Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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the bit about blood pressure got me as it eminded me when i did try to quit smoking though my pregnancies..same thing...just stopped and at the next visit my blood pressure was through the roof so the doc re-evaluated and had me go to ten half cigs each day....it worked...i smoked half and put it out and my blood pressue went back down... my typical BP is 117./60 except dayi found out i had BC and it was 130 over 90- which freaked me out....anyway,,,i love you all for being hee and caring:)
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{{{ANNETTE}}} There is no shame in slipping. You can and will do it when you are ready!
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honesty...that is one of the greatest gifts of BCO...honestly:)
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Jennifer:
So glad your appointment went well!
Annettek:
Don't beat yourself up! We all have faltered along the way...be kind to yourself and do this in your own timeframe. No judgement here on this thread!
Jan
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Allan Carr's book is great for changing the way you think about smoking, about changing our belief system, but it doesn't give any good advice about HOW to quit. He wrote that book a long time ago and we have found out so much more about cessation since then. Nicotine is a very powerful addictive drug--changing the sturcture of the brain.
When someone has been smoking for 10, 20, 30 plus years--it's only normal for it to take a period of time relearning how to live as a non-smoker. Focus on the number of cigarettes you successful resisted instead of the one that showed you as being human and imperfect (normal). If you smoke 20 a day, thats 140 in a week -- think of the 139 successes. Slipping and smoking just means there is more to learn about becoming a non-smoker. If it was easy, most smokers would have quit already. Might be the most difficult thing you do, but it can be done.
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Annettek, Believe me, I have slipped (and relapsed) many times.... and the ladys here were always here for me. If you wanna just count this as a slip, and continue on with the quit, we wont tell anyone.
Maybe pick up the patch (my medicaid paid for it) it really helps me to feel almost no withdraw. I swear by them.0 -
Jennifer,
Herceptin is a breeze. :)It's a target therapy, not "chemo"
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Hi Ladies
Been gone for a while and see the board has been busy, new faces, names, and many familiar ones still here, congrats to everyone having new anniversaries to celebrate, even those with small slips here and there, please just keep on trying.
Jan best wishes for your upcoming surgery, still so love to see the daisies in your avatar. Seaside, your are such a blessing to this board, keeping it going and going and going, I had my 3 months quit anniversary, still have not lit a cigarette, but I am lagging behind schedule in my use of the quit smoking aids, should have been all done with them 1 1/2 weeks ago, but am unable to completely quit them, drat, I am no longer using the inhaler, but ever so often I JUST NEED one of those lozenges (nicotine ones), my brain is so not wanting to use them because it makes me feel like I am cheating on my "quit smoking" path, but so far most days I use one or 2 of the lozenges anyway.
Last time I purchased the lozenges, I talked to a woman who was also buying some of them, and she told me she had used them for years, it really made me feel helpless, as I am seeing myself being like her down the line, VJ where did I go wrong ? Most of my waking hours are ok and I dont miss the motions of smoking, but sooner or later during the day I get the feeling that I need my fix.
I do go to see my Primary Doc next month, and our goal was to be done with smoking and the nictotine aids by then, I will still try for that.
Reading all the posts I missed, and find most are still here, but where's kitchenwitch and Laurie ??? Hi BarbA what's with the Question mark in your avatar ????
AnnetteK, best of luck to you, you'll get it on track next try
Have a great day friends
dsgirl
Edited to add: I was a 50+ years smoker about a pack a day
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annettek,
Sorry to hear about your slip...
You mentioned that this is the first time that you had tried to quit and, while you may not have quite gotten there on the first attempt, I would suspect that you learned ALOT about what worked and didn't work for you!! With each attempt you will add more and more "tools" to your toolbox until you finally have everything you need to get the job of quitting done for good!
VJ makes a very good point! Focus on all that you did RIGHT in these 7 days... All the cigarettes that you didn't smoke!! You are not weak! Heck, you made it through the roughest days of quitting and are still standing.
While it is still fresh in your mind, take a minute to write down any thoughts on what you found to be the hardest about quitting. That may help you see areas where you could maybe use a little bit of support when you are ready to try again.
I truly do believe that Allen's book it great for motivation but it needs to be used along WITH a program of some sort that helps you with HOW to qo about quitting. Kind of a 2-prong approach. I used an old Smoke Stoppers program given to me by a previous employer (had to literally knock the dust off it). VJ's workbook is excellent as well! WhyQuit.com is pretty good, although a bit militant!
Perhaps one of the nicotine replacements may help.... The point is, just because one thing didn't work doesn't mean nothing will work.
Re-group, get a plan together and hop back on that "bike" when you are ready! We'll be here waiting for you!
In the meantime, feel free to continue posting here... Thinking about quitting is a perfectly valid stage of quitting!
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dsgirl,
Hopefully VJ will be along with some insight...
