Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Oh Bosom , it seems crazy I got the cantix on Medicaid paid zero .. you would think that insurance would rather want to pay for you to atop than the cancer and bigger health issues later on down the road ... OMG .. I am glad you can meditate and relax .. now that I still cannot do ..Honestly I don't know how I keep being smoke free .. but I guess at this point im used to it and the cravings don't come around too much anymore .. with that its a good thing ...plus im so preoccupied with this dam thyroid shit ... my weight .. and everyone on the boards telling me that gluten free grain free and dairy free will make me feel so much better and I wont look so preggo anymore ... I am finding that harder than anything to give up the foods I love so much .. oh yeah and coffee too ... I may as well lye down and give up huh ,,,Minus that sounds fun reading diaries from back in the day , I have all mine too ... maybe some day Illl do tha ,, but my kids will have a fun read when im gone lol ...congrats to your niece on the bouncing baby .. xoxoxoox
OnlyWendy , glad your here .. you can stop by and rant any time that's what we do.. everyone quits when the time is right so like its been said before don't beat yourself up... are you getting a mastectomy ..I just know they told me I had to quit or they would not do recon ... so I did then I went back at a few times .. but now im smoke free for 4 months now and don't think much of it .. anyway keep stopping in ..
VJ great info... thanks for all the info ..
Judy and April and Seaside miss u all ...
Oh yes we were blasted by blizzard JUNO got 22 inches ... was supposed to start school yesterday but due to snow and all no school till Thursday ... Hope everyone who was in the storm stayed warm and safe .... BOSOM you building a snow man .. I may today xoxoxoox
Lisamarie
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onlywendy, I was unable to quit during chemo. I was scheduled to do my BMX after chemo so had to quit for that surgery. I was able to quit for three weeks and had my surgery. I fought hard afterwards but caved in at 4 weeks and smoked. This was 1 week before radiation started. Guess what, I was unable to go smoke free again during rads. My mom passed away 2 days before my final radiation treatment. Believe it or not I tried to quit again the next week. I was successful. I knew I wanted to do DIEP reconstruction and my PS insisted I be smoke free at least 8 weeks. He was great at not pestering me but supporting me. He was a former smoker. I am now 15 months smoke free and only occasionally want a smoke. I am using the "I choose to not smoke today" and I am soldiering on.
I hope this might inspire you that it is possible even it seems hopeless right now in your journey. Chemo and rads are both scary. I will pray that you gather the strength needed and successfully quit.
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onlywendy: glad to have you posting. Rants acceptable - even welcome.
jbdayton: Thanks for your story 15 months is a huge accomplishment. Yup we all believe -
Just For Today I Will Not Smoke.
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Hi ladies! I know I have been MIA but I needed a break from BC and all that surrounds it. I am feeling better now and I think the couple of weeks off was good for me. Plus, work has been insanely busy and I am physically and mentally spent by the evening and while I am here, there is no time for taking breaks like there is when it finally slows down. I work as an Employment Specialist and my busiest times of the year are July and August and Dec. and Jan. because many of the trainings I send people to are on a semester basis at local community colleges so we get inundated with people this time of year.
I can finally breathe again so am back.
Bosum, hang in there. If it takes 200 times then that is what it takes! I promise that you can do this as long as you never give up on yourself! xo
Ok, gotta run...am also a VITA volunteer and tonight is the first night we are doing taxes and I have to be up there in a few minutes. I get home at 8:30 tonight. Makes for a very long day!
Hang in there everyone! xoxoxo
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April I'm so glad you have nothing to do and are getting bored! ha ha. Thanks for checking in. It's always great to have another endorsement. I'm trying to decide whether to wean myself off the majority of BCO threads for awhile but I don't think I can give up this one, or book lovers or so what's for dinner.
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Thanks BosumBlues. But I feel it is my responsibility. My friend asked almost 10 years ago to sign onto her advanced directive, will, trust, power of attorney, so I'm just honoring an agreement I made a long time ago.
She breezed through surgery with no issues, no pain, nothing but it is so sad to see her not remember a conversation we just had a few minutes before. I spoke to her surgeon and told him we were thinking of forgoing radiation and he said that it was a viable option given her mental condition. Im going back next week for her surgery follow-up and again in 3 weeks for her oncology appt.
I am so thankful I have the mental capacity to make my own decisions. I think losing your mental capacity is worse than the cancer. My friend was so afraid of ending up like her mother who had alzheimer's and unfortunately her fears are coming true. He actual diagnosis is early dementia.
