Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Hi Ladys,
I went to the cardiologist today because my mugga showed a big increase, but not to worry, Dr said my heart was perfectly fine. (My oncologist is apparently a worry wort) Anyway, I originally had an appointment with my family Dr today to get Chantex...But... Onc made me cancel to see the Cardiologist. So I asked him about a prescription for Chantex. He wouldnt write it.... Said he has written for it in the past, but has seen too many people "loose it". Im taking that as a sign.... I was reading the side effects for it, and to be honest, they sound worse that what I am going through on chemo. Im going to see if medicaid will pay for the patch (so expensive) and give that another try. I need to make myself more determined to quit this time.
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It depends on which state you live in whether Medicaid will pay for any cessation medication--they all have different rules and somethimes it seems almost impossible because of the red-tape.. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW and they will refer you to the free telephone counseling in your state. They should know what hoops you need to jump through to get medicaid to pay for it.
Another source is needymeds.org ----this is for any medication. you put in the name of the drug and it will give you a list of the programs for either no-cost or low cost meds from the pharma companies. For example, Pfizer has 4 different programs for their meds. So if anybody has problems paying for meds--check it out and see if you qualify--different requirements for all of them. Good luck.
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Sweetie, the day I got my diagnosis, I threw the cigarettes on the floor and stomp them, and Haven,t smoked since and I have been cancer free for 17 yrs now(Praise the LORD), and stopping cigarettes and alchohol I believe along with GOD first, then giving up those vices has been crucial in my being cancer free for 17yr, to God be the Glory for giving the strenth and the will to stop them, try God HE will help you give them up. GOD Bless US ALL. msphil
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karen333, You are absolutely right! Having to do things that you would rather not (ie: your tooth pull) IS made a little easier in that you DON'T have to deal with nicotine withdrawal on top of it!
I chose for my treatment to have a lumpectomy and radiation and that was the right decision for me based on my circumstances.
I DO know when I was talking to the surgeon (and my second opinion surgeon) I kept thinking if I had to have have a mastectomy, how in the heck was I going to stay that long in the hospital without smoking!! I'm sure I could have done it but, I now know, IF I am faced with that prospect in the future, smoking just won't be an issue. One less thing to worry about!!!
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VJ, I believe I remember my boyfriend saying that the pharmacist said they do cover it. They were gonna pay for chantex....I'll ask them.
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sweet,
Soooo glad to hear your heart test came back fine!!
It really does suck that the very same treatment that helps us on the one hand can cause such complications on the other! Scary BUT glad you had a good result!
Yes, all medications carry risks and, I do know for some of the ones I am on for chronic non-cancer related health issues (plus Tamoxifen), the potential side-effects they list are crazy! It really does become balancing risk of side-effects vs benefit of treatment. That is something that we, as individuals, can only decide for ourselves!
The patch may very well work for you!! You were getting by on sooooo few cigarettes for awhile!
Whatever method YOU choose, you are right, the MOST important thing is to get into the right frame of mind!!
You have many here who are pulling for you, when you are ready!!!
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msphil,
Cancer free for 17 years! Fabulous!!!!
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Hello,
It's very cold in Jersey and I don't have to freeze. I've been reading all week, you ladies are just great. I struggled with coughing up crap...still am . I did go to NYC to see the Jersey Boys and that was wonderful. I'm reading the book, Chicken soup for the Breast Cancer survivor and the stories are so encouraging. and believe it or not in the car I.m listening to Barry Manilow. Singing my heart out when he sings "it"s A Miracle".
I find it's difficult to sit at the computer and type.
right now I'm dancing in my seat. Gues it;s time to get out and walk?? 10 degrees outside but oh well.
LadyinBama-so glad your feeling better after your surgery , Ellie- get angry at cigarettes- I;m using nicoderm cq,
hardest part this week has been watching my husband smoke.... other than that I'm sleeping and drinking blueberry juice and thinking of all the things I can do now that I'm not smoking.
I feel confused and scattered this week sometimes or is that just withdrawals??
Can't Thank you ladies enough for your support.Have a great weekend....
Malleme
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Sweet: My onc wouldn't write me a script for Chantix either! She recommended the patch. It is expensive, however, I would purchase the "store" brand and it was about $23.00 cheaper when on sale. The patch worked for me. I hope you can give it a try too. I'm smoke free just over 3 months now.
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malleme,
VERY cold here in NY too!!! Not loving that but, am happy that I don't have to spend much time out in it.
The coughing up crud (which is your lungs starting to heal) and feeling confused and scattered is ABSOLUTELY normal and is part of withdrawal for many people. I know when I quit, for the first couple of days I was in such a thick mental fog that it would take me much effort to even follow a simple conversation!
That all gets better over time. Rest and exercise, as well as, eating regularly and drinking lots of fluids will help tremendously.
