Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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Bosum, don't worry we are there for you. Just make sure you wear something with big pockets so we can all fit in. LisaMarie, great news! Damm scars makes everything so scary. But we all have to keep our heads held high and move on.
Did everyone read about Rita Wilson and her cancer. God, isn't there enough of us getting stricken with this crappy disease? When does it stop?
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http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/965/frankly-speak...
I'll be speaking on this show--Frankly Speaking about Cancer, today at 1pm (PST) but the show will be archived also. It will be about "Calling it Quits". I talk about my cancer journey, how I got started helping others quit and I'm not sure what else. While I had a list of questions they were going to ask, I don't think we got to many of them. Sometimes I just start talking and forget to stop.
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VJ - hey, a star in our midst!! I'll take a listen next week.
LisaMarie - hooray, it's only scar tissue. I've had great luck with the PT breaking up my scar tissue. Might be worth a try.
Bosum - We're with you tomorrow. Judi, lets bring snacks w/o crumbs this time. No PM owed. Sorry to hear the self-esteem is down again. I'm not a shopper, but I'm told something like new earrings helps. How old are your kiddos? Are they useful?
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April - what a lovely tribute to your DH.
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Bosom . how did the test go , I was in your pocket making all kinds of racket I hope I didn't get ya in trouble. lol hope all is well .. Yeah I just hope that this is scar tissue and nothing but .. love yaHi everyone .. hope you all had a good day
xoxo
Lisamarie
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Bosum - re your boys - we're still talking about "m-e-n" - right? So glad they come back to hang around & do stuff. My 44 year old son is really helpful and took family leave from his job to care for me for all 4 surgeries. He flies in to see me at least twice a year to do 'honey-dos'. We'll watch movies & go out to eat the food he misses (enchilada's and BBQ) but he doesn't like to 'visit' much and isn't much for hugs like he used to be when he was young. I have to really catch him in the mood to get him talking about his life & times. Oh, and he likes to be right. Hmmm...
Edited - we'll all be waiting to hear about your mammo.
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Oh Bosum, what rotten luck, eh? Your absolutely right about hanging around for doctor's but when you are a few minutes late, it is what the hell. Good for you for trying again. Good luck!
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Bosum - don't forget to remind us Monday. I'm headed out of town to my niece's new baby's christening on Saturday morning. I'll spend Saturday night & maybe come home Sunday night or Monday depending on the weather. Since I'm driving (3-4 hours), I'll scrap the plans if we have severe thunderstorms like today. So I'll check in tomorrow and then be out of pocket until next week.
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Have fun MinusTwo! Remember, there is no rush to get home .... it will all be still waiting for you when you get there. Safe travels.
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Hi Ladies , Its Saturday Evening . I had a full day today .. planted some did 2 loads of wash .. cleaned house .. Spring Cleaning.. washed 3 dogs and 1 cat .. then went for a bike ride with my cousin down by the bay ... cooked sauted chicken , whole grain rice with black beans and mixed veggies ...bosom oh no .. Hope you can get a new appointment soon ,I am sleepy all time and that's all I wanted to do was sleep in and couldn't .. UGH ... anyways ..Love ya bunches ..
Minus I hope you are having a fun amazing trip ... xoxoxo
Judi and april and vj, seaside and where are all of our new friends .. come out come out wherever you are we miss you .. xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Hi LisaMarie ... boy you were one really busy gal today. I did all my cleaning yesterday so was able to play today. DH and I went looking at new homes today and will again look tomorrow. But it appears that maybe we will just upgrade our present home and stay put for a few years. Not much else new other then that I'm loving retirement. Oh yeah, I booked a trip to go out to B.C. again. Off mid-June for another 3 weeks but this time will be attending my niece's wedding the first week of July! Have a great weekend everyone!
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Veggies from my garden. I've always wanted a vegetable garden and I finally have one. My scrambled eggs this morning had peppers, onion, yellow tomatoes, parsley and basil from my garden. I'm going to make either beef or chicken cabbage soup with the rest of the veggies. I planted everything from seed (except the peppers) last october but my garden hasn't gotten much sun until recently and the plants are finally taking off.
