Stop Smoking Support Thread
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Yes ma'am. Haven't gotten a PS yet but working on it. Got a referral from a HS friend who went through this journey 2 years ago. He works closely with my BS which is a plus!
Thanks again!
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Honey & KBT - please do keep us up to date on your chemo & future treatments.
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kbt, I did the mastectomy with tissue expanders put in by my PS as well. I completed radiation and my skin held up well. I had decided to go the DIEP route. The TE's allowed for a more natural looking breast with less skin having to be moved to complete the flap surgery. I was glad the PS suggested this because he did not like using implants in a radiated breast.
Good luck in quitting smoking.
I am a former smoker that struggled through chemo as well. I continued to smoke a minimal amount through chemo. I met with my PS a week after chemo and he said I had to be smoke free for at least four weeks prior to mastectomy. He was a former smoker andHe explained the risks. I managed to meet this goal. Oops four weeks after surgery I relapsed as I was getting ready to start radiation. Could not quit again, very upset with my stupidity. Two days before completing radiation my mother passed away. I finished my radiation and three days later said I would stop for good. I knew I had to be smoke free for at least eight weeks to do my flap surgery. I wanted it so bad I finally reached my goal. I went smoke free for twelve weeks and have never smoked again. It has now been over three years.
My prayers are for all of you trying to quit smoking. I have faith you will get there. I love my smoke free life.
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Hey JB - thanks for posting. It makes a difference to see real life stories about people who have managed to quit.
Regarding our planned "smoke out" get together when I'm 80 - JB and I have already managed to have lunch together along with another BCO member who was in Houston for a time. It's great to actually meet the people you get to know here.
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So, when ya coming to CT Minus? May have to tip a glass of wine with you since you are the traveler...lol
Welcome to all newbies (and oldbies) and while quitting is the hardest thing ever, it is doable! I feel if I could quit, ANYONE can since I smoked from the age of 12 until I was 57! Yes, 45 years! I quit in April of 2013 and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. Do I still miss it? YES! But, it is an expensive way to hurt my lungs so I keep at it...one day at a time.
Hi everyone! xoxo
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JB, Minus and April,
Thank you all for the encouragement and advice. I will definitely talk to BS & PS about TE. I believe they recommend one of the flap (Diep or Tram) for me (of course so much info in last 2 weeks I can'tell remember exactly that was only the BS talking, will know more when I talk to PS).
Good news, bone scan clear. HOORAY!!! Will get results of full body CT tomorrow or Thursday. Port surgery Thursday. Besides the 2nd meeting with MO, chemo101, and echo tomorrow. I think I am done with tests until chemo starts on 3/9. After echo every bit of me including eyes and teeth have been checked. My vision had changed tremendously. Hoping it does not get worse with chemo.
Thinking of you all. I really appreciate this board!
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kbt - I remember the ordeal of the tests. Ugh. Great about the bone scan. Don't let us forget your 3/9 chemo date when it gets closer.
April - sorry the east coast trip is still 8 years away. There are so many places on my bucket list. Unless of course I win the lottery. But hmmmm, I guess I'd have to buy a ticket to win. How's your job going?
Honey - what chemo are you doing? And how many rounds do you have left?
Shout out to everyone we're missing.
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Just dropping in to shout out to everyone.
Honey - how is the chemo going?
kbt - hope your first chemo this week is easy.
Caught myself dreaming about smoking last night. Hmmmm. I didn't eat anything weird for dinner so I guess it was just a moment.
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Hi Minus
Had 3rd Chemo on Monday so week was rougher then its bad been with past chems, horrible tired and crazy anxiety, One would think that when you are feeling that crappy and tied you would not want to smoke it actually makes it worse for me , so pretty much fell off the wagon this week but got it together this weekend and getting control. I have one Chemo left, I plan to be smoke free by then , so we are looking at 2 weeks for me to get it together. . Its a crazy cycle, I have come to hate smoking cant stand the smell, yet I still crave the calm they use to bring me, I know they will never bring me that calm again .
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Hello MinusTwo,
Port is a little itchy from the adhesive bandages around it. I apparently have developed an allergy to adhesive. Boo!
I have had good days and bad days with quitting. I've gone 1 day without smoking. Trying to make it two but so badly want a cigarette. Ready to get started with treatment, hope I don't have too many SE.
Honey, hope you are doing OK?
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Thanks for posting ladies. Hard times!!! Sending strong thoughts.
