of 16 cartridges per day, I am glad I am able to get by with 6 most day.
After a meal is when I miss my cigarette the most, and late evening.
Looking at my notes, (thanks VJ) that is the times I smoked the most.
There has been so many posts since I last checked in, glad it's busy here, then we know someone is working on quitting smoking. Wow 2 years, 11 months, 6 months +, I forget the names that went with the times, but good to read so many of you are way ahead. Watch out sweetaerobabe, kitchenwitch and I are coming along as well. Looks like everyone is having a good time planning a party, sounds like fun.
Jan508, I have not started gaining weight yet, but I am sure it's coming as I notice I eat more than I usually do, and always have to have dessert now, also candy bars etc, of course it is also that time of the year where everyone bakes, makes candy etc, yum, so maybe the new year will find me looking for a weightloss plan as well.
Merry Christmas
dsgirl
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ds
I'm very proud of your quit. Using the 'aids' is a good thing for you so keep up the good work. It sounds like you have a definite plan so stick with it and before you know it you will forget all about the inhaler. My DH is on the e-cigarette and doing pretty good on that. I think it's like the inhaler but not sure.
Jan
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Hi all,
I have an e-cigarette my boyfriend bought for me when they were first comming out, they seem to choke me and I dont see the satisfaction of enough smoke comming out of my mouth. Now there is question if they are safe I hear? Maybe I just have a cheap version and thats why the vapors choke me.
Also, one of the many times I was trying to quit, he found a fake cigarette at the grocesy store. It was all filter with the paper wrapped around to look exactly like a cigarette. (No NRT) I found that to be helpfull when driving, plus, it felt more real than a straw. I dont know what ever happened to it, (Probably threw it away when I started to smoke again) but its an idea for those using the straw. He found it at Shop- Rite if anyone has those grocery stors close by.
Well, off to get ready for my Herceptin tx. Oh, and Im all for a weight loss support system. I think we should think about doing that. I saw a health show on tv the other day, and she was saying 400 calories 4 times a day. Of course trying to sell the cookbook, but said eat whatever you wanted as long as it was 400 calories. There were tips in the cookbook to learn to eyeball your portion size. I forget the name of the book now, but I can google it later.
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sweet
good luck with your tx. I will be thinking about you.
I noticed your avatar name sweet aero babe? what does that mean?
Jan
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Re: E-cigarettes---since no one regulates this product, the answer to most questions about them is --we just don't know. There are no manufacturing guidelines or standards. so there might be harmful ingredients but probably not as harmful as what's in regular cigarettes. The bigger issue is that there are no standards as to the amount of nicotine contained in them. The FDA did one small study that showed that the amount of nicotine did NOT conform to what was stated on the package--ie--a 30mg package-had no nicotine and a no nicotine package had 30mg of nicotine. So probably the biggest help from using an e-cig. is with the hand to mouth motion--which a fake cigarette would also provide (they are available on the internet, just google fake cigarette--about $5.00). The nicotine inhaler is similar to the e-cig in concept but is regulated by FDA so you know exactly what you're getting.
sugar cravings--when you withdraw from nicotine, it changes your blood sugar levels, so that you crave sugar-just one of the reasons why quitters gain weight. Often times diabetics will need to have their medications adjusted. Nicotine interferes with the adsorption of many medications--including caffeine--if you're a heavy coffee drinker (or energy drinker), and continue at the same level as before you quit, you can develop caffeine overdose symptoms--anxiety, nervousness, restlessness etc..
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Thanks for the info VJ.
So that may explain my sugar craving and here I was blaming it on Tamxifen! I was never a big coffee drinker (1-2 cups in the AM).
I'm going to my PCP 12/30 so I'll ask about the sugar thing but I'm cutting it out on the 1st anyway!
Thanks for all the information you have given this thread.
Have a Merry Christmas & Happy Healthy New Year!
Jan
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Lots of cravings today! WTF?
Maybe because I missed the gym yesterday? I think I'll go this afternoon because I'm not going to get there again until Monday 12/27.
Jan
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Jan,
my screen name means Im an Aerosmith fan.
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Oh, the reason I asked was because 'aero' is also used in Aviation and I work in that field.