Quitting when someone else smokes around you is very hard in the beginning. Both my brother and sister-in-law smoke and I know it was a few weeks before I felt confident enough to be around them.
It's funny that you mention singing in the car! The first few times that you do anything that you used to do while smoking and don't smoke can really trigger some powerful cravings.
I had to take a road trip to pick up my daughter from college just a few weeks after I had quit. For me smoking in the car was always a given. In fact, it was one of the last places "indoors" that I still smoked in after I started forcing myself to go outside to smoke. SO I was really worried about that trip. I made sure I packed water and snacks, turned that radio UP and SANG and SANG!!! It really did help although I'm pretty sure anyone who passed me thought I was out of my ever lovin' mind! Whatever it takes!
Your coming up on your first weekend since you quit. That can sometimes be tricky because your routine usually is a little different on the week-ends.
Best advise... stay busy and post if you need to!
Hang in there!
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Hi Ladies,
VERY quiet here!! Hope everyone is doing OK!!!
Here is the new quit smoking roll call in honor of Ellie1959!!
Laurie08 - Getting a plan in place
Sweetaerobabe - Getting a plan in place
Dutchy - Getting a plan in place
Ellie1959 - Set quit date for March 1, 2011
Malleme - Feb 6, 2011 quit date
karen333 - Jan 16, 2011 quit date
chabba - Jan 11, 2011 quit date
dsgirl - Dec 3, 2010 quit date
Kitchenwitch - Nov 30, 2010 quit date
Linda603 - Nov 4, 2010 quit date
kal_1865 - Sept 28, 2010 quit date
jan508 - Sept 20, 2010 quit date
LadyinBama - Aug 10, 2010 quit date
BarbaraA - June 2, 2010 quit date.
SeasideMemories - Jan 18, 2010 quit date
o2bhealthy - May 5, 2009 quit date
1Athena1 - April 27, 2009 quit date
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Good for us!!
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malleme!
TODAY is 1 WEEK for you!!!!
That is BIG! Hope you are doing well and will post when you can! You are in my thoughts every day!
Things will gradually get better over the next couple of weeks and THEN rapidly better after that! Just hang in there!
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seaside you are great. I can't believe it's one week I have had some tough moments but I got over them. My husband is quitting too down to 1 today. today. All lot of deep breathing in my home. the nicoderm seems to be the trick for me . Thank God. Have a great week everyone and thanks for all your support.
malleme
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Mallme - {{{HUGS}}} you can Do it!
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I think I will try the patch - I'm down to my last one - if I was smart I would bypass that gas station and keep on trucking - here's to keeping my fingers crossed. I picked up yucky butts off my deck today - smoking is so f'ing disgusting. Thanks for all your kindness my Virtual Valentines!
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Ellie1959,
While it would be great to quit early, please don't try to rush it! It is really sooo important that you get your plan in place and feel comfortable with whatever you decide BEFORE your quit date!! Are you still thinking March 1st?
When I was getting ready to quit, the plan I was following wanted you to have a "butt jar" where, after you put out your cigarette, you would put it in the jar. In the beginning, it was supposed to give you a visual clue as to how much you were smoking. Then when you had actually quit, they had you add water into the jar and then, when you wanted to smoke, open it up and take a sniff.
OH.... MY.... GOD... I will say I just about tossed my cookies the first (and only) time I did that! The smell was just AWFUL!
Sounds like you're getting yourself in the right frame of mind to "kick some butt" (pun, intended!)
Hey, just noticed that you are an ILC girl too! In good company here, Jan508 and I are too!!
We'll be here to help in whatever way we can!!!
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malleme,
SO glad to hear that you are doing well! Even though it is hard to believe, you will go from counting every minute, hour, day since you last smoked to losing track of how long it's been, then having to count up the days and saying, " I can't believe it's ALREADY been XXXX weeks"!
GREAT that your husband is following your lead!! I think it will be easier on you to not have the temptation PLUS it's always good to have a friend along for the ride when you're doing something that is for the best but really kind of tough! I have found that to be true with exercise... Easier when you have a "buddy".
When I was quitting I started a quitmeter that tracked many different statistics but the ONE thing that was a big motivator to me was the money NOT spent on cigarettes! In the beginning THAT was my reward money. The first reward was at my 1 week milestone... You are there!!! Treat yourself to a little something!
With both you and your husband quitting, you will be AMAZED at how fast that money saved adds up!!
I'll run my quitmeter numbers soon and post with the numbers! I quarantee you will be shocked!
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I have been smokefree for 1 month, I once said they would have to wire my mouth shut in order to get me to quit. When you get to your time to quit, while it"s hard to do, it is possible to do.
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Jennifer, I have made my quit date for March 1, 2011.
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Dutchy, You can do it!! You did it once and you WILL do it again!
