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Stop Smoking Support Thread

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Comments

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    SVG - April said it all about your DH since she's been there. Huge congrats to you. 6 weeks is a real milestone. My leg collapsed once during chemo. It's a really weird thing - no pain, just suddenly on the ground. I bought a trekking pole instead of a cane. And I got a handicapped parking sticker.

    LisaMarie hope today is better.

    CBWitt - are you lurking? We do think about you - smoking or not.

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited November 2015

    Hi everyone , I am here and I went to the doctor yesterday . I had to tell her how I was feeling about everything .. first off I was telling her that after walking or going up stairs I cannot breathe and my heart pounds like crazy .. so she gave me a breathing test so not only did my MRI show it but the breathing test confirmed COPD .. so here I am now on an inhaler 2 times a day Dulera . and she stated that the damage done is irreversible and nothing much to do . so now I am worried .. but it is in the early stage so I guess that is good and the first suggestion when you are diagnosed is to quit smoking ...But since I have quit for a year I guess I am ahead of the game . I also told her how i was feeling mentally and broke down in her office and she said that loosing a child has to be the worst thing ever to happen . she told me she lost her mom at age 9 but its not the same .. she asked me a bunch of other questions and then said I ahve severe depression and put me on zoloft . I guess I will try and see . and a number for a psychologist to talk to . Today I have to see if my insurance will pay .. and as for UPS .. I called and no work yet today .. :( I had a long talk with the BF last night and tried to get him to nderstand what is going on in my life ,, with kids , my meetings, him , the feeloings , my sons death .. ect and finally i saw hope.. he finally understood me and looked at me for the first time like he actually understood .. he did not say anything just listend . he never did that before .. and he just hugged me and kissed my head ans said he loved me and he only wants to help me not hurt me and that he was sorry that he just dont understand .. and that he is uptight because financially we are having a hard time , money does screw up relationships .. the mortgage here is 2400 the electric right now is 800 ready to be cut off .. the cars keep breaking down .. I understand the struggle as well ... Today I am going to go to the cemetery and visit my son ... thansk to you all for listening and loving me evn when I cannot love myself .. I really mean it when I say I hope one day to meet you all .. I will be the one giving the biggest Hugs to you all .. because without you ladies I don't know where i'd be today ...xoxoxoxo

    Lisamarie

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited November 2015

    suersis .. thanks I will def keep eye on it .. xo

    Lisamarie

  • cbwitt1970
    cbwitt1970 Member Posts: 22
    edited November 2015

    Minus. I am lurking. With a cigarette in hand😞 I have drastically cut down from what I was smoking prediagnosis but still smoking nonetheless.

    I saw the PS yesterday. He thinks I will be ready for exchange surgery in a few more weeks. I was thinking this wouldn't take place until late December. So I have to get my butt in gear and put these damn things down again. I really had a rough time with intubation at my bilateral mastectomy surgery. The anesthesiologist even sent me a letter detailing my problem. So in addition to needing to quit for all of the obvious reasons, I now can add this to the list.

    I would love to be able to blame my DH for my failure to quit but honestly I must own the fact that I just love to smoke.

    I've set another quit date for this Monday so wish me luck ladies🤐

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    CB - did you send a PM to VJS to get her stop smoking booklet? It really does have some good ideas and she was offering it free to BCO members. We will of course send up smoke signals on Monday morning. Oops - no pun intended - LOL.. I can't remember, were you using any aids? I could never have done cold turkey.

    LisaMarie - thanks for sharing. We all really do care. I hope the Zoloft helps.

  • SVGsurvive
    SVGsurvive Member Posts: 35
    edited November 2015

    Hey cbwitt1970, good luck on Monday! I'll be sending you strength, good vibes and every positive thought I have about being cig-free.

    Hug

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    CB, oops is just a little thing. Come Monday you will rise a little higher and kick that butt to the ground. We're with you on Monday so heavens sake "enjoy those little shits till then"!


  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited November 2015

    CB good luck prayers are with you as Monday approaches .. you got this ..

    Bosom ... xoxoxox I feel like after all I was reading it does not matter .. the disease progresses anyway ..it almost made me say screw it and just smoke since it's there .. but I then kept reading and the first thing when diagnosed they say to stop smoking .. well I have done that already .. so why throw myself back again ... I have come so far ..

