Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Hello Ladies -
Sorry I have not posted her for awhile - it's not because I haven't wanted to, but because reading about s****** make me want a c^^^^^^^^. I did want to drop by and say that I haven't fallen off the wagon - on day 26. I have been 'helped' in a way by my exchange surgery and the freezing cold weather and snow here. The recovery from the exchange is taking awhile (longer than I thought it would & somehow the idea of smoking when you can barely get out of bed and have stitches across your chest doesn't cut it. Then two - I'm not inclined to drive through this weather to go to get s*****s which I would have to stand outside in the very cold in order to 'enjoy' - I never did like that much - kind of took the pleasure out of it.
Anyway, don't think I do not appreciate your encouragement because I really do. It helps a lot to know that there are people out there rooting for your success.
I am going to be going to Florida soon & I'm afraid I'll be facing some of my biggest 'triggers' - hanging out with other people who smoke, being at outside bars and sitting around talking and drinking for long time periods. I'm thinking about buying so e-cigs to get me through it. Anybody think that might be a good idea? So far I have been using nicorette gum & have really only chewed a couple pieces a day at most and most days not any. Any ideas of how to get past the roughest points?
Once I'm a little further along, I will check in here more often & hopefully do what so many of you do & provide encouragement to others - for right now I just have to (selfishly) stay away for the most part and keep the s****** thing out of my head. Hope you all understand.0 -
Hi Ziggy! Congrats on almost a month of not s*****g! As for e-cigs, I highly recommend using one when you drink and hang out with others who will be taking part in that activity...tee hee.
I use www.greensmoke.com and if you are a Marlboro s****r, I recommend the red label. If you like menthol, they have that too and flavors like chocolate. You can get them with or without nicotine.
Have fun in FL! I am freezing here in CT big time and wish I could stow away in your suitcase..lol. I was just there in October but it is not the same as going when we are in a deep freeze!
LisaMarie, I can't get over how amazing you look. Love that pinup style. You were made for it!
Rock on ladies. We are soooo worth the effort! xoxo
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Hi April,
I am a stage IV mets to liver and bones. Just stated treatment, and i am a heavy smoker since a longtime. I cannot seem to stop smoking and i tried everything. I read about greensmoke that you use. And went to the site but do you know if they ship overseas? And what is special about this cigarette?
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Hi Woodylb,
I have no idea if they ship overseas but as for what is special about them, I just find they taste like a real cigarette more than the others I tried do and they smoke like one as well. The red label is a lot like Marlboro which is what I used to smoke. If they don't ship overseas, if you have friends/relatives in the states, you can have them ship to you maybe? Anyway, my best to you and so sorry about your progression to Stage IV. Hugs!
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webwriter,
My husband quit for me he is four years now, and i did my first treatment jan 2011, it reoccured with distant mets jan 2014. Still i am smoking and if what you wrote is true then i blocked my treatment by 60%. Now started new treatment and still i cannot stop. My health does not seem to motivate me enough , i am lost any tips?
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Woody...Do they have Chantix where you are? It is a pill that takes away the desire to smoke and makes it so they do not taste good. That was a biggest help to me...also I used the ecig for 2 weeks...but I would recommend to get the one without nicotine. When I read about the 60% it was really a motivator for me. There are some really supportive people here who have quit...so I am sure they will be posting soon too. Quitting is really hard...so be kind to yourself and do the best you can. Sorry you have to go thru this again.