Jan
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VJ, funny you should mention coffee, sugar and nicotine, I used to drink 3 cups of good strong coffee in the morning, lately I have cut back without even thinking why, just suddenly 1 1/2 to 2 cups were aplenty, and I switched to Folgers 1/2 decaf last time I needed coffee, maybe sometimes our bodies guides us in the right direction. At least I have cut down a little on sugar and caffeine, which is good since you mentioned too much of either causes the same darn SE's that stopping smoking does.
Coffee does taste real good to me, I do use sugar, lots actually in each cup, tried without sugar many a time and would rather stop the coffee drinking then. One of my friends have mentioned to me that she thinks I get all my daily allowance of calories from the sugar I add to coffee and teas, and it puzzles her that I don't steadily gain weight since I eat regularly too.
Wishing all of you a Merry Chrsitmas and a Happy New Year.
dsgirl
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Kitchenwitch,
Congratulations to you on 3+ weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those "I was smoking" dreams are SO real it is unbelievable! I look at it as one final, desparate way that the addiction tries to get us to give in!!
You are so right in that being tired can cause us to let our guard down. One thing I read was to not let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely (Bored) or Tired as those things would lessen your resolve to quit. They called it H.A.L.T. I must say, I did find that to be true!
I am so HAPPY that you are doing well!!
Just think, in less than 1 week, you will move on to a choice if you want to count your quit time in days, weeks or MONTHS!!
Keep it UP!
Edited to change the order of what not to let yourself get. The way I had it, the abbreviation would have read H.A.T.L. Not NEARLY as catchy as H.A.L.T! LOL
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O2B,
Arizona sounds like such an amazing place! I always joke about our rapidly changing weather here in NY by saying "If you don't like the weather right now, just wait a day". Sounds like you don't even have to wait, you could hop in the car and go to where the weather suits you!
The pictures you posted are gorgeous! Your daughter has a real eye for photography and is a real cutie! Almost as pretty as her Mom!
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Aw, sweetaerobabe!
I was so hoping that you would make it through but, as Jan said, this is a slip and nothing more! Take what you were meant to learn from this slip and USE it to KEEP going!
Congratulations on the new DIL! Glad to hear that the pork stew tasted good!!
Hope that your treatment today went well. I don't know that much about Herceptin. Does it make you feel poorly like chemo? I hope not!
I often look at peoples screen names and try to figure out why they chose them (in fact there was a thread at some point on BCO where people talked about why they chose their screen names). Boy, was I WAY off on yours. In your avatar you look so fit and pretty that I figured aero stood for aerobics... lol. I too, was (and am), a big Aerosmith fan!
Hope tonight finds you well!
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Jan,
Sorry to hear that you were getting the "cravings out of the blue". They happen but, do truly suck! Hope you kicked 'em to the curb! As always, we need to be cautious with the "firsts" and I am sure, this time of year has a whole bunch of firsts for ALL of us!!!
CONGRATS on 3 MONTHS!! THAT, for me, was a BIG milestone. You should be really PROUD of yourself. So happy to hear that your husband is also doing well! What a great way to end this year and begin the next one!
I hear you on the sweet tooth! I have been doing some Christmas baking and I do believe I have been subscribing to the "Oh, I'll just have one" school of thought. Only problem is, I think the one, for me, has been one from each batch that has come out of the oven
. dsgirl,
Way to go on over 17 days!!!!!!!!! Glad to hear that the inhaler is working for you! I have been looking forward to hearing how that worked for you as my brother and his wife are thinking about quitting in January and are thinking that may be the method they will use!
Gingerbrew,
Loved it when you said, "I know it is an artifact and my brain is just reading an old message". Never heard it worded that way before but HOW TRUE! Hope you don't mind but, I keep a list of quotes and things I have read that I really like and have added yours to my list!
Good Night All!
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Don't you just love Seaside???
She takes each post here and reads, digests and responds in the most caring manner.
Thanks Jennifer...you have become a friend and I appreciate your support and encouragement! You have made this thread a wonderful place to visit and chat with those having smoking and other issues.
I would love to meet you someday when I'm up in the NJ/NY area.
Jan
PS: When I got those cravings really bad today...went to the gym!
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Jan,
Thank you for your kind words! I consider you to be a friend as well! And I will say, you have been such a tremendous source of support here as well! No matter what the situation, you always have a kind word to offer!