My book has finally gone off to the printer on Friday! Yeah. The final edition is very different than it has been before. It still has same basic information but I added my voice to it--my way of explaining stuff which I hope helps. My offer for a free PDF copy to anyone on this list is still open. Just send me a PM with an email address.
This is an example of the kind of stuff I added:
Understand Relapse
If you wanted to drop weight, you need to be willing to change your food intake and increase your physical activity. This takes a commitment, making a Plan and taking action. Slowly over time the pounds come off.
If after six months you went to a birthday party where your favorite chocolate fudge cake was being served and this one time you are unable to resist treating yourself to an extra-large corner piece with lots of frosting, you would not gain back the pounds you lost (you would if you continued this way of eating, but not from one slip).
Now imagine if you are at same birthday party but instead of being tempted by the cake, the temptation is a cigarette. Social events are when you enjoyed smoking the most, everyone is celebrating, alcohol is involved and it doesn't feel the same without smoking. A friend is smoking your brand and offers you one. You slip, smoke it and the receptors in your head get inundated with dopamine. Your brain seductively says, "Don't tease me with one, I want the whole pack".
The dopamine makes you feel better, big red warning flags don't pop up and you give yourself permission to smoke another one. Within a few cigarettes, your brain expects to have the same level of nicotine it had been used to prior to quitting, and you will relapse to your previous level of smoking. It would be like eating "just one" slice of chocolate fudge cake and overnight gaining back all the weight you had lost in the previous six months. It will feel as if you had never quit. Many will get discouraged feeling all their hard work is for naught and won't try to quit again for years. Don't let this be your experience.
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VJ, love the pic of the veggies. Wish I lived close by to share in your salad and cabbage soup. Hmmmmm, hmmmmmm, hmmmmm, sounds devine! I found your comment on the cake and the cigarette very interesting. You see, I too was a heavy, 40+ year, smoker and have finally been successful in beating the nasty guy. But every so often, I think I might like one but after reading this, it will never happen. Thanks so much for sharing. Oh by the way, I lie, it will happen when I'm 80. MinusTwo and I are going to light up as a celebration. By then one will probably be enough or I can't find one or I can't afford to buy one. Good luck on the success of your book!
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VJ, I'm curious. Your second diagnosis was 22 years after your first Why in the hell did it come back. I never had chemo and I'm bloody well hoping I never see the "c" again.
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JudiH-good question. I have no idea why it came back after so long. One doctor did tell me that it must be really slow growing. It was inside of the old scar tissue so they couldn't see it on a mammo until it started to break out of the scar tissue. Two doctors have suggested I get the BBRA testing but insurance wouldn't cover it and I'm not going to spend the $3000 to get it done.
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VJ - Oh my goodness the veggies look wonderful. There's a reason so live in California when much of the country still has melting snow piles. How's that nice BF?
LisaMarie - what a busy beaver. Hope you're not too tired & sore doing it all at once.
Bosum - Maybe you should tell them you want an ultrasound instead of a mammo? My center wants to do mammo even though I have implants & no breasts. I have to argue every time. And now I never schedule an appointment before 10am. Too many chemo trips at 6am in rush hour traffic.
Judi - so glad you booked your trip to the wedding. I was afraid you'd deny your self that treat. We've already denied ourselves too much. Go for the gold!!!
I'm getting the best of the "80" deal. Since I'm the oldest, I will get to have a (one) smoke with each of you on your 80th B-day. Or at least one puff. Not sure I'd trust myself to smoke the whole thing. I truly believe VJ's relapse scenario. Anyway, that means I will get to fly to where each of you live & do a vacation nearby.
Beckers - I'm not excited about Oklahoma, but I could go on the way to New Mexico or Colorado.
April - I can't remember where you are & don't want to lose this post by going backward.