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Hi Ziggypop, just wanted you to know that I can sympathize with you...I too s.....k for many years up until I was diagnoised...That was last April...I acutually stopped a little before that...I was turning 60 years old, over weight and type 2 diabetic...About a year before, I put myself on a strict diet, walked 3 miles a day, and exercised twice a day, but still s.....ked...I wanted to loose the weight first, afraid of eating and not sticking to a diet...Then I finally got to my disired weight...Never felt better in my life, and that was the truth...Even my diabetes was under control, and I know longer needed medication...Then a year after that, I went for a mamo, and I was told I had BC...I used e-cigs for a while, then gave it up completely when I had my Lumpectomy etc....Just went cold turkey...Wasn't really that bad...The chemo was the reason for that...Now I am almost done with rads, and I started s....king again..One here, one there....I am so ashamed of myself, that I have come this far, 9 months, and broke down...I could give a million excuses but there is none. Not really...In the back of my mind I was always afraid of this...When I felt better I would start again...Being surrounded by people who smoke does make it harder...No one knows of my downfall, except you girls...I am to ashamed to say anything, when they think I am so strong and can beat anything...Don't get me wrong, I have a very wonderful supportive family and friends, but It's hard living up to there expectations sometimes...Well I just wanted you to know...Maybe my story helped you in some way...A while ago on a different thread you helped me..I don't exactly know which one but I think in was Chemo, before during and after...Oh one last thing...The e-cigs have propolyene clycol in the vapor you inhale, so read up on it before you get any...I too used Greensmoke, and they were good, but I keep hearing things about that chemical...Yes, it's in our food and God knows what else, but I don't know if I want to inhale it anymore...There is not enough research on it...The only one that doesn't have that is Blue Smoke, but it has no taste either...But if you need to then go ahead...It has to be better that all the other crap in real cigs...You hang in there...It's never to late to stop...I am trying my best to stop now even as I write...Good luck to you and all of you on this thread...I wish you all well, and God Bless
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Yup, it does have propolyne glycol so if this is something that you don't wish to have in your ecig, get the Blu brand. I use them very sparingly now cause it has been 9 months for me, but in the beginning, I used them a lot more. Vaping is not for everyone, but I found it helped me more than any other thing I tried and I tried them all. For me, this was my ace in the hole and what helped me quit cigarettes for good I hope. So far, I looked up adverse events online on the FDA website and out of millions of ecigs smoked, there were less than 40 adverse events reported and not one of them was proof that their issue was from the ecig. So while no one is sure if they are good for us, so far, they have not proven to be bad either after more than a decade of use. That is good enough for me to be sure I won't die from them, at least not like cigs.
Gubbyann, don't be so hard on yourself! This stuff is brutally hard to quit. Smoking is something that is worse than heroin according to the experts and most of us have relapsed. I am hopeful that I quit for the last time this time but one never knows. One day, one minute at a time, I am praying this time I will make it!
Keep the faith!
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(((Gubbyann))) don't give up...keep trying as best you can. I know I am one cig away from a relapse. It is hard to quit and like April said it can take many tries.
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Hi ladies .... amazing posts here. First, LisaMarie, can you hear my claps and whistles .... you look amazing and to think you had second thoughts about doing the shoot. Now I can see why your flippin neighbour is so jealous of you!!!!! Do it again, it seems you are a natural. Ziggypop .... keep going - its hard and everyone of us will tell you that but it does get easier as you go along. I was like you when I was encountering my first outing where I knew there would be smokers .... I was worried and wondered how I was going to manage .... I did fine and in fact, the smokers were telling me not to smoke when I asked for a drag. I got through it and do so for many other times. There will be many triggers that we all will face as ex-smokers or as I now love to use MinusTwo's saying "I'm a smoker who has chosen not to smoke", but you get used to it. And one by one, you will break down the barriers of why you smoked and remembered why you didn't. Woodylb, what a tough time for you .... makes it so hard when you can't find the product you are looking for - where do you live? Rethink this time about smoking during treatment, if you can ... you can give yourself better healing during/after treatment as this crap takes so much out of you. Gubbyann, your story sounds similar to mine .... thought I would exercise .... looked great and then wham! Discover why you started up again .... the answer may be looking you right in the eye .... I know I thought that I could start again as I was finished all treatment but it was my radiologist oncologist that I didn't go back to the habit .... she was the only one who didn't give me shit about smoking and all the bad things that go along with it .... when I told her I hadn't had a smoke it 3 months, she just said "that is a good thing". So for her, I thought hmmmmm I'm just gonna try this. As well, I was lucky that my smoking friends didn't encourage me to light up. My biggest fear was when I was with my bf who had actually taught me how to smoke .... I was so worried that I would fall off of the wagon .... my wagon was strong and sturdy because I couldn't stand the smell of the smoke. Wondered to myself "is this how I smelt". But to her credit, she encouraged me to stay smoke-free. I wondered if I would have been so good to others about not smoking but I just realize it that I do this when I talk to all of you. We still need each other whether we smoke or not but we encourage all of you to kick the habit and beat the nasty creature to the ground! Keep going!