Honey - if you only have one chemo left, you're probably doing AC, right?
kbt - the link below is to a tape/adhesive thread that isn't very active but has a TON of good ideas. I make sure they wipe my skin with Applicare or Cavilon barrier film before applying tape. Some people are OK with paper tape, but even that bothers me if it's on more than 30 minutes. I make sure they use Medipore or Hypafix "tape". Your infusion center should have these supplies, so insist when they get ready to tape down the infusion dangles.
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Thanks MinusTwo,
I was able to take off the dressing and tape and can begin nursing the rash. This is a new thing for me since my biopsy bandages pulled off a part of my skin and gave me a rash. Now it seems like a regular occurrence. The tech who did my bone scan used the special tape after I told him I had a reaction. I tried to tell the pre-op nurse before my port, but either she didn't listen or wasn't there for post op.
I am going to ask them for the barrier and tape you mentioned at the center. I'm going to experiment with some of the stuff listed in the forum too. I am allergic to cortisone cream, so I am stuck with bendryl cream or I have tried coconut oil with some success. Last thing we need is getting an infection from tape pulling/aggravating our skin so close to the port and other "sensitive areas". I still have a raw spot from the biopsy bandage.
Honey, sending you energy for your last treatment. Are you on the AC? Have you been working through it? I am like you, I hate smoking now, but just can't seem to lay them down. We can do it!
Thanks for this group!!!
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kbt - after two tape issues, I always carry some Hypafix or Medipore tape with me in my chemo/surgery bag- although most hospitals have Medipore. My infusion center has the Applicare barrier in individual packs and gave me several extra. The hospital has Cavilon, and I got a box of those individual packs from a friend after her husband died. He was using it for a barrier around his feeding tube. You can probably buy both tapes at medical supply stores or on Amazon. You can probably buy Cavilon locally. It's a 3M product. Applicare only ships in boxes of 500 or 1000.
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Hey fellas, I really need to stop smoking, I have quit for up to Two years before then started again. Love the support here, any advice would be welcome, feel free to PM me Eian
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Eian - welcome. When I joined this thread, I just started at the beginning and read a little more each day. Strangely enough I found reading 'stop smoking' blogs kept me from going out for a smoke.
Where are you in the BC process? Are you waiting for surgery? Or completed? If you go to My Profile, you can post your diagnosis and treatment so we'll be better able to share your journey.
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Hi minus
My Chemo is 4 rounds of TC started back in Jan . I have chemo every 21 days
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Oh yay, there's Bosum. Now we need to hear from LisaMarie.
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So speaking of moving forward (no, I'm not leaving this thread). I'm going to take a trip next week to the Pacific Northwest to stay with friends in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and then drive down through Portland and go west to stay with a friend in Newport, OR right on the Pacific Ocean. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. Except they, like so many others, are having an unseasonable winter. It's still 36/55 when spring should be in the air. I may have to miss my favorite activity of walking on the beach, but I can still eat Dungeness Crab & fresh Salmon & all the delicious cold water fish.
But wait for it... this truly is smoking related. I have not seen either of these friends in 30 years. It just occurred to me the other night that I never wanted to go visit friends BECAUSE I COULDN'T SMOKE. And I didn't really invite people to stay at my house either, because I smoked and the house smelled nasty. How sad is that?? Both of these women were/are close friends who basically read the same books, like the same music, raised our kids with the same rules, feel the same way about government, enjoy a glass of good wine, etc. etc. and here I haven't seen them in 30 years because smoking was more important. Something was wrong in my head. My world view was skewed. I'm looking forward to this trip all the more for the years of friendship my stupid smoking addiction caused us to miss.
Not to mention that the trip is being paid for by all the cigarettes I haven't smoked. I won't have to race outside the airport for a fix. Or stand in the rain outside a restaurant. Or take up all that room in my suitcase with a carton or two.
Hang in there ladies. It's worth it.
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Minus
Its so funny you mention the smoking and now inviting friends over , I have in the last few weeks just started to realize the same thing, I would not go places because I could not smoke . I think about that now how crazy it is. Not that I can claim to be a non smoker yet but Im getting there and never will I turn down a invite or miss out on something due to smoking
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Honey - weird that we're having similar thoughts.
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Minus, I hope you are having a fabulous time visiting friends, enjoying the food, fellowship and views. I have never been to the west coast and hope to some day. We shall live vicariously through you until that day.
