Stop Smoking Support Thread
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BosumBlues--every body is different, there are so many factors. The fastest benefits are the first year but they keep accumulating as the body continues to heal. So the real answer is--I don't know but nothing surprises me. I have heard some incredible stories over the years and who am I to discount them. Smoking does so much damage to the body that it's almost like your body goes into overtime when you quit trying to heal the damage and then as different parts heal, it still continues but at a slower pace.
A couple of people I knew through Gilda's club used medical marijuana creme and they said it helped their neuropathy. So I tried it on my feet when I was arimidex. I would wake up in the morning barely able to walk. I would put it on at night and it worked wonders. I didn't help when the arimidex hit my knees and hips which is when I stopped taking it. don't know if your state has MMJ--- https://www.cannabee.com/ir-salve.html
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VJ, thank you for the informative news. My sister-in-law is a nurse, and she said to my sis that she had hoped I had quit smoking has my body needed the oxygen to heal. Now I understand why. Funny, I had just started exercising when I got my diagnosis so afterwards I started up again as soon as I was able to. My own personal opinion, that is fore me, that exercising and not smoking helped me heal faster and "hopefully" beat all the odds of this dreadful disease coming back. I now understand why my brother was hit so hard with his cancer. I also just read the banner on the forum site about exercising and bc so together with your message, very powerful information. Should be shared with all. Bosum, keep going as we are here to support you. Funny, today I was at my neighbour's and she smokes ... also her son just started back up .... said it was due to stress, etc. While they smoked, I never thought once of having a smoke yet when I'm not around it, I think of it. That little devil sitting on my shoulder will alway be there and pop up. But, I'm looking at retirement and so glad I'm not spending my money on shit ... more money for me to survive on. Ladies, we are all in this together .... LisaMarie, jump back in anytime .... we are here!
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well another bundle of joy ..... had my hystogram yesterday and it was painful.. I hate it ... I have a mass in my uterus that needs to be removed .. as they are doing that they will do a simple D&C .. then I am having my uterine wall ablasion .. I get a biopsy on tuesday of the uterine wall... I am sooooo sick and tired of doctors .. I walked out hysterical crying and VJ , I never asked him again for the chantix as my heart was melting yet once again.... I cannot understand why this keeps happening to me .. I am trying today not to feel bad for myself or pity myself ..... I am strong I need to remember that ... well ladies I am going to try to enjoy the day .. Hope you will too xoxoxoxoxxo
Lisamarie
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((((Lisamarie)))) Sorry sweetie. Hope all turns out well at the end of the day. Being a female and having all of these parts inside of us makes us vulnerable to so many things it seems. Hugs!
VJ, lots of great information here! I remember how tickled I was when my smoking cessation nurse did my first carbon monoxide measurement after I quit for a few weeks and during my cutting down phase as well.
I went from 26PPM (parts per million) when I was smoking as usual
14PPM after cutting down to about 5-7 a day
1PPM after I quit! 1-3PPM is normal! Yahoo!! What a kick. Carbon monoxide clouds the brain, builds up in tissue and causes lots of issues. So much damage from those damn cigs!
I feel great after 16 months without them! Keep the faith ladies..you can do this if I can anyone can! I smoked a pack a day for 45 years! (I was 13 when I began and it quickly got to a pack a day status) so I am thrilled to be free of those evil things!
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LisaMarie .... that sucks what you have gone through .... I hear you about why "is this always happening to me". You wonder why evil people don't have shit happen to them but I hear they will get theirs in the end. Let's hope so. I had a D&C and it was nothing .... light period & tired afterwards but healed nicely. I know you have to go through a lot more crap then that but let's hope it's a breeze for you ... keep chin up and have a big pocket for all of us to jump in. We are in this with you ... don't worry about the smokes as you need to get your health together before you can concentrate on quitting.
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LisaMarie - I agree - it sucks!!! Like Judi, I had a D&C and got 'scraped' once, and I too found the recovery fairly easy. Is there some reason they don't want to just do a hysterectomy? Or did you have that choice? I was so glad to get rid of my uterus with all the fibroid tumors & heavy bleeding & the continual pain when I was around 40. Hope the biopsy comes out negative. Please let us know. We are here for you!!!!!