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Hi Everyone and welcome to all the new girls... Chantix worked for me .. but I did battle going back and forth .. hang in there ... thanks to everyone who love the pin up shoot ... xoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Wow LisaMarie. You're gorgeous. What happens to the pictures? Newspaper, magazines or display at the hospital? You should be soooooo proud. Not to mention you're still not smoking!!
Ziggy - we totally understand. Sometimes just seeing someone light up in a car next to you is unbearably hard. Join us when you can.
Woody - I too swear by Chantix.
Gubbyann, Love, April - thanks for the info about e-cigs.
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Minus Two...you are very welcome for the info on e-cigs...As you know I fell off the wagon during the weekend...Well this morning I got up and said to myself, you are stronger than this, I quit smoking again and have not had a cig all day...As you all know, it's an up hill battle, and always will be...Will take it one day at a time, and it's nice knowing that you all are out there supporting each other...Thanks
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Hi ladies .... cold, cold day here in Ontario .... for those of you who live in warm climates, come up here and see how long you would stand outside for a few puffs. I can guarantee you it wouldn't be long. Today, I watched the smokers at our office smoking outside, and I can honestly say I was so glad I was not one of them. It's so cold that I even threw in my ski jacket in case my car broke down and I needed to keep warm. Now isn't that positive thinking. So, now that I made a few of you shiver, I hope you were able to beat your desires/the crap out of the little devil and smoke less or not smoke at all. You are all on your way. Look at LisaMarie .... quit smoking, pin up girl .... what next?????
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Judi - of course you're right, and I know lots of you live in the east or mid west - but it's DARN cold for Houston, TX. We often have 80 degrees on Christmas day. It made it to 31 degrees by noon BUT the ice cycles on the gutters never had a chance to melt. Tonight is supposed to be mid 20s. The weirdest part - it was 70 degrees last weekend. I did live in snow country a couple of times in my life but not sure I would do it again.
Just for today - I will not smoke.
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It was 3 degrees on the way to work this morning here in central CT. We have had a brutal winter here in the NE in terms of cold weather. When it hits 20, it feels like a heat wave~!
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MinusTwo and April, I hear you on the cold weather. Is it something with our age that we just want to be warm .... I know I do. MinusTwo, my sister winters in Brownsville and I remember about 13 years ago spending Christmas with her. She was staying at Crooked Tree .... a RV camp. I was 45 then and it was so darn cold. I saw those winter Texans with their pretty little hats/coats/mitts and I honestly thought of jumping them for these items. Imagine a girl from the cold country not having these items ... pretty stupid I'd say. Anyways, I was happy that the seniors were warm but I froze my butt off. Every time my sister invites me down, I ask her if it is going to be cold out. Today was another brutal day ... where I live they called a "state of emergency" due to very poor weather conditions .... poor snowplough drivers are exhausted .... I can imagine what the U.S. is experiencing. So ladies, feet up and enjoy the day whatever it brings!
