Stop Smoking Support Thread
Comments
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BTW - Judi - we sure miss you.
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Another reason to stop smoking after BC: http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=25419
I had the same experience as you LisaMarie as far as mammograms. I've had 4 different GP's since my last bout and 2 have ordered mammograms. One was a mistake - his office asst thought he had forgotten to order it and I got a call from the place to schedule it.
The other doctor was just clueless--it was obvious I knew more about BC than she did since she was arguing with me that I needed one. I told her that if she wanted to order something it should be an MRI. I had also asked for a Rx for Effexor for hot flashes and she gave me celexapro--I asked if that helped hot flashes too--and it doesn't. A week later I got a letter from her telling me that she would no longer treat me and to find another doctor. She was fine when all I needed was routine stuff but anything beyond that she was worthless.
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VJ - hope you are doing OK in spite of the unreal high temperatures and the fires. Thinking of you.
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I live in the desert so no trees --so no fires here to worry about but it has been really hot. Some days over 120. Yesterday was 115, too miserable to go outside and too soon in the summer to be this hot.
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Yikes, that is HOT!!
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Hey ya'll! I had some rough days there & stayed off the internet! I have a particular family member trying to make this breast cancer thing with me all about her & it's really gotten the best of me. A bad situation all around, very pathetic & sad. It also made me have more trouble with the not smoking thing! Grrr... anywho, my 1st chemo infusion was yesterday....I had read that smoking doesn't allow chemo to work all the way & can make sickness with chemo worse...my paperwork when I left chemo said "Do Not Smoke"....I read it & I read again & got to the car & rode all the way home without smoking, and as soon as I got home I went outside & smoked...& it was discusting! It tasted fowl! However as the day progressed i just kept doing it....I had 3 different anti nausea meds running through me & still felt a tad naseaous & had a horrendous headache. This morning I woke up feeling normal! No sickies at all...went outside & smoked & it started coming back....hmm maybe the chemo is all it will take to stop...I really have not desire to smoke right now from how that made me feel....blechh....I'm going to sit here with my crackers & try to ease my stomach....I told hubby the outside ash trays need to go so I don't smell them.. that smell is discusting! Hubby tried to hug me last night & I pushed him away because the smell was horrid like cigarettes...whew....maybe the chemo will make me stop smoking.
Hope all is well for everyone & I will try to pop in more frequently!
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Bosom, yeah no matter what the job is in the nursing home it is so rewarding .. when I was housekeeping in NC the patients adored me and took to me fairly well and loved my onversation and listening ... so its so rewarding and melts the heart ...
VJ I know my GP did same thing she said you need a mammogram , I said i dont think so , she said oh yes , I said really i dont think I do .. so I just couldnt argue it they when I got there of course you know the rest .. they called her and said no mammo ... lol so wednesday I had MRI with contrast .. thanks for sharing about the GP
Sthrnyankee I cannot understand what you feel about the chemo ad I did not have any . I do know about the ashtrays smelling and the hugs and klisses that are smelly I had been through that .. I also lived in NC with my son and they all smoked inside .. it about killed me .. Hang in there .. xoxoxoxo
where oh where is Judi , and Minus .
Hi April xoxoxo
Lisamarie
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southern yankee - Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?? A side effect of chemo make smoking totally sickening. Hoping it will be that easy.
I'm here - just seems like I don't do anything but go to doc appointments, but then it is the 6 month check time. I finally got my nuclear PET/CT last week. Of course no report yet. I'll get my first Prolia shot next week. Hoping that will build up my bones after chemo threw me into osteoperosis. I have to have my port removed because it's grown a fibrin sheath that prevents them using it for blood draws. Surgery scheduled for 7/12 - assuming the PET results are positive. And I'm going to physical therapy twice a week. Turns out the broken arm bones have healed but because they had to be immobilized for 6-7 weeks, now my shoulder doesn't work. I hate PT - it hurts & takes up too much time - but I know i need to get the use of my arm back. Sorry for whining.
I'm a bit worried about Judi. I know she had lots of things going on at the end of school, but hope she'll pop in soon.
Bosum - hope things are going better for you. Hi April & VJ.
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((((Hugs)))) for all of my hurting friends. Minus, I hate PT too. Will keep you in my thoughts that the shoulder goes back into operation quickly and relatively easily.
Bosum, hang in there chica
LisaMarie, I have a hunch you are where you are supposed to be right now. Those patients need you and your big heart as well as your expertise in caring for them. xo
Judi, where are you girl????
Southrnyankee, hope that the chemo makes you HATE smoking...hey a girl can dream, right? Hugs...
Have a nice Holiday weekend and don't eat too much barbecue! Me, not having any this weekend. Gonna make my spaghetti sauce and some pasta...been craving it big time and just bought the sweet italian sausage and the hamburg, ground pork etc. to make my meatballs and a few bone in beef ribs to throw in the sauce. It is known as "Sunday Gravy" and is my Italian neighbor from when I was growing up's recipe. She was from Southern Italy and knew her pasta sauce. I am going to also make home made pasta from scratch to go with. I am on vacation next week so it will be great to have leftovers! I may even make some gnocchi. Love those too.