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Minus , I have a mass in my uterus .. he says I have to have surgery to remove it ... but first i need a biopsy on tuesday and he will take a sample of the lining . if it comes back as cancer then we will go the hysterectomy route .. but if not he will remove the mass and give me a D&C and uterine ablasion ... then he said I may not get my period again. I sure hope not sigh !!! but I am just hoping for no cancer ... maybe the hysterectomy is the way to go .. I have had my tubes tied forever now ... my last child is 19 and I am not looking to have more ...I have my loving grandchildren now.. I am gonna be 46 so .. I am just at that point ... I love you girls sooo much ... I don't know how to get through somedays when I cannot get on here ... even if it's to say hello.... well I am babysitting tonight got my beautiful granddaughter ... xoxoxox
Lisamarie
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LisaMarie .... chill and enjoy your granddaughter .... to be honest with you, I love not having a period. I went through early menopause - 48 was my last period and enjoying it every since. Just think .... you don't have to buy pads, tampons, etc. Save your money for the adult diapers ... commercials show they have come a long way. Don't worry about tomorrow as you have no control over it ... enjoy your day and worry when the worry gets there!
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Judi - I love it. I guess that's what I've been saving my money for - adult diapers. Except during the side effects of chemo when I spent all my money on light day panty liners if I was going to be more than 10 steps away from a ladies room. Sorry - maybe TMI.
LisaMarie - Judi's right. Have fun w/your granddaughter.
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I did have a great time ... here is a photo of my Dear Brianna and my BF son Romeo and the Heart potato chip they found ... xoxoxox
Lisamarie
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Lisamarie, I love the pic. There are both sooooo cute and what an awesome find .... I would have loved that find, at any age. I'm glad you enjoyed your time .... life is too short to worry like you do. I'm tried to eat some of these words as I'm having a BBQ today and my dh let me sleep in .... are you kidding me, I have bathrooms to clean, laundry to do, beds to make, vacuum, etc. But, I'm going to chill and only clean the bathroom sink and toilet seat, make the bed after laundry is done, and use a swifter. How's that for not worrying? Before, I would have cleaned the house from top to bottom .... as if people are going to look inside all of my cupboards. MinusTwo ... I hear you about the adult diapers .... the commercials show that lady wearing them and you can't see a think .... apparently as light as your undies. Ha, ha! Hope all you ladies have a great day today!
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Bosom, I am so proud of you .. You are doing great ... keep it up .. I know when I quit for 3 months .... I felt sooo good .. and looked better .. that is why I hate that my motivation and strength seem to be gone for the time ... but hey ... I just gotta sit back and I will get back to that good feeling ... xoxoxoxoo
Lisamarie
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Bosum - I think that's a good sign that you had to stop & think how many days. Keep up the good work.
LisaMarie - there's a new LisaMarie67 who just joined BCO this week. Saw her post on another thread and couldn't imagine why you'd changed your avatar again or how the subject related to you. Glad you're still you!!. Adorable picture of your GD.
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Bosom, I quit when I had to ahve my mastectomy .. PS said if I was not 7 weeks nicotine free that he would not do any recon .. so I was determined and If I remember I was like 9 weeks at time of my mastectomy and recon... .. I know I was like home free after 3 months .. but I was out of work almost 2 months from mastectomy and I was going broke and feeling sooo much stress .. that is the worst excuse in the book .. but I am not good at stress.... it all comes down to determination and a strong will to want to stop and stay stopped . That is how I feel. I feel like you need to be totally ready and have your mind set ... I will get there , I am just not there and the more I try and fail the more I get sad and angry.. so I am going to breath and take it slow and it will come ... I hope anyway .. xoxoxo you are doing amazing and I am proud of your strength and determination... keep it up.. you will feel , smell and just be better ... xoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Bosum and LisaMarie .... all is well ... keep going. Bosum, I noticed that my skin improved tremendously over time but what I really noticed was a pink tongue .... don't know why that motivated me but it did ... I smile a lot and thought of that dirty, yellow tongue bothered me. LisaMarie, don't worry .... worry tomorrow or but you will get good news!
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Bosum and LisaMarie .... all is well ... keep going. Bosum, I noticed that my skin improved tremendously over time but what I really noticed was a pink tongue .... don't know why that motivated me but it did ... I smile a lot and thought of that dirty, yellow tongue bothered me. LisaMarie, don't worry .... worry tomorrow or but you will get good news!
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BosumBlues--it's not your imagination--it's because you quit smoking. Smoking constricts the small blood vessels to the skin, so your skin is oxygen deprived--this is what really causes the wrinkles-not the sucking on the cigarette like I was told so many years ago.
When you stop smoking, your complexion improves very quickly--it's always one of the first things I notice with my clients--the skin goes from pale, ashen, grey to rosy normal looking.