    Thanks Minus , I sure hope the zoloft works too .. I went to my son's grave yesterday .. and cleaned up the leaves in the pouring rain .. but i miss him so much ..

    well hopefully I will work before christmas for the grandkids sake ... but on another note .. Christmas is about Family and Love not about gifts .. but children do not understand that .. I am not sure that the big ones do either .. and thinking of the Holiday without my son makes it so much harder .. anyway I call UPS everyday and every morning they say call back tomorrow.. hope work starts soon ..

    xoxoxoxox

    Lisamarie

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited November 2015

    Sueris thanks so much . I appreciate it . I called today and they said keep calling each day and maybe by tuesday .. so hope so . my Grandson will turn one on November 19th as well. anyway today is better for me ..

    Hugs to everyone

    xoxoxoxo

    Lisamarie

  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited November 2015

    (((LisaMarie))) Keep the faith chica. and yes, it is not a good idea to smoke even with your diagnosis. It can make it much worse and early COPD IS somewhat reversible (or at least that is what a doctor told me) so keep on keepin on...

    you too Bosum

    you too CBWitt

    Hugs to all!

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    Ah, Scotland... I had to share this one!

    CelticLife.ca's photo.
  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    image

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    Takes me a while to figure out how to insert image and this is what I had deleted.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    Judi - love it. Me in another life. Hope everyone had a good Friday the 13th.

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    Bosum, you are a kind, generous and caring woman. LisaMarie, open arms are for you!

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    LisaMarie - is the Zoloft working? Hope you're gotten some relief from the depression.

    Bosum - you really are a sweetie.

    Had to have my 40-50 ft Pecan tree taken down last week. I've been trying to save it for over 2 years but a fungus just kept spreading and big trunk limbs came down w/storms. It was here when we moved in in 1973. Very sad to loose it. Today I had a new San Felipe Red Maple planted. I told the nursery that I wanted a very fast growing tree since i wanted my shade back before I got shipped to a nursing home. It supposedly grows 3-4 ft per year. The tree isb on the South side - the REALLY hot side during the summer. It's not unusual for the temps to be 120+ degrees in the sun, so my house will miss the cooling effect of the big tree.

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    MT, sorry to hear about your tree. When we moved here in 2006, we planted 60 trees. We have lost about 5 trees. We planted Colorado Blue Spruce (used to be a tree farm years ago) so the soil is very good. I hate losing the trees. The best is I bought 2 trees for $35 and dh bitched that "I couldn't just go out and buy trees - we need to plan the planting". These 2 trees have gotten so big that dh just loves them. We are on an acre so we need the trees for wind/snow protection. No amount of trees will help us with sun as the afternoon sun is brutal. Wish we could put trees in to protect the house from the sun but the only things that will do that is one big shade umbrella attached to the house. But with that comes hornet's nests! Uggggh!

  • VJSL8
    VJSL8 Member Posts: 486
    edited November 2015

    My boyfriend got me a mango tree last february and it's going crazy. Can't wait for my own mangoes. I planted papaya's from seed and they are also growing like crazy and one has some small buds, not sure if they will ever bear fruit because you need both a male and female and I'm not sure what I have, but it's been fun watching them grow.


  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    VJ - my folks had two orange trees & grapefruit and avocados. The blossoms were so wonderful. Neat that you'll have mangos anyway.

    Bosum - GREAT news about your hair. Like my hair, I know it was an important part of your self-image. Hooray!! Very positive. I'm still taking Biotin, mostly for my nails but I think it helps my hair too.

    Judi - Wow - 60 trees!!! Blue Spruce is one of my favorites. As a kid, we always got those for Christmas trees. Pretty hard to come by here in the hot lands. Isn't today the beginning of your Florida trip? I do hope you'll have computer access.

    Sure did want a cigarette this afternoon. I'm not sure why. I was just sitting at the kitchen table reading the Sunday paper, and it just overwhelmed me. But I didn't. Just for today...I will not smoke again.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    When I moved to Texas in the 70's - BIG hair was important - and 'shellacked' to never move. And remember Beehives? I can't imagine what our dates must have thought when they touched those creations.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    Bosum - she was lovely. I'm older than you, so I'd have to say I was a beatnik before I was a hippie. But yes, my hair was always down to my waist. I even had braids clear through grade school. When I had to be super professional I pinned it up, but usually just clasped it back by my neck & let it hang. Once I hit 50, I started to keep it just at my shoulders. The short hair after chemo is quite a change for me. Everyone says I look 10 years younger, but that doesn't address how I loved the feel of my hair, or how my neck & ears are always cold now. Here's your laugh for the day. I asked my son how he liked my short hair. His answer was, women always wear short hair when they get older. Urgh.