Bosom and Honey, I had a set back and bought more cigarettes and am back up to 10 per day. I don't smoke in the house or car (anymore) but my back porch where I go is my escape and I need to figure out a way to go enjoy my respite without the nasty habit. I also need to find another "escape". I just need to keep in mind my son (who desperately wants me to quit and feels like my not quitting is not fighting has hard as I can), plus the saved money. I could go on that west coast trip if I stopped.
Lisa's story is worth reading back. She is so inspiring!
My relate-able moment with you guys is not - not going, but going and missing something because I stepped away to hide and smoke. So, sad that we missed moments because of this yucky habit.
Thanks for always being there and offering help!
Kimberly
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From my book, "How to Win at Quitting Smoking". For a free PDF copy, just send me a PM with your email address:
Break your automatic "habit" cigarettes before you quit. The conditioning of your brain to expect nicotine has become linked to almost anything in your environment and will now trigger a craving: sitting down in your favorite chair or at the computer, smelling coffee or getting into your car. Give yourself the opportunity to break your knee-jerk behavior while your brain is still getting nicotine.
Activity: Make a Smoking Corner and Smoke by the Clock.
Set up a place to smoke which is away from all household activities — someplace you don't normally go, and only smoke there. It could be the side of the house, by the garbage cans, in a corner of the garage or down the street at the neighbors' garbage can. Don't make it someplace you enjoy going to, rather someplace you don't like and don't normally spend much time there.
If you already smoke outside, for example on your patio or porch, find someplace new. After you quit smoking, you want to be able to go to your patio without it triggering a craving to smoke. Change the place where you used to smoke to a new relaxation corner where no smoking is allowed. Practice your relaxation techniques there and/or use this area to work on your Action Plan.
Smoke by the Clock. Schedule your smoking. Don't smoke whenever you want to, instead let the clock dictate when you smoke. Choose a time schedule so you smoke often enough to avoid having strong cravings or withdrawals:
- 10 cigarettes a day equals 1 every two hours.
- 20 cigarettes a day equals 1 cigarette every hour.
- 40 cigarettes a day equals 1 every half hour.
Once you decide on how often you will smoke, only smoke at those times. For example: If you choose to smoke one cigarette an hour and you wake up at 6 am, smoke your first cigarette at that time, then again at 7 am, 8 am, 9 am, etc. and every hour for the rest of the day. Don't smoke at any other time. If you have physical withdrawals, decrease the time interval between cigarettes or use a short acting nicotine medication, but don't smoke when you want to, only when the clock dictates.
If you don't feel the need to smoke when it is your time to smoke, you don't have to, but acknowledge you cannot have another cigarette until it is your next "time to smoke". Don't try to cut down—the purpose is to learn new behaviors while breaking your old associations and not go through nicotine withdrawals at the same time.
When it is your "time to smoke", go to your Smoking Corner, stand (unless you have a physical challenge) and smoke. In your Smoking Corner, don't do anything else except smoke. Don't take your coffee with you. Don't take your cell phone. Don't listen to your iPod. Don't leave a window open and watch TV. Don't talk to others. The purpose is not to multi-task when you smoke but to give yourself time to be conscious of what you are doing. By separating your smoking behavior from your other behaviors, you are "breaking your habit".
After you have smoked a cigarette, go back into the house and go about your normal activities. Have your cup of coffee, watch television, or sit at the computer. See how it feels to be doing this activity without smoking. It might feel weird, but this is normal. Remind yourself that this strange feeling is just a thought about smoking and not a physical craving. This is the time to practice the alternative behaviors you have been thinking of trying which will become the basis for your Action Plan.
Stop smoking in your car. If you are driving when it is your "time to smoke", pull over to a safe area and get out of your car to smoke. Leave your cigarettes in the trunk so you don't automatically smoke without thinking.
Don't smoke with other people. If your work place has a designated smoking area, stand off to a corner by yourself. Don't socialize with your fellow smokers while you smoke. It's OK to talk with them but not while you have a cigarette in your hand.
If you are at a social event, don't smoke with others but go off to a secluded area to attempt to stay with the spirit of having a Smoking Corner. When at a friends house, don't join them in smoking but let them smoke and you go outside by yourself when you want to smoke.
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VJ,
Great ideas! Thank you. I will try the tips.
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KBT
I totally understand, one day I have 5 the next 10, I try very hard to cut by one each week and thus far it was working...........had some bad days and screwed it all up I really love my morning coffee and smoke and its the hardest one to get rid of . My kids who are 32 and 27 have not said much about me still smoking , as both Dr's were clear that smoking did not cause the BC but will cause lung and that I needed to quit.asap... I think the kids are just relived , they see how much I have cut back and how hard I'm trying . Hubby is supportive as he can be , closet smoker thinks no one knows hes still smoking .