Enjoy! xo
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Bosum - can you do liquids? How about Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed w/whole milk? Cheaper than Ensure and I think it tastes better. I hope you find some easy things that you can "stomach" - like guacamole or clam dip or even boring instant oatmeal.
I haven't gone into panic mode yet over the scan last Wednesday, but still no report & of course it's a holiday weekend, so.... On the other hand, I'm the one who pushed hard to get this PET/CT instead of a plain CT so I could have one "start date" that there was no cancer in my body. Oh I know, even if I was NED on last Wednesday, I could still have cancer growing on Thursday. But I wanted one clear day so I can mentally put it all behind me and get on with my life - again.
April - your 'gravy' sounds delicious. Think I'll Spiralize some zucchini and have 'zoodles' with Rao's spaghetti sauce.
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Here are 3 of my Grandchildren and myself yesterday before work ... My daughter that just had the baby came from NC ... love being a grandma ... I am sorry you are going through a time medically Minus . I will pray for you .. big Hugs for surgery .. I will be in your pocket .
Bosom , Oh girl I used to fight all the time to gain a pound now they dont leave im at 120 and climbing all the time .. mainly becsaue now that i am working I am eating lots of junk , Mcdonalds burger king pizza and the list goes on ... Hugs to you .. Hope you have a nice family visit ..
April thansk for the kind words .. My residents do love me ... i love them ..
Judi , I really am missing all of your words of ncouragement . I hope all is well ..
April your sauce sounds amazing and similar to how I do mine ... hope it was super yummy .. now im craving .. lol
Hope everypne has a safe happy 4th of july ..
xoxoxoxoxxo
Lisamarie
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LisaMarie - great picture. Thanks for sharing.
Happy Independence Day to everyone. And to our friends up north (HEY JUDI) - Happy Canada Day.
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Bosum, please try to eat some more solids. You can't run the car without the gas chica! Hugs and will be keeping you in my thoughts.
Minus, I was wondering about those zoodles. I do eat spaghetti squash so would love the zucchini noodles I bet. I could be a vegetarian 29 days a month and then I would need to eat some chicken or beef..ya know? LOL
LisaMarie, those kids are ADORABLE! Enjoy your time with them. xo
What a difference a year makes! My granddaughters Mckenzie 8 and Aubrey 20 months.
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April .. the girls are so beautiful .. and yes time does fly by ... and they change so much . the older one is my first Brianna is 5 and the brother Connor is almost 2 .. and the last is Gianna my latest addition at 4 months old .. its been fun, the photo is at my oldest daughter who just bought her home ..
Bosom you must try and eat .. hugs girl ..ty for saying I look good as we all know i sure dont think so ,,
Hope everyone had a Happy 4th ... love ya all
Lisamarie
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Bosum - so glad that you were able to spend a few days with your extended family. Is this the sister that you were going to go stay with for awhile? Looks like the laughter & the food worked a miracle.
April - how fun to see the kiddos side by side pictures. Yes, I really love my spiralizer. I had the $8.00 hand held one, but it was too hard for me to use w/my trigger thumbs. So I had a coupon for Sur La Table & I just waited until the next larger one came on sale. Ended up getting it for $20.00.
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-2508968/OXO+...
I'm with you. I eat vegetables & fruit most of the time...as long as I can have bread. But I do cook fish & chicken a couple of times a month.
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Bosom ,
I am so Happy for you ... I am so excited that you finally had some fun .. some laughs, and you are eating ... xoxoxoxo Hugs .. yes Family can be some good medicine when we are in the right company ... xoxoxo
Hope everyone is doing good ...
finally got the $$ to have my truck fixed .. it goes into the shop this afternoon ... things are finally moving in the right direction ... better not jinx myself ... lots of love and hugs to all
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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I have tissue expander in my left breast, & will under go reconstruction surgery in January having the stomach surgery... I was wondering if someone could give me some I for about the surgery? I was wondering if I'll loose weight since I have heard it's like having a tummy tuck. During chemo I gained 30 pounds or so.. Is the recovery time and painful level bad?? I quit smoking in November 2015, and have had about 5 cigarettes since then.. I know it's bad! I don't want to get in trouble or have my surgery cancelled because of this. I don't smoke every day just have a few drags off of one every now and then.
I am in radiation now also and will start tamoxifen in 3 weeks, I am not sure on what to expect with that. Side effects, I am 30 years old and heard it will put you in menopause
If anyone could help that would be great! Thanks
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I have tissue expander in my left breast, & will under go reconstruction surgery in January having the stomach surgery... I was wondering if someone could give me some I for about the surgery? I was wondering if I'll loose weight since I have heard it's like having a tummy tuck. During chemo I gained 30 pounds or so.. Is the recovery time and painful level bad?? I quit smoking in November 2015, and have had about 5 cigarettes since then.. I know it's bad! I don't want to get in trouble or have my surgery cancelled because of this. I don't smoke every day just have a few drags off of one every now and then.