The christening was lovely. This family is "high" Episcopalian and stayed with the Anglican group. The baby wore a christening gown that his great-great grandmother hand made. (yup - his grandmother's grandmother) I drove out Saturday morning & home this morning after church - 300 miles out and 350 back since I came from the church.. What I really missed on the way back was a smoke. Funny, not on the way out... just today. Maybe because I was so tired & wound up? I did have to stop & buy gas but by then I just wanted a bathroom - and didn't even look at the cigarette case.
More thunderstorm rumbling. I know we should be glad for the rain, but this last week has been nuts.
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MinusTwo, glad your trip there and back was safe. I hear you about the thunderstorms - we are supposed to get a lot of rain this week. Beauty about being a weather person - you can be wrong and not get fired. Safe dry. Ha, ha, ha, I love your comment on the smoking. Never thought of that - you get to have a few smokes. O.K. I gonna do what you do. Have a smoke with all. Funny how we think of smoking but that forget about it as fast as we think of it. Glad I'm there but I know how hard it is to get there. GD, took me 40+ years to get there. See the dentist on Tuesday as I may need gum surgery. Lucky me that I'm getting older and get to have all this crap happen to me; next is the oncologist a week later then a colonoscopy. Yay! Any of you ladies want to step into my shoes?
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Not me... Hope you don't need gum surgery. Periodontal problems were one of the blessings I had from smoking. Then I discovered 7 top teeth damaged by chemo/rads, probably because of dry mouth. One broke off eating a leaf of butter lettuce for heaven's sake last Thanksgiving. Can't get much softer than that. So maybe I'll finally get the completion of my implant this Wednesday. It took awhile for the bone to re-grow around the stainless implant, then the first abutment & crown didn't fit, then the mold got broken, yada yada. Meantime I've had a missing tooth right next to the front tooth. Good thing I wasn't having dinner with the Queen anytime in the last 5 months. I was lucky with my colonoscopy this last year. Got a 5 year call back. Previous years they always found polyps and I had 3 year re-tests. So the chemo was good for something other than BC. The prep is worse than the tests. And hope the MO will find everything in tip-top shape.
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MinusTwo, thanks for the giggle! Wow, you went through a lot as well. I too was thinking that maybe my teeth aren't as strong due to the Letrozole. Will ask the dentist tomorrow. Still flipping sore so I'm thinking it is gum surgery. Will know tomorrow. Off to make egg salad - hope I don't break any teeth!
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Ha MinusTwo! I live in CT and today is grey, rainy and chilly...those April showers! But, we have New Haven which has the best pizza in all of the world! Seriously!! LOL So, my treat if you come here and we will eat it outside and then smoke our cigarette to celebrate! I turned 60 on April 8th so you have to wait 20 years but hey, it is worth it...
Your garden is doing great VJ!
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April - waiting 20 years is no big thing. I will only be 90. Since most of you live on the East coast, maybe I should just go to NYC and take a room at the Ritz for a week? That of course means that I must win the lottery. And of course if I will the lottery, I can pay for VJ & Beckers to fly East. Wait - you mean I have to buy tickets in order to win the lottery?
Judi - hope the dentist gives you good news. My dentist talked about surgery at first. I was able to do peroxide and Water Pic & Sonic toothbrushes & other things that actually caused the periodontal disease to recede. (LOL - the result was the gums stopped receding) But I think the biggest factor was quitting smoking & quitting cokes. Hope you'll have good news for us tomorrow.
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Hi ladies oh my , I have missed so much ...VJ love the garden . I have not even started my seeds .. having limited cash caused that .. but maybe this week ill pick them up .. cant wait for the fresh veggies ..my favorite time . I also totally understand what you are saying about relapse .. incase I got it wrong . I was saying the other day well the doctors have no idea why I am gaining this weight and looking pregnant so that she says maybe its portion control .. so I said maybe ill start smoking again ... then I wont eat as much jeeze .. but I did not do it .. I am still smoke free and struggling with diet and weight ..Judy wow you sounded like me for a minute .. lol all those crazy doctor appointments .. I am right there with you at the dentist .. UGH I go tomorrow at 8:30 am and I am so afraid of dentist . it gives me a lot of anxiety . I know I have gum disease and am afraid of wwhat thy will do or say ..