In my opinion, you are only 3 months into your quit and I certainly wouldn't think that is an excessive amount of time to still be on the lozenges. Even Chantix I think is prescribed for 3 months. During those 3 months you have been busy breaking many of the psychological connections that you have between activities and smoking.
I would suspect, when you do go off the lozenges that you will then experience a mild physical withdrawal but, in theory, I think it's supposed to be a little easier because you're not dealing with the psychological addiction on top of it. If it is at all the same as cold turkey, it may be uncomfortable but is over with pretty quickly.
Glad to hear you are still going strong!!
PS: We haven't heard from Kitchenwitch in awhile. Laurie has put her quit on hold for a bit. I hope she will join us when she's ready.
Edited: to fix a few glaring typos
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Bama,
Congratulations on your 7 MONTH quit-aversary!!!!!
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Jan,
TOMORROW is the big DAY!!!!!! You must be soooooooo excited!!! Will be thinking about you throughout the day!
Sweet,
Glad to hear that Herceptin doesn't make you sick!! Did you get your Chicken Ceasar Salad yet?
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Hi sweet, so glad that Herceptin doesn't affect you like chemo does, I don't know how ladies in active treatment do quiting. I am just doing quiting, I'm on AI's but that is all and still have the occasional craving. You are definitely commited to not smoking, you should be so proud of yourself. Karen
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Jan, Now you are getting the twins, I hope all goes well. Will send gentle hugs your way tomorrow. Bama - 7 months - way to go girl. Karen
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Thanks Seaside!
Annette: I can't believe I've made it 7 months, so if I can do it, so can you or anybody. I read somewhere that people fall into categories as smokers: those mostly physically addicted; those who are habit smokers; emotional smokers, etc. I learned real quick how physically addicted I was to nicotine. I was a raving fool maniac. Nicotine replacement was the only option for me. When I wore the patch and wasn't constantly dealing with the physical withdrawal, it gave me the time and energy to work on the mental parts of my addiction. After a few weeks of training my mind, I was ready to let go the patches. Hang in there, try again, and you will find what works for you. (((HUGS)))
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Ladyinbama CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!!!!
Karen, ditto what you said about Sweet's having chemo and quitting smoking at the same time,
tough jobs- but she's managing.
dsgirl
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Jan, Good luck tomorrow, I'll be thinking about you.
Bama, Congrats!!
Jennifer, no salad yet, but soon.
My FINAL TCH treatment is on St Patricks Day. So Im hoping I have the luck of the Irish and get off easy on the side effects!!! Then just Herceptin for the rest of the year, and I'll move on to Rads soon. Still gotta make the GYN appointment to discuss having my ovary's removed.
I have an MRI scheduled tomorrow for hip pain. I have been having it since before chemo, and a bone scan was clean, but it still hurts pretty bad so onc ordered a MRI. I asked about a PET scan to put my mind at ease hoping for no mets anywhere in my body, but he said he has seen way too many false positives and wouldn't write a script for it. I really wish there was a sure fire way for us to know if cancer ever rears it's ugly head again.
Well, Idol is on, Have a good night ladys.
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Lady:
Congratulations!
Sweet:
Thanks for the thoughts!
Jan
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Bama, congrats!!
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Sweet,
Good luck on the MRI today!! I have to have a breast MRI done every year and they are not my favorite thing. I am claustrophobic so they give me Xanax to take before. You pop one of those babies and you just really don't care what they do...lol!
Jan,
Today is the BIG day!!!!!!!!!!! We will all be thinking of you!
Jennifer
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good luck on your MRI sweet!
Yes, today is the day. Have been busy this morning, doing laundry, catching up on the computer, etc.
I don't need to leave for another 1 1/2 hr so I'm going to watch my DH eat lunch
I'll be in touch
Thanks
Jan
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Good Luck Jan, of course you are putting everything in order before "the birth"...and watching your DH eat lunch...LOL!
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dsgirl---How many years did you smoke???? It's only been 3 months since you've quit and look how far you have come in this time. You're doing great, keep it up. Don't compare your situation with anybody else--you didn't smoke like them and we all quit in different ways.
In my field of tobacco control, there are people at both extremes, like John Polito of WhyQuit--who believes that all nicotine is evil. At the other end are people who believe in "harm reduction (if you can't quit, then switch to smokeless or snus--a less harmful nicotine product). The Cooperton method is designed to use NRT for 9 months.
But most of us are in the middle and will tell you to use medications AS LONG AS YOU NEED THEM. The time tables from the FDA--haven't been updated in 20 years(I don't remember exactly how many years but a long time and they haven't kept up with research). I have seen too many people quit NRT before they were really ready and they slip back to smoking. Physical withdrawals can last 6 months and since you're still getting strong urges daily--your brain hasn't caught up with the fact that you no longer smoke and yor brain is still expecting a cigarette. So quit feeling quilty that you aren't quitting "perfectly", believe in progress, not perfection.