I have found I just have to avoid certain things as they are triggers for me to smoke and one is my back deck. I love setting there in the early morning with my coffee but cant do that and not want to smoke ,......so until Im stronger I just don't go out there .
So my friend tomorrow is a new day try and stay strong , I know it sucks and makes you crazy.... I have been so out of control all week, high one day and depressed as hell the next. I so need to go back to work to get my mind off all that is going on .
VJ Good advise and your right it does really work, when its your time to smoke you can only smoke nothing elece, no TV, phone, computer and only the smoking spot . It suck and makes smoking suck because its actually boring to just smoke in a uncomfortable spot . Key is not breaking the rules.......which I have managed to do several times this week.......Sometimes I could kick my own ass .
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Hi Ladies ,
I am so sorry I have not been here .. Life is so hectic . I have been working like crazy ...I am going to Florida this weekend to look at my new home that I am buying .. so excited .. I will be moving there in September .. St Cloud Florida ... I am still busy trying to figure out how to get my RN ... still not smoking .. its 2 and 1/2 years now . I cant believe it ... I am so grateful to you all.. without you ladies this never would happen ... I miss you all so Much .. Minus , Bosom, Jusi, April , and VJ..
to any newbies ... all i can say is one day at a time sometimes a moment at a time .. and just keep on moving forward even if you slip and most of all stay here and stay close. These ladies are wonderful ... It took me a while but they never gave up on me and encouraged me every step pf the way .. I never imagined I could quit ...but here I am ..
well as always gotta run and go to work 2 jobs today ... Hugs to you all
Lisa marie
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Wow Lisamarie! To say you have come a long way in a few years is such an understatement! Love and hugs and may your new home be all you dreamed of. And the best part will be NO MORE SNOW and ice and cold! xoxoxo
Hi everyone! Quiet here with Minus on vacation. Best of luck to all who are trying to quit. I know how hard it is!! One minute at a time...
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Praying for success!!!!!!!
The prize will be extra money to spend on you and get your reconstruction finished. Yeah!
I was finally able to quit when I wanted a recon date. I knew I needed to be smoke free for 8 weeks then my PS would nail a date down for me. Maybe you can set a date 8 weeks from tomorrow and schedule a PS appointment to discuss your stage 2 and get a date booked. Keep your eye on the prize.
You can do it.
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Well I'm back. I had a wonderful trip visiting with old friends in Oregon & Washington and getting to know more about those states. I ate fantastic Dungeness Crab & Halibut & Ruby Red Trout & many other Pacific seafoods, walked on the Straits of Juan de Fuca by Sequim, got caught in a snow storm in the Olympic Peninsula, went to a lecture about Constitutional Law, visited a great Indie book store, saw the Yaquina Head natural area & tide pools, even visited a Medical Marijuana dispensary with one friend who had a prescription for pain from a congenital bone problem.
What I did not do ... I did NOT watch ANY news. What a relief. Bosum, it's crazy making girl. Turn it off. My friends did read me 'snippets' from the morning papers, but I just boycotted "breaking" news for 10 days. Actually I don't really watch TV anymore anyway, but I took a break from my usual newspapers & the internet entirely. We had some interesting political discussions, but not "in your face" 24/7 heartbreak.
KBT & Honey - sending positive vibes. VJ - how are you doing? Thanks for continuing to post the tips and offering your 'How To Win' book free for members of our thread. LisaMarie, hooray for a move & a new house. I looked up St. Cloud. You'll be right in the middle of the state. How did you pick that city? April - I read about your snow on another thread. Ugh! JB - good to see you. How's the recovery coming?
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I hear ya - Bosum Blues. I get my insurance through the ACA and and I really don't know what I'm going to do it this new thing passes. I do feel lucky to live in California. There are several ideas/plans for the state to have a single payer plan available to all who live here.
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Recovery is awesome this time. I saw the PS this past Monday. No need to see him again unless something weird happens. I am finally able to accept the results and move on.
I am thinking about finding a job. I think it will help me move on. Not sure my husband agrees but he will suppprt whatever decision I make. I am only 60 and haven't worked for almost 10 years. I quit to take care of my mother, she had Alzheimer's. I watched her until I started chemo. She passed two days before I finished my last treatment of radiation. For those who don't know my mom and I did biopsies together. She only took an AI and her tumor had already encroached her skin under her arm. They listed her as metastatic. She never understood she or I had cancer.
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