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It is really common to have ambivalence about quitting smoking, it is a love/hate relationship, very similar to going through a divorce. You keep asking yourself are you better off with him or without him? At times you want to just be done and other times you don't think you can live without him. The challenge is to resolve the ambivalence by focusing on what it is that you really want--by becoming smoke-free, not from quitting. They really are two different subjects. How is smoking in conflict with the things you value? It's like a see-saw, one one side are the things you enjoy about smoking and on the other side needs to be all the things you love about being smoke-free--and keep working on that side until the see saw tilts and doesn't move back.
As always I will send a copy of my book "How to Win at Quitting Smoking" to anyone who asks, Just send me a PM with an email address.
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VJ - so sorry to hear about your friend. My worst nightmare would be that I "lose" my mind. Or rather, my worst nightmare is the fear of burdening my son if I lose my mind. Please keep us updated as you go along.
Bosum - way to go. It's more fun to have a new issue than re-working all those old things. Especially if this is more treatable.
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Good afternoon ladies. Sounds like many of you quit for good and some still struggling. It is certainly a beast when it comes to quiting for good. This was one of my silver linings. I knew it would be a good idea, so, just days before my first chemo, I quit, cold turkey. No patches or gum. But it wasn't will power that got me through, it was being sick in bed. When I was well enough to move around my hubby and I made a quick trip to the store. Somewhere in the parking lot someone was smoking, I didn't know where, but the smell about knocked me out. It smelled like the worst smelly ashtray anyone could imagine and made me sick to my stomach. After that, no one was allowed to come near me with a cigarette or after they smoked. Thank goodness it was only a few people. 15 months later, and my smell factor is near normal; the smell of cigarettes still nauseates me. I don't think I will ever pick up another cigarette.
In the past, before dx, I use to depend on patches, gum, and e-cigs to help me quit, but never could get past the addiction. When I quit cold turkey, I realized it was those items that kept me addicted to nicotine. Yes, BC has its silver linings and that was mine.
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jaj - good for you girl. I can relate to chemo sickness. While I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, it's good to know it got you past the craving to smoke. Interesting to hear something positive about chemo!! (other than that it sometimes kills the cancer).
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Hi My Best Friends .. I am sorry to have been MIA as I just started my classes for Dialysis Tech. and we keep getting snow .. so it's just been Hectic.. ty for thinking of me .. I too say Just for today I will not smoke.. on occasion I feel like dam I wanna smoke but then I say that is crazy ..Yep I talk to myself .. haha ..I am so glad that you found a doc Bosom .. I have 2 months of my Medicaid left and still cannot find a neurologist to take the insurance ... I feel you with the numbness and tingling .. mine is in my hands so the reg doc thinks carpel tunnel .. who knows ... and im starting to go nuts finding supplements and all that to figure out why im 128 pounds and look so pregnant .. I got a probiotic and the doc put me on an acid reflux med but so far still bloated ... Sometimes I feel when docs don't listen especially when most of the symptoms are my thyroid it gets u crazy .. so you try to do all you can to heal yourself .. so I am trying different diets Ie gluten free ... yuck ... and different vitamins and stuff ... anyway I hope you get to the bottom of the craziness xoxoxox love ya much
Minus and April always good to see ya .. and you toVJ ...missing judy .. hoping she is doing good ..
well gotta run once again .. off to the grocery store ... xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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I don't want to scare anyone or put this out there in a negative way but bloating is one of the signs of ovarian cancer and doctors often misdiagnose it. For those with a genetic mutation, BC and ovarian cancer are connected. We all need to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer, unfortunately they are very common symptoms and can be nothing: bloating, abdominal pain, frequent urination, constipation.
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I am ok. Thanks for asking BosumBlues. I did get ahold of the person on my advanced directive. We had talked about what I wanted if I was in a coma or something like that but we had never talked about if I had dementia and what my wishes would be. Probably since I don't have children, my wishes have always been to choose quality of life over quantity. I have been a hospice volunteer for a long time but I have sat with several friends I made through Gilda's Club at the end of their lives and I would rather that I accidently got an overdose of meds than go through some of the indignity that people suffer because of our fear of death.
So glad that you got your Rx straightened out. I hope Chantix helps. I was on the speakers bureau for Pfizer regarding Chantix, so I have a bias but I have seen it help a great many people.