Congratulations!
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Hi ladies, hope all is well. Crappy day here in Toronto .... rain, rain and more rain plus cloudy. Afternoon got a little sun but it is on the cool side. Great sleeping weather. Bosum .... are you still going strong? LisaMarie ... how are you doing. MinusTwo, April and VJ, hope you day was great! Doesn't seem to be too many ladies on this site now if I can remember everyone's names! What happen .... all quit smoking?
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Judi - I think there are some who dropped out because they didn't want the temptation of hearing about smoking. Others didn't manage to quit, but unlike LisaMarie - they didn't understand that we're here whether you make it or not. And I think there are some who've decided to leave BCO after their treatments are done.
It would be interesting to see how many still have this thread on their favorites. Give us a shout ladies.
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I know some people drop out because they have quit and no longer need the support. But often people will drop out because they may have relapsed or haven't been able to quit yet. Two common emotions of these smokers are shame and guilt. Shame--thinking there is something wrong with me that I can't quit. Quilt--I know I should quit but deep down, I don't want to. Or guilt because even though I should quit, I haven't been able.
I'm sure some of our members quit for a period of time and then relapsed and don't want to come back out of a sense of shame or guilt.So people drop out due to shame and guilt, instead of focusing on the real problem--nicotine addiction and the tobacco companies who have manipulated their product to make it as addictive as possible because they want your money, not just for today for for the rest of your life. They don't care if their product shortens your life, only that they get your money for as long as possible.
There should be no shame or guilt associated with quitting--it's probably one of the hardest things you can do in life. Yet society nags, shames and blames smokers instead of helping it is just demoralizing. I've had smokers tell me they would rather be a smoker than a failure. But there is no failure until you stop trying.
So if we have any lurkers out there, please come back. Everyone on this list knows how hard it is to not just stop smoking but to stay quit and are only here to give you support.
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Amen VJ! I am a person who had many relapses. Even here in the beginning. Then I finally got serious and made a plan with a quit date and actually went for it. I used all manner of nicotine aids like the gum and the patch and the e-cig. I was determined NOT to go through rads for cancer as a smoker. It seemed absurd to me personally to do that but let me tell ya...even with all that nicotine in my body, I STILL had a rough time the first few weeks. This shit is hard work and I admire anyone who can do it even for a day! Even one whole day is amazing. That is how addictive this stuff is. Not just the nicotine but the ACT of smoking. I had smoked from the age of 12! I was a child addict. It was and is the hardest thing I have ever done. I have lost over 100 lbs (TWICE) and that was nothing in comparison to this stuff.
Thinking of all of you with love and admiration. We got this ladies! One day, one minute at a time.
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VJ and April .... love your posts as well as your's MinusTwo. It is all put into perspective .... I know I have been tempted a few times, if not more, but I know you ladies would kick my ass to the ground. For that, I'm thankful. Yes, we are here to help all whether it you smoke or not. Funny, I was watching an old episode of Two and a Half Men and it was about a "support group". Charlie said it wasn't and Alan said it was. Truly, I love this group and feel a connection with each and everyone of you but in the true sense of the meaning of support group, this is one. Who cares .... I jumped in when other ladies were here and I was accepted .... ladies, I am proud to be a part whether I smoked or not because I know all of you would have my back!
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Got that right Judi - got your back until I'm 80 (ha ha)
LisaMarie - we'll be thinking of you tomorrow for the biopsy. Hugs & prayers.
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Oh Heavens Bosum - I'm still saying "just for today I will not smoke", and that's 7 years now. Never seems to awful to contemplate. And yes, it's a royal bitch. Congrats on your perseverance.
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I've quit for at last 3 months--9 different times. Once for a year. One of those times I got really cocky and I learned my lesson that it is just one day at a time. I was in a mall and a guy was smoking a cigarette--the mall was non-smoking. I went up to him and asked him (nicely) to either put it out or take it outside that the mall's policy was non-smoking. He blew smoke in my face. I repeated my request and added, if you don't, I'll call security. He blew smoke in my face again. I stood there and yelled at the top of my lungs--SECURITY. He did put it out and moved away from me really fast.
It wasn't too much later that I relapsed and felt like such a hypocrite. Today I would have approached the situation totally different.