I have learned so much from all of the ladies here and am grateful to have BCO. This thread, in particular, seems to be such a great bunch. The support and caring from all here is, I think, remarkable and I am PROUD to be a part of it!
I would LOVE to meet with you if you find yourself up this way. If all goes well, I may find myself down your way (Topsail Island) this summer!
I think, if I remember right, you have a colonoscopy coming up. Hope all goes well with that! My husband had his in March and the prep really was the worst part!
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Jennifer:
Of course all the ladies here are wonderful...and I have learned alot from them as well. They AND you have been my source of support and encouragement.
Topsail is about an hour from here, more or less.
Yes, colonoscopy is next Wednsday. So, I figure I can eat whatever I want until Tues because it will all be gone on Wed anyway
Mr. dr. is using a new prep that is a perscription. Something you drink YUK...I have my test at 7:30 in the morning so I have to get up at 2:30 am (note AM) to finish it! WTF???
Talk tomorrow...
Jan
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Oh, Jan 2:30 am, to start the prep ? I guess you won't be sleeping at all that nite then, sorry.
Maybe that's a good thing though, it shortens it up alot, I had mine at 9 am and had to start prep the day before at noon. I could not eat solids the day before at all, but liquids was ok all day. I was told my prep was new too, it was a prescription called movi-prep, lol, quite a name. I suppose it was meant in a cute way to say it's function is to move your bowels, but for some odd reason the name made me think the name was made up in Hollywood, Calif. I am sure I was already suffering from nicotine/dopamine deprivation, anyway, the name tickled my funnybone all day long. And it was a long day, but I am glad I got it over with. Good luck with yours, good idea to wait until AFTER Christmas.
dsgirl
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You are so lucky to have the colonoscopy @9. I had mine scheduled @noon on a Monday. SO I had to start the prep Sunday @1. Ugh. Then clear liquid after that. WTF?? I was SO HUNGRY!! My DH's band was playing @5 so I asked the doc if beer qualified as a clear liquid (it does) and I had several so that I wouldn't care that I was starving.
The next day I was so hungry that while in the waiting room, I seriously considered ripping the arm off the guy sitting in front of me. I didn't but...
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SeasideMemories, Thank you.
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Hey Seaside,
Just to let you know. Herceptin isnt really a "chemo" drug, it is a targeted therapy for Her2+ people. The side effects are very mild for me, slight sore throte and slight achyness in the chest.
It can however cause heart problems, which was a main motivater for me to stop smoking. And Im still going strong, I didnt give in and start smoking again.
Yes, Aerosmith is def my fav. I have met them several times, a great bunch of guys!
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DS: Yes I'm taking the moviprep also. I have to take it at 2:30 am because my procedure is at 7:30 am. I think I take it a 6 pm and then again at 2:30 am. They say it tastes horrible! We'll see.
Sweet: Great job on not smoking again!!! You ARE doing this!!
Barbara: With all the sweets I've been eating and 'craving' I hope I can go without food for a day
I can only have clear liquids the day before.Jan
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Jan508 - I have heard that there is a pill you can take instead of the liquid prep, for some reason (maybe cost) it is not commonly offered. You might want to ask your doc about it, I have a sensitive gag reflex and am not sure I could swallow all that liquid...
Seaside - thank you I think my DD is pretty adorable except for when she throw me a little teenager attitude! I agree with Jan508, you are always so encouraging and welcoming. This thread would not be the same without you...
My EVIL coworker brought home made shortbread cookies today...I have already devoured 4 and it is barely 9am...oh well we are going to start a diet for our New Years Resolution, right???
Have a Very Merry Christmas Everyone!!
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Barbara, funny, beer was not on my list, however vanilla ensure was ok, really with all the liquids I never really did get any hunger pangs. I think they did away with using the pills for the prep, at least my doc. did.
Jan, taste was not too bad for me, you can refrigerate it, and keep drinking water in between.
Seaside, so far the inhaler is working for me. At times I forget to put in a new cartridge and just puff away on an empty one, I will sure keep posting about how it's going.