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Ha Ha .. always can come here to catch a smile and inspiration.. it was 9 degrees here this am .. when I got to work it said 1 degree.. brrrr .. anyway I have no idea what to do with the photos . I think I got one more week before I get the rest .. I would love others to see they can still be beautiful even after mastectomy .. and reconstruction.. I wanted to start a page on FB to help women here on Long Island with breast cancer .. or in need of mammograms .. But now everyone has to get this insurance crap obahma care .. jeeze ... I know many still cannot afford insurance . I know this crazy new law that we must have Obhama care or be fined.. Is crazy .. for just me to get the cheapest plan they have its like 350 a month .. and a 2000 deductable ...anyway I just wish I could figure out how to go about raising the money and being able to help others in need.. I am doing well .. xoxo to all of you that are trying and just keep your head high .. like ya said I fell off the wagon and today you are right back on .. that is all we can do sometimes . I know I have fallen off many times and every time none of the ladies here judge me they just continue to give me love and support .. so Hang in there all the new girls .. and all the ladies that have been here for a while .. Thank you and Hugs
LisaMarie
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Just dropping a little reminder that the community rules say:
You acknowledge that Breastcancer.org respects all political and religious beliefs and agree to limit your discussion of politics and religion to their role in your physical and emotional health.
I'm here on this thread to help myself & hopefully give support to others who want to quit smoking, I don't think any of us would want to discourage people from coming to these threads by posting things regarding politics or religion that might make them feel uncomfortable.
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Ziggy - Valid point. I think LisaMarie is just frustrated not having a job with everything else going on in her life. I doubt it was really a political statement. Anyway - nuff said.
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Wow maybe it's time to get off here again for a little while . I am not religious or political ... I am just saying times are tough .. its a great place to vent .. and well enough said .. enjoy the journey .. Ladies I am not going to get frustrated here too so time to say Goodbye .. If anyone ever wants to chat or see how I am feel free to inbox... that is why I keep getting out of this room ... I am still doing well ... Adios people have a great day ..to all those who have helped me I appreciate it ... xoxo
Lisamarie
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Oh yeah if I offended anyone sorry ... I was just saying it's way to expensive here in NY without having to be forced to pay for something you cannot afford .. and that I would love to help other women who may need it by starting a funding program .. ok that's all Folks I am out of here ... once again Good Luck on your journey...
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LisaMarie, please do NOT leave the thread for this reason. If it made Ziggy feel uncomfortable, I feel that she should have PM'd you about it. Stick around. You still have work to do paying it forward now that you are a non-smoker (just for today-wink) and now you have to be a cheerleader! We love you. I am a huge fan of the healthcare law and I did not take offense at all. It is your feelings and it DOES pertain to your situation with breast cancer so you DID follow the rules imho. Here is the line that says you did "agree to limit your discussion of politics and religion to their role in your physical and emotional health" as it does indeed pertain to your physical health.So, don't make me hunt you down. Do NOT disappear on us, kay sweetie? xoxo
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Lisamarie...I hope you stay dear, you are a breath of fresh air and I know you were venting and did not mean any harm. Something similar to this happened to me on another thread about religion and I honestly had no clue that I offended anyone and I stopped posting on the thread because I was so hurt. tI was a big mistake because I am the one who lost out. Please do lose out lisamarie....and cause us to lose out. I am sorry this happened but sometimes in life things do and you apologized and hopefully Ziggy will accept your apology and we can move on. It doesn't really matter who is right or wrong we can all move forward and learn from this and become more compassionate people. In my humble opinion.
PS Hugs I know this hurts and you try and do do such good.
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The idea of using gum (or lozenges or inhaler) is not to use as few as possible but to use them on a regular basis such as one an hour to keep the level of nicotine in your blood system level and then taper off as needed over several weeks. using just a few pieces a day is just teasing your brain and keeping it in a constant state of withdrawal. Try using the gum BEFORE you have a craving and you will find that you will feel better and if you have a craving, it won't be so bad.
One of the main reasons why NRT doesn't work is that people UNDERDOSE themselves. They aren't getting enough nicotine. I have a graph that shows the amount of nicotine you get from a cigarette and all the different NRT's and you aren't getting nearly as much from NRT's as from a cigarette. (I don't know how to post a picture/graph, otherwise I would).