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I have a bias for Chatix because it worked for me. Great news Bosum & good luck.
Lisa - so glad to get your newsy post. Sorry about the snow & the numbness. Did you have chemo? Most of my hand & foot numbness was caused by Taxotere & the other poisons. However the physical therapist did say that some my finger numbness is because of the node dissection. Apparently in addition to the lymphadema, when the nodes were removed & pathways blocked, the nerves - particularly in my right hand - are not getting enough blood to function correctly. If you can't get into a neurologist, maybe the doc will recommend a physical therapist who is qualified with cancer patients & neuropathy & lymphadema. You would want a medical recommendation for sure because of the thyroid issues.
At one point post chemo I couldn't even do up the zipper on my own pants. Now the therapist has me stitching silly felt birds and exercising my fingers with Theraplast Putty. I got the recommendation through my radiation oncologist because of radiation fibrosis & scar tissue, but they're really helping with my numbness issues.
VJ - I am in total agreement. The quality of my life is much more important than the length. I need to review my DNR & living will documents again soon. I did post "ICE" instructions by my phone since I also live alone, but that wouldn't do much good if an ambulance came unless I had the DNR posted right there too. Did you see "The WIt" with Emma Thompson? It's not a new movie but a friend rented it from NetFlix for me. I'd guess it might be too hard for most BC survivors to watch, but a great film. Did you read or see "Still Alice" about dementia? I'm on the fence about seeing it. I think it's great that you're volunteering w/Hospice and Gilda's Club.
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Oops - forgot to say - just for today I will not smoke.
onlyWendy - thinking of you.
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If you look on the internet there are a lot statistics of why medications "don't work". They do work if you understand what their purpose is--to take the edge off. Here is a list from my book:
Reasons why medications don't work:
Not having strong enough motivation. If you really do not want to quit, medications will not increase your motivation. If you relapse it is easier to say the medication did not work instead of admitting that you were not ready to quit. Medications are not a substitution for strong desire.
Not understanding that there is more to quitting than just getting through the physical withdrawals. Medications only deal with the physical part of smoking; there is also a behavioral part. They cannot be expected to take the place of learning how to live life as a non-smoker.
Expecting too much. Medications take the edge off of cravings and withdrawal symptoms, but you still may have some symptoms. However they should not be overwhelming. They move your "4" and "5" rated cravings to a "2" or a "3", giving the thinking part of your brain (willpower) the ability to manage instead relying on your survival instinct which is unable to resist. See rating instructions for a Tobacco Use Record on page 32.
Not giving the medication a chance. Believing that using a nicotine replacement product is the same as getting nicotine from smoking and you will still be addicted to nicotine. Freebasing nicotine by inhalation gives a higher dose and is faster than any of the nicotine replacement products. They will not affect you in the same way as smoking does.
Not using enough medication. None of the nicotine replacement products will give you the same jolt of nicotine or as fast an effect as you get from a cigarette. Make sure you use enough of the product. There is no reason to be uncomfortable. For a heavily addicted smoker, using a combination of medications may be needed.
Assuming if one medication did not work, the others won't either. Not every medication is appropriate for every smoker. Work with your doctor or pharmacist to help you decide which medication or combination of medications is best for you. I have never met anyone who has used all seven FDA approved medications or combination of medications who was unsuccessful.
Product is used incorrectly. Read the package insert to make sure you are using the product correctly. For example, do not wait for a craving to come up before reaching for the gum or a lozenge. Take them consistently throughout the day to ward off strong cravings. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you need more information.
Not using them long enough. How many years have you smoked? It takes time to let go of your smoking behaviors, learn how to handle the social aspects and how to deal with stress. Do not stop the medications too soon and risk relapsing because you have not dealt with these other aspects. Just like when you learned to ride a bike, you needed training wheels until you developed basic riding skills to avoid crashing. Think of nicotine medication the same way. You use it until you have the skills to avoid relapsing.
Thinking Cold Turkey is the most common and best way to quit. Most people will have several attempts at quitting before they are successful. In the two part process, medications help smokers only to stop smoking, they don't help you to stay quit. In a final effort, the successful quitter has learned how to deal with nicotine withdrawals AND has learned how to live all other aspects of life without nicotine. For example, using medications will not help you deal with stress more effectively. For their last attempt many do not use medications but they have learned how to overcome the physical withdrawal issues.