I did try alot of different methods over the years, I smoked a pack a day many years, never more, had this idea to open one in the am, and if gone during the day could not open another pack until the next day, no exceptions. I did cut down before my quit day, then did without anything for 5 days or so, then needed the inhaler (or I was gonna start smoking again I felt)
Tried the hypnosis, cold turkey, with and without a slowdown in my smokes first, tried the patches, gum, lozenge, here I must add that those times I did not really decide to quit, I was told, begged or bugged about quitting, never really had my mind wrapped around the idea of quitting. From what I read in VJ's notes, that is why none of those worked.
dsgirl
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sweetaerobabe,
I was going to say that, back in the day, I had ALL of Aerosmith's albums (yes, people... vinyl... lol)! I MUST SAY your story is FAR more interesting than mine! I would have done just about anything to have met Steven Tyler in person just once!
Glad to hear that Herceptin doesn't make you feel bad like chemo. I was thinking that you JUST got where you were feeling a bit better after your chemo treatment and then, you were having another treatment that would make you feel not so well again! Glad that's not the case!
So happy to hear that you are still going strong! I think we'll just go on as if the slip you had NEVER happened!
Heads up.... LOTS of firsts coming up! Be on guard and know we are beside you every step of the way!!
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Jan,
MoviPrep is what my husband did as well. When my daughter saw the box sitting on the counter she said "MoviPrep? Yeah!!" To which I said, "what do you think that is?" She thought it was something to do with watching a movie and was quite grossed out to find out what it REALLY is! Ahhhh yes, to be young and innocent again!
O2B,
You girls are giving me WAY more credit than I deserve! I feel that I RECEIVE so much more than I give on this thread! Here's to the New Year and ALL OF US being here to support each other! I'm IN on the New Year's resolution diet!! We'll have to figure out what we're doing and who all else wants to participate after the holidays!
For now, I think I may BE your evil co-worker.. lol I have sooooo many cookies that I have baked that need to find homes before I eat them ALL!!!
Funny aside.. I made some gingerbread men this year and brought them to my family's early Christmas celebration. My young nephew was eating one and talking about how they had read the story of the gingerbread man at school. I told him, he better watch it because the story was, "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" To which he replied... "That's why I ate his legs first"... I about died laughing! Out of the mouths of babes!
dsgirl,
Thank you so much for posting about how things are going with the inhaler! It is something that I am sure not many are familiar with so, for someone who may be thinking of quitting, your experience will provide a lot of valuable information!
And you are right.... Being told, begged or bugged into quitting isn't going to do ANY good! Nothing works until OUR minds are ready and then look out! When someone is TRULY ready they WILL quit and then they will look back and wonder, what the heck was the big deal?
Barbara,
Going to check out the Life's a Beach thread to see what you all are planning for a possible Arizona get-together! Not sure if I can swing it but, will definitely try!
Have company arriving tomorrow and staying until at least Sunday so probably won't be able to be on much!
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and so look forward to a VERY HAPPY and HEALTHY New Years for ALL!!!!
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OK...
Just one final post because I really don't want to leave anyone out (and forgive me if I have)....
Bama, Kitchenwitch and Linda603,
Hope you all are doing well!
Bama, since the quitmeter that I used is no longer available, I would like more info on the one you were using. I think that it didn't involve downloading anything onto my computer. When you get a minute, could you post what you did? Thanks!
Dutchy,
Thinking of you still and praying for strength for you! I hope that all works out OK for your son! Please know that I think of you often and wish the best for you! You have been through so much!
Sending you hugs and wishing I could be there to deliver them in person!
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Just a little background on my many attempts...
I have tried EVERYTHING at least once to quit. I liked the inhaler but I just wasn't ready to quit so I gave it to my Gram who promptly lost it (I guess she wasn't ready either)
Went to hypnotherapy TWICE!!! The first time was just before I got married in 98' the second time was in 2007, same person! We both looked at each other and said 'you look familiar'...I had completely forgot the first attempt until I met the lady again!
Patches, gum, Wellbutrin, Chantix, pressure points... you name it I tried it. It wasn't until I was ready to quit for me that I was successful! I used the gum until my PS said NO NICOTINE, not even the gum for my recon. UGHHHHH! I went to Doublement gum, blowing bubbles, sucking on straws and this thread...
Seaside - you have a way of writing that makes each person feel special, appreciated and important. I think we are just wanting to let you know that we think you are special too!
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Seaside- I use quitnet.com for my meter.
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Maureen813 still trying to quit. What is an inhaler? Where do you get it?
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