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    Wow, long hair. When I was little I had long hair up until the Princess Diana craze. Long never looked good on me. Then I went super short and loved it. Funny, MT you say you neck/ears are always cold. Up here, the colder it gets then I cut it shorter. Friggin weird I say. But the best is just before I retired when a colleague said to me that he "met my sister". I didn't know what he was talking about until I realized that a new hire (in my age group) had the same flipping hair cut. Changed it pretty quick - dye and a cut makes a difference. MT, I hope in your "imagination" that smoke was good.

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited November 2015

    Hi everyone , and thanks Bosom for the offer . well damm UPS called and said it will prob be another week .. then the lady I cleaned houses with called and said she just took on so many more jobs and really needs the help and wishes I would work with her . So I guess I will probably clean . I just can sit here anymore .. I am so broke .. Hugs to you

    The hair is so funny , I only remember long hair when I was young and my mom cut it all off .. I have always been jealous of long hair .. because after my mom cut mine off it's never grown past my shoulders.. I just had a pixie cut ... and now I cant afford a cut so it's growing out and looks horriable .. the big hair was popular in the 80's also i remember using cans and cans of auqa net hairspray ..lol ...

    My daughter is kind of speaking to me .. but not really ... I had the chance to skype with my other daughter who is pregnant in NC , and with my son and his wife and my granddaughter isabella .. and that was nice ...

    Taking it day by day ... but no smoking or drinking so that is a plus ..

    love you all .. have a great day all

    oh yeah we had two pear trees here .. but the fruit was noy good so we would give the pears to the deer .. they loved them , this year he cut them down ..

    xoxooxo

    Lisamarie

  • VJSL8
    VJSL8 Member Posts: 486
    edited November 2015

    Here is a podcast I did for a local radio station for tips for the Great American Smokeout, which is this thrusday: http://kfrog.cbslocal.com/2015/11/11/great-american-smokeout-hits-40

  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited November 2015

    VJ, I love that when that day comes, I am now smoke free. I used to try and make it through and never was able to...and felt guilty cause I would promise myself that I would do it. Now, I do it every day! YAY me! LOL

    I love trees..love everthing about them. Their majesty, their permanence (unless they become diseased or sadly, in the way of something to be built) and what they give to this planet. I love all trees in my yard. The great mighty white oaks and evergreens especially.

    I have way too much hair and it grows much too quickly. Right now it is too long. But, I never had chemo for either of my cancers so can't know what that feels like. Glad you all have your hair back!

  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited November 2015

    It is likely the femara Bosum. I too have been known to drag a razor across my chin...LOL I don't have dark hair so that is the blessing but those long "pluck em out" hairs on the chin are easier to get by shaving since my eyesight has deteriorated...LOL

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    Sad to say the chin hair thing is funny. I'd done a bunch of electrolysis and finally had no more chin hairs. Then chemo. Then - chin hairs came back. I agree April, not only are they are hard to see because of eyes have deteriorated, they hide in the wrinkles. I do know better, but I'm trying to pluck. Funny book if you all haven't read it - I Feel Bad About Neck: And Other Stories on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron. Hilarious stories about maintenance, menopause, empty nests & being a woman.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    Bosum - I discovered the answer to laughing & peeing while I was in chemo treatment. Panty Liners. I'll still use one occasionally if I know I have a long day w/no easy rest rooms. But it's worth the laughter!!!

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited November 2015

    Bosum and April .... I don't think it is the Femara. I'm on the drug but I had "facial hair" long before the meds kicked in. It's called the "aging process". I just do electrolysis and I'm good but come summer, little buggers pop up a little more. Thank god I'm blonde.

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited November 2015

    Oh no - I lost a long post. Well, I'll try again. Thoughts in advance in honor of national Smoke out day. Unlike April, I used to smoke double on that day just to "show everyone". Luckily I don't have that rebel challenge anymore. So I'll celebrate with a nice glass of red wine. Anyway here's a thought from our paper today:

    >>>Change habits gradually. Delaying smoking when you feel a craving can be an effective tool for anyone trying to quit. If you have an urge to smoke, wait 15 minutes before you have that cigarette, or spread those cigarettes out. If you usually have a cigarette an hour, extend that to an hour and a half.<<<

    I know some people think this way is a cop out, but it worked for me. I quit smoking in my house. Two weeks later I quit smoking in my car. Two weeks after that I started counting out a specific number of smokes and putting them in a separate container every night for the next day. And yes, I set a timer to let me know when it was OK to have one. It was the only way I avoided clock-watching. I did fewer every day until I had only a couple left each day before I quit for good. I did use Chantix, but didn't start that until a week after I'd started my counting.

    Remember how LisaMarie said she hung on to the one cigarette in the morning for the longest time? Then one day she just said, nope.

    Congrats to everyone who's still not smoking. Good luck to those who are still trying to quit.

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