Mistaking withdrawal symptoms for nicotine overdose or side effects from the medication and discontinuing the treatment. Know what nicotine withdrawal symptoms are. If you are experiencing any of them, you may not be getting enough medication: use more medication and/or add another one for combination therapy. For any unexplained physical symptoms, talk with your healthcare provider.
- Withdrawal symptoms: irritability, frustration, anger, anxiety, depression or feeling sad, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, decreased heart rate, hunger or an increase in appetite, inability to fall or stay asleep. Increase your dosage to relieve these symptoms.
- Nicotine overdose symptoms: Do you remember your very first cigarette? That is what nicotine overdose feels like: cold sweats, nausea or abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, excess saliva, disturbed hearing and vision, tremor, mental confusion and reduced oxygen to your skin. You are getting too much nicotine; reduce the amount of nicotine medication you are using.
Mistaking caffeine overdose for side effects, withdrawals or nicotine overdose. If you are a heavy coffee drinker you may need to adjust the amount of caffeine consumed because smoking interferes with the absorption of caffeine. After you quit it may feel like getting a double dose of caffeine; more than you are used to.
- Caffeine overdose symptoms: insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, stomach upset, fast heartbeat and muscle tremors.
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VJ - great info. Boy do I remember my first cigarette. I was 4-5 years old and the glamorous lady in our duplex smoked. My mother took me out on the sidewalk in front of the two houses and said - OK try it. As you can imagine I was sick as a dog with a puff or two. Now I guess she'd be arrested for child abuse. Anyway - it worked until I was 18 and no longer living at home.
Bosum - the VERY hardest part for me was the behavior. We're programed by our smoking habits whatever they may be - get in the car, pick up the phone, pour a cup of coffee, wake up in the morning, get depressed - whatever. It's much harder to find a substitute for habitual smoking behavior than actually getting over the nicotine. VJ's right. We have to learn how to live like "non-smokers" - something I know it's hard to even imagine. So plan some rewards for yourself for the next week. Thinking of you every day.
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Bosum - check in when you can. We're all thinking of you & sending encouragement.
LisaMarie - any new answers on the thyroid issue?
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Hi everyone ...
Minus no luck on doctors yet with the neurologist . I did not have chemo , mine was early just took the boobs off ... I am still however gaining . I was 129 at doc yesterday , I had to go to get titers drawn for school and a PPD .. and physical .. was bummed with the weight .. and my BP was 130/87 .. that is high for me and the girl taking it said oh its ok it was higher than that last time .. WTF.. I tell ya .. still low energy .. school is going great .. I have been getting 100 on all the quizzes and I won a t shirt during a team game .. I did have lymph nodes removed .. I wear the wrist braces at night .. I just don't know ..
Bosom , so happy for you . I a glad the Chantix went under insurance .. I am Happy to say that is the way I quit .. for me it was a tremendous help .. I wish you the best .. xoxo on the sidelines routing for you ...
VJ. hmm now you got me thinking .. guess It wont hurt to make another trip to the Gyno . I have been at so many docs .. but I have all those symptoms and they are blaming my thyroid .. doc recommended yesterday activia ... and for frequent urination . to do kegal excersizes 3 times a day and no fluids one hour before bedtime ... I am seriously at a loss ...
xoxoxox I am off to the gym
Lisamarie
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Bosum - so glad to hear from you. Sorry for the emotional weekend. Seems like everything's jumping out at you, right? Wish I could be there. I'd whisk you away from all that extraneous emotional turmoil. Hope you'll be able to tell everyone else to flake off & leave you alone. Good luck tomorrow.
Lisa - you really are amazing. All these health issues and you're getting A's in class and going to the gym. I feel like a slug compared to you. Have you been to a Urologist? Maybe "plumbing" issues they can solve? Let us know what the GYN says.
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Thanks Bosom... I also did not stop on the exact week date ..It took me a few more days then one day I just did not have it ... I think If I can remember I was holding on tightly to the morning smoke .. then one day I said nah ,,, and poof here I am ... you my dear are just as wonderful .. xoxox remember that .. you are Wonderful and Beautiful ...xoxoxoxox Im here for you ..Minus ..yeah I went to dr again the other day and she told me to do those kegal excersizes 3 times a day and not to drink 1 hour before bed , and she said to eat activia for the bloat .. I don't see any changes .. My biggest thing is my Insurance ends next month .. so I gotta figure something out or everything I am trying to get under control will begin to go haywire for sure .. My first exam was today .. I got a 95 .. I am feeling so good about class...I really enjoy it ...On the flip side I don't think of smoking really at all .. when will judy come home ? I miss her ..
