Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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So glad you're home and recovering lisamarie!
Yesterday I called the PS to see if I could get in to see him at his private practice, that I do have health insurance outside of the VA. Turns out we can't do that or it smacks of him cultivating patients from his VA clinic. I do now though have his cell number and a tentative appt for 5/8. I'm to call first and not leave for the hospital until he answers in case he won't be able to see me after all because of surgeries. He wasn't happy they'd put me with a PS that doesn't do any flap procedures the other day. We do have to meet and discuss further and begin testing to see if my blood vessels are suitable for the planned procedure. Will have to call him back Monday to check. Know he sees patients at the VA clinic on Wed afternoons, yet my appt is for a Tues afternoon. Sigh
Went to a friends last night to play Poker. Took my e-cig with me since most were smokers. Son was proud of me for not caving and having an alternative that was nicotine free. Six out of Eight there were smoking!!
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Galsal - I am so glad I did not sign up for VA care. I did use the VA for a very short time when I first got to deep south Texas and quickly decided I would stick with Tricare. They have a "Women's Clinc" here which is a joke. They only have the clinic if they can find residents to work each month. Also the WWII & Korean Vets (most that were in just a few years) get better service than someone who served for 20 years. Did not like the politics and front what I just read in your post that make me every more glad I did not go with the VA. Also, I hated the fact that it took 6 months to 1 year to get and appt. Hope you are able to get in with a PS soon and the VA will cover the cost.
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You women are awesome!! Take care of yourselves this weekend
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Thanks Mods - Hope you have a great weekend.
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Galsal and Jo, WOW an acknowledgement from the mods, and I can say I know celebrities!!!!! Can I have both your autographs. love ya, Karen
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Just me, again! I sure hope all the nonsmokers are still making it through .... so hard to quit. I'm now 16 months smoke-free and the last few days have never desired a cigarettte so much. Even last night, I went out with the smokers (few drinks under my belt), but I didn't have one. I have to keep reminding myself why I quit! I hope everyone has a great day. Jo1955, I'm so jealous of your 83 degrees. My sister is a "snowbird" in Texas. She has a place in Brownsville. She's feeling the cold we are having up here in Ontario, Canada. I hope you are recovering well, and enjoy the sunshine!
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Karen, I believe the nod from the Moderators to be for ALL of us.
Jo, the VA is paying for this and also filing with my health insurance since it's a non-service connected problem. Sadly, I did file about my Fibrocystic Breasts with my claim many years ago which was denied. Look at things now eh. I stayed with them because they found it and were the best group to treat it. At least initially. We'll see as time goes on. For many many years I did not use the VA because of the bad environment when there were no Womens Clinics. I had great insurance for some time and never used the VA from 1984 to 2004. We do have a great one here, despite it's drawbacks. There are times I prefer to hold out with them because of the cost involved with certain tests and treatment. For the BC removal, they've been great. For general care, I agree it can take forever. That's why I'll go to a private Derm since my insurance costs are about at the 100% covered point.
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You ladies are all very inspiring to me. Getting the initial DX & preparing for my surgery made it much easier to put down the cigs...I cut back from a pack a day to about 7 a day...and was exercising and eating well instead, oh and an e-cig for the habit part.
So, now, after my LX & SNB, and preparing to return to work tomorrow, I'm less motivated...find myself easing back into more cigs a day. Its like I haven't decided to quit again. But, of course, friends and co-workers are not going to approve of me, and I will start the "hiding" game that I know so well. I related to IMGood a few posts back who said she even went to the trouble of getting an alias to get help on THis thread. I Understand!! We want to be good, and don't like the shaming looks and words from other people who don't understand this crazy addiction. Cigs are my friend and what I even get up in the morning for. Have smoked for 30 plus years. How do you get the guts to set an actual quit date????
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Smoked over 30 years myself. I just did it. Period. With the help of Chantix, although I know not all people can or want to use it. I quit for ME this time, far more than for others.
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JudiH - I live 50 miles from Brownsville so she is really close. BTW, in Texas they are not called ":snowbirds". We refer to them as "Winter Texans". They like that much better.
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Jo - and as we all know, 50 miles in Texas is pretty close. I just drove from Houston to Lake Conroe for a 2 hour afternoon tea to welcome a friend's first grandbaby. Round trip - 108 miles.0
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MinusTwo - Most people don't realize just how big Texas is. Driving 50 miles here is no big deal.
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Me too! I just did it. I was so scared with my diagnosis and wondering if cancer caused it. 3 years ago my brother died of "lung" cancer and I watched him pass. I was so scared just seeing what he was going through that I vowed I wouldn't do it. Then, my RO congratulated me for not smoking for 2 months. It was no big deal with her .... no lectures, no fingers pointing at me. She just said "that's a good thing". It kept me going because I didn't want to let her down. So that last few days have been hard .... want one but I just keep thinking of her comment. We all have to be strong and put our past "addiction" down and stay positive!
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Perfect Judi. I dont' feel my smoking caused the BC though. Mother never smoked and had it. I certainly though wasn't about to encourage additional or more Cancer because of smoking!
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I hear you Gaisal. I just didn't know what caused mine and I don't think it was the smoking but who knows. Only the cancer and the "Big One" up there know. I personally think it was the long time that I took the birth control pill for .... started in 1973 up until the mid-90's. My doctor was so focused on HRT - jury was out on the bc but I don't think we really thought about the birth control pills!