I am in radiation now also and will start tamoxifen in 3 weeks, I am not sure on what to expect with that. Side effects, I am 30 years old and heard it will put you in menopause
If anyone could help that would be great! Thanks
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Hi Lauramiley2, I am sorry I cant help in regards to the surgery as I has tissue expanders then silicon implants .. also I never did radiation or tamoxifen as I declined it ... I quit smoking almost 2 years ago..its gotten so much easier , I used the drug chantix. however I used the patch for 2 weeks before my surgery as the surgeons said they would not do my surgery if i was not nocotine free as it slows the healing process.. and causes complications .. so I dod that stayed off cigarettes for almost a few months maybe then I got stressed from money issues , I started again ... best wishes to you .. I hope someone here can help further .. also if you go on the other threads others may be able to answer your questions about surgery and tamox ... good luck and sending prayers your way .
xoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Laura - welcome. If you're still flirting with taking a puff now & then, you're at risk girl. For "just occasionally", it's not worth it. As for all your other questions, I've copied some of the threads below where people are going though exactly what you're doing now. You can find lots more under active threads. Please check back & let us know how you're doing.
June 2016 surgeries
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topics/844005
Spring2016 Rads
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/70/topics/842627
Bottle of Tamoxifen
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Does anyone know if the doctors can test you to see if there is nicotine in your body from months ago or just days? For your reconstruction surgery. I am not sure how long they can tell back if you have smoked or not. Just do not want my reconstruction to be cancelled or anything like that. I know it's bad! Just so dang hard to completely put it down
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http://www.ihealthblogger.com/2013/05/how-long-doe...
This site gives you the different times depending on what type of test is used--urine, blood or saliva.
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Southern Yankee - how are you doing?
Laura - if you send a PM to VJ, she will send you a you a copy of her 'quit smoking' book that has lots of tips. You can see her last post on 6/29 to get her address.
My good news - the PET/CT came back "no evidence of recurrence or metastases". Woo Hoo. At least I probably didn't have any cancer cells on 6/29/16. And that's the best anyone can promise. So I had my first Prolia shot last week. No side effects so far. And next Tuesday I'll have my port removed.
And for even more celebrations - tomorrow - Monday 7/11 - is the 9th anniversary of my last cigarette. As we've all agreed - I will never be a non-smoker. I am a smoker who is not smoking. And I know I can never take even one puff. I'm going to a decadent dinner with a friend who also used to smoke.
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Minus, HIGH FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NED!! So happy for you. Also, congrats on 9 years smoke free!! You should celebrate with a yummy dinner out on the town for sure. Maybe something ooey gooey for dessert too. HUGS! xo
Laura, I have no idea how your surgeon feels about any nicotine in your body before he operates. Guessing that if you showed effort and it is minimal if any, he will do the surgery. Best of luck to you!
Bosum would like know more than I would since I did not have surgery but I did quit the day before Rads and am glad that I did!
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Thanks ladies. I have to be at the hospital at 6am tomorrow for Port Removal surgery. It was impossible to find transportation at 4:30am, so I decided to use some of my free points at Wyndham and spend the night in the med center. A friend will drive me down around 6pm and we will indeed have a decadent dinner before she drops me off at the hotel. My ex-husband will bring me home tomorrow once they release me from recovery. I'll probably be goofy so talk to you all Wednesday.
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Will keep you in my thoughts for a smooth procedure!
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Minus .. Congrats so many things to celebrate .. Hip Hip Hooray on cancer Free .. and port coming out .. and wooowww wow wowowo on 9 years not smoking .. I just adore you so much ..
Laura , I have heard of the doctors testing for the nicotine .. I was so afaraid i wouldnt get mine i made sure i quit .. but like i said i started again after that ..
Hugs to Bosom, Judy, and April...
I really miss Judy
xoxoxoxo
Lisamarie
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Thank you so much for the info! Sunday I did not smoke at all and yesterday i had one cigarette. I appreciate this tread so much y'all have really answers my questions & know I am not alone or feel stupid with going threw cancer & still having a cigarette. If I can get 2 months before my reconstruction in January of no smoking I'll be good to go I believe. I don't plan of smoking after my reconstruction either.
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Laura - you go girl!!! Feel free to rant & rave here whenever you want.
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Minus, I take it all went smoothly with port removal (actually, I know it did because I saw your post on the dinner thread which I went to so I could see if someone posted some new recipes and/or food porn..lol) and I am so happy for you. Glad you had such an easy time of it chica. You deserve to have smooth sailing health wise after the shoulder etc. Hugs!
Lauramiley, just keep plugging away at it. I know (we all know) just how hard it is to quit smoking. It is EVIL! LoL!
Hi Lisamarie and Bosum!
Judi, where in the world are you girlfriend?????? Getting worried about you.
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