minus .. I love the story about the lottery and coming to the Ritz .. wow imagine that . Fun Fun Fun .. I think I am the baby of the group .. I will be 47 this year..xox
Bosom .. whats up ... missing you
Wow Beckers I have not seen her in forever . I miss you beckers ..
and to everyone I missed April .. newbies and everyone else .. what a great bunch of ladies and an amazing support system we have here ..
thank you all for being my friend ..
xoxoxox
Lisamarie
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Well, gum surgery was done today and the 2nd one will happen May 19th. Better to get this all over with. Bosum, no Letrozole didn't cause the receding gums .... smoking and brushing way toooooooo hard caused it. MinusTwo, the gum dental specialist also told me to buy the Water Pick and use the Philips Sonic Care and it will take care of it. So tomorrow I buy the water pik. I just love spending money but not on this. Thank god DH has a good benefits plan - surgery today was $715.00 but I figure this is cheap in the long run. Told if I don't do it then my teeth will eventually have to be pulled and then false teeth. Good look, eh Bosum? Oh well, in a little pain so off to watch t.v. LisaMarie, don't despair about the weight. I know what you are going through .... I gained 20 lbs after I went on letrozole but just took it off 4 years later. In all honesty, I write down everything I eat and only on 1200 calories a day. I was waaaaaaaay over that when I started writing it down. PM if you want to know how I did it. I can share with all but I don't know how many are interested. Computer slowing down - almost like I have a virus. So chow!
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Judi - glad the surgery went OK. Using the Philips Sonic Care toothbrush has really made a big difference in the condition of my moutn.
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Hi MinusTwo .... good to hear about the Philips Sonic Care. I guess I just have to get used to it. Bought the Waterpik and it says 14 days to healthier gums! Hmmmm, let's see if that is true!
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Judi glad to hear the gum surgery went well . Maybe I should look into water pick as well. I just had a dental apt they did not do much as I am afraid . so they put me in the phobic clinic lol... I do have to have a wisdom tooth pulled and a tooth made for one that I lost a while back . as well as treatment for gum disease and I have receading gums too .. so next appointment I wll now more ,, yuck ...I will pm you soon judi . I hve the medifast shakes ... tried this morning ...
xoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Gum disease - another blessing from smoking. Seriously, while I do use a Water Pik occasionally (like when I eat popcorn or my gums are sore), the Phillips SonicCare is what reversed my receding gums. I believe you're supposed to use it morning & night, but I only use it at bed time. BTW - I believe the recommendation is to use gel toothpaste instead of paste with these brushes.
What's with all the dentist stuff? I went in yesterday for the final installation of a crown over my first implant. The fit was good this time but the color didn't match the surrounding teeth. Urgh... those wonderful yellow smoker's teeth.
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Ha, ha, LisaMarie and MinusTwo. Aren't we all a lucky bunch with our teeth. I agree with you MinusTwo .... smoking did cause a lot of our problems. I didn't know that about the gel toothpaste so I'll try that. For me, it's a matter of getting used to brushing for 2 minutes as compared to 5-6 minutes. I just used the Sonic Care and my teeth don't feel 100% clean so I used a manual toothbrush as well for 2 minutes or so. Life if??? Anyways, once my gum has healed and the stitches are gone then I'll use the Water Pik. But I have to say that I don't see the tartar on my teeth like I normally would. Oh yeah, they say on the Water Pik box that using it you won't have to use floss. Just up my alley.
Ladies, have a good day. I'm dog sitting so I'm going to just sit as well!
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Had a quick note from Beckers. She's still missing her Mother but doing as well as can be expected. Still not smoking (hooray) and volunteering at her local zoo.
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Oh MinusTwo thanks for posting about Beckers. Really miss her on this forum. But glad she is doing well and moving ahead!
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