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ahhh....took BCPs for several years in my 20s, less than 10. then nothing. mother took HRT for about 10 years. none of us will ever know will we.
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Smoking is just now being connected to some sub-types of BC but not all BC's but we need a lot more research. We do know that the components of smoke are found in breast tissue and breast milk, but so far we're not sure what that means.
Since smoking lowers a woman's estrogen, smoking can be protective for some women who are prone to ER+ cancers.
There is a link between smoking and pre-menopausal women who have not had children (which would be me but since I quit in 1990, I doubt it would have caused my recurrence.) The theory behind this is that the breasts of a woman without children--has not gone through the changes caused by pregnancy and make the woman more susceptible to toxins in the breast.
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Thanks for the voice of science about this! Guess my Estrogen would have been quite up there if weren't smoking when the tests were done, despite at that point having had only two periods in even months. 70% ER+ and 90% PR+
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Galsal - ER+/PR+ - both 100%. Took BCPs for many, many years and then HRT for 2 1/2 years. Go figure!
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Dear JustBeatit, please keep reading and posting, when you are ready you will know that the time is right. Like you, I had my cigarettes on the bedside table, if I got up in the middle of the night it was grab a cigarette time. It can be done, go back to your cutting back to 7, that shows you can do it, get your nicorette replacement aid ready, then when you feel the time is right - go for it, and if at first you don't succeed you will be like the majority of smokers and you will try again, knowing what your triggers are, but please do keep watching and posting. Karen
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Hi all. This is day 12, and I am starting to feel proud of myself. I have to say, Chantix is a miracle drug! I have not felt the panic/anxiety yet. I figure I have already saved over $100. I smoked between one and a half, and two packs a day, and at seven dollars a pack,,, I am so inspired by the sucess stories here. I hope to be one of them soon!
Barbara
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BABS!!!! Kudos to YOU, woman! I know the medication is pricey but if it works what of it right.
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Barbara! You go girl. Reach around and pat yourself on the back. 12 days is great - keep it up.
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Yay Barbara!!!
You SHOULD be very proud of yourself!!!! 12 days is huge and those early days are the hardest.... Things will start to get easier from here on out until, eventually, you look back and think.... 'What the heck was the big deal?'.... Doesn't happen overnight but, I guarantee, if you stick with it you WILL get there!!! We will be here to help along the way!
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Babs, you are sailing right along, 12 days is fantastic, so glad the Chantix is helping you. But more importantly you have chosen to join the non-smokers' rank by sheer determination. Wait till that first doctor's appointment where you can answer "no: to the question :"do you smoke"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Karen
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Welcome Imgood!
Ex-closet smoker here, too!! Most people, other than family and friends who had been to my house when I still smoked indoors, had no idea that I smoked.... Very common! And I think everyone here knows that embarrassment when, we as strong women, just feel like we can't conquer this one particular challenge.... I will tell you, it can be done and the pride that you feel wnen you kick those butts to the curb is just indescribable!!
Kudos to you for choosing a new name in order to give this challenge your 'all' without worrying about what others are thinking.....
Welcome aboard..... Post when you need to! So glad to have you here.....0 -
- Ha, the "you smoke" comment. A lot of people didn't know I smoked because they couldn't smell it on me. I don't know how much I have saved .... up here in Ontario, Canada, a large pack sells for $12.50. I now spend my money on clothes .... had to buy as smoking/meds put some weight on. Overall, I'm glad I'm a "non-smoker", and Karen333 is absolutely right about ticking the box off that you don't smoke. It's a great feeling because no one is judging you now. I don't know how I got the 1. in this dialogue but it's there. Interesting point about the science, as I too had no children, early menopause plus smoked, bc pills and took hrt for no more than a month!
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Karen, thank you so much for your invitation to read and post here and continue to work at cutting down...you give me hope that I WILL just put them down soon....It is just such a monkey on my back...mostly where "other people" are concerned. I feel so judged, especially now that people know about my BC dx. Grrrr! I guess it's better than lung cancer, though, right? Then people would REALLY judge me if I was having trouble quitting at this time...now THAT would be hell on earth...cuz something tells me, that I would be having JUST as hard of a time if that was my diagnosis. Sad, really.
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JustBeatIt,
I smoked for over 30 years. Although their were some here who did quit during active treatment, I was not one of them... I figured I just could not handle one more thing other than what I had on my plate..
Once I finished RADs I figured it was time... Started by cutting back from 1- 1 1/2 packs per day to around 1/2 pack over the course of 3 months and then, finally took the plunge and went cold turkey... I had a prescription for Chantix as my Plan B and figured what was the worst that could happen... I would try and, if I couldn't do it, I would re-group and try again using the Chantix...
Being sick and tired of that 'judging look' was a big motivator for me as well... Rest assured that all of us have been there and will provide support without judgement here!!!
Please feel free to post even if you don't quite feel ready to quit yet.... It could provide you with the support and security to give it a try!0 -
Just can't say it enough...all who CHOOSE to not smoke in the midst of this assinine journey called BC are STRONG people. To me, they have Hero qualities!
Seaside - I can greatly recognize the path you took and it could just as easily have been me.
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