One of the reasons why e-cig's are popular is that you get more nicotine from them but the down side is that they are unregulated and studies have shown there is no consistency in the liquid nicotine--it's a buyer beware. UCR tested 80 different types and got 80 different combinations of chemicals, some cartridges were very low in harmful chemicals and others were very high.
Most tobacco treatment specialist's like myself suggest using a combination of medications, one long acting and one short acting: The patch with either the gum, inhaler, spray or lozenge. or Bupropion with one of the NRT. There is no reason to feel uncomfortable but you need the right dosage of nicotine.
Good luck.
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VJ, that is EXACTLY what my counselor at Yale had me do when I was still seeing her. It was a complimentary service for anyone diagnosed with cancer at Yale so I took advantage of their smoking cessation program and she had me use the patch and chew the gum at the same time and said people often relapse cause they don't get enough nicotine!I checked out ratings for a ton of the electronic cig companies before I settled on the one I use and I am satisfied it is safe. I also regularly check the adverse events page on the CDC and FDA and so very few were reported and all of those could not be proven to be linked to the e-cig. I am still of the mind that they are safe enough to use when all else fails and they kept me sane during my worst cravings. Now I rarely need to use one but it is there if I do!
Bupropion was great for the first week...then I developed a rash and had to stop. I had a delayed reaction, as the rash appeared when I increased my dose the second week from one pill to two a day, but as soon as I stopped taking it, the rash disappeared so they know it was the culprit.
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LisaMarie - Please don't leave the thread. I apologize - We all have some things that we feel passionately about - for me the ACA is one of them (one of my former students was able to keep her right hand because of it). But I don't want to argue it - it it doesn't work for you that's really unfortunate & I hope that changes are made so that it works better for everybody. Anyway I can understand that it could be upsetting for you..
When I come to one of threads and there's something expressed about the ACA - it just has the effect of raising my hackles and feeling like I have to defend it & that's not why I'm here. And I guess I have not found the right way to say that yet without offending the person who made the original post - I almost deleted my own post last night & then got sidetracked - sorry now that I didn't. You have my apologies -and they are sincere, you were just talking about your life & if I felt the need to respond, if anything I should have done it in a pm. I'm not doing this in a pm only because I feel like the apology needs to be to all of you.
Please carry on - you have all been so supportive and it's a great thread - sorry for having been a disruption.
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LisaMarie .... don't go. I've been there with what you are feeling ... it does raise our hackles and makes us want to leave. Remember what I went through but it was the few on the boards that I really enjoyed talking to that brought me back. Remember, we are all individuals and are entitled to our opinions and I honestly don't think that the comment was offensive. I too almost replied but then decided to let things cool before I said anything. You see for me, I have what is called OHIP in Ontario, Canada and I absolutely love it. But this is what I grew up with. I'm sure I pay somehow - I think it is shared between my employer and me but honestly, I don't have to pay for health services if I go to the hospital. There are certain things I have to pay for but luckily for me, I am reimbursed through my work health benefits and my husband work health benefits. I can understand how someone would feel when they have to pay for something they never had to include in their life before but for me, it works. I'm Canadian and I only understand my health care system. But honestly, I can hear your pain and you are only wanting to do some good which I know is coming .... think things through before you make a choice. Love ya!
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Lisamarie, Ziggy gave you a most sincere apology which was a very nice gesture to let you know that NO ONE means to hurt ANYONE'S feelings here on this thread. We are all in this fight together...against smoking and against breast cancer. I want you both here with us. This is a supportive thread and that has not changed.
Ziggy, you are one classy lady and I mean that.
Lisamarie, so are you so come on out an play with us again. Besides, you owe us a glimpse of the rest of those photos Ms. movie star..
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April ... love your comments. Both ladies are classy and I agree, they should both be here in our fight against smoking and cancer. Actually, they are classier then I'll ever be .... I wish some day that I could meet all of you!
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