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Stop Smoking Support Thread

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Comments

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    LisaMarie, this is for all of us. It doesn't apply to everything but it sure helps!


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  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    Oh Judi, I'm so glad the end isn't written yet. I hate that it gets dark early. I hate the cold. I'm not in the mood to to anything - so I haven't. Maybe tomorrow I'll get on with the story.

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    MT, I hear you. But I'm thankful I wake up everyday and see the sunshine. I don't know how my story is going to end as I'm not ready to end it yet! So you see, I have the power!


  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    Hi ladies, here is the next one!


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  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited January 2016

    thanks Judi and Minus , I thouhht I just posted but guess it did not go . Today hopefully starts tge beginning to a new chapter . I have a job interview hoping I get this job .

    Missing you Bosom .

    Hope all is well April

    Xoxoxo

    Lisamarir

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    Wow LisaMarie - good luck on the interview. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

    I did hear from Bosum. She also has a job interview on Tuesday.

    I like to read in my bed. When I smoked, the ashtray was always on the night table to the left. And the first thing I did in the morning was light up. Also the last thing at night. Anyway, it was cold & yucky on Saturday so I spent much of the day under my quilt reading a mystery that you couldn't put down. But I kept thinking I smelled a whiff of cigarette smoke & turned to the night table to either puff or put it out. Needless to say there was no ashtray & no cigarette & no smoke, but it happened several times. REALLY WEIRD. If I told anyone but you guys they would think I was totally crazy.

    So yes, I will always be a smoker but one who does not smoke. Just for today I will not smoke.

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    Good luck LisaMarie and Bosum on your job interviews .... fingers crossed!

    Well MT, I visited my "old smoking buddy" last week. She is my neighbour and I used to go over with my dog and sit in her garage and smoke, When I visited, I just about died from the smoke smell. It was so strong that I choked. What amazes me more is that she had "smokers cough" and said way back in October that she was going to quit. I guess her time is not up yet. But I do remember the smokes just like you did. Those were the days!

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    OK - here are some snippets & a link to a very interesting article in the Washington Post.

    "During one of my quitting attempts, my emotions went on a 20-minute loop — seven minutes of being angry, seven minutes of pure joy because this is the time I'm going to quit smoking, and seven minutes of being on the verge of tears because, well, this is the time I'm going to quit smoking...

    ...There are two ways to make all of this stop. The first is to get through it and hold on until the symptoms subside and you are no longer a smoker. Or, you can walk a block down the street and buy a pack of cigarettes and feel normal immediately. The challenge is picking the former and not the latter.

    http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2016/01/bad-smells-brain-fog-quitting-smoking

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    Nice MT! Food for thought but it is soooooo true!

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited January 2016

    love that Minus . Please excyse my typing since my computer has been broken ive been hrre on my tablet and the keys are so small ! Anyway I loved it . I couldnt wait to wake in the mirning to have tgat smoke it was my fav one . As you know it took me a bit to finally let thst one go , but looking back now im glad I did . I was very upset a couple days ago and thought well I can walj to tge corner get a 6 pack of beer and a pack if smokes and ease all this pain anf hurt , but then I thought of how far ud come and chose not too . Its so hard being here with 4 smokers , I think it anmots me more than anything because ghe smell chokes u as judi mentiomed . I feel more sad at my son and daughter in law fir smoking in house arohnd my 2 year old granddaughter , she has been sick passedcouple days. And we took her to dictor yesterdat and sge has walking pneumonia . :( .on flip side I went to my interview and now waiting for backgriund check to come back . The pay is terriable at 7.50 oer hour but guess I cant be choosy ! I just feel with all my education you woukd think id be able to get a job with eniugh ti support myself ....I hope bosom is having good luck I miss you bisom xoxo

    Lisamarie

  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited January 2016

    Just popping in for a quick moment to say good luck to both Lisamarie and to Bosum on the jobs! xoxo

  • Mena4911
    Mena4911 Member Posts: 17
    edited January 2016

    I sit here reading/lurking with cigarette in hand! Had my first chemo treatment today. I have cut down from a pack a day to about half a pack over the past week. I felt really good about that and thought that after all day chemo today i could just go ahead smoke free. Nope! Got home and caved! I am disgusted with myself! I say this as I am looking at cigarette pack and yep just wanting to pop that sucker open one more time! I was always a pack a day smoker for 30 years. Honestly as soon as this b/c nightmare began with suspicious mammo in Dec I had increased smoking to pretty much chain smoking up to 2 packs a day! Its my stress reliever, my crutch, I love smoking! I have script for wellbutrin that i have not started, freak about side effects worries. Has anyone taken wellbutrin? did it help at all? Side effects?