You don't know the story of the woman you met that has been using NRT for years---I do believe that some individuals may need to use NRT as a medication for the rest of their life----often these are people with a history of mental illness and/or substance/alcohol addiction----85-90% of individuals with schizophrenia and 85% of hard core alcoholics--smoke---many people "self-medicate" with nicotine. I use the Patch for my cluster headaches--it reduces my headache pain. The NRT isn't 100% safe (NOTHING IS) but it has 6,999 less chemicals than smoke. I wish there was more research into NRT as a long term medication--the only reason people smoke is to get their drug of choice-nicotine and so there are benefits. They have tried to make nicotine free cigarettes--people won't smoke them.
don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing great. I usually suggest to my clients to NOT stop medications (or cut down) until they have gone 2 weeks without any major cravings or slips.
Often people will worry about becoming addicted to NRT---very rare, it can happen but not normally and the inhaler and nasal spray--which are prescription only-- are the ones that have that risk---the over the counter NRT--- it's more likely to become a "habit" and not a physical addiction.
Ramblings---I usually tell my "former" smokers to say--"If I can quit, there is hope for you too, I know you can be successful, when you're ready"--instead of "If I can do it, you can too"---just a slightly different phrasing but the impact can be great. Haven't we all heard some "holier than thou" former smokers bellow--"If I can quit, ANYBODY can quit" and in the back of our minds we're thinking--not me, I've tried and I can't. I do believe that anybody can quit--but the timing needs to be right, there needs to be sufficient motivation and desire, there is a re-learning process where the person is going to feel uncomfortable as they are learning to live without smoking and sometimes it doesn't seem worth the effort to learn high effort coping skills when low effort smoking works so well for us. There is physical addiction to deal with as well as emotional ties and habits.
Often what keeps smokers smoking is either shame or guilt or both and I never want to add to either emotion. Shame is "there is something wrong with me (that's why I can't quit)". Guilt is "I'm doing something wrong (but I don't know how to stop)". I remember feeling both after my first cancer diagnosis---even smokers would bug me to quit--"VJ, why are you smoking, you've had cancer?" and this was back in the late '80's and it used to just piss me off because even though I wanted to quit, I didn't know how, so the last time I relapsed, I became a closet smoker--nobody knew I had gone back to smoking because I just didn't want to hear any remarks. Finally at a 4th of July party, I couldn't stand it anymore and I lite up. You could hear the disappointment in a friends voice when she said, "but you were doing so well."---not really I had been smoking for months, she just didn't know it.
Just my two cents for today. You all have a joyous day, VJ
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I had my MRI, and it will be 2 working days before my onc gets the report, but they did give me a cd, and of course I looked at it and trying to analize it. I see lots of little white dots on my scan.... what do bone mets look like on an MRI? Does anyone know?
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Sweet, cannot offer any expertise on your question, we will always be looking over our shoulders won't we. Will be keeping you in my prayers for a good outcome. Karen p.s. we're a resourceful lot, aren't we.
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((((((Sweet)))))))))))
Can't help you on what it would look like on MRI having only seen bone cancer on an X-ray (not my own)!!
You have done what you can to have things checked out and now you are having to play the waiting game, which is just the WORST!!
Try to stay busy and even though Dr. Google is calling your name, be careful because... sometimes... He just makes matters worse with all of his mis-information... Notice Dr Google is 'he' because, if it was a she, we all know she'd get the info right!
I can't scroll back or I'll lose my post but, I think you said you had a bone scan and that was all clear! That is very good!
Sending you comforting and peaceful thoughts!
Jennifer
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TWIN GIRLS!!! Whoo Hoo....
Surgery was this afternoon and was about 1/2 hour. Feeling a bit tired but been eating since I got home!
I do have to sleep in the recliner (he doesn't want me on my back - except with pillows) I'm afraid I'll roll over on them.
No real pain, I'll try to take just Tylenol..
I actually feel really good.
I'll keep in touch with updates!
Jan
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Jan, now I'll congratulate you on the arrival of the girls. Try to stay ahead of the pain, but if only a Tylenol is handleing it, that is just great. That is just amazing, only a half hour! Karen
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Congratulations Jan! I get my twins on the 30th if all goes well with my ov ca surgery next week.
Sweet: I had a doc show me a scan one time and there were all these "flying dots" that she said were nothing. Apparently, the scans show a lot of garbage stuff that doesn't mean anything. It's probably best if you don't try to analyze it, you'll just scare yourself! The only thing I remember from my BC mammo when they showed it to me was the radiologist circled a starburst shaped bright white area. He said BC cells look like starbursts. But don't look at your scan thinking you see starbursts, please! Praying you get good results.
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Wow Jan, up and about and posting already!!! So glad you feel good!!
Jennifer, Im going to wait for the Dr to get results. I wont drive myself crazy. And yes, a bone scan in August was clean. Just wondering why I still have hip pain... it's not chemo because I have had it since before surgery...
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