Hi April .. hows things going ? Grandbaby ? I just babysat for mine the other day . My poor granddaughter had 103 fever and my Grandson is a crank pot lol.. but I love Love them
Hi to Vj, Beckers, Seaside ...xoxoxox everyone is in my thoughts.
xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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i'M HERE! Bosum, thinking of you and pulling for you. This chit is NOT EASY but soooo worth it. I NEVER thought I would quit...never ever and yet, am coming up on my two TWO year nonsmokerversary! Please know that sooner or later, it will click! I smoked for over 45 YEARS! That is a lifetime. I was a kid and I was up to a pack a day by the time I was 15 or 16 years old. They were so cheap it was easy to get with babysitting money...ugh. Wishing I never started but can't change the past. Can only look to the future!
LisaMarie, hoping you figure it all out. I have issues with "stress incontinence and urge incontinence" Tried drugs (did not work for me) and kegels and now just make sure I know where all bathrooms are and I wear a pad. It is what it is. No help from docs. As for all else, hoping you get some answers! Also, hope your granbabies feel better. Mine are doing well, thanks for asking!
Minus, you are just the best cheerleader ever! Love you to pieces xoxoxox
To all of you, know that we are strong kick ass women and we can do anything! xoxoxoxox
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By my calculations ***JUDI*** should be back soon - maybe even later this week. We'll just have to wait for her to unpack and try to remember what snow is before she regales us with stories about her adventures. Miss ya Judi.
LisaMarie - seriously, see if you can get an appt with a urologist. A friend of mine had prolapsed uterus & some other stuff, but one problem was continual leaking. She got fixed right up with a hysterectomy and some additional plumbing repairs.
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From today's newspaper: "...if you're thinking 'why bother' because nothing has worked before, then know this: The strongest predictor of future success just might be your stunning number of failures, said Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and head of the school's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. 'It sounds counterintuitive,' Glantz said, 'but just the number of attempts is a strong indicator of (ultimate) success.'"
There's some positive news for those who are still trying.
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Thanks to all of you .. Yes I know this medical situation is becoming crazy now .. insurance runs out first week in March .. so then im up shit's creek without a paddle .. school is great .. Loving it .Cannot wait to hear judy's stories ..
Ugh Minus it can be so many things .. crazy as it is , I love that thought for the day ..
At least im not smoking and not drinking ..
Now my poor Grandson got the fever april
Bosom you will be successful I know it..
Xoxoxox
Love ya All
Lisamarie
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Bosom, My Medicaid was issued through a program called cancer care , and it is only for breast cervical colon and prostate cancer . and once you have completed the treatments you loose coverage .. although its good to say that my BC is gone and and my treatments are done so I do not qualify for it any longer .. yes the system .. totally crazy I say ..0 -
its ok Bosom .. I cant afford the Obama care either .. not only co pays but the monthly cost .. im just on unemployment .. that would be like crazy ... and someone I was working with said that if you are on unemployment you don't qualify for Medicaid . I am sorry to say that this world makes it very hard for low income people to get the things they need the most . IE food , shelter , and insurance .. especially here on Long Island NY .. its so expensive here .. either you are poor .. or rich .. or jus struggling along .. it makes me sad ... and the veterans even ... with the insurance waits and the homeless when they defended us .. and this country .. anyway ranting away .. love ya Bosom ....lisamarie
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Bosom . I think you make too much on unemployment to qualify ...
sad stuff ... love you .. Hope you are figuring out the Chantix ... xoxoxo0 -
Bosum - hang in there. LisaMarie's message was right on target.
>>>I also did not stop on the exact week date ..It took me a few more days then one day I just did not have it ... I think If I can remember I was holding on tightly to the morning smoke .. then one day I said nah ,,, and poof here I am ..
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Bosum - YAY!!! A crisis averted. We'll all sing "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with you.
Funny - the first time I quit was for two years in the 1980's. After the two years when I got the urge, I still wouldn't buy a pack. That meant I wasn't "really" smoking, right? I'd bum one here & one there until I'm sure all my friends were really irritated. And were they friends if they kept supplying me? Why didn't they charge me $1.00 per smoke? Anyway I know I finally bought a pack because my ingrained etiquette said I should be paying my friends back. Dumb me started back & smoked for 25 more years.
Hang in there BB!!!
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