    I see a few people have mentioned the ecigs and the Blu. Can anyone share experience with these and if they helped ? I have pet scan on thursday and breast and liver mri on Friday. Still in freak out mode! But really want to get this smoking stopped as I know it can only help me whatever the test results show.


  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited January 2016

    Hi Mena,

    First the wellbutrin. I tried it but had an allergic reaction to it almost two weeks in! It caused a rash all over me and so had to stop it. Within 48 hours of stopping the drug, rash disappeared so it was definitely the culprit. I did not feel all that different on the drug but I was on a very low dose. I still kept smoking but I had cut down on my own.

    I also used the electronic cigs and they are what I think helped me the most of anything. I did not use any of the brands you see advertised on television or in the local gas station convenience store. I used www.greensmoke.com and felt it was a very good thing for me. I began with half strength nicotine ones (1.2 I think?) and then after a couple of months, I ordered the ones without nicotine. I still keep one fully charged with me at all times "just in case" and I don't worry about all of the hoopla surrounding them and what they can "do to you" at all. They helped ME personally quit smoking after over 40 years of a daily habit. I also smoked around a pack a day of Marlboro. I rarely use the e-cig anymore but know that if the urge overwhelms me, I have this crutch rather than cave and have a cig. I also used VJ's tips in her e-book (she will send it to you for free if you are a BCO member and she is a member of this thread) and I also went through a smoking cessation program at Yale where I was treated for my BC.

    In short, I used all of the tools including the patch and the gum and e-cigs and therapy. I am going on three years quit this April.

    Best of luck to you whatever route you take and if you blow it, just keep trying! We understand!!

  • VJSL8
    VJSL8 Member Posts: 486
    edited January 2016

    My offer of a free PDF copy of my book is still open, just send me a PM with an email address.

  • Anniekay80
    Anniekay80 Member Posts: 92
    edited January 2016

    Mena4911

    I use the Blu Plus pack with the vanilla and the cherry cartridges. These taste the most like cigarettes to me. Bought my starter pack at Walgreens...behind the counter with the cigarettes.

    But I also did some online research and found Vaporfi. I got the Express starter kit and ordered some liquids that sounded good. I am totally addicted to the Vaporfi flavor liquids. You can choose how much nicotine and I was using 2.6% When I started the process of quitting back in September last year. My husband had a heart attack/CABG surgery/ then a stroke. I was told NO smoking in the house....ergo the e-cig.

    Like you I loved smoking....it fixed everything. Using the Vaporfi in combination with the Blu-E I can continue to enjoy my emotional attachment to smoking only now I'm vaping. I Had to smoke outside if I wanted a real cigarette and it gets really cold here in Michigan. I ended up using the e-cig So much that I quit smoking without even realizing it. I went out on our porch to get the mail and happened to see my cigarettes and ashtray sitting there......that was when I realized I hadn't had a smoke for a whole week! Needless to say I have never gone back. I keep that half pack of cigarettes there on the porch so that "panic of running out" doest hit me....each day I choose not to smoke cigarettes.

    A great thing about using different flavors of e-cig is that after vaping them for a while smoking a real cigarette tasted awful! Once I got the BC diagnosis the PS told me No nicotine because it can hamper healing. So I got online and ordered 0%nicotine...cartridges for the Blu and liquids from Vaporfi (their liquids use FDA standards for ingredients even though liquid nicotine is not yet mandated by the FDA). I'm in love with the custard flavor as well as the cheesecake and the blueberry and the key lime and now Holy Cow, a flavor based on the taste of condensed milk.....it tastes way better than it sounds.

    Okay I'm sounding like a commercial here...sorry. But this was the only thing that worked for me and It was easy to do. It is just that I smoked for more than 30 years and nothing I tried worked. My biggest problem was that while I knew I should quit, I didn't want to quit because I was so emotionally attached. Now I have the best of both world's....I vape all day and there is no smoke, no stink, and no nicotine.

    Oh I would suggest you go to a smoke shop and buy a few different disposable e-cigs to see what you like before investing in a rechargable starter kit which can get pricey. Despite the costs, I am still spending less than I would on cartons of cigarettes.