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That is an impressive list, I'm really proud to be a part of it! We can do it, one day or one minute at a time with the help, guidance and support of each other.
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Hello ladies,
I have been reading your posts for weeks now, just haven't joined in the conversation. I have quit many times for extended periods of time and then have gone back for one reason or another. Even though I tried, I couldn't stop smoking after being diagnosed in July. I felt like a fool smoking while going thru chemo but it helped me get thru it. Now that I am done with chemo, I am done with smoking. It took me about a week after last treatment to say I am done. I also told myself when I buy a new car I will quit since I don't smoke anywhere but the car. So 2 weekends ago we went out an bought a new car, on the way back to the dealer with the title for my trade-in I had my last one and I don;t miss it.
Someone mentioned coughing a lot after quitting, how long does the cough last? I don't remember from the past.
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the coughing after quitting can last up to a month, if it lasts longer than that, mention to your MD. It's not uncommon to cough up all colors of the rainbow too, so don't be alarmed if that happens too. Just think if it as a "recovery" symptom--you're lungs are trying to clean themselves out of all the tar that has accumulated.
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Hi ladies -
Haven't followed this thread closely but since I am attempting to stop smoking I thought I'd add it as a favorite, so I do check in once in a while.
I have a question for the group...I started Tamox 11/15/10 and have had varying SEs that come and go. One of which is difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep (this has NEVER been an issue for me previously). I found ways to deal with it, primarily by taking melatonin. But, I started taking Welbutrin a week ago (I know, it reduces the efficacy of the T but I only plan to be on it a short time while quitting smoking so my RO & I agree it should be ok) and have not been able to sleep for the last 2 days. Anyone else have similar difficulties?
Thanks!
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JSandstrom, Basia, Kal_1865, Ellie 1959and all the other newbies - Welcome and congrat's on deciding to become a non-smoker. There is alot of helpful information on this thread and some terrific women who will support and encourage you in this endeavor. VJSL8 has a great workbook she has graciously offered as a resource, just PM her with your email address and she can send it to you.
JSandstrom I tried Wellbutrin a couple years ago and it made me crazy. My heart would race so fast that I thought I would pass out and my hands would tremble and shake. I also became very anxious so perhaps the Wellbutrin may be part of the sleeping issue.
Prior to BC I never had trouble sleeping, after bc dx I could not fall asleep or if I did fall asleep, I would wake up after a few hours and not be able to go back to sleep. I think part of it is that we cannot make our minds shut down. I also have chronic pain issues that would wake me through out the night. I now have night time pain meds and muscle relaxers that I take and I am able to sleep better. I took Ambien for about a year but my pain mngmnt doc told me stop to taking them so that we could make sure my med's were working.
I hope you can find something that will help you sleep better.
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Hi Ladies,
Haven't had too much time to post lately... Been dealing with a bit of family drama.
Dutchy,
I will update the list with your March 1st date!! Since your surgeries are complete, could you maybe use one of the nicotine replacement aids to help you this time? I'm thinkin'... THIS time is going to be THE ONE for you!
Welcome Basia!
Lots of us smoked during treatment so don't be hard on yourself for that. It is a very stressful time and I know I could not have dealt with quitting smoking on top of it!
Congrats on the new car! We got some new furniture shortly before I quit and that was when I started going outside to smoke. Didn't take too long of doing that... in NY.... In the winter... before I decided to try to quit completely. I remember my husband joking (ok, well maybe not 100% joking) that it was funny that I cared more about not messing up the furniture than what I was doing to my health! Even though I hate to admit it, he was kind of right!
Welcome JSandstrom!!
I think you will find all of the ladies here to have TONS of good information on what worked and what didn't for them. They are really a great bunch of women!
As far as the sleepless nights... I would guess it could be related to the Wellbutrin since that was the most recent change.
However, I did have some trouble sleeping for the first couple weeks when I was quitting smoking. I was a very heavy smoker, especially at night, and I think that was such a part of my "bedtime routine" that it was hard in the beginning.
The Tamoxifen could be doing it too especially if you are having hot flashes... Seemed like in the beginning all I did was throw off the covers because I was ROASTING and then put the covers back on because I was FREEZING all night long. That did go away as my body adjusted!
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karen333,
Happy 1 MONTH quit-aversary!!!!!
Sooo Happy that you are doing so well!
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8 months and two weeks here. WooHoo!! And I have to report: before when I would walk by people smoking, I would inhale deeply the second hand smoke and love it. In fact, I travel a lot and I would go into one of the few remaining smoking bars in an airport and just breathe. Now, it smells like an ashtray. I am making great progress.
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JSandstorm, talk to your dr about welbutrin SE. My neighbor complained about not being able to sleep while on it, it turns out he is one of the few that cannot tolerate welbutrin. He also had hallucinations after a month or so of being on it. His psychiatrist was upset with the GP for giving this to him.
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