I've been helping smokers quit since 1990. It is the ones who get too cocky that I can almost predict they will relapse. It is usually within the first 1-2 months--"I'll NEVER smoke again." Those people relapse because they underestimate how sneaky nicotine is and they think they have it beat and they don't do the work necessary to stay quit. The ones who tell me-"I'm afraid to .....(do xyz) because I might smoke" . The ones who stay scared of relapsing are the ones who are successful, because they take nicotine addiction seriously.
So take it one day at a time that--just for today I am smoke-free.
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Hi everyone , I hope my failures and talking aboit smoking did not make anyone leave .. Hell I feel bad to keep coming here for support . I know you are all here for me no matter what and that I DO have a bunch of friends in here that support me and Love me .. I guess that is what keeps me coming back and keeps me motivated .... I don't know what I would do without you ladies here . Out of all the threads I have been on here you are the only ladies that really welcomed me and stay with me . everyone else has just gone away .. A lot after they recoverd from the surgeries and stuff poof just gone ...
I appreciate all the thoughts and love here.. I will keep on trying and never leave you all . My biopsy was crappy yesterday . I had it at 3pm and came home and rested the rest of the night .. ty for the prayers I will find the results out soon and keep ya all posted . On the flip side my BF got me a ticket to Vegas ... I am finally going to see my Mom.. I am so excited Sept 2 thru the 8th ... I have not seen her in 2 years ... other than that just hanging in here one day at a time ... again I love you all xoxoxoxoxxo
LisaMarie
Bosom ...... sooooo proud of you ....
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One way to think about your body healing is to realize how many years you have smoked and then ask yourself if it is realistic to think that after x number of days to be totally healed?
Once a person quits, the body does go into overtime cleaning all the gunk out of the lungs and healing the damage but it does take some time. Be patient. It will happen gradually until one day you will wake up and realize your breathing is so much better.
When I quit I never did notice how much better my lungs were but when I would relapse, I would notice that when I woke up it felt like I had a cement block on my chest--I never noticed that when I was quit.
hang in there. It takes about a month for most of the withdrawals to ease up to the point where you don't notice them anymore--that is the turning point when you will begin to notice how much better you feel.
LisaMarie--NO, you are not the reason why anyone would not come back. It is their own issue and has nothing to do with you. I can think of a couple people who used to be very active here and I would bet dimes to dollars, they relapsed and are ashamed to come back here and admit it. One of these persons lied to their PS about their smoking, got caught and surgery was cancelled and then lied about it on her posts. Deceptive behavior like this is just a symptom of addiction.
Society tells us that smoking is just a "bad habit" instead of treating it as the addiction it truly is. Biting ones nails is a bad habit but you never hear about people lying about relapsing back to nail biting. Smoking is much more than a bad habit.
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Minus,
I still have this thread in my short list of favorites! I was in the 'Quit Smoking Class of 2010' on this thread...lol! The thread was super active around that time and was a tremendous help to me. Still read from time to time but find myself spending less and less time on BCO in general.
VJ,
Congrats on the new man in your life! As always, my thanks for the wealth of knowledge that you bring to this thread! Great new avatar, too!
Bosum,
Great idea to keep a journal whether it's here or privately. I did that when I first quit, documenting everything I was feeling and it served a couple purposes. In the beginning when I felt like things weren't improving I could look back and see proof that things were improving. Slowly at first and then more rapidly as time passed. Later in my quit, if I was tempted to smoke I would go back and read to remind myself of exactly how hard it was in those early days!
Hard to believe now but you will forget exactly how tough it was. Kind of like childbirth..lol! I think sometimes when people slip after many years smoke free it's because they got cocky and thought they could just have one coupled with forgetting just how hard they fought to ditch the nicotine monster!
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Hi SeasideMemories-Nice to see you pop in. What you said is right on--we do forgot how hard it was to quit and we kid ourselves that we can have "just one". So journaling is a great idea. I've worked with several clients who had been quit for 20 years and within a couple cigarettes were back to a pack a day.
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Seaside - thanks for popping in. Always nice to catch up.
VJ - OH NO - 20 years? Oh well - I certainly know I can't have just one!!!
LisaMarie - how exciting about your Las Vegas trip. That's a neat gift. We'll be waiting with you to hear about the biopsy.
Bosum - way to go. I like the idea of a journal. If you can believe it, I'm still keeping a journal of my weight, meds, food, liquids & (ahem) elimination (I know - TMI but it helps). I know it's obsessive-compulsive, but I decided to go ahead until I finished active treatment w/Herceptin the end of September. That way I can be sure whatever happens w/weight gain or loss or gastric issues or etc. isn't caused by chemo drugs.
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