    Good luck and if you want more detailed info just pm me and I'll tell you everything I've learned from my trials and errors.

    Remember, never quit trying to quit!

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    Bosum - how about setting a date several days or a week in the future for quitting. That way you can use up your stock and not be panicked about 'tomorrow' being "D" day. Or maybe you should plan for February 1st, after the dreaded end of the month.

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited January 2016

    bosom I had to leave the animals with him. Hardest thing that I ever had to do. Be strong my friend.

  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 1,983
    edited January 2016

    Wanted to share a picture of my daughter and her fiancé...she is my youngest. She just made partner in her law firm at 35! So proud of her....

    image

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    April - wonderful news about your DD. And thanks for posting the picture. I don't remember - is a wedding planned already?

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    On the run but I wanted to say "beautiful" daughter you have April. Congrats to her on making "partner". Such a huge accomplishment. Bosum, I'm interested in your electrolysis experience. The fact that you have "blonde" hairs makes me say "go for it". How did they decide that they were able to do it. Please share!

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited January 2016

    nice picture April . You must be so proud.

  • SVGsurvive
    SVGsurvive Member Posts: 35
    edited January 2016

    Hello smoker & former-smoker friends. Just popping in to wish you all a happy Saturday! I continue to quietly follow along, even though I haven't posted since December. Happy to see some new faces too, all supporting each other on our collective "Quest of the Pink Lungs."

    Smile

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    SVG - you're always welcome. I'm glad your lurking & reading. Jump in whenever you want to rant or cheer or whatever. Looks like you just had your BMX with TE's installed. I know you're thrilled to be done w/chemo and on to this new phase.

  • SVGsurvive
    SVGsurvive Member Posts: 35
    edited January 2016

    MinusTwo, indeed - even though surgery has come with it's own bundles of joy (sarcasm dripping everywhere right now), it's the next step and it means progress!

  • minustwo
    minustwo Member Posts: 13,354
    edited January 2016

    SVG - I can just feel the joy!! Are you still on pain meds? Did you get rid of the drains yet? Refresh my memory - did you fight through in December & become one of the non-smoking smokers? If so, congrats. If not, what did your PS say about it?

  • SVGsurvive
    SVGsurvive Member Posts: 35
    edited January 2016

    Hi. Yep still on the ol' Percocet, but now only 2 pills every 4h for sleep, and down to 1 every 6+ hours during the day. Right drain came out Friday. Left drain on track for Monday! My smoking chaos has been:

    • Late Sept -> Late Nov: 100% smoke free
    • Late Nov -> 12/14, sporadic puffs
    • 12/15 -> 1/15: 100% smoke free but for 2 cigs
    • 1/18 -> Present: several a day :(

    I have a 30 minute appt. on Monday morning w/ my PSNP where I plan to spill the beans. I'm having major nipple necrosis and spent all day yesterday blaming myself fully for it, and doing horrific internet research on it, and then bawled until I ran out of tears.

    Then I popped an Ativan and felt a bit better. :\

  • SVGsurvive
    SVGsurvive Member Posts: 35
    edited January 2016

    BosumBlues, your sweet words are putting me on the cusp of crying again, but for a good reason. Thank you. Hug

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    SVG, wishing you a GREAT SUNDAY! I'm glad to hear that your onto your next steps in this journey! And you are so right, progress is ahead of all of us!

  • JudiH
    JudiH Member Posts: 1,168
    edited January 2016

    Bosum, thanks for the info on the "electrolysis". You've shared wisdom that I didn't know. However, I have been doing electrolysis for years and the old ones don't show up, but the new ones do. You are so right, this is an expensive road. I'm need to look at something else. $95 for 45 minutes is pricey. I pay $30 for 30 minutes which is $1 per minute!

  • lisamarie68
    lisamarie68 Member Posts: 971
    edited January 2016

    ok so back to bitch !!!! Im thinking of going back to NY . Im so sad . I've been couped up in this house for days . I cannot take the smoking . My son is obviously his fathers because I always worry abiut othrrs and here tgey could give a shit less . Its hard enough to quit smoking but to be around 4 smokers all day and night sucks . Also feeling like I cant go anywhere is driving me nuts ! Im trying ti be strong . I know rome was not buikt in a day . But im loosing it . Crying most of the day . Anyway hope everyine was safe from the storms . Winter hugs to u all

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